re: Pool people - Is it worth it to install one??

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The people saying this really have no idea what they are talking about. If you consider emptying out the catch basket and the polaris once a week (maybe) a second job, then I want your first job.

Pools these days, properly installed, really don't take much if any maintenance.

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When you cut the grass once a week too. Stinking swimming pools are like a grass vortex.

I have a pool maintenance and repair business that is more a side biz now, but I was hot and heavy in it for about 7 years. Was a great experience for me to run my own operation in my 20's.

I've never lived in your part of the world so I won't have connects or insider knowledge of specific companies but I can answer just about anything else and give you pros and cons of each option.

One thing that I've seen a big boom on in the last 5 years is outdoor living spaces. People used to fit the largest pool they could get into their yard, but as the kids grow up and leave it becomes wasted space. Outdoor kitchens and bars, brick pizza ovens, pergolas, fire rings with seating and vegetation cover are really popular in my area.

If this is your dream house and you don't plan on leaving anytime in the next 25 years, then a pool is a great investment in intangibles. I can say for certain that most families that have a pool seem to be a little closer and relaxed. They play outside together and joke around and they have more leisure time and can just relax around the house. It can be a tool to teach responsibility and a punishment. There will be ancillary costs every year. I typically advise folks to plan for $2k a year in upkeep, chems, and repairs. Some years you'll have less than that maybe 500. Take the left over money and throw an enormous end of season bash, or stash it back and keep stashing it back so when you need to have the pool resurfaced or re-tiled, or the winter cover needs replaced or a pump burns up you won't go out of pocket. Think of it like a flexible spending account that employers have for their employees.

If you really want an entertainment spot to bring the family over, throw shindigs with your friends, and impress clients then take the time to plan, and find a landscape architecture student or spend the money get a pro. I wouldn't piecemeal it together, go in with a comprehensive plan, don't forget room for the putting green and sand trap, and design the perfect zen spot for your family and then you can choose which projects to tackle first and which hold the most importance to you.

Safety is a something to not gloss over too, budget for locking gates and sturdy fencing around the perimeter.

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Pools will not add value to your home when you try to sell it. 

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This is not entirely true. It will add value in some instances, but you will most likely never recoup the cost of installing one. In other words, you better get your money's worth out of it.

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Pools are a nightmare for 90-95% of home owners

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It gets old ..after 2 years I swam about twice a year but it brought massive joy to the kids so it was worth. Did NOT get a pool when we moved.

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I have watched quite a few summer LSU baseball games in my pool on the tv in the pool bar. I am ready for that again this summer

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Fat and Happy

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re: Pool people - Is it worth it to install one?? (Posted on 3/3/14 at 3:28 pm to VaBamaMan)
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do this many people actually have an above ground pools? I hope it is a joke?
Cheaper. Can make them look non-trashy. Easy/quick removal.
what's not to love


Perfume it all you want it's still a pig.

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I had a pool drawn up with an out door kitchen two years and I got several estimates from 150K to 200k. So prepare your wallet

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How much of that was the pool? A typical pool is no where near that cost.

Bout time you show up.