Should I Get An In-Ground Swimming Pool?

My folks put one in their backyard about a year ago in south florida and it upped the value quite a bit, perhaps enough to be an investment. just make sure you shop around... I remember their quotes were often off by miles from different places.

OH! Pulling the permits is the biggest pain in the ass... check all the local codes, laws, possible inspection's etc before doing anything, may not be worth trouble.

 

I build pools for a living and own a pool servicing company, so if anything I say sounds wrong to you, well, your probably wrong! Lol.

Before building a pool you need to ask yourself the following:

- Im I really going to use it?

Most people say that itll be great to have one and that they will use it a lot when in reality they will barely use it, if ever. Even with kids.

- Are you willing to spend ~$200 more a month for the maintenance of something you dont need/use?

Most people say that it doesnt cost this much to use, when that is really bullshit. Between electricity costs and chemicals you will have to spend money. Even if you get a saltwater system, which creates its own chlorine, NOTE: CREATES ITS OWN CHLORINE, SO YOU NEED TO ADD SALT FOR IT TO MAKE IT. , you will also have to spend money in other chemicals, such as DE Power (unless you have a sand filter), Chlorine Tablets (even with salt system, its wise to use one of these when heavy use), Alkaline Power, Stabilizer (salt pools use much more of this, and its expensive). To this, add the wear and tear parts of your system (yes, just like a car, you got wear and tear). Also, if you get tired of doing its maintenance, which you will, having someone do it for you will mean some money. BTW, its usually better to have someone do it for you, if he includes most of the chemicals, since it may actually save you money. Weird huh?

- Do you really believe that a pool raises a house's value?

Sure, the pool added 15k in value to the house. But you SPENT 20K DOING IT MORON! <--- This comment aint to anyone, im just tired of hearing this reasoning. Also, a pool can actually bring down the value of a house of its not maintained properly, which is not simply putting the chemicals in every week.

- Will you be able to buy your meterials wholesale? (Only applies if youll do the maintenance yourself)

A 100LB pail will save you a lot of money vs a 5LB bucket, in any of the chemicals listed above. However, you have to pay much more upfront.

- Do you have the space for a pool?

Space isnt only relevant to the pool itself, you also need good placement for the pump room and that it be well ventilated and not filled with crap.

- Do you live somewhere were there are a lot of lose wild animals?

Wild animals like pools for some unknown reason that I would love to find out. Getting them out, if they are still alive, is a pain in the ass. You can however, prevent this with a pool fence. Also, if you live someplace with cold seasons, a pool cover-liner is a good idea.

There are many more questions to ask yourself, but im frankly tired of typing. So, if you got any questions, feel free to PM me. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT TRUST YOUR CONTRACTORS, they will rip you off and install whatever they want, regardless of what the pool really needs.

 

Thanks for all the input.

 

so far i have only read the original post. dont get it assuming you will recoup any of your money if you sell the house. a pool is like mods on a truck. if you find somebody willing to buy who acutally wants the pool, you will get some money for it. but think about how many people absolutely do not want a pool, but would want your house otherwise. it is not uncommon in this situation for the pool to not raise your resale value at all. many people dont realize that when putting a pool in. so depending on who you sell it to, you may not get any extra money tacked on to yoru houses total value.