Pool or not

[StormyDixon]

Currently we live in a neighborhood that has a pool. We may be moving in the spring and are considering a house with a pool opposed to a neighborhood pool. Help me list pros and cons. Right now all I have is

Own pool -cons we have to maintain it, less opportunity to meet neighbors
Pros we can use it whenever we want

[jane6672]

If you have the opportunity to own a pool... ALWAYS OWN THE POOL.



ALLLLLWAAAAAAAYS.

[2boys2danes]

We've had both.....our house when our boys came home (they were 3 and 4) was fantastic for my H and I... we had a pool, hot tub, gorgeous backyard but no real "grass/play area". We felt like we needed to move because it was not a kid friendly setup (also the hood we lived in was a lot of older folks so not so many playmates for W and T)

In 2005 we moved to our current hood and we have neighborhood pools... I totally prefer this! The kids have other kids to play with there, they are 12 so if they are bored up there they walk home. My trouble now is that they think they are grown enough to be able to go up there and swim with their friends with no adults around. My answer to that is, and shall remain until they are much older, NO!

I still miss the days of having our own pool but the hassle factor makes me love our nhood pool

[StormyDixon]

One of the problems we had with our neighborhood pool was the babies pooping in it, resulting in it being closed, even over a holiday weekend! We won't have any babies pooping in our private pool

[speckledfrog]

con: liability, cost, possible resale issues

[StormyDixon]

Sept 9, 2012 10:35:26 GMT -5 @amber said:

Also, I don't think I'd want a pool if i didn't live in a warm climate like Florida, arizona, or California. Sounds like a lot of money and hassle, not worth it.

I live in a warm climate where we could use it almost hear round

[dcannie]

if you live somewhere where you will get more than 3 months of use out of it definitely go w/ your own pool. we start swimming in late march and it usually doesn't get covered until november. also, a salt water system is easy, easy.

[rex]

In my mind there's only one pro: you have your own pool.

The cons are that you might as well just regularly flush cash down the toilet because they are money pits.

[StormyDixon]

Sept 9, 2012 10:39:06 GMT -5 dcannie said:

if you live somewhere where you will get more than 3 months of use out of it definitely go w/ your own pool. we start swimming in late march and it usually doesn't get covered until november. also, a salt water system is easy, easy.

My brother has a salt system, he highly recommends it too, and yes we easily would get more than 3 months use, it is more like 3 months we can't use it.

[dcannie]

Sept 9, 2012 10:49:12 GMT -5 @smace said:

I live in Florida and had a pool, there were a lot of months I couldn't use it bc it was way too cold. Like from November through May. Unless it is not screened it. Then it would retain more heat.

I'd only want a pool if I could get solar heating.

are the pools down there covered/screened for bugs? alligators? i've always wondered this. why do people in florida get screened in pools but the georgia folk do not?

[agnes]

There isn't a day that doesn't go by that I tell MH that getting a house with a pool is the best decision we have ever made.

I loooooooove having a private pool. We can use it year round. In fact, we swam on Christmas Eve.

I don't feel child safety is much of an issue as long as you're diligent about it.

[Deleted]

We have a pool. We use it for a few months. That's it.

We've replaced our pump twice now in 2 years. We've also replaced our filter. Chlorine is about $90 for a 5 gallon bucket. Then you have to vacuum, shock it, clean it, clean the filter.

If you live in an area with droughts, you have to keep it coverd or you get in trouble. You have to fill it up if it gets low.

BUT. The pros for us- I can swim and not hurt my knee. It's fun to sit in the pool after mowing the yard. It's nice when it isn't hot out and also when it is hot out and the water is cool. We enjoy our buts hate the fact we just had to buy another $300 pump.

[moolarkey]

Where we live, having a pool actually hurts your property value and can make a house harder to sell. You can only use it about 3, and in a good summer up to 5, months a year. The cost of maintaining and the time it takes, plus insurance factors cause most people to not want them. I would love a house with my own pool, I wouldn't like the work to take care of it.

[alzi]

POOL.

public pools have annoying loud people there. your own pool is quiet and relaxing. you can float in your pool every day. ours is screened in, which i love, bc of bugs and such. and we have a pool guy so maintenance is nonexistent.

[papie]

Sept 9, 2012 10:18:10 GMT -5 @amber said:

Pretty sure this covers it:
Cons: cost, possible child death
Pro: you have a fucking pool

Lol that is how I view it too. So far the neighborhood pool wins

[StormyDixon]

Guess I should add that we don't have small children

[ECB]

While I do like some of the advantages to having your own pool, DH never wanted one. We live in MD, though, where we'd only get a few months of use. And I'm looking forward to joining a pool next year where DS will have other kids to play with.

[cleo29]

It depends, I think when your kids are young, the community pool is great for social reasons.

[Deleted]

if the house that we bought didn't have other distinct advantages, i wouldn't have bought a house with a pool. that said, ours is a saltwater pool and it's not that expensive or all that much work.

[drrn04]

I'd only consider it if
1) we could use it more than 4 months a year
2) we could afford to have a pool guy take care of it - goodness knows I don't want to deal w/ that.
3) it was gated in such a way that I could use the rest of my yard and patio without being by the pool. Like, I'd want the gate around the pool only so I could hang out w/ the kids and not have them be able to walk right out onto it.
4) it didn't take up my whole yard.

[StormyDixon]

Sept 9, 2012 14:16:19 GMT -5 @drrn04 said:

I'd only consider it if
1) we could use it more than 4 months a year
2) we could afford to have a pool guy take care of it - goodness knows I don't want to deal w/ that.
3) it was gated in such a way that I could use the rest of my yard and patio without being by the pool. Like, I'd want the gate around the pool only so I could hang out w/ the kids and not have them be able to walk right out onto it.
4) it didn't take up my whole yard.

Yes we can use it more than 4 months a year
A pool guy is certainly an option, but we also have teenage kids that can clean it
3 doesn't really apply as we don't have young kids

[drrn04]

you don't have young kids, but do you every have anyone over that does? Looking at it from a homeowner/liability standpoint, I'd be pretty nervous having people over w/ young kids and having them go outside if my pool wasn't fully gated, separately, from the rest of the yard. The way it is gated could also have an impact on resale. Yes, you can change a gate, but it would be a lot easier to not have to do that as soon as someone moved in, you know? Just something that would factor in for me.

[StormyDixon]

Sept 9, 2012 14:28:51 GMT -5 @drrn04 said:

you don't have young kids, but do you every have anyone over that does? Looking at it from a homeowner/liability standpoint, I'd be pretty nervous having people over w/ young kids and having them go outside if my pool wasn't fully gated, separately, from the rest of the yard. The way it is gated could also have an impact on resale. Yes, you can change a gate, but it would be a lot easier to not have to do that as soon as someone moved in, you know? Just something that would factor in for me.

The law in this state requires the pool be fenced

[speckledfrog]

Would it be above ground or in ground? I would worry about animals drowning in it. I know pool owners who find bunnies in their pool.

ETA: And snakes! :-|

It sounds like you really want one, so get one.