Cost of pools - Dallas (Howe: how much, first time home buyer, heat pump)

[ajd]

I have a question for any home owners in the Dallas area. We are currently looking at houses in the area, some with and some without pools. This is new to us so what would be the key things to keep in mind before purchasing a house with a pool in the area? What is the average cost and upkeep to maintain a pool per month?

Thank you

[socketz]

I've asked the same a couple of times and the answers have been consistently in the 30-40k range.

I think if you live in the home long term, the pool is probably worthwhile.

However, you generally get back about 1/6 of the investment when it's time to sell. So if you are looking at a short term thing....

Others here have also said that it's too hot to swim in the pool during the Summer months.....that left me scratching my head, but if they are right, the investment may not be worthwhile.

[momof2dfw]

We have a pool. It was put in by the previous homeowner and when I called the company that put it in, Tahitian, they were VERY nice and even told me the pool cost about $25K (that was in 2000 when it was built). Our pool is not LARGE but has the built in spa, pebbletec, heater, connected to the sprinkler system and has the Aqualink system. The Aqualink allows us to control & program EVERYTHING on the pool & spa from inside. I can set the timer to heat the spa to be ready at a certain time. So that is pretty cool. As for upkeep, this is the first pool that either of us have ever had. I always heard the horror stories about the cleaning, costs, etc and was VERY relieved that it is not that bad at all. I think the newer pools/equipment are better built or there is better equipment out there. I found that the previous owner did not skimp on the cost of the equipment and we have had hardly any problems at all. We have a chlorine system and I have friends that have the saltwater and they are even more low maintainance. My advice is to get the best equipment you can afford after doing some research. I would also recommend getting it heated. While we don't need to heat the pool in the summer it sure is nice to be able to swim in March & April when we have nice sunny 80+ degree days.

[ajd]

Thank you both for the info.
I have been trying to do as much research as possible about pools but it is always better to hear it from the pool owners. I have read that possibly if you buy a house with a pool that reaches 5 years of age it often will need a new pump and some if they reach 15 years of age you might have to resurface the pool. Have either of you had these issues or did the article perhaps just prefer to the worst case scenario. How many months use out of the year do you get use out of the pool? A heated pool is new to me, I'm from South Africa and we just bite on and swim in the cold water during the colder months. We are first time home buyers so off course I try to find out as much as possible to be prepared....so my next question is it a good idea to get someone to inspect the pool before we sign for a house or can I look at certain signs to figure this out myself? What about water bills, does it affect you by a lot more owning a pool?
Thank you

[momof2dfw]

I was new to this whole pool thing too. The only people I knew well that owned a pool were an aunt & uncle. Our pool was put in back in 2000. We had to have the striker plate on the heater replaced back in 2003. The part was VERY inexpensive. We were having some trouble earlier this year and my hubby also thought we would need a new pump as it was 6 years old. He even told the guy that. Thankfully it was just some small $20 piece that had worn out. The repair guy said our pump should last over 10 years. Whew... So it does pay to put in a good system upfront and save the headaches, expenses, repairs, replacements, etc. We only heat our pool about 2-3 times a year in March & April. And only need to for a few hours since it is not a huge, deep pool. It really does not effect the gas bill that much, not enough to keep us from using it at all. I don't like the freezing cold water (I'm a chicken) so I do like to have the water temp comfortable. So w/ the heater we can use our pool realisticly from March thru October. No need for the heater now. Gosh no. And probably will not need it in the Fall. I know alot of people that do not have their pools heated and the only ones that will swim are their kids. So if I am paying for it, by golly I want to be able to use it.

As for resurfacing, our pool is the Pebbletec so I don't really know how that would effect it. I do not know anyone that has had resurface a Pebbletec pool. Some relatives just bought a house w/ a pool that had not been maintained and they needed all new coping around the pool and tile along w/ some new equipment. The pool was not that old but the sellers were never home and they never even hired someone to take care of the pool so it quickly detiorated. I would have someone look at a pool and the equipment before I bought a house w/ one.

[HockeyDadof2]

We purchased this home with the pool already put in. We have a water fall, a sunning deck (it's a section of the pool that is about 8 - 12 inches deep), and an attached hot tub. Natural stone coping and a salt system. When we were looking at homes in this area similiar homes without a pool were selling for abut 5K less than we paid for this one. Some friends of our just recently put in a pool similiar to our but not as deep and they spent slightly over 40k. If you are in the market and want a pool then purchasing one with an existing pool is the way to go. You get the pool for a fraction of what building it would cost. I don't really know what our pool cost per month I would say less than $100 for chemicals and salt. Electricity is hard to say since I don't know what our electric bill would be w/o the pool. We all, wife, and sons 14 and 10 and myself, really enjoy having the pool.

[ilovethetropics]

I own a house in plano with a pool. i am considering putting in a heater - a heat pump. Does anyone have any experience with heat pumps? specifically, how much does it cost you to heat your pool in the cooler months such as March/April of Sept/Oct?

Also, does anyone have any experience with Hayward heat pumps?

If so i would really appreciate any feedback you could give me.

Thanks!

[momof2dfw]

I think ours is a Hayward. Right now something on it is out and not working. It went out last year and we never got it fixed. Plan on just replacing the entire thing since it is about 9 years old and there are much better units available now. Ours is on our natural gas and not with a heat pump. If you do go with gas have the gas company come out and put in a bigger meter (it is free).

As for the cost of heating the pool at the beginning of the season and the end....... it really isn't that much as long as you don't turn it on EVERYDAY. For those occassional times it is nice and warm and you want to swim it isn't bad. Just have to plan ahead to heat the pool before you will be using it.

[ETex2]

Originally Posted by socketz

I've asked the same a couple of times and the answers have been consistently in the 30-40k range.

I think if you live in the home long term, the pool is probably worthwhile.

However, you generally get back about 1/6 of the investment when it's time to sell. So if you are looking at a short term thing....

Others here have also said that it's too hot to swim in the pool during the Summer months.....that left me scratching my head, but if they are right, the investment may not be worthwhile.

I think the 1/6 is a little harsh. It really depends on the neighborhood. For instance, if you are in a newish neighborhood with homes over $300K, and most homes have a pool, you might get as much as 75% of the replacement cost. If you are in an older neighborhood with homes under $125K, and you put in a $40,000 pool, you might expect to get back 10% or so.

On average, appraisers (and usually the market) will give anywhere from about $5,000 to $20,000 for a pool depending on it's age and the location of the home.

[carie]

I am looking for a new house. I am wanting a pool, but will have to finance it if there is not one already there. I would like to know if anyone knows about what financing a pool cost per month, on about a $50,000 pool. I am trying to decide if I should go for the higher priced house with the pool, or buy one less expensive and have one built. What type of payment am I looking at? (I have no idea the amount of years you can finance and the interest rates for pools)