Is there a reason there are few personal pools around here?

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by seiketsu

Pools are a pain in the butt to maintain, and pool season isn't long enough around here to make it worth it. I grew up in an area where we could use our pool 8 months out of the year, and seeing how much time and money my dad had to put into it -- and the measures he had to go through to keep neighborhood kids out because of liability issues -- made me vow never to be responsible for a pool of my own.

Agreed. I didn't even think about the liability issues, just the cost alone is a deterrant for me. Real estate around here is so expensive already, I would need to be really wealthy to want to take on that added expense. And I have very young boys and already have enough ways for them to injure themselves around my house.

[snowdenscold]

There is a famous chapter in Freakonomics about how pools are actually much more dangerous for children than owning guns.

Here is an article version of it by one of the authors:
Op-ed piece on swimming pools vs. guns as the most dangerous weapon – Deltoid

So yes, between safety, maintenance and expense, I am one of those people that are turned off my houses that have pools. There would actually have to be a price reduction, not an additional premium, on a house w/ one for me to consider it.

But hey, if you want one and take the appropriate safety precautions, more power to you. =)


And for the record, I don't own any guns either, ha.

[highpoint1]

Originally Posted by seiketsu

Pools are a pain in the butt to maintain, and pool season isn't long enough around here to make it worth it.

Where I grew up, "pool season" was about four months long, but we had a pool, and so did a lot of friends and neighbors, and everyone I knew seemed to think it was more than worth the expense and trouble.

I suspect the main reason there are so few private pools around this area is land cost. In really-high-income areas like many parts of Alexandria and Arlington, lot sizes are so small that even high-net-worth people don't really have space for (i.e., cannot afford) a pool.

[highpoint1]

Originally Posted by 935dc

Just as a pool may turn people away, there are also folks who are specifically looking for one so it works both ways. Our previous house had a pool. We sold it in ONE day and it had multiple offers. Main reason was all of the parties involved wanted pools but couldnt find properties with one for sale

Our current home also has a pool. When we were shopping around for our current home we only wanted homes WITH pools, or at least enough land to put one in. If a property already had a pool, that was a + for me in terms of time/$.

Yes, the season isnt very long and there are time, costs, safety, & maintentance considerations, so that may weigh heavily on some folks in NoVA. I have a pool company open and close it for the season (~350 each) and there is cost of chemicals, etc. I throw the robot in and it cleans the entire pool in 3 hours. Safety is probably the #1 concern, so obviously child safety fence is a MUST as well as other precautions. You dont let your young kids in a tub by themselves, so same goes with a pool. Its common sense really.

Our kids & friends love it during the summer and its fantastic for pool parties, bbqs & entertaining every weekend. We have a certified swim instructor come to our pool for private lessons as well so the kids are comfortable in the water by age 3-4. In our neighborhood two other homes have pools (price point is 1.25-2M+). The enjoyment our family gets out of the pool outweigh all else

You sound like a very sensible and generous person, sir.

[LynchburgLover]

We've always specifically looked for houses with a pool. Love the privacy, early/late swims and knowing the water conditions/cleanliness are great.

And, OP, check out Western Loudoun County. There are lots of pools there.

[NC211]

When I was 2 years old, born in Jacksonville, FL, where pools are popular, I nearly had an early departure from this life because of the pool. Luckily I wasn't sneaky enough with my attempt to go "splash splash".

When I was 15, living in Birmingham, AL, my parents decided to put in a pool. The cost overruns due to all of the iron in the ground (had to blast) turned it into a $40k pool in no time. I clearly remember having to wake up every 3 hours and backflush the thing during storm season to prevent it from overflowing and wiping out the landscaping and neighbor's house down the hill. That alone was a royal PIA, not to mention all of the little criters we'd have to pull out of the filter box that got thirsty (I hate snakes!).

I looked at two houses a couple of years ago during my search here in NoVa that both had pools. It was late September, pools were closed down. But could easily tell the house had a pool within moments of walking in the front door due to the smell of "pool" in the house. Typically found the entry points to the back yard had the permanent "pool this way" wear & tear.

I'm now 40. Have lived a coastal life for many years. I've come to the same conclusions about swimming pools as I have about big boats (over 17 feet).....

The best kind for each, is your friend's.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by NC211

I'm now 40. Have lived a coastal life for many years. I've come to the same conclusions about swimming pools as I have about big boats (over 17 feet).....

The best kind for each, is your friend's.

Well said.

(sorry, no rep points available for you....must spread around.)

[Ralyks]

[SIZE=3][/SIZE][SIZE=3]Swim season is relatively short in NOVA (June-August), unlike,say, in Texas, where it's April – October. Most communities have community pools openin the summer. It's generally not worth the expense to have a privatepool. The large number of trees in VA make pool maintenance more difficult than in a lot of places. Housesare extremely expensive in NOVA as is, and people are often up to their eyeballsin mortgages, so they don't want the added expense of a pool. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by snowdenscold

There is a famous chapter in Freakonomics about how pools are actually much more dangerous for children than owning guns.

Growing up in Texas, we shot guns from the pool all the time.

[ACWhite]

In the close-in suburbs, flat, large lots are extremely rare at any price. The lots are too small to have a pool AND green space (and often, too small for either), which most people would want. These wouldn't provide much privacy, either, which most people would want before venturing out in bikinis or Speedos™. And many (lots, not people) are sloped, so you couldn't build a pool even if you wanted to.

In these areas the problem is not so much cost (as asserted above) as it is availability, i.e., even for buyers with a million $ or two to spend, much of the inventory is located on small, sloping and/or heavily wooded lots. There might be a few lots that could work in 22207, but not many.