To Pool or Not to Pool (Plano, Richmond: waterpark, home owners insurance, buying a)

[JazzyJackson]

I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on buying a home with a pool. I grew up in Richmond, VA with a huge backyard. Sometimes when I see the lots in DFW, I wonder where do the kids play? Also, I was wondering whether there is anyone that bought a home with a pool that now regrets it or vice versa? Thanks.

[shaxs]

Good questions- I have the same. I dont plan on staying in the same house that I moved to Texas for when I start having kids. I don't want a pool unless I have kids and maybe not then...I dont know. Seems like a liability.

Does a pool cause your home owners insurance to go up? I am thinking yes. Also, you have to maintain it which takes some time and money. Now if we are talking about spas...I am down for that cause

[TXprincess]

If you want a pool definitely buy a home with an existing pool. If you add a pool you will never recover the full investment in resale.
I personally love my pool and would not live in North Texas without one. We use it about 6-7 months out of the year. At the end of this season we will have it retiled and resurfaced, so they can be costly. My husband and I both grew up with a pool so it was easy to agree that we both wanted one. Since both of our families made us take an active role in pool maintance we are familiar with pool operations and maintain our own.

If our homeowner's insurance went up it was not enough to notice.

[destin04]

If you want a pool...buy a house w/ one...or put one in because you want it. We put a gorgous pool in 5 years ago...and our kids swam in it everyday the first summer..the second summer it was about every other day...the third summer I had to beg them to get in it. Now our youngest wants a season pass to the waterpark where they have "decent slides". Go figure. It takes a lot of time and money to keep it going. We wouldn't do it again.

[momof2dfw]

It all depends. My husband and I had never had a pool before. When we were looking for a place over 5 years ago it would not matter if we built our own house or found an existing one, we were going to put in a pool if there was not one already. We found an existing house w/ a pool and got VERY LUCKY!!!! Why? Because the previous owner that built the house in 99 and put the pool in the next year put in the best equipment available and had many upgrades w/ the pool. We had heard all the stories about having to clean the pool daily, high costs to run, etc. We have not experienced that at all and our pool IS heated. Which even though we are in Texas I would not have a pool w/o it being heated. If it is not you can not swim in it right now as the water would be in the 60's. With it heated and we have pretty days we can heat it up and swim. Friends w/ pools that are not heated have a freezing cold pool well into June (those with large diving pools tend to be the worst). So we have a filter system that is kick-a, heated pool and spa, pump that has not had a single problem and the pool sweep that has only needed minor repairs in the 5 years we have been in the house. Having a pool is like I've said before, you pay for what you get. You find the cheapest pool out there with the cheapest equipment and your going to make up the difference in your own man hours cleaning it and repairing it along w/ spending more money along the way fixing and replacing it. They also put the Aqualink system in w/ it and had the automatic sprinkler system hooked up to it so when it needs to be filled we just have to turn on that zone for a few minutes. And the Aqualink is GREAT! We can control everything with the pool from the inside of the house. The control panel is inside our backdoor. If we want to program the spa to be heated and ready for us when we get home from dinner...... it can be. We have our backyard landscape lights programed thru it too. Set the temp for the pool or the spa, all from inside. Check the temp on the pool, inside on the control readout. Awesome thing to have that makes having a pool that much more enjoyable.

Pros w/ our pool:
Heated
PebbleTec (totally LOVE - gives it more of a natural lagoon look vs the bright baby blue blob)
Top of the line equipment
Aqualink system

Cons w/ our pool:
Wish it were a bit bigger
Wish it had a tanning/sun ledge

Yet with all the pros I can easily give up the cons just knowing that we are not having to spend any and all free time cleaning and caring for the pool.

[socketz]

If you don't buy a home with a pool or have one put in, then definitely live in a community with at least 1 pool.

One of the things that I disliked about Plano when I was looking there was that few homes had pools and there were almost no community pools. The newer areas seem to all have community pools.

Personally, I love pools, but because I have little ones (4/6), I'd probably wait a few more years till putting one in....but I am a worry wort about things like this....pools scare me with little ones around.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by socketz

If you don't buy a home with a pool or have one put in, then definitely live in a community with at least 1 pool.

One of the things that I disliked about Plano when I was looking there was that few homes had pools and there were almost no community pools. The newer areas seem to all have community pools.

Personally, I love pools, but because I have little ones (4/6), I'd probably wait a few more years till putting one in....but I am a worry wort about things like this....pools scare me with little ones around.

I was worried too. When we moved into this house my kids were 2 and 7. At our other houses I had those slide chain locks up high on the front doors for their safety. We moved into this house and I put it on the back door. Then all city codes now require that an alarm must be on the door going to the pool area that will sound for something like 3-5 minutes. Even though your alarm can be set to chime everytime a door or window opens they still require this. Ours does not have that as it was before that but our home alarm sounds w/ all doors and windows. You can buy the other alarms at Leslie's (under $100 I think). I've taught my kids that they are not to go into the pool for anything or anyone. If your friend or little sister falls in, don't go in for her. Stand by the pool and SCREAM bloody murder till an adult comes. My kids don't even go out into the backyard to play on the swingset/fort, trampoline, ride their bike, etc w/o first asking permission and making sure that an adult is w/ them or watching. But they did this even before we had a pool.

I got tired of the community pool at our last house. It was horrid. Parents that basically don't give a rats behind that their older child/teen is jumping into the water on top of a toddler or someone else. The stuff that went on was awful. By the time we moved it had been 2 years since I had visited the community pool as one of our good neighbors and friends put in a pool and we had access to that whenever we wanted. We have one now and I've only been to it a few times for functions and this one seems to be MUCH better (totally different class of people) and is hardly ever crowded. I've used the clubhouse many times for birthday parties. Even so nothing beats having the pool right in your own backyard available to use 365 days a year (community pools typically open Memorial Day Weekend and close Labor Day Weekend). Kids want to jump in and swim for a few minutes while your grilling dinner, go for it.

[breriley]

i am also interested in a pool. what does a average size pool with basic amenities cost in texas

[mkechaz]

Having never had a pool, I was wondering what the average cost of having it maintained. Does anyone have it done?

[destin04]

Our pool company told us up front that it would on average add 100.00 per month for electricity. I think that my have been a little high. We pay 45.00 for an outside company to maintain our pool w/ chemicals. I would say during the hotter months our water bill runs about 25.00 more than our neighbors. Our pool is also what I consider to be "deluxe". We have pebble-tech, natural rocks, extensive coping and landscaping. We rarely heat the pool and this season we never heated the jacuzzi due to gas cost. I would say we use the jacuzzi much more than we use the pool. It's nice to have during the long, hot Texas summers...but next time we will skip it.
OH.....let me add this. We have large mature trees in our front and back yard and they are a pain in the nect when they are dropping leaves and blooms. During this time of year...we have to spend 30 minutes a day getting the pool cleaned out....during the fall it's the worst!!!!