In my job, I get pool envy ALL OF THE TIME. There is something so incredibly soothing about walking in to a home and having one’s eye drawn outside to a beautiful blue expanse of water … and if there is a water feature too, there is the additional pleasure of just hearing the rythymic and gentle cascade. My blood pressure falls just imagining it.
Pools add value to a home even if no one ever swims in them…. they can be beautiful, comforting… even meditative.
And in the 55 Plus Community of PebbleCreek, many people choose to have a pool so that they are not bound by the rules about children using the community facilities – no need to consult the rules when the grandkids visit, just let them run out to the backyard! Add an outdoor kitchen and a backyard can truly be transformed in to a private resort.
However, before taking on a home with a pool, you may want to consider a few things:
- What will the upkeep costs be? Professional monthly maintenance will likely be $100 – $150 a month. In addition, consider the plants around the pool – will leaves and other plant debris land in your pool if it storms? You will end up doing that removal… or paying extra for it.
- How much temperature control do you want? Heating a pool can easily run in to the hundreds of dollars a month. Some folks add solar heaters to their pool system to defray some of that cost. Are you interested in having a separate in ground spa? Can that be heated without heating the pool? In the summer, the smaller pools can become bathtub warm… will you want a pool chiller?
- Are you comfortable with wildlife? It is almost inevitable that the occasional creature will drown in the pool. A bunny… or other tiny land mammal… not to be a downer, just to let you know. It is also true that birds may be drawn to the pool.
- What about liability? Clearly, there will be liability adjustments on your home owners’ policy. Depending on your comfort and how often small children will be visiting you, there may be a need to build additional gates or install some sort of pool alarm system.
- How old is the equipment? Pool pumps definitely do not last forever. Even if you are not a fan of home warranties, it will be wise to put the pool equipment under warranty.
For those who want a pool, there is nothing better – it completes the home in a way that feels almost necessary. For those who are on the fence, a pool may be a larger commitment than it makes sense to take on. Either way… decisions do not need to be made all at one time – pools can be both installed after construction and filled in when no longer desired.
