Pros and cons of having a pool… and how much $$$/month to maintain pool?

[george]

We pay $50 a month for a pool guy and this includes his materials & labor for maintaining the chemical balance of the water. He comes once a week. He does not scoop up debris (leaves, etc)in the pool for this price. You can do it yourself for probably half the price.

We have solar heating (cost $4000??? to install) and I highly recomend it. It extends the swim season and allows us to keep the pool temp at 87 degrees. That sounds hot, but it’s still very refreshing and it’s comfortable to use in the evening.

Kids love the pool, but as an adult I don’t think you would use it much if your home was in a cooler coastal area. I find that the temperature has to be in the mid 80s before I am interested in going for a swim, but I like to sit out next to the pool even when I am not using it. For me architectural pleasing pools surrounded by nice landscaping greatly contributes to the ambience of a yard. Our pool is surrounded by palm trees and sub-tropical plants. It makes me feel like I’m at a resort. For me 50% of the value of the pool is esthetics.

[sc_alum]

We have 2 small kids, living in Temecula, and one of the first things we did after we moved in was to put in a pool. Agree with the poster that said that if you live in one of the hotter areas, pools are much more of a positive than if you live on the coast. We put in a great fence (which I would consider a MUST) so that we can still use the rest of the yard without worrying about it.

5,000 got us a great solar heater, so it costs us nothing to heat the pool (if we let it go, it will make the pool a giant 104 degree hot tub in the summer – it’s fantastic). I think running the pump, etc, adds about 80$ a month to our energy bill, but I couldn’t really say – we put the pool in fairly soon after we moved in so I don’t have a great baseline number to compare – could be more or less. We do our own maintenance – buy a giant tub of chlorine tablets from Costco. Cleaning the filter is a snap. We probably spend a total of 1-2 hours a month on pool maintenance (a little more in the summer, much less in the winter) – I get the attraction of a pool guy, but it’s really been no trouble or time or money to do it ourselves.

You’ll probably attract as many people as you turn off – just as many people that wouldn’t look at your house because it has a pool will likely ONLY look at a house that has a pool. Do what makes your family happy.

[sc_alum]

We have 2 small kids, living in Temecula, and one of the first things we did after we moved in was to put in a pool. Agree with the poster that said that if you live in one of the hotter areas, pools are much more of a positive than if you live on the coast. We put in a great fence (which I would consider a MUST) so that we can still use the rest of the yard without worrying about it.

5,000 got us a great solar heater, so it costs us nothing to heat the pool (if we let it go, it will make the pool a giant 104 degree hot tub in the summer – it’s fantastic). I think running the pump, etc, adds about 80$ a month to our energy bill, but I couldn’t really say – we put the pool in fairly soon after we moved in so I don’t have a great baseline number to compare – could be more or less. We do our own maintenance – buy a giant tub of chlorine tablets from Costco. Cleaning the filter is a snap. We probably spend a total of 1-2 hours a month on pool maintenance (a little more in the summer, much less in the winter) – I get the attraction of a pool guy, but it’s really been no trouble or time or money to do it ourselves.

You’ll probably attract as many people as you turn off – just as many people that wouldn’t look at your house because it has a pool will likely ONLY look at a house that has a pool. Do what makes your family happy.

[sc_alum]

We have 2 small kids, living in Temecula, and one of the first things we did after we moved in was to put in a pool. Agree with the poster that said that if you live in one of the hotter areas, pools are much more of a positive than if you live on the coast. We put in a great fence (which I would consider a MUST) so that we can still use the rest of the yard without worrying about it.

5,000 got us a great solar heater, so it costs us nothing to heat the pool (if we let it go, it will make the pool a giant 104 degree hot tub in the summer – it’s fantastic). I think running the pump, etc, adds about 80$ a month to our energy bill, but I couldn’t really say – we put the pool in fairly soon after we moved in so I don’t have a great baseline number to compare – could be more or less. We do our own maintenance – buy a giant tub of chlorine tablets from Costco. Cleaning the filter is a snap. We probably spend a total of 1-2 hours a month on pool maintenance (a little more in the summer, much less in the winter) – I get the attraction of a pool guy, but it’s really been no trouble or time or money to do it ourselves.

You’ll probably attract as many people as you turn off – just as many people that wouldn’t look at your house because it has a pool will likely ONLY look at a house that has a pool. Do what makes your family happy.

[sc_alum]

We have 2 small kids, living in Temecula, and one of the first things we did after we moved in was to put in a pool. Agree with the poster that said that if you live in one of the hotter areas, pools are much more of a positive than if you live on the coast. We put in a great fence (which I would consider a MUST) so that we can still use the rest of the yard without worrying about it.

5,000 got us a great solar heater, so it costs us nothing to heat the pool (if we let it go, it will make the pool a giant 104 degree hot tub in the summer – it’s fantastic). I think running the pump, etc, adds about 80$ a month to our energy bill, but I couldn’t really say – we put the pool in fairly soon after we moved in so I don’t have a great baseline number to compare – could be more or less. We do our own maintenance – buy a giant tub of chlorine tablets from Costco. Cleaning the filter is a snap. We probably spend a total of 1-2 hours a month on pool maintenance (a little more in the summer, much less in the winter) – I get the attraction of a pool guy, but it’s really been no trouble or time or money to do it ourselves.

You’ll probably attract as many people as you turn off – just as many people that wouldn’t look at your house because it has a pool will likely ONLY look at a house that has a pool. Do what makes your family happy.

[sc_alum]

We have 2 small kids, living in Temecula, and one of the first things we did after we moved in was to put in a pool. Agree with the poster that said that if you live in one of the hotter areas, pools are much more of a positive than if you live on the coast. We put in a great fence (which I would consider a MUST) so that we can still use the rest of the yard without worrying about it.

5,000 got us a great solar heater, so it costs us nothing to heat the pool (if we let it go, it will make the pool a giant 104 degree hot tub in the summer – it’s fantastic). I think running the pump, etc, adds about 80$ a month to our energy bill, but I couldn’t really say – we put the pool in fairly soon after we moved in so I don’t have a great baseline number to compare – could be more or less. We do our own maintenance – buy a giant tub of chlorine tablets from Costco. Cleaning the filter is a snap. We probably spend a total of 1-2 hours a month on pool maintenance (a little more in the summer, much less in the winter) – I get the attraction of a pool guy, but it’s really been no trouble or time or money to do it ourselves.

You’ll probably attract as many people as you turn off – just as many people that wouldn’t look at your house because it has a pool will likely ONLY look at a house that has a pool. Do what makes your family happy.

[patientlywaiting]

[quote=sc_alum] I get the attraction of a pool guy, but it’s really been no trouble or time or money to do it ourselves.[/quote]

The wife might like to have a pool guy. 😉

We had a pool, and it’s a lot of maintenance and costs for not much use.

I would buy a house if it came with a pool as it’s essential “free”, especially when real estate is at rock bottom.

But I wouldn’t spend the money, on top of the purchase price, to put in a pool and elaborate landscaping.

[patientlywaiting]

[quote=sc_alum] I get the attraction of a pool guy, but it’s really been no trouble or time or money to do it ourselves.[/quote]

The wife might like to have a pool guy. 😉

We had a pool, and it’s a lot of maintenance and costs for not much use.

I would buy a house if it came with a pool as it’s essential “free”, especially when real estate is at rock bottom.

But I wouldn’t spend the money, on top of the purchase price, to put in a pool and elaborate landscaping.

[patientlywaiting]

[quote=sc_alum] I get the attraction of a pool guy, but it’s really been no trouble or time or money to do it ourselves.[/quote]

The wife might like to have a pool guy. 😉

We had a pool, and it’s a lot of maintenance and costs for not much use.

I would buy a house if it came with a pool as it’s essential “free”, especially when real estate is at rock bottom.

But I wouldn’t spend the money, on top of the purchase price, to put in a pool and elaborate landscaping.

[patientlywaiting]

[quote=sc_alum] I get the attraction of a pool guy, but it’s really been no trouble or time or money to do it ourselves.[/quote]

The wife might like to have a pool guy. 😉

We had a pool, and it’s a lot of maintenance and costs for not much use.

I would buy a house if it came with a pool as it’s essential “free”, especially when real estate is at rock bottom.

But I wouldn’t spend the money, on top of the purchase price, to put in a pool and elaborate landscaping.

[patientlywaiting]

[quote=sc_alum] I get the attraction of a pool guy, but it’s really been no trouble or time or money to do it ourselves.[/quote]

The wife might like to have a pool guy. 😉

We had a pool, and it’s a lot of maintenance and costs for not much use.

I would buy a house if it came with a pool as it’s essential “free”, especially when real estate is at rock bottom.

But I wouldn’t spend the money, on top of the purchase price, to put in a pool and elaborate landscaping.

[jficquette]

[quote=qwerty007]$500 a month! That’s crazy. You don’t need to heat a pool in California. I thought the idea was to cool down. I’d tell my family, take it or leave it.[/quote]

I had a 30000 gallon pool. I heated it once in the spring and then let it settle to the average temp which was about 75 degrees. 75 degrees is too cold to enjoy for adults but kids can handle it.

It cost me about $250 a month to run the pumps plus another $100 a month to have a guy come clean it.

My neighbor had a smaller pool but kept it heated to 85 degrees. His said it cost him about $600 a month to keep it heated. He was a retired MD and had figured it out using the horsepower of the pump motors and applying the electric rates to it. He also figured out how much gas it took to heat it. With in reason that is. I am sure it wasn’t exact.

I will never get another pool. Just too expensive and wasteful for me.

John

[jficquette]

[quote=qwerty007]$500 a month! That’s crazy. You don’t need to heat a pool in California. I thought the idea was to cool down. I’d tell my family, take it or leave it.[/quote]

I had a 30000 gallon pool. I heated it once in the spring and then let it settle to the average temp which was about 75 degrees. 75 degrees is too cold to enjoy for adults but kids can handle it.

It cost me about $250 a month to run the pumps plus another $100 a month to have a guy come clean it.

My neighbor had a smaller pool but kept it heated to 85 degrees. His said it cost him about $600 a month to keep it heated. He was a retired MD and had figured it out using the horsepower of the pump motors and applying the electric rates to it. He also figured out how much gas it took to heat it. With in reason that is. I am sure it wasn’t exact.

I will never get another pool. Just too expensive and wasteful for me.

John

[jficquette]

[quote=qwerty007]$500 a month! That’s crazy. You don’t need to heat a pool in California. I thought the idea was to cool down. I’d tell my family, take it or leave it.[/quote]

I had a 30000 gallon pool. I heated it once in the spring and then let it settle to the average temp which was about 75 degrees. 75 degrees is too cold to enjoy for adults but kids can handle it.

It cost me about $250 a month to run the pumps plus another $100 a month to have a guy come clean it.

My neighbor had a smaller pool but kept it heated to 85 degrees. His said it cost him about $600 a month to keep it heated. He was a retired MD and had figured it out using the horsepower of the pump motors and applying the electric rates to it. He also figured out how much gas it took to heat it. With in reason that is. I am sure it wasn’t exact.

I will never get another pool. Just too expensive and wasteful for me.

John

[jficquette]

[quote=qwerty007]$500 a month! That’s crazy. You don’t need to heat a pool in California. I thought the idea was to cool down. I’d tell my family, take it or leave it.[/quote]

I had a 30000 gallon pool. I heated it once in the spring and then let it settle to the average temp which was about 75 degrees. 75 degrees is too cold to enjoy for adults but kids can handle it.

It cost me about $250 a month to run the pumps plus another $100 a month to have a guy come clean it.

My neighbor had a smaller pool but kept it heated to 85 degrees. His said it cost him about $600 a month to keep it heated. He was a retired MD and had figured it out using the horsepower of the pump motors and applying the electric rates to it. He also figured out how much gas it took to heat it. With in reason that is. I am sure it wasn’t exact.

I will never get another pool. Just too expensive and wasteful for me.

John

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