Owning a Pool or using a Community Pool? (Tucson, Oro Valley: how much, house)

[TacomatoTucson]

I am house shopping in Oro Valley and am considering a house with a small pool vs a home in a community with a pool? Is the maintenance of a pool an issue, what typically might the monthly expense be and what are the hassles I might not be aware of? Is pebbletech the way to go? All thoughts on the subject are welcome.

[observer53]

I would NEVER own a pool myself if I had access to one in a community. (I don't have a pool now, and also don't have a community pool). I think people think they will use a pool more than they actually do. The house next door to me had a pool put in by the original owners, who ended up not using it all that much. They sold it to a couple that did use it quite a bit, now the present owners don't use it much at all. For the electricity, the water, the chemicals, and the leaks/breakdowns that occur, to my mind you have to really use it to make having your own worth it.

[sandstorm6]

Pebbletech looks great, but if you use an automated creepy-crawly for regular cleaning, it doesn't work as well as it would on a smooth surface. My friend, who redid his pool with Pebbletech, now has light patches of algae growing in certain spots where it's hard to clean. Just my 2 cents.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by TacomatoTucson

I am house shopping in Oro Valley and am considering a house with a small pool vs a home in a community with a pool? Is the maintenance of a pool an issue, what typically might the monthly expense be and what are the hassles I might not be aware of? Is pebbletech the way to go? All thoughts on the subject are welcome.

Owning a POOL is similar to owning a BOAT, Tacoma!

You are happy when you buy one but you are even happier when you sell it.

Pools are lots of fun but also lots of work and expense plus an "attractive" nuisance.

[.45acp]

I have a 13K gallon inground... out where the wind blows. It's skimmed and vac'd daily... (by hand)... by me. It's not something you can just ignore or a once in awhile. It's daily... or at least every other day (depends on the wind). The wind blows sand... and I have 6 rather large palm trees... and stuff blows off or them. Plus... it's the biggest insect trap in the area. Now 'n then... after a rain... the little toads get into it. They drown and have to be skimmed.

If I had to do it over again... I would have opted out for the pool. It's constant work to keep clean. Somethin' like 200 hours of maint for every hour of use.

[TacomatoTucson]

Thanks for the replies. I did a broader search on this site (I'm a newbie) and found similiar postings, the pros and cons, matters of lifestyle and preferences. As with most things its different strokes for different folks. However, it does help to have these considerations in mind before I decide on a house or community. And I don't even know yet if I will move to Oro Valley fulltime or keep my place in the Pacific Northwest to return to during the hottest months. I do like the heat of the Southwest and have found when I stayed there that taking a dip in the pool around 3:00 in the afternoon was a great way to cool down. Thanks for your thoughts, my wheels are turning.

[Montanaandy]

Agree with .45acp and the others who say nay on the pool. Just go to a neighbors or the community pool unless you are a lap swimmer. They really are just a money pit.

[kdog]

Originally Posted by .45acp

I have a 13K gallon inground... out where the wind blows. It's skimmed and vac'd daily... (by hand)... by me. It's not something you can just ignore or a once in awhile. It's daily... or at least every other day (depends on the wind). The wind blows sand... and I have 6 rather large palm trees... and stuff blows off or them. Plus... it's the biggest insect trap in the area. Now 'n then... after a rain... the little toads get into it. They drown and have to be skimmed.

Every single one of those negatives can be completely cured by three little words: automatic pool cover. You can see examples of what I'm talking about here: Coverstar - Photo Gallery (http://www.coverstar.com/Gallery/gallery.aspx - broken link)

I do a little light cleaning on my pool maybe once a month, whether it needs it or not. There's nothing like pressing a button to open your pool cover, and seeing a sparkling clean pool every time.

Some positives to having your own pool.

* You get to use it whenever you want. Community pools have hours you can use them, not to mention regulations, etc. It cannot be compared to being able to simply walk out your back door and dive in. There's no way you're going to use a community pool as much as your own.

* Eye candy. We'll open our pool cover and just sit in the backyard and look at it. It's that pretty. We'll turn on the water features for some soothing water sounds as well.

* Privacy. Skinny dipping at night! Plus you never have to worry about who's peeing or pooping in your pool.

Honestly, we wouldn't want to live in AZ without a pool, now that we have one. Pool time is family bonding time, and the best part of our day.

I will say having the automatic pool cover makes such a huge difference that I might not be as gung-ho on having a pool if we didn't have that. Our neighbors don't have the cover, but they have a weekly pool service. That works too.

[YAZ]

Right on KDog!

We don't have to use the pool to enjoy it. That's where we "hang out". Folks come over for dinner and we always end up by the pool whether we're swimmin' or not...

It's the place to be, well worth the cost and effort.

[IZZYJOE69]

Kdog, I don't own a pool or a house yet actually...but I am considering looking for a house with a pool...the pool covers you mentioned sound interesting, but how much do they normally cost?