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Hi. Please don't laugh at me.. I am really curious as to just how much (on AVERAGE of course) people spend on in-ground pools.
After that, how much more are those awesome (IMO) stone/natural look pools that look like a spring fed pool or natural lagoon and have waterfall features?
Finally, is it silly to add something like this to your house when you live in a very modest neighborhood with lower home values and NO ONE has an in ground pool, with regards to eventual resale value? (who knows about the values here in 10 or 20 years I guess!)
Please keep in mind that this is STRICTLY fantasy at this point... but something I'd like to maybe do years down the road when I have the money. I'm just curious as to how much I would be looking at. I know it will vary wildly based on location (and I'm in San Antonio, Texas)... but I don't even have a ballpark guess about this sort of thing.
My dream is to extend out the current covered back porch to an open deck, use that for a stone-look hot tub that has a waterfall down to a small swimming pool, all natural stone and rock. Then landscape the yard around for a tropical feel. Nothing that would take up most of the backyard mind you.. just a cool backyard oasis.
I love having a pool. I once lived in Houston, and it was a life saver. I am sure it would be a plus in San Antonio , you could use it so much,and you will be the envy of that 'modest' hood. We spent about 60 for ours in Illinois.We really dont like to leave in the summer-vacation right at home, and have never tired of it. I would guess its cheaper in SA and you dont have to 'winterize' it and open it in spring.
Resale value? Almost exactly zero. The rule is to never buy the most expensive house in the neighborhood, and never go above the average price of the top five homes.
Pools are holes in the ground that you throw money into. Figure a minimum of $700 per year ongoing costs, in addition to the costs of construction. This is well worth it for some people, but for us it was a waste of time and money. When we moved, we gave up the pool for a REAL stream and acreage. No fake concrete rocks, the real thing. No worry about adding chlorine, the natural flow keeps the water clean most of the time. Sitting on a lawn chair on a rock in the middle of the stream during the hot days of summer, with towering oaks overhead, beats a pool any day of the week for me.
I can relate to wanting a backyard oasis/retreat. There were years when the local parks had to do. If you want something on a small budget, think privacy fence, banana plants, elephant ears, a misting system, some flowering tropicals, a canopy, and a fountain.
I love having a pool. I once lived in Houston, and it was a life saver. I am sure it would be a plus in San Antonio , you could use it so much,and you will be the envy of that 'modest' hood. We spent about 60 for ours in Illinois.We really dont like to leave in the summer-vacation right at home, and have never tired of it. I would guess its cheaper in SA and you dont have to 'winterize' it and open it in spring.
OMGosh... you won't believe me if I tell you that we paid just about 12k more than that for our entire house! You are right about it getting use here... it's so darn hot I just hibernate for months! Kids too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by harry chickpea
Resale value? Almost exactly zero. The rule is to never buy the most expensive house in the neighborhood, and never go above the average price of the top five homes.
Pools are holes in the ground that you throw money into. Figure a minimum of $700 per year ongoing costs, in addition to the costs of construction. This is well worth it for some people, but for us it was a waste of time and money. When we moved, we gave up the pool for a REAL stream and acreage. No fake concrete rocks, the real thing. No worry about adding chlorine, the natural flow keeps the water clean most of the time. Sitting on a lawn chair on a rock in the middle of the stream during the hot days of summer, with towering oaks overhead, beats a pool any day of the week for me.
I can relate to wanting a backyard oasis/retreat. There were years when the local parks had to do. If you want something on a small budget, think privacy fence, banana plants, elephant ears, a misting system, some flowering tropicals, a canopy, and a fountain.
Hmmm. All good points. I think the real deal sounds awesome and of course superior, but I don't see myself living away from the city just yet and to get that, it's going to mean moving out of the city. I'm a "city girl". Maybe when the kids are grown/gone it would be different.
Hey maybe I can make do with all of the above for a backyard oasis, and some sort of small inflatable just deep enough to sink a lounge chair into? If you close your eyes then who knows the difference? LOL
Why not have a pool company come out and give you a free estimate? Then you have a goal to save for. And you could ask your realtor or a real estate appraiser about the value it will add. Maybe ask on the real estate board. But the bottom line is, you do it because you really want it, and it helps you enjoy your home that much more. Check the satelite bird's eye view of your neighborhood at local.live.com or google earth and see just how many pools are near you.
Where I live, you'd be hurting your property/resale value if you didn't have a pool, lol.
Here in Florida many people want/expect a pool but not everyone. I have a pool with a grotto similar to the one in your photo - mine is not as large, but is made from real Blue Ridge Mountain stone. I hated the fake stone look. We also did stone coping and a paver deck with Tahoe Blue PeppleTec pool finish and tropical plants surrounding, it turned out looking like something from a resort. No amount of money can replace the enjoyment we've gotten from it over the last 3 years. We were owner builders and saved a ton but it still cost us around 50K and we didn't screen it. We loved the view without the screen and the 30X50 two story screen would have been an additional 20K.
A basic pool can cost anywhere from $20-40k, depending on your location, the access to the backyard, and a host of other issues, and you can add another $10-15k in bells and whistles to that. The rockwork, waterfall, etc., as shown on that pool could easily add another $20-30k to the price of the pool, and a spa with a heater can add another $5-8k. So, your "dream pool" could easily cost more than your house......
It depends on size, materials, configuration, equipment. How deep you want it. Deep pools get espensive really fast.
For example, in ground vinyl pools are cheap to build, can be in any configuration (but there may be depth limits). They hold up better to things like ground water swells etc. However they are not as pretty, they can get leaks, and you have to replace the liner every 11 years (approximately).
Fiberglass pools are really smooth and neat looking. They are a bit easier to care for than other pools. However they cost a fortune, they usually are not available in really deep (diving sized) models, size and shape is limited to whatever they happen to manufacture. You need a crane to put them in and you have to get your trees out of the way. They are subject to damage from weather changes, ground water etc. One nice thing is that you can use them almost immediately after installation. If the pool does not crack, maintenance is much easier. If it cracks, you may be able to patch it, but you may have to replace the whole thing. The pool we considered cost $35,000 just for the fiberglass shell. Installation, filters, decking, etc was on top of that.
Concrete/tile pools are available in any shape or size. They can be very pretty with nice tile or stone. They are strong, but subject to gracking from frost or groundwater. They tend to require more care, chemicals etc. Every 15 or so years you have to re-spray them and it costs a lot ($4,000 or so). Frankly I do not understand why they are still installed given other available options.
Then you get into equipment. Do you want a really good filter? Salt chlorine generator? Underwater lights? Steps instead of a ladder? a slide or diving board? A robot pool cleaner? Waterfall or fountain?
Then of course you have the environment. What kind of deck? Plain concrete? Tile? Stamped concrete? PLastic? wood? poured rubberized stuff?
To give you an example, our pool is 18x40. It is vinyl, we have a wide stair leading into the water. We have one underwater light. A really good filter system and salt water chlorine generation. We have a neat curvy slide. Plain concrete deck. A large (180,000 BTU heater). A robot cleaner machine. The pool is around 3.5' deep at the sides and progresses to 5.8' deep in the center. It is called a sport bottom. The pool is too small for a diving configuration to be practical (the entire pool would have been basically a ramp and not much use for spalsh and play sportys like volleyball, piggy back wrestling, etc). The total cost as around $30,000 - $35,000.
It is worth it? It added no value to our house at all. You build a pool for your use, not as an investment. It is far more expensive than joining a health club for the rest of your life. However it is wonderful to walk out the back door and jump into the pool. It also keeps the kids home. Their friends come here rather than them running off elsewhere. For thanksgiving, we will heat it up and our extended family will swim before or after dinner. It is neat.
I cannot guess what the yearly costs are. Running the filter pump uses a lot of power. Running the heater is mongo expensive. We shut it off about October this year becasue no one was using it. We will heat it up for thanksgiving and then shut it down for the winter. Having someone come blow out the pipes and fill them with antifreeze, etc costs about $300. Chemicals and salt cost maybe $100 a year. Every now and then you have to replace the solar cover, or the wheel thing it rolls up on. The equipement needs occaisional service (Only once so far in about 4 years). We will eventually have to replace the liner at a cost of about $3,000. I think that our homeowners insurance is higher because we have a pool (even though we do not allow drowning). It is a majorly expensive proposition.
I have two friends who installed the natural rock pond type of pool. Both are considerably smaller than our pool, but both have jaccuzzis and waterfalls. One guy spent $60,000 the other spent $110,000.
While it is true that a pool barely adds to the value of your home, it is however also true that it can attract much higher interest at the time of a sale. Also something to keep in mind.
While it is true that a pool barely adds to the value of your home, it is however also true that it can attract much higher interest at the time of a sale. Also something to keep in mind.
OUr realtor told us that about half of the families want a pool and it is an asset. About half do not want a pool and would fill it in due to safety or cost concerns. She said you are better off witout one, becasue the half who do nto wnat a pool will nto consider your house becasue it has one. The half who want a pool will not reject houses without pools, it is just a plus for them. However in appraisals, a pool generally gets valued at $0. A tool shed has more appraisal value.
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You are right about it getting use here... it's so darn hot I just hibernate for months! Kids too. 
