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Get a pool?
Old 09-11-2021, 03:38 PM   #1
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Get a pool?

We had a pool in our last home 20+ years ago, and the kids hardly used it. Our current home still continues to be the gathering place for all family events and "everyone" (including my wife) seems to think it would be a great addition to our family gatherings if we put another pool in.

Do any of you have experience with the "grandparents pool" and view it as a positive (the maintenance and care etc) and do the kids & grandkids really use it a lot?

No discussion needed on the expenses, that's not an issue for us, please focus responses on if it's really used a lot or if the luster wears off ...

Thanks!
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Old 09-11-2021, 04:21 PM   #2
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Depends on the people. I've had several neighbors install in-ground pools. A few actually used the pools frequently but most rarely used their new pools.
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Old 09-11-2021, 04:21 PM   #3
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It seems to me that at best you might have a 10-15 year time horizon where the grandkids will be interested in the pool.
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Old 09-11-2021, 04:31 PM   #4
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Seems like you already have experience with this. If your kids didn't use it much, what are the chances your g-kids will much?

How about something else out back that might get more use, with less maintenance? A fire pit maybe? A play structure? A multi use court surface? Outdoor kitchen? Hot tub? A fountain or waterfall which might be relaxing to sit around? Garden maze, or just some really nice landscaping including lighting?
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Old 09-11-2021, 04:33 PM   #5
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Addition of a pool always sounds better than it is. We built an indoor pool in our previous home in California, with the idea of it being available for use 365 days a year. In the 4 years that we had it before we moved, we had probably used it less than 30 times. It cost $200K, between building of the home extension, semi in-ground excavation, Endless Pool kit and then adding solar because it was very expensive to keep the pool heated year round. We got back probably 25% of our cost when we sold the home.

Our current home comes with a spool but unfortunately it has multiple areas that are leaking and our pool contractor has been hunting down leaks for the past 6 months. When fall comes, it will be a major project to address the leaks which will cost us another $20K to $30K to modify the entire pool to get rid of the leaks once and for all. We have used the spool 4 times since May. The spool enhances the look of the backyard. Would we buy another house with a pool again, absolutely - as long as we not worry about the cost of upkeep.
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Old 09-11-2021, 04:42 PM   #6
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Three of my 70 + year old friends have pools. No one uses them anymore. My BIL at 82 years old has a pool and it hasn't been used in 10 (?) years since the grandkids grew up.

One fellow I worked with years ago filled his pool in after he retired.

Pools are nice to look at, but unless you use them, they are just a cost center.
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Old 09-11-2021, 04:56 PM   #7
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My aunt and uncle are in their late 80s and they haven't used their very nice pool for years. For a lot of that time they opened, maintained and closed the pool and the only ones to use it were a couple of their neighbors kids. Last time I talked to him he was talking about filling it in.
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Old 09-11-2021, 04:59 PM   #8
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I just had a pool put in after waiting/waffling for years. Edit: I would not do it if it's for the kids, or the gkids, but do it if it's what you want.

I love it. I absolutely love it and wish I'd done it sooner. It makes my whole home better, as the layout of my house means you can see the pool from the front door and living/dining rooms, and my bedroom came pre-equipped with a cabana bath door. It fits nicely. I live in S. Fla so it will be swimable 6-7+ months per year. I'm super happy with the pool and my decision to finally do it. I make it a point to spend time in it every day, weather permitting, and love the overall look of my backyard.

HOWEVER:

I hate my pool company. They were the "best" in the business, perfect B-Business, A rated, 50 years in the area, etc. But now is the worst possible time. Everyone, last summer, decided... oh man lockdowns? I need a pool! Few pool companies are saying no, so they are slipping and slacking and taking more than a year from contract. I went to contract in July 2020 and passed final inspection literally a year to the day later. My back yard was a construction zone for 6+ months. The build was the most frustrating non-work thing in memory. They were on site on average one day every two weeks. Emails and phone calls would take days to get a response.

And then there was the gaslighting. The little mistakes that took weeks to resolve. To where you almost didn't want to point out little mistakes because that meant another month before your pool was done. I can only hope I don't have an issue that needs their warranty support in the first year because I know it will be a month before they show up. And of course problems arose on fridays so I'd spend the whole weekend going ....."arrggghhh now this".

phew...yeah, i hate the pool company. And I did my homework, got a lot of quotes, this was a highly reviewed, reputable place who only wanted 5% down to start.

Ok so after all that?

Yeah, it's worth it:
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Old 09-11-2021, 08:22 PM   #9
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We had a fiberglass pool installed last year--just after we moved here. We have 10 and 13 year old grandchildren to entertain. The installation just took 2 days, and another week to have the electrical and concrete work done.

We had an installation problem that took our installer a year to come back and fix--a 1/2 day job removing and reinstalling some concrete. Now, we're a year behind on landscaping and it'll be next Spring before I can get the sod like I like.

I too am not thrilled with the pool installer profession. Here, they work all over the state--picking the highly profitable gunite jobs in neighborhood HOA's first. They cannot keep their promises on installation dates for various reasons including 2nd mortgage loan deals falling through.

We live in the seriously hot Mid South, however this Summer has been relatively mild on temperatures. Our pool water has been almost uncomfortably cool, and we're already seeing upper 50's at night. We didn't get to use our pool as much as we wanted.

But there's next year--and we'll see 95 degree days and 80+ degree nights.
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Old 09-11-2021, 08:45 PM   #10
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I just had an in ground pool done. I’ve always had a pool, and I’m glad (so far) that I did it.
I have used it a lot and love just sitting outside and listening to the waterfall feature.
Good luck with your decision.
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Old 09-11-2021, 09:36 PM   #11
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We BOTH love our pool - wish the season was longer - solar mat next year!
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Old 09-11-2021, 10:13 PM   #12
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Someone may already have offered but you are welcome to mine. Kids are grown and no grandkids yet. Mainly now it is just a PIA and I just closed it for the year and didn't open it last year with COVID. Looking forward to downsizing to a place with no pool (or maybe one that someone else looks after!)
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Old 09-11-2021, 10:14 PM   #13
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I guess I am the only one who thought grandkids = Drownings!

A lot of small kids die here every summer falling in the pool. It only takes a minute for a toddler to slip away.

I think they are nicer to look at but seldom used. I wonder if there is some kind of splash pad or other creative water feature that could be admired and used. I have no idea.
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Old 09-11-2021, 10:40 PM   #14
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Maybe put in an above ground pool or even just a temp 3 foot high above ground 1 season type of pool.
I wouldn't want to dig up for an inground and suffer the year long major construction only to see it rarely used.

Besides they are a chore to maintain.

How often do the grandkids come around, would it be once a month ? Summer just passed so maybe they were around more, but now that school is on... I would think they are busy.
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Old 09-11-2021, 11:00 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by badatmath View Post
I guess I am the only one who thought grandkids = Drownings!

A lot of small kids die here every summer falling in the pool. It only takes a minute for a toddler to slip away.

I think they are nicer to look at but seldom used. I wonder if there is some kind of splash pad or other creative water feature that could be admired and used. I have no idea.

That makes two of us and the thing with big family gatherings is the more people there are to"watch" the kids the less the kids get watched because "someone else" is watching them.. I know you can get pool gates and covers but that doesn't help with large group of kids. We had family with lakeshore and 13 kids ten and under and the kids wore life jackets..the parents sat on the shoreline with their heads on a swivel..


I second the idea of getting a yard redo with more entertaining fun things to do in lieu of a pool. Involve the family in planning something everyone would enjoy, including you.
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Old 09-11-2021, 11:39 PM   #16
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Growing up where it would regularly crack 100F, a pool was a godsend. In a cooler climate, maybe not so much.

We have a very traditional 70's vintage 36K gallon in-ground pool (no jacuzzi) that is heated by solar and maybe gets used 3-4 times per year for a few minutes. While the swimming value of the pool is zero, my DW and I enjoy having it as a centerpiece and a calming presence in the yard that makes it a much more appealing place to hang out. Whenever friends with young kids come over, it's like a magnet (even when the water is freezing!) and a great place to keep them entertained since our home is not very kid-friendly. Only a few days a year here reach 100F, but there is plenty of sun to heat the pool to 90F+ in the summer months.

My friend in the desert has a much newer, shallower pool with a very cool beach feature and a fire pit and jacuzzi that is much more grownup. You can hang out in a beach chair, or sit on the beach in the water when it's really hot out without getting totally wet, or move to the deep end that is maybe 5-6' deep at its deepest instead of 8-10'. It's beautiful and great for entertaining; and for hanging out in the water just to keep cool. I like it a lot and would definitely look at these kinds of designs if I were starting over.
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Old 09-12-2021, 03:10 AM   #17
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Starsky does bring up a good point about the beach feature. Not only is it nice to use, it is (arguably) safer. If someone (even a pet) falls in they have a chance of being able to walk out. Most dogs would not know how to climb a ladder.
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Old 09-12-2021, 04:16 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by badatmath View Post
I guess I am the only one who thought grandkids = Drownings!

A lot of small kids die here every summer falling in the pool. It only takes a minute for a toddler to slip away.

I think they are nicer to look at but seldom used. I wonder if there is some kind of splash pad or other creative water feature that could be admired and used. I have no idea.
That's why the children get swimming lessons. By 3 years old, we were swimming well.

And we're always closely watching little children--pool or no pool.
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Old 09-12-2021, 04:19 AM   #19
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We chose to get a 5' deep pool--everywhere. It's great for water sports--volleyball & basketball.

And since it's a saltwater pool, it is like taking a dip in Epson Salts. My wife swears her arthritis just about disappears when she's in the pool.
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Old 09-12-2021, 05:33 AM   #20
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We moved to our current house to be closer to our grandkids (15, 11, 5 yrs old). We’re glad we did. They are a positive in our life for sure. We built a pool. They live 10 minutes away and were here maybe 20 times throughout the summer. We had a couple of times where they brought friends over a couple of times and we had genuine pool parties a couple times.

If that keeps up, I’ll consider it a success to have built the pool. Sure, we’d like them over every day in the summer, but that’s not going to happen. Also, me and DW use it almost every day (weather permitting). With the youngest being 5 and the expectation that she’ll be doing other things when she’s a teenager, we hope to get ten years out of the pool. Me and DW will be 70 and 75 by then and we’ll see whether we should move or possibly fill in the pool if we stop using it.

It’s all about how much it gets used and in SoCal, I expect that could be a lot. But, if it’s not something you and your spouse truly want for yourselves, I’d pass. You just can’t count on your kids or the grandkids to make it worth it. Though if it happens, it’s great.
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