Backyard pool in 4 season climate

[georgiegirl]

So we are house hunting, and a house that we are seriously considering has a pool in the backyard. We live in the Midwest, so it’s cold and snowy for a good chunk of the year. My older two kids (12 and 9) are on swim team, and they would love to have a pool. My youngest is 5, and I’m sure with the pool he’d learn how to swim quickly (we want him to join swim team next fall after he turns 6). One of the caveats is that there isn’t much grassy space for the kids to play. There is some, but currently we live on 1.8 acres and it’s all grass and trees, so the boys can play soccer and football. With this house we are looking out, I’m not sure the boys could set up soccer goals and play a game. (I need to go back and look)

So if you have a pool and live somewhere where it’s not warm year round, do you like having a pool? Regret it? Are you giving up grassy play space?

And how much work is having a pool?




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ourbabygirl]

We live where it's cold and snowy about half of the year :thumbsdown:, but I would *love* to have a pool! We moved this spring, and we were looking at a lot of houses with pools. Ended up with a happy compromise of moving to a development with a community pool. We used it a *ton* this summer (kids are 10, 8, and 3). It's awesome for entertaining and enjoying those really hot days! Just keep in mind the costs of maintaining it and even filling it with water each summer if you're on city water. My kids aren't big on playing games out in the yard, so I would've happily given up the yard space for a pool. I feel like houses with pools are awesome for when you have grandkids, too! :)
Happy house hunting!

[smilequeen]

I live in the midwest too. It's cold from mid Nov-mid March. We have a pool. It's heated and has an auto-cover and we never close it. We turn off the fountains in the winter. My kids swim occasionally year round. If it's 60 on Christmas, they'll be out there. They use it almost daily during the summer.

[marymoo86]

Pools can be expensive - how old is the liner? What kind of trees are nearby - thinking cleaning effort.

While convenient - I wouldn't want to have to maintain it. It's great being able to go to the swim club and not worry about maintenance or liability. I'm assuming you are having to pay to be a member somewhere if you are doing swim team?

[georgiegirl]

Thanks for the input. I don’t have any info about the liner or type of pool. We don’t have a membership to a pool. My kids swim for a USA club team that practices at a high school.

[klwa]

Not in the Midwest, so I can't answer most of it, but:

As for the work that goes into it, DH does most of it. When the cover gets removed, there's a good bit of work that needs to go into it to get the PH right, etc, and take care of any algae that grew over the winter. We've got a salt filter for the pool, so we don't have to worry too much during the summer about chlorine, etc. And we keep an automatic vacuum in the pool that kicks on whenever the pump turns on, so there's not a huge amount of daily maintenance required. You may want to add a heater to get it to temperature earlier in the year/later in the fall for a longer useful season, which adds one more thing that could really go wrong. We had a pipe collapse two years ago, which meant digging up the concrete surround, etc. to replace it.

With all of that, since you're talking about being on a small lot, I'd look into whether there is a place with a pool membership nearby. We don't have anything within 20-30 miles, which was a big + in the column for getting a pool in our book. My brother used to live a block from the city pool, so his girls could just walk there, and it made much more sense to do that than deal with everything included in having a pool.

[roobee]

We live in MN and bought a home with a pool two years ago. Our remaining backyard is smallish but there's room for a jungle gym and a narrow spot to throw a ball. We also live near an 80 acre park so there's a place nearby to play.

DD is 13 and DS is 10 and I'm still thrilled that we made the decision to move. The kids were 8 and 11 when we bought and these are just the perfect years to have a pool.

We spent lots of time every prior summer at our health club pool and DD had been on the swim team 4 years so swimming was already a big part of what we did as a family.

I'm able to easily entertain in the summer (set out a bag of chips and have some popsicles in the freezer) and my guests are so grateful. We'll never have a cabin, like a lot of families here do, but our pool allows us hang out together and host our friends.

We haven't found the pool to be much work or terribly expensive. We probably spent about $500 taking care of it all summer, including opening/closing and all chemicals. I'd guess the time commitment is about 1-2 hours per week.

Our house is pretty modest and a pool is not a plus at our price point or climate. I'll just need to remember that we got a good deal on our house when we finally decide to sell and need to price this home with the pool in mind.

Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk

[georgiegirl]

With all of that, since you're talking about being on a small lot, I'd look into whether there is a place with a pool membership nearby.

Actually the lot isn’t that small. It’s .8 acres. Behind the pool there is some terraced landscaping and a small grassy area with pavers and a fire pit. And a creek behind that. There is some grass on the sides and front, but not enough for a small football or soccer field like our current yard. I’ll have to go back and see exactly where the lot line are to see if there’s enough to at least set up a soccer goal or two to play a mini game.





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mackmama]

I'd definitely want a pool in your situation. Upkeep isn't hard, and it's such a great way to keep kids entertained and host friends. Is there a park or school nearby for soccer etc?

[DualvansMommy]

For me it would really depend how close would you be to a pool with membership? If it’s more than 20 mins then I can see the benefit of having a pool on your property.

I don’t live in the Midwest but in an area where it’s definitely 4 seasons with snowy winter most years. I also belong to a CC with a pool 20 mins away and going to join my town’s pool as a member as it’s only 5 mins away with instant play dates and hangouts for my kids. Several moms I know are members there, despite the fact having a pool in their backyard. They joined for the social aspect which is a big draw for me. We’re on 1 acre lot so have room to put in a pool, and have talked about putting a pool in when my boys are bit older. But now reconsidering since DS1 is becoming really into soccer those days and loves being in my backyard playing with proper goals and a ball. If we put in a pool, we lose a good amount of greens to make space for it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[mmsmom]

We recently bought a house with a pool. We are not in the Midwest but do have 4 seasons. We swam until October and will probably be able to swim again April/May. We were not looking for a pool but I love having it. It is salt water, newer and completely automated so there is very little work. The age and type of pool and equipment will determine the work/expense needed. We did have a separate pool inspection before we bought the house.

We keep the pool open year round as winters are typically mild. We did heat it last weekend for DS’s Bday so he and his friends could swim. I don’t anticipate doing that often though. There is also a hot tub portion that we can heat and use separately.

We do not have much yard space however there is a large park in our neighborhood. It is also not a substitute for joining a pool for us. Our neighborhood pool is a 2 minute walk away and the kids love going there too and will do swim team there.

We also had a large lot before (4 acres) but were not in a neighborhood. My kids love being in a neighborhood and being able to ride bikes to friends houses or the park. They do not miss the yard at all and love having a pool. A lot of the playing seems to be in the culdesacs or at the park.

So I would say whether or not you would miss the yard would depend on what the setting is like and if there is a park close by.

[magnoliaparadise]

Ooooooh I am following.

No real advice, but we were JUST about to buy a house with a pool and didn't (for other reasons). I hadn't been looking for a pool, but now of course, am hooked, UGH!

My friend who just put in a pool in our town (we are four seasons) told me absolutely not to. He said it was a ton of money and he wouldn't do it again. But of course, I'm not listening to him at this moment and just looking at how fun it looks. :)

The house we were going to buy had a really old pool (like 40 years old, maybe more) and it was kind of ugly (just pavement, a bit cracked up, and the tiles were really old fashioned). So... I think I might have ended up spending a lot on that pool renovation anyway. That being said, pools are so much fun over the summer and a NEW pool especially would be AWESOME!!!! My kids would LOVE to have one and invite their friends over!!!!

[ourbabygirl]

Just wanted to come back and add that we priced out a pool with our last house (midwest)... it was more of an executive home and lot (4 acres; mature trees, across from a golf course)... We didn't want to stay in that house because it was too much space and too much yard to take care of (and almost no kids nearby to play with), but if we would've stayed into retirement, it would've been great to have a pool. Anyhow, when I priced it out last summer with three different companies, it was $40-50K minimum (to get city permits, dig and install it, plus put in a fence, concrete sidewalk around it, redo/ install minimal landscaping, etc.). Of course, the price can go way up with a slide, water features, etc. Automatic pool cover was like $10K I think... etc.
Anyhow, point is that putting in a pool is pretty pricey (often not possible/worth it), but if you can find a house you like that already has a pool, it's definitely more financially smart.
Last summer we went to look at a house with a pool in our price range in our (really good) school district. Unfinished basement, house wasn't updated since it was built in the 80's, etc., etc., but it had multiple offers the first weekend it was on the market, as everyone was after that pool (for the price point).

I would definitely plan to heat it quite a bit in our climate... maybe ask friends/ neighbors in the area with pools what they pay on heating each year. And it helps if the house faces south or west... we put in a pool when I was in 5th grade (older siblings were in middle and high school by then, so unfortunately, we missed the window of most useful time to have it), and my parents never heated it because it was so expensive. Unfortunately, the back yard faced north, so we rarely swam in it because it just wasn't that warm.

[mmsmom]

Just wanted to come back and add that we priced out a pool with our last house (midwest)... it was more of an executive home and lot (4 acres; mature trees, across from a golf course)... We didn't want to stay in that house because it was too much space and too much yard to take care of (and almost no kids nearby to play with), but if we would've stayed into retirement, it would've been great to have a pool. Anyhow, when I priced it out last summer with three different companies, it was $40-50K minimum (to get city permits, dig and install it, plus put in a fence, concrete sidewalk around it, redo/ install minimal landscaping, etc.). Of course, the price can go way up with a slide, water features, etc. Automatic pool cover was like $10K I think... etc.
Anyhow, point is that putting in a pool is pretty pricey (often not possible/worth it), but if you can find a house you like that already has a pool, it's definitely more financially smart.
Last summer we went to look at a house with a pool in our price range in our (really good) school district. Unfinished basement, house wasn't updated since it was built in the 80's, etc., etc., but it had multiple offers the first weekend it was on the market, as everyone was after that pool (for the price point).

I would definitely plan to heat it quite a bit in our climate... maybe ask friends/ neighbors in the area with pools what they pay on heating each year. And it helps if the house faces south or west... we put in a pool when I was in 5th grade (older siblings were in middle and high school by then, so unfortunately, we missed the window of most useful time to have it), and my parents never heated it because it was so expensive. Unfortunately, the back yard faced north, so we rarely swam in it because it just wasn't that warm.

I have said many times that I would have never gone through the hassle and expense of building a pool myself but since someone else went through that I will gladly take it! The rule of thumb here is that you will get 50% of the cost of the pool back when you sell the house. I know this varies by area.

[123LuckyMom]

I think your kids will love having a pool as long as there’s some place for them to build snow creatures and have snow play in the winter. That doesn’t require a big yard. Having a pool in the summer is great! We don’t have one at our house, and I’m glad, because I don’t want the expense, and here, the pool is a limiting feature for resale. My mother’s vacation home in our town does, though, and we use it often in the summer. If she ever sells that home, we might consider putting in a pool since we have plenty of room, but probably not. Here’s something to consider. Is there a popular public pool in your town? In ours, there is, and that’s where all the kids, even the ones with their own pools, tend to congregate in the summer. We have trouble getting kids to come to us to use the pool, because everyone wants to be at the public pool. My kids prefer to be in their own space with their own bathrooms, food, toys, etc., and I far prefer to read my kindle in peace than to have to be part of the public hubbub, so we don’t have a public pool membership. It does mean, though, that the pool is almost a detriment to their social lives in summer rather than a boon. It’s something to consider.


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87652)

[twowhat?]

Not in your situation (we live where you can use the pool for a solid 6 months out of the year) but you mentioned swim team...how big is this pool? Big/deep enough to swim laps? Otherwise, it's just a play pool.

I will say that even though we live close to many community pools, there is something to be said for being able to just walk straight out and into the pool and not have to pack towels, or even change (haha) - my kids will often walk in the door from school on a hot day, shed their shoes, and go straight into the pool in all of their clothes.

[jgenie]

We’re just outside NYC and put in a pool when we moved in. It is expensive but such a nice luxury. When my guys were little, I would plan an activity for the morning and end our days in the pool. Now that they are older, I love how easy it is to have play dates outside. Swim and order a pizza - so easy. I keep it simple pizza or sandwiches and we’re done.