Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
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Pool, bird-cage & spa for new home
We have our home design meeting next month for our future home in St Catherine. We have done some research, but would like some feedback from our future neighbors in the Villages. Our first set of questions were about energy savings. We received a lot of good responses...Thanks! Now we want to find out more about putting in a pool, bird-cage & spa.
Last edited by Glorantha; 07-29-2021 at 06:09 PM. Reason: Typo |
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#2
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#3
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On the other hand, I do not have a pool here, because I had a pool in Phoenix and our dogs used it more than we did.
One consideration is that if you have a pool you HAVE to maintain it, run the pump/filter, add chemicals, etc. That costs time and money monthly. I save have to because if you don't and you let it go, algae will grown, and if mosquitos start breeding in it the mosquito control people will clean out your pool and bill you. If you drain it, it will crack, so once you have it, it is a "life time" commitment. Just something to think about. There are a lot of public/neighborhood pools here. Some people use those, some prefer there own. It is really a personal choice. |
#4
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#5
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With 4 pools located with in 1/2 mile of our house, we decided not to put in a pool. We did add a birdcage and above ground spa in the lanai, all of these after we had our house built and were sure of what we wanted an where we wanted it. I believe we saved money, no mortgage expense on these items, but I also have no cost basis for these during the initial build. If you go the route we did, allow several months from the scheduling of your project to completion.
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Pennsylvania, for 60+ years, most recently, Allentown, now TV. |
#6
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To get better advise tell us what model home that you will build.
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#7
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We were thinking about the Lilac or Begonia model.
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#8
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We have a gardenia also, I use the hot tub / spa 3 to 5 times a week, and love it, set at 102 degrees.
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Pennsylvania, for 60+ years, most recently, Allentown, now TV. |
#9
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Birdcage:. If you have a view opt for the more expensive 'panoramic" option. It has fewer vertical supports obstructing your view.
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#10
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Salt pool - roof top solar heated. There is an electric heater for the pool but we never use it.
We started with a tab pool and I just converted it to salt a few months ago. I do all my own pool maintenance. Balancing is much easier with salt - brushing and vacuuming are still the same. You can heat and cool the pool with solar. There will be 2 maybe 3 months during the “winter” when you won’t be able to maintain a comfortable water temp. That’s when we use our above ground spa. We drain it in March and refill it in November. The first year in our current house we kept the spa going all year but never really used it outside of the few months where solar was unable to maintain 87 degrees in the pool.
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Ribbit |
#11
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We use our pool several times a week and use the spa more often. Our spa is a part of the pool structure which I recommend. Maintenance is inexpensive relative to the cost of the pool and spa. We have solar and a gas heater. Solar works great when the sun is shining. Gas works on overcast days. Gas tank also runs our outdoor grill.
Enjoy your pool and spa. |
#12
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If you drain a hot tub the seals will dry out. Same as a pool, lifetime commitment but wonderful if you use it all the time.
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#13
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We use the spa (Spa Kingdom had an excellent selection) nearly every day, just have to use it early morning during the summer. Easy & inexpensive to maintain. We can easily walk to 2 pools - we chose to let TV maintain them & saves us $$$. Birdcage is a must - keeps out bugs, animals, lizards. Love our hot tub, love TV’s pools!
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#14
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I have a Spa Kingdom (good company) stand alone spa in our enclosed lani. Used it a lot when i first got it 5 years ago not so mush not. When it goes i will not replace it. We have had a spa since 2005, i 've just lost interest but thst's just me.
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#15
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Below is a list of recommendations I have that you should ask every pool builder you talk to. There are several pool builders I would recommend you quote, and several I would say stay away from at all costs. PM me if you want my list I would get at least 3 quotes from companies with high ratings. You will find that most folks here will say T&D... that is because T&D is local and is the contractor that The Villages uses. They do good work, but generally cost far more than other companies outside of the bubble. If you don't mind paying 25%-50% more, then T&D is fine. My pool was done by Premier Pools of Central Florida out of Winter Park and I couldn't be happier. My pool was $65K - T&D wanted $90K, and that was with older automation, an undersized filter, and an undersized salt water generator (SWG) cell. When I asked them to meet the same hardware as Premier, I was looking at another $10K. This is why I say - get multiple quotes, then make sure they all have the same components. Things to check: 1) Verify filter size - the smaller the filter, the more often you will be cleaning it. 2) Look at pool automation. It will make your life easier, and will save on electricity over the long run. 3) Make sure you get auto fill/drain. Here in FL with the rain and sun we get you'll be constantly adding water or manually draining without it. 4) Make sure you get a variable speed pump. A VSP can save $20-$40 per month when run at 40%. 5) If going salt water (highly recommended), make sure the SWG cell is rated at least 2x the size of your pool. 6) If you are not getting a deep end, look at asking for a channel drain. In a shallow pool, you'll have folks stubbing their toes on the standard drains that most companies install. 6) Look at the included pool interior finish. Pebble finishes last far longer than plaster, and are more $$ accordingly. I could probably add more, but that is a good start! |
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