Would you Retire your pool

[rkser]

Hi,

I am looking for saving a few bucks & was excited to hear about DECKOVER, a company in Arizona, which semi retires pools.

From what I read, they cover your pool with planks saving you the maintenance costs & headaches. When you sell the house, the new owner can reactivate the pool by getting the planks taken out.

We have used our pool about 6 times in the 7 yrs we have owned the house. It is a money pit, the Gym we go to also has a pool, the pool for us is essentially not worth it.

I am curious to know how others felt about & used their pools & whether have heard about any such pool retiring companies & any information would be appreciated.

Warm Regards

 

[jambo101]

My parents really were into pools when they first moved to Florida but as time passed by they used it less and less till after 20 years or so they stopped using it completely,Dad says they are a pain in the butt,are a lot of work to keep clean and expensive to maintain,on there last house they had a beautiful pool off the kitchen and on a trip down to see them jumping in the pool was very refreshing after driving 40 hours, Mom commented that in the 6 months they'd owned the house i was the first person to use the pool.Their new house has no pool,Dads happy.Kind of ironic as my Dad owned all the equipment for 2 Gunite crews and made a good life by making $wimming pools for the last 25 years .

 

[W2R]

I have never had a pool, but always thought it would be fun to have one. If I had a pool, I would just hire a pool maintenance company and consider the expense to be part of my home maintenance.

 

[rescueme]

I once considered having a pool, but after analysis I determined that the idea did not hold water ...

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Tough call for us. We have had pools in Tucson and Tampa, and they get used maybe 4 times a month in the summer (meaning 6 months down here) and rarely otherwise since it's not heated. It gives us the most pleasure when the kids and grandkids are visiting.

Ours if fiberglass and takes little care but you have to get it tended to when you're away from home. Bottom line: our next house won't have a pool but there will be times I miss it.

 

[Badger]

We are getting closer to retirement here in Fl. and my wife has been wanting a pool for years. Any upkeep of course would be my responsibility and I have never wanted the extra work. Fortunately for me there is a big (24x32) concrete slab in the middle of our backyard that negates the idea. This is disappointing for her and she would dearly love to have a landscaped backyard with some kind of water to cool off in and enjoy.
Since pools are expensive money pits, work intensive, and we can't install one anyway then does anyone have alternative ideas?

Cheers!

 

[Moemg]

I have a pool . It really has not had a lot of maintenance problems . In my last house we had a community pool which was also a social spot . My next house I'm going with the community pool . We really do not use the pool enough especially since I now take white water aerobics several times a week at the gym .It is nice to have during the brutal heat of summer .

 

[Martha]

An above ground pool?

 

[Badger]

I looked into an above ground pool but most have metal sides to hold the liner. We live 2 blocks from the ocean and the salt air can be pretty corrosive. Also most have side supports that aren't usually adaptable to installing on a concrete slab.

If all she wanted was a place to cool off an inexpensive soft side with top inflatable ring would be an option but wife will not consider them.

The only thing I can think of is a spa/hot tub on a raised wood deck on the slab. I would also have to build some kind of arbor over the slab to make it a usable patio. Then she could turn off the heater in the summer and on in the winter. I'm out of ideas.

Cheers!

 

[Gumby]

Every house on my street that had a pool when we moved here in 1992 has now filled it in. Too much work for too little enjoyment, plus the potential liability issues. One put a basketball court in its place. One built a garage there. A few just have a bigger yards now.

 

[FIREd]

I enjoy pools... Especially other people's... DW and I considered getting our own pool but we came to the conclusion that it was too much work and too much money.

 

[jimnjana]

We've had a pool in Atlanta for about 7 yrs now. I don't consider it a money pit avg annual maintenance costs are about 500. This includes chemicals, replacing tools, covers, and replacing filter housing. It is somewhat time consuming at times, partially because we have alot of trees (green space) adjacent to our property. Also, with going to Florida in winter, we haven't quite figured out the closing the pool vs leaving open thru the winter yet.

In the summer we use it practically every day we are at home, weather permitting. We did not pay to have the pool put in, it was one of the reasons we bought the house in the first place.

Jim

 

[ziggy29]

A pool sounds good, but the cost and maintenance (and insurance liability issues) have convinced me it's not worth it.

 

[NW-Bound]

We've lived with a diving pool for 20 years. It's been resurfaced once. It was great when the kids were small, but now they rarely go into it. Even my wife and I take a dip only twice this summer, though I go out and scrub it nearly everyday. Never have pool service, but I guess I will need to look into that when the time comes for us to take off on this RV trek fantasy I am incubating now.

PS. It nags in my mind if this RV is going to be another "pool".

 

[freebird5825]

It is silly to own a pool in my neck of the woods, however, lots of people do.
However...I have a full size (8 person) thick walled hot tub out back on the lower deck. The top of the tub is about 1 foot above the deck boards, making ingress/egress a cinch. In other words, the deck is raised to meet the tub. I sit down, swing my legs around, and I'm in. Very safe.
In the winter, I crank up the temperature to 101F. In the summer, I turn it down to about 99F, maybe lower if it gets really hot here (never).
So I have a year yound, easy to maintain baby soaking pool. I can stretch out diagonally (5'7") and float with one of those cheapo inflatable bathtub pillows under my head.
No laps are possible, but so what? On a hot day, I can easily get cooled off. Or if it is cool, I can turn on the jets and sigh a lot. <bubble bubble bubble>

 

[Sarah in SC]

I'd definitely go for the hot tub and not the pool. Plus you can drain it when you aren't using it.
The liability would be a huge factor if you live somewhere children could get in there. I think that houses with pools are also tough to sell.
I wanted a big swimming pond for a while, but when I thought about the maintenance and upkeep, I decided we're getting a big hot tub instead.
Buy a gym membership somewhere that has a pool is my recommendation.

 

[NW-Bound]

In the house before the current one, we had a similar big spa. Stopped using it after a few years. Sigh...

It's been decades since we took a soak in the bathroom tub, yet new houses have fancy Jacuzzis in the master bath. I guess people just have to experience everything once.

I feel so old and care less and less about "stuff". I wonder if we shouldn't just take off on a teardrop trailer. Still working on my wife about that...

 

[Alan]

Hi,

I am looking for saving a few bucks & was excited to hear about DECKOVER, a company in Arizona, which semi retires pools.

From what I read, they cover your pool with planks saving you the maintenance costs & headaches. When you sell the house, the new owner can reactivate the pool by getting the planks taken out.

We have used our pool about 6 times in the 7 yrs we have owned the house. It is a money pit, the Gym we go to also has a pool, the pool for us is essentially not worth it.

I am curious to know how others felt about & used their pools & whether have heard about any such pool retiring companies & any information would be appreciated.

Warm Regards

Over a period of 16 years we had a pool in 3 different houses and thoroughly enjoyed owning them - I always did my own maintenance. Once the kids had left home and the use declined dramatically we downsized and no longer have a pool.

As to your question, it sounds like a good option, assuming it is not too expensive, as it keeps your options open. When we bought our last house in '92 it had a pool that had not been used in years, but also had not been covered. The pump had also seized up and needed replacing, plus the sand needed replacing in the filter. We paid someone to pump out the pool and clean the badly stained walls and it did clean up very well - didn't need re-painting or re-plastering (an in-ground gunite pool).

If you cover it, it will stop all the trash collecting but I would expect it will still go green and manky and you won't be sure if the pump will work several years on should you or someone else re-comission it. Also, if it is a sand filter, you can expect it to solidify and need replacing (no big deal really).

 

[Maurice]

I had one growing up in Florida and it was great. My parents never used it, and had they still lived there when we kids left I'm sure they would have asked themselves the same question.

Is it worth keeping as bait for the grandkids? If not, I think covering it is a good option. Lose the hassle and keep (most) of the resale value. In fact you could uncover it and refill the pool before you ever sell.

 

[Midpack]

My parents have a pool, and really regret it now. But they can't fill it in or cover it up because they know it will hurt resale, so they maintain it even though no one has used it in years.

We had a pool when we lived in FL, seemed mandatory for resale. It was great at first, but the novelty wore off quickly. The maintenance in money and time was not worth it to me, it became a chore. I'm too cheap to pay someone to do something I can easily do for myself. I would never have another pool no matter where I live. However, if we had kids/grandkids, it would probably be a different story - but neither is (happily) in the cards for us.

 

[kumquat]

Up here, in the Frozen North, outdoor pools are a 4 mo/yr thing. Thus there aren't a lot of them. When my neighbourhood was built (about 30 years ago) people starting building indoor pools. There were 4 or 5 in a one block radius of my house. Now there is 1.

All the others have been filled in and converted to living space. DW and I once looked at a house with in indoor pool. It was winter time and the owners thought this would be a big plus for sale. The humidity inside caused frost on the windows (and I suspect mold), the place stank of chlorine, we couldn't run fast enough.

No pool for us.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Well, we just got back from a long walk and dived into the pool where we floated and chatted for 45 minutes. We've gotta get in the water more often - felt good.

Still wouldn't build another, but as long as we have it might as well enjoy.

 

[Rambler]

We have a pool at our home in California. I would probably sell the house before I ever covered or filled it in. It is certainly not maintenance free, but pretty close. It is a saltwater pool, so we add a few dollars worth of salt every year, and so far a few dollars worth of acid once or twice a year. We have an automatic sweeper, so the bottom stays clean. It has an auto cover, which will need to be replaced probably at between 7-10 years, so it does not get dirt or leaves in it. I sweep down the walls a couple times in the summer. Since we are gone most of the time, my dad pumps off the cover after a big rain but just lets it dehydrate after a little rain.

It is not heated except for the solar gain it gets thru the cover. I plan to add some solar heating when we move back there, to extend the season so we can swim from about late March or early April thru to the end of October. My desire once FIREd is to go for a couple miles of jogging each morning in the spring/summer/fall and then go for a swim when I am done. Currently in the process of building a solar shower out there as well.

Besides that, I get a lot of enjoyment just sitting out there with the pool open even if I'm not taking a dip. I can't imagine filling it in or covering it...now anyway.

R

 

[bbbamI]

When we moved to TX, I really wanted a pool. The house we bought didn't have one, so I entertained the idea of having one put in. My cost would have been around $25k and then there was the maintenance. I would have gotten a lot of use out of the pool but DH can't swim and has a fair complexion....so no pool.

I do have a pond that I dip my toe in on occasion. But, it just ain't the same....

 

[harley]

I am a major pool person, although currently without a pool. We planned to build on here at our new house, but due to engineering calculation problems and MD permeable ground rules our pool kept getting smaller and smaller, until it would have become a hottub. And HOA rules don't allow an above ground pool. Aaargh.

Having said that, I would never have a pool unless it was actually big enough to swim laps in. But most peole I know just want a little plunge pool, to cool off in. I never minded doing the maintenance on a pool, but it wouldn't be worth it to me to do it for a little pool. Although I've heard great things about those salt water pools.

I doubt I would bother to plank over a pool, unless I needed the yard space. Just a cheap cover and neglect would accomplish the same thing, which I suspect would be ruination and degradation. I doubt the pool would be effectively recoverable unless it was done within 5 years or so. But I'm not an expert. I would get second opinions (not mine), because the company is going to paint an overly rosy picture.