In ground swimming pool maintenance?

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planetjimi
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In ground swimming pool maintenance?

Post by planetjimi » Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:31 pm

Looking to buy a house, and I found one we really like. It has an in ground swimming pool. I don't know if this is a plus or a minus ... how hard are they to maintain? Does it take alot of time. I'm sure we will use it durring the summer (i live in ohio). Is it more of a pain in the ass than it's worth?

NitroLiq
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Post by NitroLiq » Thu Aug 23, 2007 4:10 pm

As long as the filter is running properly, it shouldn't be a problem at all. I grew up with screened patio/ in-ground pool in south florida. Routine stuff is using a small chemical kit and checking the chlorine/ph levels once a week and adding the proper chemicals at the proper time...or use one of those floaty-things that you can put big chlorine tablets in. You may have to clean out the filter bucket if a frog or something gets in there.

If it's not screened in, you'll have to skim the bugs and leaves out depending on the environment. Not sure what folks do with inground pools in the cold weather, though or how it get's prepared. Sometimes, there's if there's tile, you may have to go around and brush away the mildew.

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Blast
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Post by Blast » Thu Aug 23, 2007 11:23 pm

I'd say Nitro was right on target. I don't have experience with one personally, but, as a real estate appraiser I know the best way to have a house with a pool is to the buy the house with the pool already there. Here in the midwest it will cost $30-40K to have a pool installed and then it will be worth only about $5K more in contributory value (what we appraiser's call "functional obsolescence") when you sell the house (so your sellers, if they installed the pool, are probably taking a big hit on it). Pools makes the best demonstration for cost vs. value ratios when people argue with me about value and other issues. Ie: I can show you sales in an area of $100,000 houses and here's one that sells for $105,000 and the only difference is that it's got one of those $40K pools! Maybe LOTS of fun... but a BAD investment.

I believe that if people want a house badly enough... and it just so happens to have a pool, 50%, or more, of people would fill it in- in other words, most people could care less about the expensive and work involved maintaining one. The way I look at it, or any other real estate cost is- what YOU do with YOUR OWN house should be YOUR business... IF you can afford it. But don't expect it to return value in the market. That goes for a lot of things, not just pools (12 stall horse barn on 5 acres, for instance).

Some people get a big kick out of a pool when they a buy a house with one... for a few years. Particularly when they have money to spend and kids to enjoy them. Or maybe they really do enjoy swimming themselves. But then once the "newness" wears off a pool can become more and more of "a chore" and, in worse case, falls into disrepair and becomes an "eyesore". This is probably when most get filled in. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you've asked a good question and you need to evaluate how it pertains to your lifestyle. Good luck.
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Necrovore
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Post by Necrovore » Fri Aug 24, 2007 1:03 am

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Last edited by Necrovore on Thu Jan 21, 2010 3:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

NitroLiq
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Post by NitroLiq » Fri Aug 24, 2007 8:32 am

That sounds a bit extreme or maybe geared more towards a public swimming pool in an apartment complex. Owning your own, the maintenance isn't an everyday routine. Once a week, for your own pool is fine. Necro's right on what you'll be using and spending money on...chlorine tablets and liquid, muriatic acid, etc. If it's used often, the pool is worth it. Good if you have kids as you'll have to pry them out of the pool. If you won't use it often, it can see it becoming a hassle.

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Blast
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Post by Blast » Fri Aug 24, 2007 8:47 am

So the pool should come with a 'pool boy', huh? :lol:

Thanks, necrovore, as an appraiser I appreciated hearing your angle on both the financial and physical aspects required in maintaining a pool from an informed source.

Now that you mentioned utilities I remember some friends of my wife's that had an outdoor HEATED pool back 15-20 years ago. They had 3 teens and the whole family enjoyed swimming. Plus it made a suburban statement that the SUV's in the driveway enhanced. But let's doon't go there. Anyway, they kept the pool warm- too warm, really. But the heat allow them to use it early spring to late fall. Money was just no object with them. I remember looking on their kitchen table one day and seeing a gas bill of $630 for that month. I never got to see a water bill, nor did I ever ask them. This, and all the other issues we've taked about here are the reason pools take such a $ hit in the resale market. And the reason why the majority of houses DON'T have pools.

They tell you that buying a house will be a nightmare if you don't have the money to properly maintain it. So I guess with the addition of a pool you need to have just a little more in reserve. Either that or if you HAVE to have THAT house, rent a backhoe... Around here (suburbs of KC) there is too much competition to HAVE to buy a house with a pool.

A friend of mine just bought a house with a pool a couple years ago. That was against my advise JUST BECAUSE I knew him well and was aware of his health issues, personal work habits and his daytime job schedule. He invited us over (anyway, :lol: ) after he worked on it and got it looking good and said it really wasn't a big issue maintaining it. But I didn't look at his "timesheet", either.

I haven't talked to him since to find out if he's been maintaining it and/or enjoying it this summer. He has a teenaged son who WAS enjoying it so maybe the maintenance is part of HIS chores.

Planetjimi, do you have kids? Do you think that you and your family would be able to maintain a pool and really enjoy it at the same time? I'd be interested how you come out with this one. Good luck.
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planetjimi
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Post by planetjimi » Fri Aug 24, 2007 1:07 pm

Thanks everybody for your input. What a great place to get advice on buying a house, and cascading my marshall all in one spot!

After talking it over with the wife, and reading these posts. It kinda confirmed my thoughts that it would be alot of work. I guess a house with a pool is harder to sell too.

We decided to skip this house. We are going to take another look at a BIGGER house without a pool that we liked. We have a newborn daughter. When she gets older if she wants to go swimming this house would be 5 min. from the recreation center which has a pool, water slides and a lazy river :D

lana1809
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Re: In ground swimming pool maintenance?

Post by lana1809 » Sun Jan 27, 2019 4:21 am

Hello,

Definitely. your doubt is correct. In house swimming pools are hard to maintain and waste of resources. Either you need to replace the water daily and cleaning and maintenance are quite a hefty task. However, you can opt for a swimming pool with a smaller size in the shape of bathtub etc.
Thanks!

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Bjorn218
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Re: In ground swimming pool maintenance?

Post by Bjorn218 » Mon Aug 31, 2020 9:31 pm

They aren’t hard to maintain if you understand swimming pool chemistry which is fairly easy. The main thing is keeping the pools ph level where it is supposed to be. Shock it once a week and maintain the chlorine level where it’s supposed to be and it pretty much takes care of itself. Saying that you have to check the chlorine reading and ph reading daily. You won’t see much fluctuation seeing that it’s a single family use.

Now the hard part. They are a huge money pit. They increase your electricity bill exponentially due to having to have them run all the time to make maintenance easy and relatively inexpensive. Repairs are take it in the rear with a telephone pole sans lube expensive and they actually decrease the property value but put you in premium insurance house insurance category.

If it’s something you and your family would use daily? If so it may be worth it, if something use maybe a total of a week a year? Run away from it. Seriously. I did apartment maintenance for 12 years and took care of multiple pools during that time that always had to be picture perfect. I’m telling you from that perspective. It’s not worth it.

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