How much does it cost to add a pool to your home?

[hart4july]

Originally Posted by altus2006

If you want a pool, keep looking until you find a house that already has one. The house we bought had a pool which cost the original owner around $40,000.

When the house was appraised so we could get a mortgage, the appraiser only added $7500 for the pool. This figure blew us away and we were glad we didn't buy a house without one because we would never have gotten back the money spent on a new pool.

altus2006

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Your experience confirms what I was thinking.....buy w/ pool. A fab $30 k kitchen def adds more than $7500. Even if you don't see a 100% return! Set your search to pools only and don't even look at the rest if you really want one, many already have the safety gate!

[kdog]

Originally Posted by lucygirl1

It's a law? Well, i think it's a good law with all the drownings I hear about in AZ. How do people get away with not having a fence though? So many houses I look at don't have fences.

Well, it is now. Regulations have changed over the years, so it's possible the pools you've seen with no fence were built to to older standards. We had a pool built a few years ago, and this was the case. The only way I know to get around the fence and a myriad of other safety devices is to have an automatic pool cover. I believe that's the only two choices you get.

[KatrynS]

Originally Posted by lucygirl1

I am so worried about this! I have a four year old and a 1 1/2 year old. So scary!



It's a law? Well, i think it's a good law with all the drownings I hear about in AZ. How do people get away with not having a fence though? So many houses I look at don't have fences.




LOL! Probably very true!

The law requiring a pool fence only applies if you have a child under 6 (or is it 6 and under?) living there. Homes without young kids aren't required to have one, and I'm sure a lot of folks ignore the law. A pool fence can run several grand as well, so keep that in mind when comapring homes with and without pool fences. At least make sure you know where you would put a fence (some houses have pool right out the back door which would be tough to fence). You can google the law. Don't forget the windows on the first floor or overlooking the pool.

Never forget the point of pool safety items like alarms and fences is to provide layers of passive protection to slow kids down and give you a chance to catch them before they get to the pool. None replace basic diligence and none are foolproof. That said, our 7, 5, and 2yo LOVE our pool! We found a chest and arm vest foam floatie thing and the toddler putters around like a pro

[annie7]

I will definately buy one with a pool....thanks sooo much!

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by annie7

I'm talking basic, nothing fancy. As we are looking to buy, I see that there are some homes I like without pools, but don't want to live there and not have something to cool off in in the summer. If anyone just sort of has a ballpark figure I'd appreciate it.

If you build a pool, don't go cheap. During the housing boom, there were a lot of shady pool builders that are now out of business for poorly constructed pools. If the foundation of the pool isn't constructed properly and you have a leak(s), it could be a living nightmare as the repairs would almost cost you as much as building a new pool. I agree with Ponderosa. It's not worth building your own pool. If you are interested in one, buy a house with an existing pool. And if you buy a house, I would pay a pool company to come and inspect the pool equipment as many home inspectors won't include that in their inspection or will do a shoddy job of inspecting the parts. Pool equipment can get pricey so you want to make sure it's in good working condition before agreeing to buy a house. I would also recommend getting a 1 year home warranty from a reputable company like American Home Shield which will cover the parts should the break down. I do recommend buying a home with a pool because when it comes time to sell, you will certainly open yourself to a much bigger market of home buyers since a pool is on many home buyer's list.

[phx85339]

Remember to factor in addtional monthly costs to owning a pool. Higher water and electric bills. Chemicals to keep the pool water looking clear and equipment running properly. Party expenses, because you now have a pool and everybody wants to come over!