[AMB444]

For those of you that have a pool...or had one. Would you buy a home with a pool again?

We're thinking of moving in a few years and a pool is on our list of "should have".

What are your experiences of having a pool on your property? Maintenance costs? Do you use your pool as much as you thought you would?

Just poking around for some thoughts on those that have experience with having a pool on your own property.

Thanks all!

[Sparky99]

Fun if you use a pool a lot.

[Sparky99]

Good to look at too.

[dewilson58]

Like owning a boat.

Fun to have sometimes.

Not fun to have most of the time.

Great when it's gone.

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by Sparky99

Fun if you use a pool a lot.

Had 2 homes with pools, in Florida.

Spent huge money on repairs, renovation, leaks, maintenance, etc.

Play golf in TV 5 times a week & probably see 100+ pools a week. A lot of golf course homes have pools. I see someone actually using a pool ... maybe once a month.

Never again, in a 1000 years.

[Howdy]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

Had 2 homes with pools, in Florida.

Spent huge money on repairs, renovation, leaks, maintenance, etc.

Play golf in TV 5 times a week & probably see 100+ pools a week. A lot of golf course homes have pools. I see someone actually using a pool ... maybe once a month.

Never again, in a 1000 years.

Yes had a pool, never again. Maintaining, was a real plain & simple " Nuisance ".

On my daily walks & just driving I now & then glance at homes with pools, it is actually rare that I see anyone in or around the pool. I am just amazed that some will go to the expense that's # 1 & then put up with the constant pain in the neck of having one.

[retiredguy123]

A pool will also increase your homeowner's insurance due to liability and property risk.

[ChicagoNative]

We have two pools in our community, but we decided to put one in anyway. It took almost 2 years to complete since we did a “Covid pool”, but we still love it.

As mentioned, it’s also nice to look at and will add value to our house if we ever decide to sell. With your own pool you can go in when you want, with whom you want, and at the temperature you want. We use it just about every day from late March until now. We could technically swim year round, but 60s and 70s is not swim weather to me.

If you’re going to do a pool, I highly recommend getting solar heat, as a regular pool heater will really run up the electric bill.

That said, I’m amazed at the number of people just in my community who’ve installed pools who rarely use them. Before making such a big investment, do some brutally honest thinking about why you want one and how much you’ll use it.

[Plinker]

We had two homes with pools and hot tubs when our children were young. They and their friends were in it almost daily. It was a great way to keep track of them.
Expensive upkeep and worth every penny. Now, in retirement- NO WAY!

[jrref]

This is a personal decision, no right or wrong answer. The one thing for sure, your insurance and maintenance costs for the pool will be a significant part of your budget. So if you decide to get one, make sure you will use it otherwise it will be something nice to look and and an extra expense. Will it increase the value of your home? Maybe. Many look for a home with a pool and others don't want one.

[JRcorvette]

Been there done that… no thanks. They are a big expense unless you are around to take care of them. Eventually things will break and need repair and replacement. Typically they get very little use. Just calculate the cost divided by the number of time they got used. Very few people actually swim in the pools. I will say they are nice to look at in your backyard.

[Nell57]

Realtors will tell you that it may or may not help your houses resale value. You’ve limited yourself to the 50% of buyers who may want a pool. 50% definitely do not.

[PoolBrews]

I've had 3 homes over the past 40 years - and have installed 3 pools - one at each of them. I absolutely love having one and we use it all the time. The Villages is one place where a pool will actually increase your home value. Lots that can support a pool are few and far between and it's more difficult to find a home with a pool. There are so many negative comments posted... let me try to address them with my experience:

1) A pool will also increase your homeowner's insurance due to liability and property risk. FALSE.

My home insurance is the same as it was before I had the pool installed. The only time you MIGHT see an increase is if you have a diving board, and even then, it is only another $50/year. My first two pools had diving boards, my pool here in The Villages does not.

2) Maintaining, was a real plain & simple " Nuisance ". Spent huge money on repairs, renovation, leaks, maintenance, etc.

As I stated, I've had a pool for 40 years. Never had to spend money on repairs, renovations, and never had a leak. For maintenance, the only time I had to outlay money was to replace a heater on my first pool after 15 years. I view this as the same as replacing an appliance. Most of the above listed "issues" are due to not doing research and selecting a good pool builder. When the initial work is not done properly or inferior equipment is installed.

3) A lot of golf course homes have pools. I see someone actually using a pool ... maybe once a month. Like owning a boat.

We use our pool almost daily, year long. Even when we are not using it to swim in, we love the view it adds to the back of our home.

4) If you’re going to do a pool, I highly recommend getting solar heat, as a regular pool heater will really run up the electric bill.

We have a heat pump - it adds at most $50/month, and then only in Jan/Feb. It doesn't need to run in the summer and only a few hours a day in spring and fall. For me, it's simply doing a cost analysis on the whether you want to spend the $5K to $7K on solar. Solar works great in the summer - when you don't need it - OK in the spring and fall, but not very well in the cold months - when you really need it. If you actually want to keep the pool in the mid to high 80's in the cooler and cold months, you will need to have a secondary heater, either gas or electric. Once you have a heater, the solar won't do anything in the summer as it's not needed, it takes off $20-$30/month in Jan/Feb, and $10-$15/month in fall and spring. For me, solar will never pay to replace itself during it's normal lifetime. In addition, you have to pay to have it removed and reinstalled when you need to replace your roof.

If you don't have a hot tub attached to your pool, a heat pump will work very well and is much cheaper to run than gas.

Go to a site called TFP (Home - Trouble Free Pool). This site is run by a number of former/retired pool builders, installers, and contractors and is filled with tons of help for caring for your own pool. I take care of my own pool and it takes less than 30 minutes a week. I spend less than $200-$300 a year for chemicals. The pool services around here are ridiculously expensive is you know what they actually do.

Several other advantages to having your own pool:

1) You (or your kids/grandkids) can take whatever you want in the pool. Floaties, mats, innertubes, toys, etc.
2) You can take drinks in your pool without anyone saying no.
3) You can play any music you want. We have a TV in our outdoor area and love to watch football games from the pool.
4) We have a courtyard villa... so for us, suits are optional. You can only do this once in a Villages pool.

If you do a search here, you can find posts I have put up on do's and don't for getting a new pool with advice on what to look for, builders that are known to be good, and several to completely avoid.

[MrFlorida]

Had two over the years, not anymore. We have 3 pools in walking distance, I'll let the Villages maintain them for us.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by PoolBrews

I've had 3 homes over the past 40 years - and have installed 3 pools - one at each of them. I absolutely love having one and we use it all the time. The Villages is one place where a pool will actually increase your home value. Lots that can support a pool are few and far between and it's more difficult to find a home with a pool. There are so many negative comments posted... let me try to address them with my experience:

1) A pool will also increase your homeowner's insurance due to liability and property risk. FALSE.

My home insurance is the same as it was before I had the pool installed. The only time you MIGHT see an increase is if you have a diving board, and even then, it is only another $50/year. My first two pools had diving boards, my pool here in The Villages does not.

2) Maintaining, was a real plain & simple " Nuisance ". Spent huge money on repairs, renovation, leaks, maintenance, etc.

As I stated, I've had a pool for 40 years. Never had to spend money on repairs, renovations, and never had a leak. For maintenance, the only time I had to outlay money was to replace a heater on my first pool after 15 years. I view this as the same as replacing an appliance. Most of the above listed "issues" are due to not doing research and selecting a good pool builder. When the initial work is not done properly or inferior equipment is installed.

3) A lot of golf course homes have pools. I see someone actually using a pool ... maybe once a month. Like owning a boat.

We use our pool almost daily, year long. Even when we are not using it to swim in, we love the view it adds to the back of our home.

4) If you’re going to do a pool, I highly recommend getting solar heat, as a regular pool heater will really run up the electric bill.

We have a heat pump - it adds at most $50/month, and then only in Jan/Feb. It doesn't need to run in the summer and only a few hours a day in spring and fall. For me, it's simply doing a cost analysis on the whether you want to spend the $5K to $7K on solar. Solar works great in the summer - when you don't need it - OK in the spring and fall, but not very well in the cold months - when you really need it. If you actually want to keep the pool in the mid to high 80's in the cooler and cold months, you will need to have a secondary heater, either gas or electric. Once you have a heater, the solar won't do anything in the summer as it's not needed, it takes off $20-$30/month in Jan/Feb, and $10-$15/month in fall and spring. For me, solar will never pay to replace itself during it's normal lifetime. In addition, you have to pay to have it removed and reinstalled when you need to replace your roof.

If you don't have a hot tub attached to your pool, a heat pump will work very well and is much cheaper to run than gas.

Go to a site called TFP (Home - Trouble Free Pool). This site is run by a number of former/retired pool builders, installers, and contractors and is filled with tons of help for caring for your own pool. I take care of my own pool and it takes less than 30 minutes a week. I spend less than $200-$300 a year for chemicals. The pool services around here are ridiculously expensive is you know what they actually do.

Several other advantages to having your own pool:

1) You (or your kids/grandkids) can take whatever you want in the pool. Floaties, mats, innertubes, toys, etc.
2) You can take drinks in your pool without anyone saying no.
3) You can play any music you want. We have a TV in our outdoor area and love to watch football games from the pool.
4) We have a courtyard villa... so for us, suits are optional. You can only do this once in a Villages pool.

If you do a search here, you can find posts I have put up on do's and don't for getting a new pool with advice on what to look for, builders that are known to be good, and several to completely avoid.

Regarding your No. 1, here is a website that calculates homeowner's insurance in great detail and it says that, in Florida, a pool will increase your insurance by about 15 to 25 percent.

How Much Does Home Insurance Increase With a Pool? Free Calculator & Cost Guide