No pools in Albuquerque? (Santa Fe: per square foot, upkeep, property taxes)

[Zoidberg]

Pools are particularly common in my neighborhood in ABQ, and I have one.

Swimming season here (depending on how hard-core you are) can range from March to November.

Despite some of the posts here, pools use less water per square foot than lawns. This is particularly so when used with a thermal pool blanket.

Biggest expenses with pools are gas (water is ultra-CHEAP compared to gas to heat your pool), maintenance, electric to run the pump, and chemicals. Time trumps them all though. Takes most people at least an hour a week to maintain.

Another reason pools are less common is that so many health clubs, high schools, etc. offer pools. With year round operation, someone else to do all the maintenance, and the ability to get a real decent lap size (more than 25 feet) many people opt for that alternative.

[abqsunport]

Originally Posted by bradly

and well we have a pool despite paying lots more a month! but it gets up to 110 degrees in the summer time you need a pool to survive here!

It never gets hotter than 100 here. The average temp for both june and july is 92.

[mortimer]

Zoidberg said:

> Despite some of the posts here, pools use less water per square foot than lawns. ...

Supposedly a pool will lose about 10,000 to 15,000 gallons to evaporation in a year. For a four-person family that's about 7-10 gallons a day per person. Some people use many times that just taking baths and excessively long showers.

A lawn of that same size (counting surrounding concrete) would use about that much water every month in Phoenix, so perhaps half that in Albuquerque.

bradly exclaimed:

> ... you need a pool to survive here!

No. You don't even "need" one in Phoenix. I lived there for seven years and I hate the heat. You might "want" one or find it "very nice" to have one, but you don't "need" one.

1. The Water bills here are OUTRAGEOUS!

No. The water bills are too low as evidenced by the amount of water that people waste.

As Zoidberg has pointed out in many earlier posts, the water cost is _way_way_ too low for golf courses, apparently.

2. You waste water in ABQ you pay extra!

As it friggin' should be. It should be cheap to have water to drink, cook, wash with. Normal people should consume about 50 gallons per day on average. If you want to irrigate your yard a little, then your rate should be higher. If you want lots of trees and lush grass, it should be much higher.

Guess what? Almost everywhere in the country where water has to be pumped in to support the population is moving to progressive billing to get people to conserve. It's not progressive enough for me.

Most people moved here for the climate and having more and more non-native vegetation *does* effect the humidity and makes it less comfortable in the summer. It also increases the amount of insects that we tried to escape moving here.

3. Thanks to mayor chavez water is every ones new enemy!

WTF?

[casden]

Originally Posted by jack7y

I think the previous poster's point is that the summers are mild compared to New Jersey and this makes people less likely to want to jump into water to escape. Also, you don't want to get cancer while out in the pool. Maybe Abq. is all about enjoying the weather and sun while outside, but under an umbrella, canopy or something. Correct me if I'm wrong!

Most people I know use sunblock when they're outside (hiking, biking, etc), but there are some who don't and end up with a sunburn.


BTW - I grew up in ABQ (but haven't lived there in the last 8 years) and I don't remember it ever getting to 110 degrees. That sounds more like Phoenix, or Vegas. Has the climate changed that drastically. The highest I remember (and this was rare) was 105 degrees. Typically it would be in the 90's and maybe 100 degrees for a few days or more in mid to late summer.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by abqsunport

It never gets hotter than 100 here.

Oooohhh...here is one where I actually disagree with you 'sunport (and I almost NEVER disagree with you 'port).

While it is true that the OFFICIAL high at the Albuqueruqe International Sunport hasn't gotten over 100 in a few years, the Sunport is one of the cooler areas in the Albuquerque metro area for daytime highs.

Generally, (I use the Meso West site along with the Weatherunderground site) as a self-admitted weather geek, I find it getting over 100 degrees in portions of Albuquerque (many/most portions) usually 15 to 20 times per year. NOW, by saying this, it is usually 101, 102, etc., degrees. I have rarely if ever found the temp to go above 105 in almost any portion of ABQ.

I would say that the frequency of 95 - 105 degrees in Albuquerque summers is fairly common...usually 30+ times per year. HOWEVER, your point is well taken, to get much above that 105 mark and into the real, extraordinary heat of the Phoenix's, Tucsons, Las Vegas's, even El Paso's, it is pretty rare in Albuquerque and if it happens, it is fairly infrequent an rare.

Albuquerque isn't a hot climate. It is a temperate climate. In the summer, I wouldn't say it is a boiling hot climate like the lower desert cities. But I would say it is akin to St. Louis MO or Altanta GA...certainly far, far less humid than those towns but hotter temps-wise which evens things out a bit (although ABQ's nights in general are more pleasant).

[abqsunport]

Fair enough EnjoyEP, i see your point.

Pools aren't necessary to cool off in this city, dusk handles that.
Keep in mind that we are a high altidude, so it may be 100+ in the day, but at night it will be a calm relaxing 70-60 degree night (sometimes cooler). So I personally find our heat enjoyable, and our nights so so so refreshing.

[trappedinNM]

Originally Posted by OutofNJsomeday

I was just wondering why it seems no one in the Albuquerque area seems to own a private pool?

Many years ago at the CPA firm, we had a client that built pools. They found it a tough market. They had to have an audit to keep their LOC at the bank. If I remember correctly, these are a few of the things they stated in their Notes:

We're too poor a state. Real estate is high as a percentage of median income, leaving little discretionary income. We have one of the lowest rates of disposable income for a city our size (per capita). Our lot sizes are small. This is old data, but still holds true all these years later.

If I can remember anything else, I'll add it, but those were the basics. They found it to be a tough market. Very seasonal, hard to keep skilled labor over the winter. They were a family operation.

Think about today. Concrete prices have skyrocketed. Lot sizes continue to shrink. Water is more scarce. Labor costs have skyrocketed (assuming you use legal workers). WC insurance rates are astronomical. End result is that a traditional gunite pool can easily run $35K. We priced one at our old place in 1998 and it was $20k. Our neighbors spent over $50k (all-in) two years ago, including the spa. They cannot use it most of the monsoon season due to the lightning in the evening. They really just sit around it alot. I'd rather have a pond; I could spend the extra on a good keg machine.

[Trkstp Tina]

We belong to Sports & Wellness, and both the Del Norte & Highpoint locations have outdoor pools. The Highpoint outdoor pool is esp. beautiful. Thus, we personally would never have need for a pool in our yard.

I think all the above reasons mentioned are valid as in why there aren't a lot of pools here. (I thought the same thing myself when I moved here.) I've noticed that the pools at Sports & Wellness can be a little chilly--I think it's because the temperature drops so much in the evenings that the pools don't always completely warm up. Perhaps with a smaller backyard pool, though, the situation would be different.

[OutofNJsomeday]

Thank you to all for the input.
It seems that (as I suspected) the cost to keep a pool in abq is higher than here. Particularly the 10,000 - 15,000 gallons of water per year lost to evaporation - wow! Last year we didn't even have to add to our pool because of all the rain.
I'd be interested to know which neighborhood Zoidberg lives in, where many residents have pools. Also, couldn't solar power be used to heat pools? Are there any taxation issues with pools? Where we live, an above ground pool is not considered part of the property value for taxes, but an inground pool will increase your (already exorbitant) property taxes.
Thanks again for all the input. We like the pool for relaxation as well as exercise.

[desert sun]

I remember seeing on the news the past 2 summers where temps hit over 100 degrees a few times in many areas of Albuquerque,its usually 100 to 102 degrees.