Graciegirl, I'm with you. We've owned an inground pool in the past in NY, and we did use it frequently because of the short summer season. However, now that we have the availability of pools anytime of day or year, we rarely use it. In fact, one thing I've noted as an avid golfer is that few of the pools are being used in houses on the golf course. It's an added expense that we really didn't think we needed.

Average cost to maintain a pool. I budget 5K a year. Actual so far has been about $4200. That includes T&D weekly service, added cost of electricity and water, and maintenance and service. I have solar and gas heat and keep the pool at 88 degrees.

Pool maintenance is that high?
 

WOW. Is it the heating that drives it up or the cost of the salt water men coming to maintain it? I may reconsider putting in a pool.

No, you're not. My story on using the pools is almost identical to yours, except my one grandchild hasn't been to visit yet. My wife and I rarely go to the pool anymore. We would go to relax and get some sun, but the "regulars" talk incessantly in such a loud volume that it gets a bit annoying after a time.

My wife longs for her own pool where she can be relaxing in it, in peace, anytime her heart desires. In NJ her brother who lived 10 minutes away has a pool and we were there often and she would be in that pool all day. Here there would be no "pool closing" as in NJ, so even better for her.

I have an estimate of around $40,000 from T&D for a 16X24 foot pool with a large birdcage area and solar heating. When I ready I'm going to get estimates from Advanced Construction and All Seasons also.

As for the maintenance keep in mind the parts you don't see very often...the pumps, the motors, the filters, the salt generators.

Gas heaters have a life of 6 - 10 years....I have replaced one at 7 years...the big one for the pool...$4000-$6000!!!

Filter housings....I replaced one of those too...$500.

Pool pump motor at 6 years...$700.

If you have a solar system the panels and piping are exposed full blast to the sun which dries them out and cracks form. I have had panels repaired twice the last two years, fortunately the panels we bought have a 10 year warranty.
And we have had one of the elbows in the piping split.

Remember theses components do regular duty many, many hours out of a day and they are almost all exposed to the elements 24/7 with the sun being the most destructive.

Make sure you or your control for the system has a freeze protection cycle or you will be replacing components from our occasional freezes here in TV.

Do not cut corners and try to reduce the price of your installation by using anything but the very best pool equipment.....and check and clean them often.

btk

Thank you Billie. This is just the kind of information a "never had a pool" owner like me needs. It's much appreciated.

I would guess that a lot of your cost is in gas heat and service. In almost 4yrs of living in this house we have spent between $1,500 - $1,800 per year to maintain our pool/spa. From April to October the pool water temp is generally at least 85 and we rarely use the heater except for the spa. Using a salt system we chose to do our own service which saves us a lot.

Does building a swimming pool to your house raise your taxes in Florida?

We just had a spa, birdcage, and summer kitchen put in. Had T & D do everything who we worl VERY MUCH RECOMMEND. The quality and alsways insuring it is done how YOU what it done.
Ok, here is the breakdown as best I can in whole numbers:
Spa-$12,000
Birdcage-$7,000
Summer Kitchen-$21,000
The monthly fee for T&D Pool Service is $60.00 a month for a spa, and they do everything. They even wash the whole inside of the birdcage down every two weeks. Very happy with them, and yes, they provide all chemicals etc in that fee.

Army Guy

Is $60.00 a month normal for spa service? We maintain our own spa here and it's about $100.00 a year. That seems high to me. And I think I can wash down my own birdcage pretty easy.

The price can vary, but that is about the going rate. To us it seems very reasonable since it includes all chemicals, vacuuming, cleaning sides of spa, removing and cleaning filter, draining monthly and refilling. Bird cage clean is pretty much just a bonus.
Army Guy

Maybe you have a different kind of spa then we have. We don't do all of that in Upstate New York! We just put chemicals in once a week and let it run.

We have not met with T&D but the Villages salesperson said the summer kitchen was 25K. Are you putting yours in after the buildout?

This was for a stainless steel bbq and fan hood, hot and cold water and sink and refrigerator, cabinets and tile counter.
For 4K in savings I might wait until after we close.

using Villages pools vs building your own
 

Hey, I think if you can afford to build and maintain your own, why not? If nothing else, it's a beautiful place to entertain, even if you don't really use it much. For most of us here, this is the last place we will ever live, except perhaps for the "home." I say go for it if you can comfortably afford it. I think the very biggest financial factor in retirement (at least for me) is to be able to afford your lifestyle, whatever that may be. Buy only what you can afford. End of lecture.

As far as actually using the pools once you live here, I would say it just depends on the user. Ohioboy is a real swimmer, actually enjoys swimming 1 mile (at a time)! in the Sports pools and also likes to go for a dip on a warm or hot day at the adult pool. I probably go more often than I would if I lived by myself, just because he likes to go.

I am one of those that gets in the pool mostly to cool off, although when it gets hot starting in April I will sometimes go to a pool exercise class. People chat in our pool, but usually in one corner or another, and there is always a quiet spot. Seems to clear out around Happy Hour time and we often have the pool to ourselves then. I don't go at all unless it's about 78 degrees or higher. And, I do agree, the longer I am here the busier I am with other stuff. Probably also makes a difference that we are a 5 minute walk or a 2 minute cart ride from ours, and only 10 minutes from 1 sports pool and 15 minutes or less to 2 others.

Keith - Make sure you're factoring in the cost of tying the summer kitchen into the existing electric, plumbing, and drain system in you build it after the fact. Or maybe TV can rough all that stuff in (for a price) when the house is built - would make it a heck of a lot cleaner, easier, and cheaper to do the kitchen afterwards if those things are already in place.

Bill :)