Other PP here. Thanks for your information about pools! Huge help!

8:43 here again. To the OP, Lewis Aquatech does everything which is one of the reasons we chose them (also upon recommendation from a good builder friend of ours who uses them when he builds high-end homes). They have a great design team as well as a team of landscape architects and will draw up a whole computerized plan that they present to you. I met with 4 different pool companies and they were the only ones who were all-encompassing. The rest only built the pool, then you had to hire someone else to build your patio, fence, landscape, etc. Lewis took care of everything, all the permitting, inspections, etc. Very professional.

As to neighbors who are leeches, we just don't have that problem. We have great friends in the neighborhood who we invite over often with their kids. They never let their kids come unless they're there too watching them. If I invite just kids over, I assure parents that I'm in the backyard with the kids. Our kids are older now so they don't have to be hovered over, so I can sit in the kitchen and watch them comfortably.

Our project began in the winter and the pool was ready by early June. I would start talking to pool companies in the fall. They are busiest in the summer (obviously), but a good timeline is to start meeting pool companies now, make your choice and begin the process in the fall so you have your pool ready by summer.

Our lot is a quarter of an acre, and we don't have a lawn anymore in the backyard. We never used it and now it is pool, patio, landscaping, pathways, and a very large vegetable garden. I realize this may turn off a lot of people who want grass for their kids to run around, but ours always preferred to go to the playground/fields that are walking distance from our house so they NEVER played in the backyard when they were little. Now they LIVE in the backyard. We have lots of small and large parties all summer long, including our annual 4th of July BBQ pool party!

I agree with the PPs who say to get a large pool. We swim laps in it all the time. Also, the PPs who say a pool is a ton of work must have had an older one. As I said in my previous post, the new ones are so low maintenance. We have a Polaris, which is a robot-vacuum that comes on automatically every morning and cleans the entire pool. The systems are so high tech now that you can even control everything in your pool (lights, heat, water features, etc.) with an I Phone App!! Seriously, very little work to do. And be sure to get salt water. Lewis told me that most of the pools they build now are salt. No harsh chemicals on your skin and much cheaper and easier to maintain.

Again, good luck with your decision. It's a very personal one that you have to make for your family. We never regretted ours.

We have 3/4 of an acre and a 15x30 pool. The pool is fenced separately so we can play away from the pool.

Agree that I'll end up running at minimum $70k. Where are you located OP? We are in FFX County and the permitting 4 years ago was heinous. I hear it's gotten easier but I wouldn't delay. The build itself can take as little as a month but our permits took 6+ months!

I grew up in Florida where most people have backyard pools. I'm house shopping now and so tempted to buy a place that has one. I absolutely loved it growing up. Lived in that pool in the summertime.

Questions for PPs with pools - how big are your back yards? We would love to put a pool in, but don't want to be that house with a yard that is all pool. Do you still have a lot of yard remaining?

Second question - if you didn't put your pool in and have a home with an older pool, have you had any problems with the pool? We're also thinking about moving to a house that already has a pool but are a bit concerned about problems that might come up. Thanks!

I don't know what I would do in hot summer days with my kids without our pool! I see them from most rooms and they watch much less tv over the summer, lazy times
The cost of building one, depending on the size can be high. Ours is 40,000 gallons, 8feet so that is an average 100K.
It does increase your house value tremendously and it has long lasting benefits.

As for maintaining it, it does nit cost a lot. We check our water for chemical balance ourselves, we add chlorine, and brush it when needed.
We only have somebody to open and close. He charges a little bit more but he's always available--$360 for opening and the same for closing.
You will need occasional pump or polaris motor replaced or other things but they are not that expensive. Your new equipment and tiles should last for 20 + years with proper use.

I think that is a great investment.
You will also be required to build a tall, view blocking fence and secure gates. Nobody should be coming to your pool, if you have all requirements met, if something happens to a trespasser, hey that is on them. I am not sure what neighborhood the ore posters live but that is crazy.
If you can afford it and have the space, go for it. But don't build something small, some of our fiends have small pools and they are really soaking tubs, it misses e purpose.
Also instal All Safe fence if you have small kids and/or pets.

Wow, thanks for all the responses!

I think I will explore this further since there are several of you who seem to really love having a pool and I think we would love it too. Regarding neighbors wanting to use it, teenagers hopping the fence when we're not home, etc., those don't seem like real reasons for us not to get a pool. I have no problem laying down some rules about when others can come over, and I don't foresee trespassing issues when we're not home but I am sure there's some way to deal with that (like a pool cover). I think if we decide it's something we want for our family, we will go ahead and do it, and not worry too much about the friends & neighbors issues.

We do belong to a pool now, but I find it kind of a pain to schlep over there, and I love the idea of inviting one or two families at a time to swim in a more private setting.

Is there a best time of year to do a project like this? (Obviously not when the ground is frozen, but other than that?)

I grew up with a pool and would LOVE one now that I have children. We never had issues with unwanted guests, but we DID jump off the roof into the pool a number of times.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Not the other PP, but I kind of have the same concerns. Because I know that other parents can kind of be leeches. Oh, they have a pool, go over there.....type people. I would want to avoid this more than anything. I suppose if we put our foot down from day one, that would be it.

We have looked at houses where there are neighborhood kids at the house pool without the owners home (they were on vacation)! I thought, really? WTF is wrong with people?

What I don't want!

Maybe they had an arrangement, in exchange for house care services to allow use of the pool, doubtfully, these people just broke in. Plus, a nice cover would keep most people away.

anytime our neighbors were out of town--teenagers would hop the fence and use their pool....they didn't keep it covered.

Anonymous wrote:
Not the other PP, but I kind of have the same concerns. Because I know that other parents can kind of be leeches. Oh, they have a pool, go over there.....type people. I would want to avoid this more than anything. I suppose if we put our foot down from day one, that would be it.

We have looked at houses where there are neighborhood kids at the house pool without the owners home (they were on vacation)! I thought, really? WTF is wrong with people?

What I don't want!

Maybe they had an arrangement, in exchange for house care services to allow use of the pool, doubtfully, these people just broke in. Plus, a nice cover would keep most people away.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually just hired a contractor to remove it, which is super-expensive too but I hate that pool with a passion I thought I reserved for things like trashy baby names and Walmart shoppers.

Wow.

Ok, I assume you are talking about an above ground pool. If so, I can't imagine anyone buying a house with an above ground pool in this area. If in-ground, I can't imagine anyone spending the money to demolish and fill the site with mounds of dirt. It would be more practical to move to a house without a pool. This must be a fake poster. It doesn't make any sense.

Anonymous wrote:It is a ton of work. We have (had soon!) a nice lap pool (the house came with it). I actually just hired a contractor to remove it, which is super-expensive too but I hate that pool with a passion I thought I reserved for things like trashy baby names and Walmart shoppers.

I end up doing all the maintenance which is so time-consuming for a working mom of 2 young kids, I worry constantly about the kids being out of my sight, and repairs are unbelievably expensive. Especially for the safe cover we have, which seems to break on an annual basis to the tune of a couple grand. I will so happy when it is a nice grassy spot instead.

Hi, how much did it cost you to remove your pool? Do you still have your safe cover?

Not the other PP, but I kind of have the same concerns. Because I know that other parents can kind of be leeches. Oh, they have a pool, go over there.....type people. I would want to avoid this more than anything. I suppose if we put our foot down from day one, that would be it.

We have looked at houses where there are neighborhood kids at the house pool without the owners home (they were on vacation)! I thought, really? WTF is wrong with people?

What I don't want!

Personally I would love a pool. We saw quite a few homes here that have them. As long as you design it right, I think it can add to a home. The worst was when we saw pools where there was literally no backyard, where the pool was just so huge it took up all the space.

Love our pool (put it in 4 years ago). We have an auto cover so the pool is closed when we're not in it.

It has changed our lives in so many ways. We are healthier (spend lots of the summer outdoors, eating fruit by the pool, swimming). We entertain constantly (by choice).

Our kids our young but I can't imagine them choosing to swim at a club over our pool, except for competitive swimming if they are interested. While it might be fun once or twice, our pool is warm, clean and private. They can blast their music, invite whoever they want and raid our fridge.