Thoughts on a pool after retirement...

A pool was a "Must Have" for me. Ive had 3. Of course, I am in S FL and use it year round.
 
athena53 said:
If you get a pool, get a good winter cover that's stretched across the pool and anchored by bolts in the cement. For years I dealt with the cheap thick plastic covers. They're held down by large plastic "sacks" that you fill with water but they break, or crows peck at them, or they fall in. Then part of the cover falls into the water and if you don't get it right away and snow and ice end up on it you've got a mess. You also have to run out every time there's any substantial rain and use a small submersible pump to get the water off the cover. Then there's the danger of family or pets falling onto the cover and sinking into the water.

The type that stretches across looks better, is almost zero maintenance and can supposedly withstand the weight of an adult although we never tested that out.....
Click to expand...

We had an above ground pool for years.
I used to do the cover over the pool every fall, with the giant ball in the middle. Always a pain.

Finally I smartened up and skipped doing it, no cover all winter, just like a lake, it froze and thawed in the Spring.
There was no issue at all.
Now we don't have tons of trees overhanging the pool, but most would have dropped leaves before putting on the cover anyhow.
After that I went topless year after year over winter and saved myself a ton of work. :dance:
 
My 'pool' for now. I have the heat turned down. I can cool off, work out a little and float. Not too bad.

IMG_4670.jpg
 
Danmar said:
Pretty good sized pool-about 45'X25' plus an integrated hot tub and rock waterfall.
Click to expand...

Pics please! :D

I was going to ask if it was really $50-100/day to heat but with a pool that size that's probably accurate!
 
Moemg said:
I have an in ground pool but I live in Florida so pool season is long even without heat . A few years ago the pool needed major repairs so I got estimates on removing it . They were horrendous since an engineer would be involved so I did the repairs and use it in the summer.
Click to expand...

I just signed a contract today to have the 15'x30' in-ground pool, patio, and pool cage removed at my house. The hole will be filled with clean fill. Cost: $7,000. The pool is in a prime spot for a garden. I will be happy to have that 37-year-old eyesore gone! :)
 
A spa is on the list. With a gazebo and a deck for ease of entry and "cool looking"
 
My low-desert AZ home has a diving 17'x37' pool. The home is 32-year old. We used it quite a bit when the kids were young.

So far this year, the only things swimming in it have been a couple of mallards. I have posted photos of wild ducks swimming in my pool before. This is the 3rd time I saw them, but there are no doubt more visits. They all look the same with the male mallard more colorful, and the female brown and dull. I do not think it's the same couple every year.They swam around, then took off causing no harm.

Oh, back to the pool, we do not use it much anymore, but filling it in costs too much money, and the construction equipment would also kill my wife's beloved fruit trees. So, the pool stays.


PS. I am linking in the old photos that I used before.



 
Last edited:
We debated for a while about getting one, but the cons just outweigh the pros. We are members of the next door neighborhood pool ($250 for the year) and for the most part, when I go over in the AM, I am the only one there. The good thing about that is well, I am the only one there. Bad thing is they don't allow for solo swimming, so I have to wait for someone to show up. BUT...usually by 11, there are a couple other stragglers showing up, so I get a couple of hours of "float time" before the obnoxious children come out and take all the pleasure away! ;) But...that's OK too. Once it gets past about 2 in the afternoon, it's just too damn hot out and the sun is brutal, so I retreat to the luxury of my air conditioned home.
 
Thanks all for the helpful discussion! It has been a long stressful month or so. I have talked to a number of pool builders and came very close to pulling the trigger to purchase. I could still change my mind, but for now I think I have settled on just filling in the hole from the above ground pool and doing something else. Grass, Garden, and fire pit are options. In the end, we are in the NE that has short summers, Adult child living at home (but never home), no grandkids and I am the primary user/maintainer.

I think the key driver that I think was mentioned here, once you have it you MUST take care of it. Especially in this age of Zika and West Nile, communities don't particularly care for a swamp in the neighbors yard. They are expensive to fill in (up to 15k from my research) and can make selling the home more difficult (even if filled in). Realistically our years of use are numbered.

Lastly, we tend to use the AC in the summer time. While my hope was that more pool use would lower the need for AC, I don't think that will be the case. There is less incentive to go into the pool when you are comfortable in the AC. If you do go in the pool, then you are cold when you go back into the house.
 
Had an in-ground for three years in the mid-90s. NEVER again. DW loves to swim, but she never seemed to get around to it. No kids.

If you're not absolutely sure that you want one, I'd explore your other options for a while first. You rarely get the money back on resale and you have the on-going hassle.

For those that have one and love it, Great! Please invite us over!
 
I guess we are just "pool people." Got our first in-ground pool installed when the kids were 8 and 11. Bought the big dream house a few years later, which unfortunately had a very old and leaking pool. We had that one removed and built a new one. It's medium size (18k gal), freeform shape, with a waterfall, heater, and Polaris cleaner. The heater is only used to extend the swimming season into early May and late Sept as needed, so not much expense from that. We have a separate spa, which sees a lot of use in the cooler months.

When the kids lived here, the pool was used nearly every day from May through September. DW and I still use it about 2-3 times per week in the summer. It's also great for holidays, family gatherings, or just cooling off after working outside in the Texas heat. And, we now have grandkids, so usage is once again on the rise.

I actually enjoy the maintenance. I've discovered that if you take care of a pool properly, the ongoing maintenance is very minimal (15-20 minutes per week). It's when you start ignoring the routine that more serious problems arise that require lots of time and expense to fix. We keep it open all year, but reduce the chemicals and electrical use quite a bit in the winter. I also keep costs down by avoiding pool stores altogether. I buy liquid chlorine, muriatic acid, baking soda, and borax at Wal-Mart. Mostly I just use the chlorine; the others are to fine-tune pH and alkalinity from time to time. Once every couple years, I have to add calcium and/or cyanuric acid, but that's it. I tear down the filter and give it a good cleaning twice a year, which takes about an hour.

Even when it's not being used, we find it to be a beautiful part of the landscape, which includes lots of planting beds, stone walkways, retaining walls, and other features. We enjoy sitting out on the pool deck in the morning with coffee while the waterfall is trickling. We will eventually downsize from the big dream house, but a pool is definitely part of the specs for the new place.
 
Cobra9777 said:
Even when it's not being used, we find it to be a beautiful part of the landscape, which includes lots of planting beds, stone walkways, retaining walls, and other features. We enjoy sitting out on the pool deck in the morning with coffee while the waterfall is trickling. We will eventually downsize from the big dream house, but a pool is definitely part of the specs for the new place.
Click to expand...

You make a great point and one I keep coming back to. While we may not use the pool every day, we will look at it. When it is open, I find it very calming. It is kind of like me paying extra to have a ocean front condo for vacation, but only spend a few hours on the beach. My hubby and daughter spend more time there, but in reality nobody goes into the water much. It is all to look at or sit by. :cool:
 
I hate my pool about 350 days a year but on the rare occasions the kids use it I find it well worth the money. However, it is expensive. Minimum $100 a month but probably more. Plus, we re-plastered and re-tiled last year and that was about $20k.
 
We use our pool just about every day May through October, weather permitting. With our new thermal heat panels, swimming season may be extended. I wouldn't live where I live without the pool.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum
 
We retired last year and moved out of a house with a pool in southern Indiana and moved into a house up north in Michigan with another pool. Like someone said yearly maintenance is low if you keep it clean. My grand kids use it multiple times a week and my wife likes to eat out by it. I do find that the grandkids prefer the pool to the lake most days.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
Jeff
 
Don't get a pool. It's the biggest waste of money. I consider it the stupidest financial blunder that I ever made.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum
 
It's sort of like owning a boat, a second home or a Mercedes. They're money pits but it may be worth it to you. I don't regret owning 2 houses with pools but am glad I no longer do.
 
I love having a community pool that someone else maintains for a reasonable monthly fee. I swim laps and wouldn't want to fit a lap pool in the yard. The pool does get busy when school is out so I go early and often have it to myself.
 
I'm enjoying ours at long last. We put it in for our son who was a swimming fanatic...until 2 years after we put it in. 😟 And with 3 INTJ people in the house we don't have a lot of parties. But I've only been done with work for a week. I've been in it 4 times in 7 days. And it is a gorgeous day today, so it will be enjoyed again.

Yes, I still have second thoughts. It was expensive. And keeping it up takes time and some money. But it is within our budget. But before there was a pool, there was a boring sloping useless lawn. I love our deck, patio and yard now.

We have a swim spa as well--replaced our hot tub last year along with a deck. Consider a swim spa. The larger ones can double as a small pool. Some of the largest ones have a longer area for swimming and a smaller separately heated hot tub. I swim 30+ minutes every couple of days, and without the turns, it is a better workout than swimming laps in a community pool.




Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Literally: Life After Fire
2 3
Replies
62
Views
3K
Koolau
Koolau
ugeauxgirl
Retired 4 years!
Replies
13
Views
556
pacergal
P
N
Wisdom needed- Downsizing Renting vs Buying
Replies
15
Views
796
meleana
M
Happyras
Thoughts on moving to 55plus community
2
Replies
44
Views
4K
pb4uski
pb4uski
C
2 Years FIRE'd
Replies
4
Views
522
MarieIG
M

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom