Pool or no Pool? (buying a house, to buy, school)

[KarmaPhx]

Originally Posted by Greatday

Your post#21:

Perhaps before you get so snippy, you should look at what YOU write - Post 21 - "MOST pools.....12ft deep"

Now you say "majority (most) are 6ft deep"

Which is it? Your two posts contradict themselves.

Don't blame me

Since he was talking about diving pools, I said most are around 12ft deep, not pools in general.

The majority of pools are not more than 6ft deep, why would you possibly think diving pools are that shallow?

You seem pretty ignorant. If you don't have every single little detail, even ones that are not needed to comprehend a post, you seem to have a lot of trouble understand what the person is saying, either that or you just thrive on drama.

[Greatday]

There was bo mention of a diving pool

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by KarmaPhx

Since he was talking about diving pools, I said most are around 12ft deep, not pools in general.

The majority of pools are not more than 6ft deep, why would you possibly think diving pools are that shallow?

You seem pretty ignorant. If you don't have every single little detail, even ones that are not needed to comprehend a post, you seem to have a lot of trouble understand what the person is saying, either that or you just thrive on drama.

Originally Posted by Greatday

There was bo mention of a diving pool

Etc, etc.


LOL, I knew the javelina love fest couldn't last.

And, as usual, you are both wrong or guilty of imprecise speech. Residential diving pools are almost always around 8 feet deep and the vast majority of new pools today are "play pools" which are around 5 feet deep. New yards are too small for diving pools and their popularity has diminished. Them's the facts, children.

[KarmaPhx]

Originally Posted by Greatday

There was bo mention of a diving pool

A 18ft deep pool would be a diving pool, not a regular pool.

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Etc, etc.


LOL, I knew the javelina love fest couldn't last.

And, as usual, you are both wrong or guilty of imprecise speech. Residential diving pools are almost always around 8 feet deep and the vast majority of new pools today are "play pools" which are around 5 feet deep. New yards are too small for diving pools and their popularity has diminished. Them's the facts, children.

You want facts?

The National Pool and Spa Institute, the people who regulate the pool builders of North America, demand a depth of 8 1/2 feet minimum, along with proper slope from the hopper. Pool builders can be sued if any injuries result of improper depths.

Go **** a javelina.

[davidafan]

I find this thread interesting. We have just tentatively started looking online for a house in Gilbert, and the last thing that we want is a pool, to the point that if a really nice house in our price range has one, we pass it over. Now, call me a fool from the North, but to us, pools represent nothing but maintenance and expense, and the pp makes an excellent point about not knowing how the previous owner maintained the pool. Also, our kids are almost grown, so the danger of having a pool when our grandchildren arrive someday just doesn't outweigh the benefit, in our humble opinion. My fil has a pool, and we have seen first hand how high insurance premiums can be just because some jerk might potentially illegally trespass and uses someone else's pool, and really, why should our homeowner's insurance be higher because someone else breaks the law and jumps a fence? I feel that, as long as you have a legal, secure, and locked fence enclosing your pool, it's swim at your own risk. We actually rather prefer a grass back yard with a shaded patio like some of the properties we have looked at have, even if it costs a bit more to keep the grass watered than having a desert landscape. I would still think that it has to be a whole lot cheaper than maintaining a pool. To each their own, though. To me, sitting indoors in the AC on a mega hot day with the sun shining and the palm trees and cacti in view still beats sitting indoors on a bitterly cold, overcast day watching the snow and ice pile up, KWIM?

Edited to add: Does anyone know how if it's possible to change your s/n on this forum, short of starting a new account? Our 14yo daughter picked this one because she actually started this account, and is a huge fan of David Archuleta, and I don't think that it, uh...accurately reflects who we are as a whole, lol.

[Boomerbiker]

You have to look at a pool as more then just the cost of chemicals - It's one of the joys of living in Arizona in the summer. Theres nothing like coming home at night and going for an evening swim. Our parties usually center around the pool. Nicely landscaped pools add beauty to the back yard in both the day and night. Modern pool lighting can be very striking!

The last house we sold in Phoenix - buyers absolutely had to have our pool - the rest of the house was not that important!

Don't underestimate the value of a pool for your own enjoyment and home resale!

[LBTRS]

I highly recommend a pool as it makes the summers livable. BUY A HOUSE WITH A POOL as it is much cheaper than installing one yourself. I put my pool in for $35,000 and when my house was appraised he said they only allow $7000 for pools.

[kdog]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

BUY A HOUSE WITH A POOL as it is much cheaper than installing one yourself.

That's a bit like saying "buy a house with a car in the garage". There's a lot to be said for designing your own, choosing the play options you want, choosing the pumps, chlorination, heating, controls, decking, tile, inlays, etc. How about an unobstructed swim lane? Autocover? Play shelf? Water features? Integrated, or detached spa with spillway? The list is infinite.

Sure, from a purely economic viewpoint, it may be better to buy a house with an existing pool. On the other hand, it may not be such a good deal if the pool is so messed up or hard to maintain that it nickles and dimes you to death. If you're really concerned about economics, then a pool probably isn't for you anyway. However, if you've got the money to blow on one, you'll get more enjoyment out of a pool of your own design and choosing. I'm not saying don't buy a house with one, just recognize that it may not be the pool of your dreams. Of course it may be, it just depends. As in any decision, there's no absolute right answer for everyone. Lots of pros and cons either way.

[d2snow]

Today's pools practically maintain themselves, LoL!

Once a week, brush it down and clean out the baskets and check the water chemistry (there are handly little strips for this). Or just take a sample of the water to a pool supply store and they give you a free analysis. The vacumn pump does a good job of sucking everything in.

Once a month clean out the filter (drum filters are easiest to clean).

That's pretty much it. We have a salt chlorinator so we don't have the expense of harsh chlorine chemicals.

[kdog]

Oh, and one more thing. Get a spa with it!! Either integrated or detached with a spillway. We use the spa year-round. In fact, we've been averaging about every-other night this winter so far. Love it!