Build pool or move?

[mom2binsd]

It’s also expensive to maintain one. Research those expenses and keep them in mind if you decide to build.

To answer your question, in your situation it depends on a lot of factors. How well do you like your own house and neighborhood? How available are other houses you admire with pools? Are you ready for the hassle of playing the real estate game? If you buy a house with a pool, will you look back and wish the pool and house were your design? Would it be cheaper to build your own pool with your current house than to buy a different house with a pool and renovate them both?

I never would have believed it and our friends without pools don’t either but, we have found, like anything else (backyard trampoline, basketball court, etc.), the novelty of a pool wears off after some time. We built our pool in 2014 and for the last 2 years our kids don’t spontaneously use it. We have an inground, heated pool with a beautiful cement pool deck. It’s at the same level as our kitchen- you walk straight out of the kitchen to the deck. I have an outdoor “living room” with outdoor sofas and love seats and chaise longues. It’s easily accessible and very comfortable. But the only time now the kids use the pool area is when we schedule friends to come over. It’s been frustrating for Dh and I. I will say, though, that when the kids’ friends are over (and throughout the summer I schedule pool parties at least once/week) it keeps them busy for hours. Other families come over and the kids head to the pool while the parents sit around watching the kids and chatting. It’s a great way to keep visiting kids of all ages busy. But it does require upkeep. Just some food for thought.

I have friends with pools and their experience is the opposite, their kids and the kids friends are always in the pool and hanging out (kids aged 12-18). The pool houses are the places to be for the kids around here!

[jerseygirl07067]

We were faced with the same dilemma 4 years ago. We wanted to upsize into a larger house with a pool. However I did not like the idea of the mortgage that would come along with it, and knowing it would be a financial stretch for us. We bought our house in 2002 before the rapid rise/fall/now rising again home values. So when we started looking, we realized that prices had come up considerably in a lot of the houses we looked at or were dated, on a less desirable lot, etc.

We factored in closing costs, cost of moving, realtor fees, etc. This was already at at least 25k. 25k that would be of no direct benefit to us. We got quotes from several pool builders, and spoke with realtors who said that in our area having a pool increases your listing price by 10%.

Now I do live in Florida where pools can get used 10 months out of the year (probably the full year actually, but Floridians are wimps and put jackets on when it's below 70 degrees ). I do believe that pool construction is way less expensive here as I have spoken to friends in other parts of the country and it seems like it is double there. We had a custom pool built for 43k. It was actually an extremely easy process. We met with about six or seven pool builders and the more we met with the more we realized what we wanted. They customized everything for us, we even had to apply for a variance so we could build a pool closer to a certain part of our property line. Once everything was finalized to begin it was so fun for us to step back and let the pool builder do their thing! Every few days there was a different person out there doing something. It took about 12 weeks and our pool came out beautiful! It has significantly increased our entertaining space and we also added a larger deck which has helped with that immensely.

I'm so glad we decided to stay in our smaller, less expensive home on a great lot and just add the pool. But then again if it was double the price for a pool I might consider doing something different.

Good luck with your decision! One other thing to consider as I don't know the ages of your children. By the time you find a house, go through the hassle of moving, and get your house the way you want it, how old will your kids be? I have 2 in high school so for us that factored heavily. I didnt want to go through all the hassle and expense of moving, and have only 4 or 5 years left before they went to college. Maybe if they were much younger I would have thought differently!

[TwinFoxes]

I have friends with pools and their experience is the opposite, their kids and the kids friends are always in the pool and hanging out (kids aged 12-18). The pool houses are the places to be for the kids around here!

Pools aren't common here (unlike where I grew up) so I just have one friend with a pool. Her teenager uses it often, and my friend and her DH use it too.

[SnuggleBuggles]

With regards to whether a pool would become the social spot or not... I’m sure some houses are just better to hang out at regardless of amenities. Parents that don’t hover, more “private” areas to be together, better snacks, no meddling siblings , more convenient location...who knows.


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains

[arivecchi]

We were faced with the same dilemma 4 years ago. We wanted to upsize into a larger house with a pool. However I did not like the idea of the mortgage that would come along with it, and knowing it would be a financial stretch for us. We bought our house in 2002 before the rapid rise/fall/now rising again home values. So when we started looking, we realized that prices had come up considerably in a lot of the houses we looked at or were dated, on a less desirable lot, etc.

We factored in closing costs, cost of moving, realtor fees, etc. This was already at at least 25k. 25k that would be of no direct benefit to us. We got quotes from several pool builders, and spoke with realtors who said that in our area having a pool increases your listing price by 10%.

Now I do live in Florida where pools can get used 10 months out of the year (probably the full year actually, but Floridians are wimps and put jackets on when it's below 70 degrees ). I do believe that pool construction is way less expensive here as I have spoken to friends in other parts of the country and it seems like it is double there. We had a custom pool built for 43k. It was actually an extremely easy process. We met with about six or seven pool builders and the more we met with the more we realized what we wanted. They customized everything for us, we even had to apply for a variance so we could build a pool closer to a certain part of our property line. Once everything was finalized to begin it was so fun for us to step back and let the pool builder do their thing! Every few days there was a different person out there doing something. It took about 12 weeks and our pool came out beautiful! It has significantly increased our entertaining space and we also added a larger deck which has helped with that immensely.

I'm so glad we decided to stay in our smaller, less expensive home on a great lot and just add the pool. But then again if it was double the price for a pool I might consider doing something different.

Good luck with your decision! One other thing to consider as I don't know the ages of your children. By the time you find a house, go through the hassle of moving, and get your house the way you want it, how old will your kids be? I have 2 in high school so for us that factored heavily. I didnt want to go through all the hassle and expense of moving, and have only 4 or 5 years left before they went to college. Maybe if they were much younger I would have thought differently!

Wow that is cheap! Here the cheapest quote I got was $65 just for the hole. The cover is another $15. I’m sure landscaping and the decking would push it well over $100k. My kids are 10 and 12 so we still have plenty of time and TBH then bigger child (hubby) would probably be the biggest user! Housing prices are depressed here so we can get a lot more house for not much more money.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[khm]

Wow that is cheap! Here the cheapest quote I got was $65 just for the hole. The cover is another $15. I’m sure landscaping and the decking would push it well over $100k. My kids are 10 and 12 so we still have plenty of time and TBH then bigger child (hubby) would probably be the biggest user! Housing prices are depressed here so we can get a lot more house for not much more money.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is your selling price is also depressed though?

I'd be torn for sure! Both have their own annoyances (construction, moving, etc.)

Can you get a preliminary design worked up, just to really see what it'll look like to put one in on your particular site?

Your quotes do sound really high though!! I have two friends who have put in pools recently, and the prices are no where near that (midwest). It is all so regional.

I'd also really really keep an eye on the market in case the right house pops up. It's just hard to say until there are two actual properties to compare!

[mom2binsd]

We had friends put in a pool, granted we are a not a HCOL as you, but only 2 hours away and that quote seems crazy high, unless you were designing a fancy pool.

The best pools we have been to are the biggest you can afford/fit on the lot, simple designs (I don't get the tanning ledge TBH, sit on a lounge chair on the deck, hop in when you get hot or lounge on a blow up). The Grotto's, again not a good use of space. You can do a simple but nice surround, just get a material that doesn't get super hot. While the automatic covers are nice, they are not necessary. A heater in your climate is really a must and will expand the season a LOT! Our friends swim late in Oct and begin in April. Picking the right color pool also helps to heat the water.

[gatorsmom]

I have friends with pools and their experience is the opposite, their kids and the kids friends are always in the pool and hanging out (kids aged 12-18). The pool houses are the places to be for the kids around here!

I should have been more clear. The novelty has worn off for MY KIDS. They don’t use the pool all that often of their own volition. However, friends coming over always bring a swimsuit, even if my kids weren’t planning on swimming. When the friends come over, that’s when the pool gets opened.

I could also add that because we have a glass pool dome, we can use our pool year round, not just in the summer. Year-round access could make the pool bit “old-hat” too for our kids.

[mmsmom]

I don’t think the $65k price is high at all. Previous owners of our house paid $90k for average size salt water pool w/ hot tub, pavers for decking, fire pit, landscaping and built in grill area. In the Southeast. Very small backyard. But I have no idea what yard was like before so maybe there was a lot of grading involved.

[essnce629]

I think you should move, since you want a better house. If you were just moving for the pool, I'd suggest building.

I do wonder, are the pools in the neighborhood older, like they were built years ago? I would wonder if they have the latest features (not even knowing what those features are!) Maybe get the scoop on what pools are like in your preferred neighborhood. See if they're to your liking. It would suck to move, and find out the pools were meh.

I agree with this as well! Since you want a better house also, try and find a nicer house with a pool.

I will say that finding a house with a pool you like may also be an issue. We thought about moving a few years ago when DH was commuting super far away for work. We're in a crazy HCOL area and even with our current house having doubled in value from when we bought it, the houses we could afford now are actually smaller and older than what we already have and with those houses, most didn't have a pool, and those that did had old pools that were not anything that I would choose if I was designing my own. Also, all the new bigger nicer houses that are being built in our neighborhood are on tiny lots that they are using almost exclusively to build a much bigger house so even though they all have pools they are really small and basic.

We put in a pool 2 years ago and it has been a great decision. Once we decided we weren't moving, we decided to put in the pool, BUT a large portion of our pool was paid for by DH's parents. If we had to pay for it all ourselves we wouldn't have done it. We ended up signing our contract for $65,670. That was for the pool and spa only. In the end we needed all new fencing on 3/4 of our yard and ended up putting in artificial turf as well. We went with 8 foot tall privacy fencing and a high quality turf that doesn't get as hot, so we ended up with significantly higher costs in the end. I think our final costs were a little over $85k. The pluses of putting in your own pool is that you get to design it all yourself. I did a ton of research on here and the Trouble Free Pool forums. I did the entire pool design myself (down to drawing it to scale on graph paper) and handed it to our builder. I was able to pick exactly what coping, tile, pool equipment, and upgraded pool finish that I wanted. I got to design an oversized jacuzzi that gets a ton of use year round (mostly by me)! I got to put in sitting and standing ledges exactly where I wanted them and umbrella holders based on how the sun sets on my yard. I would have none of this if we had just bought a house with a pool. Was it hectic, yes! Every decision was made by me, including interviewing all 6 pool builders, plus fencing and turf companies. I lived and breathed pool info for many months up to and all the way through the build. Did problems pop up? Of course, but I'm sure they would if it was a kitchen remodel or a pool build. Would I do it all over again? YES!