OT: Buying a house with a pool

[Dawgg]

So my lease is up in a few months and I’m looking to buy. One of the houses I’m looking at has an in-ground pool. The seller’s disclosure says the pumps, etc. are new, but I’ve never owned a pool before. I have 3 kids, so the idea of a pool sounds good, but I’m a little hesitant regarding maintenance, repair, and water costs.

Anybody have any experiences or opinions they’d like to share?

 

[ronpolk]

It’s not bad. In terms of maintenance to keeping the water clear, you’ll figure it out within the first summer. Keeping it clean during the summer is usually not a problem either. The winter is different. It’s a pain in the *** when you’re not using it but have to clean it.

As for costs, electric bill will go up from running the pump but water bill shouldn’t change much, unless you have a leak or have to drain the pool and refill it.

 

[Cooterpoot]

Go salt water if possible

 

[Oak23]

I would think it depends some on the kids age. I have a pool and I got it when my child was young. It has been worth it. I have Learned how to treat it by experience. I’ll probably spend about $40-$50 a month on the pool through the year, and it is worth it.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

I would think it depends some on the kids age. I have a pool and I got it when my child was young. It has been worth it. I have Learned how to treat it by experience. I’ll probably spend about $40-$50 a month on the pool through the year, and it is worth it.

This^^.

Also, if you clean your own pool there's nothing greater than a mesh safety cover to eliminate leaves in the pool all fall and winter. Plus, insurance may give you a break.

I put it on before leaves start falling and take it off April 1. I open a corner every 6 weeks just to check the chemicals and it's always perfect. I used about 6 tabs of chlorine all winter. The good ones block out uv light and which prevents algae.

It was about $1150 delivered with all hardware
custom made for a 20*40 pool with tanning ledge and steps. I installed it myself, with no help, in about 3 hours.... Takes an hour to install and remove every year. I could not ever go back to not having one.

View attachment 15891
View attachment 15892

 

[Tall Dawg]

Pools typically do not add value to homes when u sell and they can turn into money pits. I’ve had 2 friends buy homes with pools and both said they’d never do it again.
A lot of buyers see them as a liability from different angles.

Now, if u and your family want a pool and will use it a lot, so be it. But, don’t think they will always help u sell the house later.
“To each his own...”

 

[Crazy Cotton]

Google BBB method for pools - it saved me an immense amount of money, and I actually have control of my pool (20 years of pool ownership). Have a recommended pool guy come out and check a few things carefully. If it is a liner pool, have him or her check that the sidewalls of the pool are intact - shifting ground can crack composite walls behind the liner, and that's not good. Look at the concrete deck around the pool carefully - if there's cracks, then water can get behind the pool walls and wash out large holes, leading to walls rusting away or separating (steel walls). A good sign that this has happened is that the concrete deck has sunk in places, you might insist that the deck is jacked up and filled with poly foam to fix the issue. You'll spend some $$$ if it isn't included, but get a good quality auto pool cleaner, it will help your attitude about the pool a whole bunch. Finally, check the local codes about fencing, and make sure the current one meets code - that could be a problem when you go to insure and find out you get to buy a new fence.

I love going out in the morning and getting a little exercise in the summer, and a good family activity with the kids.

 

[LBTdawg]

We bought a house with a pool last year. Maintenance has actually been pretty easy (get a Polaris pool cleaning robot). However, running the pump 24/7 adds $100+ to your electric bill.

 

[patdog]

From my parents' experience, while you have kids in the house it's awesome. It will be used a lot every day from late April till early October and a lot of good times will be had. After they're gone, it will fade away into a maintenance item that rarely gets used.

 

[patdog]

It really just depends. Some buyers will see it as a huge advantage, and a lot will see it as a huge disadvantage. It will definitely shrink the pool of buyers interested in your house (pun not even intended), but for the one's interested it will be one of the few they like.

 

[Drebin]

So my lease is up in a few months and I’m looking to buy. One of the houses I’m looking at has an in-ground pool. The seller’s disclosure says the pumps, etc. are new, but I’ve never owned a pool before. I have 3 kids, so the idea of a pool sounds good, but I’m a little hesitant regarding maintenance, repair, and water costs.

Anybody have any experiences or opinions they’d like to share?

My home had a pool when I bought it. Saltwater pools are easy to maintain. I always have to sink money into it every year though. One year I had to replace a chlorinator, one year I had to replace a pump motor, one year I had to replace the liner, one year I had to replace the cover.

A pool won't add any value to your home if you're looking for that, but it may make your house more attractive than others at the same price point because it does.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Pools typically do not add value to homes when u sell and they can turn into money pits.

The pool doesn't add value thing is an urban myth. When I purchased my house, a couple of the comps had pools that were line itemed at $30,000.00 in value by the appraiser. Mine didn't so it was $30k less than the comps.(All the pools out here are gunite. Gunite pools cost about $75k new- it's probably less appraised value on a liner pool since they cost a lot less.)

Second myth.. Yes pools become a money pit... every 10-12 years. What doesn't? New plaster or liner, new equipment, and some aesthetics... About $5-10k if you don't get carried away. After 30-40 years it may be time to start over. Is HVAC a money pit? Every 10-12 years you are going to drop $5-10k on a new one.

A pool is a cheap date if you have kids and use it. My example... $75k - $30k in value = $45k + 2 remodels @ $8k each = $51k/ 30 years = $1700 per year + $500 per year in upkeep + $300 a year in utilities... $2400 per year to install and maintain a pool. That's one modest 4 day vacation for 4... Where you probably hang out at a pool most of the time. I bet we use the pool 75 days+ per year.

Now if you don't swim or have kids...thats a whole other story. But for me... Stuck at home with kids in a lockdown... It's going to feel like a normal summer. Just no parties.

 

[SouthOfI10]

Put your pump on a timer..., 6-7 hours a day is plenty

 

[HWY51dog]

It depends on where you live. Here in North MS specifically Desoto Co. pools have become highly desirable. People are putting them in like crazy. Remember real estate is local.

You do get added value for having a pool, however it’s smart not to go crazy with one if your neighborhood values don’t support it. Don’t spend 80,000 on a pool when it probably should be 30-40,000.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Sometimes I love our pool and sometimes I hate it. There’s always something wrong.

 

[Crazy Cotton]

I got a 2 speed pump off of amazon for about 400 bucks. Paid for itself over one summer. I only run it on full speed when the kids have been swimming or it's rained. Went from an extra 100 or so a month to about 25

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

I got a 2 speed pump off of amazon for about 400 bucks. Paid for itself over one summer. I only run it on full speed when the kids have been swimming or it's rained. Went from an extra 100 or so a month to about 25

This^^^. The old single stage pumps are running at high rpm and turn the water over in a few hours. But water gets stagnant if you let it sit for 20 hours a day. You really just want to turn the pool water over once a day. For 7 months out of the year, I set mine (20,000 gallons) on 25gpm for 14 hours... 160 watts is all it's using. Works out to about $8 per month.

When in use, I crank it up from time to time to about 120 GPM to make the fountains run faster and clean the oils out from swimming, which takes the wattage from 160 to about 2100. All said, I average about $7-$12 per month for the pool pump in electricity.

If you are spending $100/month, get a variable speed pump. Top of the line 3hp Pentair is $1k and you can work your way down from there.

As an added benefit, the life of rotating equipment is determined by revolutions. If you run it at 25% of the rooms, it will give you 4 times the life, in theory.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

That or if you have a single speed pump, buy a timer.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

That or if you have a single speed pump, buy a timer.

Timer helps, but it does not get close to the efficiency of a VSP. It's no a straight line from flow to power, it's a huge curve.

When you install a variable speed pump, you reduce motor speed and flow rate, resulting in reduced energy consumption. The Pump Affinity Law explains how the variable speed pump saves energy:

Speed = rpm (rotations per minute)
Flow = gpm (gallons per minute)
Power = W (watts)

The average single speed pump has a fixed flow rate of 3,450 rpm, while the average pool holds 25,000 gallons of water with an average turnover rate of 24 hours.

Let’s assume that a single speed pump takes 2,000 watts, operates at 3,450 rpm, and has a flow rate of 66 fpm:

(25,000 gallons / 66 gpm) / 60 minutes = 6.3 hours.

The single speed pump can turn over the entire pool in 6.3 hours at this rate, which would consume 12,600-watt-hours per day:

6.4 hours x 2,000 watts = 12,600 watt-hours (12.6 kWh)

A variable speed pump can operate with a flow rate of 22 gpm while only taking 116 watts. It may take longer to turn over the pool’s water, but it saves energy and money:

(25,000 gallons / 22 gpm) / 60 minutes = 19 hours

19 hours x 116 watts = 2,200 watt hours, or 2.2 kWh consumed per day.

10kwh per day improvement = 3650 kwh per year at $.12 per kwh = $438 in savings.

Stick to picking stocks, you are excellent at that.***

 

[SwampDawg]

For a couple of years my son and friends really enjoyed swimming and playing games. Then they got older and wanted to just sit around it and smoke cigarettes (and drink beer when I wasn't looking.)

 

[turkish]

Is there a bargain VSP out there for a 30k gallon pool? I assume I’ll need an electrician for the install?

 

[Beretta.sixpack]

I have a love/hate relationship with my pool...

When we bought our current house, we all fell in love with it for different reasons....I loved the house, but wished it didnt have a pool....wife only wanted it bc of the pool and the kids wanted it...a pool is a lot of maintenance, and like someone else said, can be a money pit, or at least feel like it....I would prefer a saltwater pool, but it is one with a liner....in the 5 years ive owned it, 2 leaks, new pump, new polaris, and new chlorinator....and that is just what i can think off the top of my head....just dropped $200 on intheswim.com for 50lbs of chlorine, shock, test strips, and baking soda....the pool is 30 feet from my back door and i have only gotten in it once in the last year and that was to replace a ladder leg...

a buddy of mine is building a pool right now and researched it for months before digging....he went alimite with saltwater, which is what i would do if i was starting from scratch...


I would rather spend all that money on a new tractor for my farm, but my kids like it, so its worth it....not sure what we are going to do when they get older and don't care anymore....it can be a pain in the ***...

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Is there a bargain VSP out there for a 30k gallon pool? I assume I’ll need an electrician for the install?

Not a lot of bargains for anything on a pool that size.. this is only a few hundred dollars cheaper than a Pentair, which is the Lexus of pool pumps.

https://poolpartstogo.com/products/3hp-energy-star-variable-speed-in-ground-blue-torrent-cyclone-swimming-pool-pump-qualifies-for-utility-rebates

You will want a 3hp. No electrician. It's plug and play with your old equipment, but the pool service guys can usually do it if you don't want to tackle it. Just verify your pipe size..

 

[Dawgg]

I appreciate everybody’s feedback. This is all great information.

A little more info on the house and my situation:

This is in a town in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The house was built in 1977, but I don’t know how old the pool is.

The seller’s disclosure says the following:
Pool pump - 2 years old
Pool filter - 6 months old
Pool gunite - complete resurface 5 years ago
Small surface crack in deep end.

I can see cracks on the concrete walk way around the pool, but not the bricks or tiles bordering the pool.

I have 3 kids with ages ranging from 6 to 14.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

I appreciate everybody’s feedback. This is all great information.

A little more info on the house and my situation:

This is in a town in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The house was built in 1977, but I don’t know how old the pool is.

The seller’s disclosure says the following:
Pool pump - 2 years old
Pool filter - 6 months old
Pool gunite - complete resurface 5 years ago
Small surface crack in deep end.

I can see cracks on the concrete walk way around the pool, but not the bricks or tiles bordering the pool.

I have 3 kids with ages ranging from 6 to 14.

Dawgg. I just sent you a PM.

 

[Nunya.sixpack]

Ask the previous how many adult parties they had to gauge how much deep cleaning will be.

 

[doggystyle]

We use ours everyday day during the summer. Love the pool cookouts.

 

[dawgoneyall]

Just don't get a pool boy.

 

[JenBielema]

Ask for a pool warranty. Many of the home warranty companies offer them. We bought our home 2 years ago - home built in 1998 and has an in ground pool. As part of the purchase, the seller paid 1 year home warranty plus pool warranty. In that 1st year the pump went out - home warranty would replace what was their but we paid up for variable speed pump. It is so quiet you don’t even know it is there. We also bought the dolphin pool cleaner - not the Polaris which is notorious for having to replace parts. the dolphin runs off of a normal outlet and has been a very reliable cleaner.

As a previous poster mentioned, after the 1st year you will learn your pool as it relates to chemicals etc. we take our water to get tested every other week or so but only if the people that know what they are talking about are working - you will learn that too.

As far as money pits- homes in general are money pits. Over time I really question if it is worth owning as IT IS ALWAYS SOMETHING.

Good luck.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

We bought our home 2 years ago - home built in 1998 and has an in ground pool.

Pool Party at Bert and Jen's... I'm in.

View attachment 15901

 

[Crazy Cotton]

I went two speed rather than VS, much cheaper and probably more reliable as it doesn't do a DC conversion, cost savings are comparable; I run low speed pretty much continuously and it probably costs me around 40 bucks a month. If you go look at your current pump motor, there's likely a two speed version of the same pump on amazon or pool store site, will fit right in there where the old one is currently

 

[Ranchdawg]

Fun the first year then became a pain. Kids didn't care after novelty wore off. I had friends that bulldozed theirs. After 5 years sold the house and said, "never again".

 

[TaleofTwoDogs]

Just don't get a pool boy.

I think the pool boy is buried under the rose bushes.

 

[aTotal360]

Like owning a boat.

 

[mcdawg22]

I tend to agree with all of the answers regarding a saltwater pool. I built one last year, variable speed pump, vinyl, 28000 gallon. Last fall was a pain in the *** because we had overhanging black gum trees that dumped a ton of leaves and berries that wreaked havoc on my Polaris and surrounding concrete. I cut those bitches down and I am so much happier. My advice is skim leaves as much as possible, clean your skimmers, and find a local place that you trust with water samples. If it doesn’t have a Polaris get one now, if you do get the two sided bag variety because when it starts getting full it runs truer than the one bag. To give you an idea about how much keeping up with your pool yourself can make things easier, the last thing I put in my pool was 5 bags of salt in November. This is what my pool looks like tonight, and the strip says chlorine levels are perfect but ph is a little low so I’ll dump a gallon of baking soda in tomorrow.View attachment 15905

Hijack for others with pools. I have brick coping that I haven’t treated yet. Any suggestions for a good “wet look” sealer?

 

[jdbulldog]

A pool will make your place popular and be prepared to draw the line with some who might overstay their welcome. It is kind of like having a big pond in the country.....everybody wants to fish in it. When you say no you become a rude neighbor! Be very careful about securing your pool area. Monitor the area with cameras and inspect fencing diligently. Pools offer lots of fun but bring potential liability. Make sure your insurance company knows you have a pool. Have it documented. One pool claim can ruin you if not insured.

So my lease is up in a few months and I’m looking to buy. One of the houses I’m looking at has an in-ground pool. The seller’s disclosure says the pumps, etc. are new, but I’ve never owned a pool before. I have 3 kids, so the idea of a pool sounds good, but I’m a little hesitant regarding maintenance, repair, and water costs.

Anybody have any experiences or opinions they’d like to share?