Swimming pools - your opinion (Dallas, Tyler: HOA, insurance, buying a house) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

calmdude · 09-22-2008, 07:25 AM

I had a pool, liked it, moved to a new house and want one again. SO does not. Kids are 50-50%. I have heard the opinion of a few but wanted to find out the experience of others in the DFW area. Thanks.

jimithing78 · 09-22-2008, 07:36 AM

Don't have a pool at my current house, but I had one at the last house. We used it maybe 5 times a year. Not worth it considering the amount of maintenance required. It also didn't leave us much of a backyard for our dogs.

Kootr · 09-22-2008, 09:36 PM

I had a very nice pool that we rarely used. We actually enjoyed the pool by sitting around it and just having it "there" if you know what I mean. Watching and being near a body of water is always relaxing. That said, I would not want another pool. The maintenance and hassle is just not worth it in my opinion. Even if you have a pool service take care of things, it's always something - heavy rains, water evaporation, chemicals, yearly cleaning, deck repairs, tile/grout replacement, pump and filter replacement, etc., etc. As nice as they can be to have one it's simply not worth the hassle it in my opinion...and I'm not even throwing in the cost factor of having a pool.

KantLockeMeIn · 09-22-2008, 10:06 PM

Had one, don't want one. Wife does though

PixieB · 09-22-2008, 10:41 PM

We've had pools with our last 3 houses. After we sold we've temporarily moved into an apt. and live poolside. Having experience both sides...it's great to have the privacy of your own pool. To know that it won't be full of loud people with gigantic floats, etc. BUT, there is something great about swimming and not having to worry about the water, chemicals, pump, filter, grout, stains...etc...to actually USE the pool to swim and exercise, not get exercise by carrying the chemicals and brushing the pool etc! Does your neighborhood have a pool nearby? My sister and family enjoyed several of the Dallas park pools this summer. Only costs a tiny bit, and you only pay when you play...she figured out the slowest and quiet times to go and usually they were one of the only families. Houses that have pools can be more difficult to re-sell...

calmdude · 09-23-2008, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PixieB

We've had pools with our last 3 houses. After we sold we've temporarily moved into an apt. and live poolside. Having experience both sides...it's great to have the privacy of your own pool. To know that it won't be full of loud people with gigantic floats, etc. BUT, there is something great about swimming and not having to worry about the water, chemicals, pump, filter, grout, stains...etc...to actually USE the pool to swim and exercise, not get exercise by carrying the chemicals and brushing the pool etc! Does your neighborhood have a pool nearby? My sister and family enjoyed several of the Dallas park pools this summer. Only costs a tiny bit, and you only pay when you play...she figured out the slowest and quiet times to go and usually they were one of the only families. Houses that have pools can be more difficult to re-sell...

To answer your question - we have access to 2 pools within 7-8 minutes drive. True, houses with pools are difficult to sell as more people do not want pools; the flip side is that houses maybe easier to sell to people looking for a pool. What I am surprised to see is that of the 20 responses so far, not one is for someone who had a pool but wished s/he didn't - I thought there would be more people in this category.

loves2read · 09-24-2008, 07:22 AM

actually quite of few of the people had a pool and were not 100% sure about getting another...
I think having a pool depends a lot on ages of the kids in family and family numbers and how often you entertain...

many people see having a pool as a better alternative than taking 3-4-5 kids to local public/neighborhood pool that does have issues with safely/cleanliness--plus the hassle of driving, corralling the kids, packing snacks vs just going in the kitchen...
if you don't have a pool--you don't necessarily save money by having a neighborhood pool because in a neighborhood HOA you are paying for the pool's upkeep whether you use it or not through HOA dues...

pools do require higher home owner insurance and they require electric/water/chemical expense plus man-hours for maintenance--either you do it yourself or pay a service...
there are also other expenses down the road like a new filter or pump or re-plaster/tile work...

there are some homes/areas/price lines--where not having a pool is a definite liability because other houses all have one--your comps drop when you sell if you don't have a pool...
but think people are more concerned about environment and spending water on a pool and electricity are starting to grate on some people--
a salt-water pool usually is little more expensive to start but takes less chemicals--some people have negatives about salt vs conventional...
we don't have a pool == have lived in our house for past 20+ years and have contract on another house to move to right now--it does not have a pool but we will probably put one in--not so much for us and not right away but for our adult kids and for when they have kids...

what I think is really foolish are the homes I see on MLS that have small backyards and it is all pool--there almost no place for a pet to go outside and certainly no room for any kids to play...
visually that just turns me off--makes it claustrophobic...our back yard is large--plenty of room to put in a pool--but in an older neighborhood putting in a pool when there was none is really even more of a losing proposition than doing it 20 years before...

destin04 · 09-24-2008, 01:38 PM

We had a gorgous pool and hot tub put in in 2000. Kids swam like crazy the first year, second year..not so much, third year..only when friends came over....fourth year...Never...had to be begged to get in pool. The younger child said "it doesn't have cool slides". Now we have moved to Tyler and we have a community pool and we love it! No up keep and all the benefits!

txgolfer45 · 09-24-2008, 02:03 PM

We are buying a house with a pool. This will be our first house with pool. We went without for quite a long time. Hardly ever went to the community pool with the kids. One son was on the swim team all through school and one yr of college. He of course swam wherever the team practices were.