Thoughts on a pool after retirement...

[CountryGal]

Aerides - you are onto something with that water view. It is part of the pros of an in-ground pool

RobbieB - The hot tub is sweet! That said, they require daily attention to keep the water quality high. It isn't much, but you can't forget or takes a bit to correct. Pool isn't bad maintenance wise, the opening and closing is most traumatic. After over 20 years of pool care, I can avoid the green. ...except when I was caring for ill parents. We had 2 unused years with a green pool.

 

[CountryGal]

MRG - Good question. I think it is the "what happens when.." question. How long will I be able to care for one.

As for the insurance liability.. it is also an asset living in the country. It is a reserve of water in case of fire.

 

[Another Reader]

Love our pool! Here in Az they are an asset when a house is sold. We also have a spa attached to ours. We also have a Baja Deck where you can sit a lawn chair in about 16 inches of water and sit under an umbrella and be nice and cool on those 105 degree days here in the desert.

They USED to be an asset, and may still be in areas where people like expensive toys, such as Scottsdale. Especially if they are newer and don't present any maintenance headaches at the time of sale. Pools are much rarer in homes built starting around 2000. Lots are smaller now and many subdivisions have community pools. The costs of maintaining and replastering a pool have skyrocketed. Buyers with small kids don't want the risk.

I am selling a rental in Tempe and the buyers specifically did not want a pool because they are starting a family. My house sold faster and for more money because it does not have a pool.

 

[RobbieB]

Then fill it in with dirt and put cactus on top.

 

[Another Reader]

The cost of obtaining a permit and having the pool filled in can cost many thousands of dollars. Easier to buy the house without the pool. Buyers in many areas will pay a lot more for remodeled houses that require no work, including the landscaping.

Here in my Silly Valley neighborhood, two buyers paid big bucks for houses, gutted and redid them, and filled in pools as part of expensive complete re-landscapes. Different market.

 

[Winter]

One thing that I have intentionally avoided in retirement, is taking on mandatory tasks to replace the time I used to spend at work.

I want that time to spend freely, however I desire to spend it. For me that was the whole point of retirement, so I am more than willing to make that adjustment rather than filling my free time with more work.

If I was in your situation and wanted a pool, what I'd do is join a gym with a pool. That way THEY do the chores, and you get the fun of swimming when you feel like swimming.

I love this statement. It personifies our philosophy of deliberating on every decision dh and I have been considering as we age. Although we are only middle-aged right now, an almost-empty nest has us thinking new purchases over from every angle. Thank you W2R.

We have briefly thought about a pool as well but are in the wrong climate for it. Countrygal best wishes for you on your decision!

 

[jimnjana]

I'm with others who suggested a hot tub, especially in the North where you will have to close a pool for the winter. It is a royal PITA opening and closing pools...I'm in Florida now and when we are not travelling, spend about 1-2 hours in the pool each day(Mar-Nov) and about 1/2 hour in the hot tub. A pool lap is 8 strokes...join the Y if you want to swim laps....

 

[pb4uski]

We had a pool in our former home. I'm just not a pool person... we maintained it and rarely used it. We have a lakefront home now. Much better views... no need to swim "laps"...just swim in a straight line, no treating of the water... much better than a pool.

 

[6miths]

Just paid $400 for a new pump so pool is up and running just in time as we've had a week of high 80s. Still have to fix leak in hot tub line... Abracadabra!

Was great when kids were young. 3 of 4 are lifeguards which makes for good summer jobs. Now? Looks pretty!

 

[cooch96]

I dream of being an Endless pool owner. A pool with a current so it's like a swimming treadmill. A great luxury. I reckon it would extend ER by a year to get one tastefully installed and 6 months to get the model that looks like physical therapy apparatus.

If my sequence of returns exceeds expectations, then I will get one within a few years of ER. I avoid public swimming pools since I seem to be prone to contracting communicable foot fungi.

If you have the money, I say get your pool or jacuzzi. Frequent travel doesn't seem to be your passion, so making your home as wonderful as possible seems a good expense.

 

[athena53]

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.


One more thought: it's a challenge to keep ducks and geese away and if they breed, they may end up using your pool a lot. Including their offspring and future generations when they return each season. I was an America's Funniest Home Video in which a pool ended up looking like a scene from "The Birds". It made me forever paranoid and I was always shooing mallards off the water.

 

[45th Birthday]

When we bought our previous main home, we didn't want a pool. Of course, we ended up with one. It was expensive (maintained by a service and had a high level of automation and an attached spa), but the whole family liked it in varying degrees. We'd have parties, use the spa a lot at night, and it was private enough to skinny dip. The thing was, we were away at our summer place the best ten weeks of swimming weather, so if you amortized the cost over the seven or eight weeks we could actually use it, it was probably a lot. We sold that house and quickly, so it wasn't a detriment to re-sale.

When we bought a different summer house with the idea we would spend five months a year here, we didn't look for a pool but the house we really liked had one. It is much simpler (no spa unfortunately), but the area is expensive so it will be costly to maintain. In this area, people are suddenly going nuts over pools, so it is a big benefit for resale. It is tastefully placed and landscaped and private enough for swimming nekkid.

 

[athena53]

It is tastefully placed and landscaped and private enough for swimming nekkid.

Sssshhh...you're revealing out the dirty little secrets of us pool owners! Yes, this is a huge benefit with a well-sheltered pool.

 

[RockyMtn]

They USED to be an asset, and may still be in areas where people like expensive toys, such as Scottsdale. Especially if they are newer and don't present any maintenance headaches at the time of sale. Pools are much rarer in homes built starting around 2000. Lots are smaller now and many subdivisions have community pools. The costs of maintaining and replastering a pool have skyrocketed. Buyers with small kids don't want the risk.

I am selling a rental in Tempe and the buyers specifically did not want a pool because they are starting a family. My house sold faster and for more money because it does not have a pool.

Here in North Scottsdale they ARE an asset! Sold a home last fall. Neighbors two doors down no pool. Us with a pool. Exact same house otherwise. Ours went for $25k more specifically, their realtor told us, because of the pool!

 

[phil1ben]

We are in the northeast and have a 20 x 40 in ground pool. We hire a service to open, close and service and clean the pool weekly. The costs are as follows:

open, close and weekly service: $2,400.00
Electricity: guessing about $200.00
we do not heat the pool very often.

Occasionally a pump breaks or some other mishap which I would guess averages $500-$750/year.

 

[Another Reader]

I think they are more popular with families with older kids and folks that think a pool is part of the "Arizona lifestyle." I'll bet the pools are newer and don't need plaster or equipment. Also less concern about utility bills in North Scottsdale.

In other areas that have lots of young families and/or older housing stock, pools do not add much value. People in Tempe and similar older areas will pay a lot more for a new kitchen and nice interior finishes than they will for a pool.

 

[RockyMtn]

I think they are more popular with families with older kids and folks that think a pool is part of the "Arizona lifestyle." I'll bet the pools are newer and don't need plaster or equipment. Also less concern about utility bills in North Scottsdale.

In other areas that have lots of young families and/or older housing stock, pools do not add much value. People in Tempe and similar older areas will pay a lot more for a new kitchen and nice interior finishes than they will for a pool.

You're right...those people should really not have a pool. It is definitely a luxury item. For us it is part of the Az lifestyle which is why we are here in the first place! Plus, it is an asset when we go to sell the house...if we ever do.

 

[Danmar]

We have an in ground pool at our house in Arizona. Love it but the climate there begs for a pool. Certainly is expensive especially heating it in the winter ($50-100/day). If really is the centre of our outdoor environment at this house. I don't think it would be the same experience in the NE though. Doubt I would install one there.

 

[Another Reader]

We have an in ground pool at our house in Arizona. Love it but the climate there begs for a pool. Certainly is expensive especially heating it in the winter ($50-100/day). If really is the centre of our outdoor environment at this house. I don't think it would be the same experience in the NE though. Doubt I would install one there.

I assume this is a winter home. I'm curious how old the pool is and what your annual pool maintenance and repair costs are. Have you replaced the equipment or resurfaced it yet?

 

[EastWest Gal]

We've had an in ground since 2003. It was very expensive to put in, but we did major landscaping which was more than half the expense. Insurance liability isn't that much more with appropriate fencing. We don't use it enough but it's great for parties. It has a heater which usually isn't on but extends the swimming season significantly. We pay to have it opened and closed but do the rest ourselves. I've used it more since retiring from work. Not great for exercise.

Last year we put in a swim spa and replaced an old deck. The swim spa is marvelous and easy to maintain. I'm using it year round. It feels like a small pool and they come in multiple sizes. By using aluminum railing we've reduced the paper wasp problem a bit.

Given the landscape expense, I would consider sticking with the above ground pool at this point.

This is a picture of 2/3 of our small swim spa.


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[Danmar]

I assume this is a winter home. I'm curious how old the pool is and what your annual pool maintenance and repair costs are. Have you replaced the equipment or resurfaced it yet?

Yes, this is a winter home. The house we bought in 2012 came with the pool. Replaced most (all?) of the mechanical equipment over the last 4 years. Total cost maybe $10k. I assume pool is same age as house, 26 years. To my knowledge has not been resurfaced. Annual maintenance averages about $3-4K excluding equipment replacement. Pretty good sized pool-about 45'X25' plus an integrated hot tub and rock waterfall.

 

[Big_Hitter]

the best thing to do, IMO is buy a house with a nice pool and get a good inspection - way cheaper

certain places are almost intolerable without a pool *cough* Houston *cough * loved my pool in htown

 

[SteveNU]

$20 and the grandkids love it!



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[txtig]

certain places are almost intolerable without a pool *cough* Houston *cough * loved my pool in htown

+1. We've been a pool owner for going on 20 years and love it. It does allow us full use of our backyard throughout the oppressive Houston summers. I've always done my own maintenance, which normally takes about 30 minutes a week. We re-plastered and re-tiled a few years ago, and the pool looks like new. I don't really track my expenses very closely, but figure that chemicals run about $35 / month and probably about $50 / month in electric costs. I have never regretted putting in the pool and would do it again. No plans to move right now, but if we did, we would certainly want to have a pool again. Kids loved it when they were young and now the grandkids are having their turn. Even when we're not in it, it makes sitting outside or grilling seem more enjoyable and resort-like. Splash!!

 

[ZMAN]

In ground liner pool in cold Western NY with in ground fiberglass hot tub. Both on the same pool plumbing system. We put it in in 1995. Kids are grown but come home to enjoy it. 32 year old daughter home from NYC and enjoying it this minute with her friends. I use to maintain it but now have the pool service do the weekly service. All in all not cheap and really adds nothing to the house value. But it is fun even for our relatively short season. We are happy we did it.