relocating: pool or no pool (live, cost, bills)

[richard222]

We moved here a little over a year ago and we did buy a house with a pool. Really glad we did. During the summers nothing is more refreshing that a swim in the pool! They do require maintenence but ours is a salt water pool and it is minimal maintenence. Very happy with the pool! I vote Yes.

[joninaz]

Love having a pool. No matter how hot it is, you can jump in and cool off - day or night. You can choose to work out in it - even during the height of the hottest day - or just float and relax. In Phoenix, I'd much prefer going to a summer BBQ/Pool Party than a summer BBQ... being able to jump in water is the key. If social, you can have 50 friends jump in. If sensual, you can go for a midnight swim with a partner under the moonlight. It cost a tad more but is cheaper than cable per month.

[musicforme]

Our current house does not have a pool.

After spending my first full summer here last year, I'm wishing we had a pool in the backyard. We have a community pool in our housing edition, but takes effort to pack up for our three year old and our 13 month old.

We plan on selling our house in the next five years or so to move closer to my wife's parents. I won't specifically seek a house with a pool, but if all things being equal, will now choose one with versus without.

[twiggy]

I had a pool all my life here, this is the first home I've had without a pool and I'm really regretting it. Makes the summers miserable and long. I vote pool! It's like having a fireplace when you live somewhere cold. You can go without one, but the people with the fire are a lot happier.

[budaboo]

Hubby and I are relocating to your area in the spring of next year, and we definitely want a pool! But never having had a pool before, we will want a pool service. I'm curious, and the original poster may want to know, how often do you have someone maintain the pool (once a month? twice a month?) and what would the average cost be?

[J.Juniper]

A pool is great, especially if you like to invite people over during the warm months. We love ours!

For maintenance, we have someone right now who charges $85.00/month for weekly cleaning and chemicals. He also greatly discounts any repairs because we're regular customers. We've done it ourselves in the past but we've been traveling so much lately that we wanted to make sure it was done regularly. During the summer it can get pretty dirty after a monsoon storm and we didn't want it sitting like that while we were out of town. Eventually we'll go back to doing it ourselves again though because its pretty easy if you read up on how to do the chemicals or ask your local Leslie's Pool Supply guys.

[Lilina]

It depends on you and how much you would use it. For me, I don't tend to use a pool if there is one so the maintenance wouldn't be worth it to me. My current neighborhood has a community pool and I've only been in it a few times in the last 3 years. I've also had a backyard pool that I hardly used.

If you love swimming and don't mind the upkeep (or can hire someone to do it for you), it's probably worth it. If it's something you won't get much use out of, maybe try to find a house in a neighborhood with a neighborhood pool or just opt out of the pool all together.

[vamps2013]

We relocated from Europe a year ago, currently renting an apartment, and are looking to buy a 3bd house (1500-1800sqft). We have not been here too long and I read different opinions, pros and cons for a house with a pool. Besides the maintenance fee, can anyone tell me approximately how much (%) would a pool increase the electricity and the water bill?

[SK115]

I would definitely recommend getting a house with a swimming pool; or at the very least a house with a community pool in walking distance (such as a townhome/condo). But having a private pool is definitely preferred. In the summer months, there is nothing better than returning home from work/errands exhausted and hot, and being able to relax and unwind in the water. It truly makes the summers more bearable. Another thing to think about is whether or not you want a pool heater. But that is another thread altogether.

[Reedus]

Originally Posted by vamps2013

We relocated from Europe a year ago, currently renting an apartment, and are looking to buy a 3bd house (1500-1800sqft). We have not been here too long and I read different opinions, pros and cons for a house with a pool. Besides the maintenance fee, can anyone tell me approximately how much (%) would a pool increase the electricity and the water bill?

Electricity: probably between 25.00 and 35.00 bucks.
Water: negligible, due to the fact that water is so cheap here. Average cost of water is 4.00 per 1000 gallons. I had a neighbor that had the city turn the water off to the home due to non payment and it took 5 months in the heat of summer to evaporate the entire contents of the pool. The pool was probably 10k gallons. At an evaporation rate of 2k a month, you might have an extra 8-10 bucks a month on your water bill that is pool related