Enclosed pools? (Cape Coral: how much, houses, buying)

[Hogzilla]

My husband and I are looking at houses in the Cape Coral/Ft. Myers area. I have noticed that the majority of the homes with pools are enclosed. Is there a specific reason for this? I personally would prefer an open pool, but if there is a reason they are glassed in I would love to know before we move! Thanks!

[mrcoolmrcool28]

Originally Posted by Hogzilla

My husband and I are looking at houses in the Cape Coral/Ft. Myers area. I have noticed that the majority of the homes with pools are enclosed. Is there a specific reason for this? I personally would prefer an open pool, but if there is a reason they are glassed in I would love to know before we move! Thanks!

It's not glass, that would be WAYYY too hot It's screen, It keeps the bugs out and keeps the pool cleaner, some say it also keeps the pool area a bit cooler.

[kamorra2]

Also keeps the kids out. I know in some communities there's laws that you have to have your pool enclosed for this reason.

[Angelala]

It does keep the pool area cooler and it makes you feel like you have more living space added to your home. It's awesome.

[tjstrain]

With the screen cages intact we just open up all of our doors and windows to the pool (without screens) and it's just like another room of the house. A lot of the homes here have 12 foot wide or wider, sliding glass doors, that pocket to one side or into a wall so when their open it's one large continuous room. No visual separation.

[Chicken Wing]

How much work is it to maintain an inground pool?

Is it expensive (assuming the pool is already there)?

[Angelala]

We are part timers so we have a pool guy come once a week and he charges 75.00 a month for that service. That includes everything so I don't know how much it would cost if you had to maintain it yourself.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by Chicken Wing

How much work is it to maintain an inground pool?

Is it expensive (assuming the pool is already there)?

We maintain the pool ourselves, and it cost us $70 every 6 weeks for a bucket of chlorine tabs in the summer. In the winter, we never buy a bucket, and tabs cost us about $30 for the whole winter season. In the summer we put in one jug of liquid chlorine shock each week (3 bucks a jug) or buy a packet of dry chlorine shock and do that once each week. The packets are 3.99 per piece at Publix, and maybe less at the pool store.
If you don't pay a pool person, it is very very inexpensive. Just labor really.
We brush it weekly in the summer, and monthly in the winter. We have a vac that runs with the filter, and cleans the whole pool on its own (if you are buying a resale, the pool might already have one), and we take out and clean the filter every couple weeks. With the screen you don't have the empty the catch baskets more than once every week or two.
Unless you are super busy, seasonal, or incapable of doing labor, I would never hire a pool person for the amount of work it takes. You can take a container of your pool water to the pool store every couple weeks and they'll test it for free to make sure your chemical levels are correct.

Good luck.