Should we build a swimming pool? (house, living, install)

[Threestep2]

We have had the biggest hot tubs on the market for 20 years and use them every day. One exception was the ice storm 2021 when we simply could not cross the patio.

Moving to an area where pools are common you may want to look into your son and wife learning to swim.

[KathrynAragon]

Everyone on the family needs to learn to swim before you get a pool. IF you get a pool. I had one built a couple of years ago. Besides being very expensive (total cost for the back yard was around $100k and $80k of that was the pool) initially, it was expensive long term - AND being a stickler for things being neat, it took maintenance on my part every single day, sometimes several times a day (I don't want anything floating in the pool or on the bottom of the pool). I took the water in to get it tested every week. Between the chemicals and the filters running periodically, the pool, after the initial cost, cost me at least $100 every month, sometimes more.

It was absolutely beautiful though and I loved it. I swam in it nearly every single day for about 7 months out of the year. That pool was very used and loved, but it was a lot of trouble.

My husband is the one who wanted it so terribly. After he died, thankfully real estate went sky high so I was able to recoup the cost when I sold the house - otherwise I would have taken a loss on it. That being said, about half the houses in our neighborhood had pools and the pool didn't seem to slow down the sale any at all.

[ymd]

Thank you for your wise advice. Safety is one of the biggest concerns and you have rightly pointed out that I might not be able to help someone drowning in my pool. I know of someone I know who drowned in a pool with a lifeguard at hand. This person was not a bad swimmer and had done some 10 laps or so and nobody, including the lifeguard, noticed him sinking though the pool had others swimming around. It was only when the victim's friend came looking for him that he noticed the victim was at the bottom of the pool and alerted the lifeguard. The lifeguard got him out and gave first aid. By the time he was taken to the hospital, he had severe brain damage and lived on in a coma for 3 years before he died. It was a terrible tragedy. Water seems innocuous, but can be deadly even if a person is under water for more than a minute.

Thanks for highlighting the importance of safety, especially coming from a seasoned swimmer. I will think deeply and make sure I and my family learn to swim well before we have a pool, if at all.

Originally Posted by BK Broiler

Please don't get a pool. I absolutely love swimming and I grew up swimming mostly in a very big, busy and deep lake! I swam all day everyday and at 54 years old, I can outswim my kids in their 20's. We have a pool, but I am practically the only one that uses it. It is a huge amount of work even though I don't mind taking care of it and I love just looking at the water. One of the reasons I'm telling you NOT to put in a pool is for Safety. If you have a family of inexperienced swimmers, you are taking a big risk and not only for your family, but any guest can come over with little kids and if someone is left alone for just 5 minutes, there could be a drowning. I hate to be a downer, but I feel very strongly about pool safety. If someone was in distress in YOUR pool could you jump in and help?
I vote for you to join a community pool and please enroll the weak swimmers in lessons. I think this is the best plan for you.

[ymd]

Thank you for advising our family to learn to swim before we have a pool. I will take this to heart and make sure we all learn to swim, even if we decide not to have a pool.

It looks like it will be an expensive investment to have a pool with a lot of time invested in maintenance. I wonder if we will use the pool at least as much as the time needed to maintain it.

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

Everyone on the family needs to learn to swim before you get a pool. IF you get a pool. I had one built a couple of years ago. Besides being very expensive (total cost for the back yard was around $100k and $80k of that was the pool) initially, it was expensive long term - AND being a stickler for things being neat, it took maintenance on my part every single day, sometimes several times a day (I don't want anything floating in the pool or on the bottom of the pool). I took the water in to get it tested every week. Between the chemicals and the filters running periodically, the pool, after the initial cost, cost me at least $100 every month, sometimes more.

It was absolutely beautiful though and I loved it. I swam in it nearly every single day for about 7 months out of the year. That pool was very used and loved, but it was a lot of trouble.

My husband is the one who wanted it so terribly. After he died, thankfully real estate went sky high so I was able to recoup the cost when I sold the house - otherwise I would have taken a loss on it. That being said, about half the houses in our neighborhood had pools and the pool didn't seem to slow down the sale any at all.

[Hawk J]

Our family has always been very active outdoors. When our young'uns were babies we enrolled them into swimming lessons at the local YMCA. Ours had an indoor pool & an outdoor pool. They had classes for all ages. They learned to be great swimmers & loved it.
Many young'uns grow up with the YMCA activities.
swimming
exercise classes- jazzercize
racket ball
jogging
high school track was next door.
exercise room
treadmill
weights
Nautilus
volleyball
badminton
Jacuzzi
adult ages used the sauna, steam room
summer camp

If you want to learn about maintaining your pool yourself, some of the junior colleges had water chemistry classes. Some pool supply stores have had classes. Pools are expensive to build & if you hire someone to do the maintenance.

My family spent much time in the warm weather at creek,pond,lake swimming holes. We have many wonderful memories......Our dog pals love to swim, also.

Once in a while i now play around in my bass pond once in a while. The water comes from an underground Artesian Spring. I try to keep up a good crawdad population & bullfrogs/tree frogs, for the fish.

The Best to you & your loved ones. Be Safe, Happy, & in Good Health...

[NORTY FLATZ]

The local YMCA have a pool? If so, use theirs.
Take swimming lessons there, too.

[trailtramp]

Having a pool is like owning a boat. The first season you will love and use it, after that the rather quick decline in interest will likely grow, and it will become an expensive and regular maintenance nightmare.

[Greenvalleyfan]

Originally Posted by ymd

We have recently moved to Tucson and are loving it here. We have just bought land to build a custom home. The land topography is such that it will be very difficult to install a swimming pool after the house is built. So, we need to decide if we want a swimming pool or not before we start building our home.

We have never before lived in a house that has a swimming pool. Except for our daughter, nobody in our household knows how to swim. Our daughter wants a swimming pool. Others have no opinion. If we had a swimming pool, we might learn to swim!

Is it worth the expense to build and maintain a swimming pool in Tucson, especially if we are not likely to use it a lot?

If we were to decide to have a swimming pool, what kind of pool would you suggest for our family? How much would such a pool cost? How much time, money, and effort is involved in maintaining a swimming pool? What are the things we need to invest in to do the maintenance?

As you can see, we are total noobs. Any suggestions and advice is greatly appreciated.

Get a pool you will love it!

[MGS4EVER]

When looking for a house, I wanted a pool or the ability to build a pool. I have been swimming all my life and I love my pool. I couldn't imagine my life without one. I do all the maintenance.

I've had pools before, so it's no big deal to me to take care of it. Not really that expensive since I do it myself.

Like the other poster said, all of you should learn to swim. If you like it, build the pool. It's a great way to get your kids to hang out at home with their friends coming over. Parties are great.

If you don't like being outside however, don't get a pool. If you don't think you can do the maintenance, don't get a pool.

I have a rectangular "game" pool. It's 4ft, 5ft in the middle, then 4ft. It's perfect for me. I can do laps, play with my dog, whatever.

I do not recommend a cartridge filter. A pain to remove and clean. I have a sand filter and it's super easy. Salt water is another option. I don't know how those work. My pool is old. The newer ones have the built in cleaning systems on the bottom. That would be nice. I do have an auto-leveler for my water which is nice. But again, my pool is old and very basic. Works for me though!

[curly5759]

I scanned the replies, seems a lot of people don't like their pools. We loved ours, used it as much as we could and as long as we could, usually March to late Sept. A great place to escape the heat without leaving home and you don't have to be trapped in the house during the worst of the summer.

I knew nothing about pools when we bought our home, but learned quickly. Its not that big a deal to maintain either.
My wife was indifferent to the pool, but quickly changed her mind after we bought the house. Our kids were 4 and 7, took to the water like ducks. They spent lots of time with their friends in the pool
We did install a pool fence.

We didn't swim, but floated around in tubes and rafts. A solar screen cover over the pool kept the sun off of us, the water temperature down and still let us see the stars at night.

If I ever return to desert living, owning a pool will be a must for us.