Swimming Pool

[rodaniel]

I know it may seem contrary to the whole "frugal" nature of Wise Bread, but bear with me.

My wife & I are masters of a great many dollar-stretching tricks, are really striving for greener & simpler lifestyle choices, and generally do very well with limiting unnecessary purchases. We carpool in older vehicles, trade clothes (mostly for our toddler) with friends, and so forth to try to be frugal. So, since we've done well in trimming and saving well in other areas, we're kinda considering a fairly big-time addition to our house - a swimming pool.

(Note that I'm well aware that because of it's location, we cannot recoup more than a fraction of the expense of something like this with the eventual sale of our home. Not only do we not intend to sell anytime soon, but we've may have already put more into the house than we can hope to get back. But we've made improvments along the way for our own sakes first, and property resale value second. Our house, a.k.a. the 2Dolphins Resort & Spa was a very modest-sized fixer-upper and we've done lots of little upgrades over the past dozen or so years.)

So, here's the crux of it: I have no experience with this sort of thing whatsoever. I'm hoping some of you might be able to offer some pointers on the kinds of questions to ask, points to consider, pros & cons... In essence, what do I need to know before diving into this swimming pool thing? And if there are those who feel I'll regret the expense in the long run, I'd sure love to hear those views as well.

Rob

[Booksalemanager]

Installing a swimming pool (either above groud or below) is a time commitment. Unless your willing to pay a pool cleaner, you will need to keep it clean which can get tiresome after a while if you dont use the pool as much as intended.

Since your in TX it may be used quite a bit. When Growing up in IL we had one and only used it 3 months out of the year.

One good starting place may be going to a pool store. They may be able to give you specific information to your climate and local laws. (some areas don't allow underground pools without permits) Don't by the first day you go so you can think about it since it is a commitment to tearing up your yard to install it.

It also cant hurt to go to a couple pool stores if there are several around. You might find one willing to give you a good deal on a package (since summer is 1/2 way over)

[starshard0]

I think a pool could certainly serve as an investment if you get enjoyment out of it. I would gladly install a pool if it meant I wouldn't spend money on other things throughout the year.

[rodaniel]

Hey Marlinark, can ya expand upon that a bit?

Yeah BSM, here in West Texas, I think we could probably get a solid 5-6 months of continued use. Maybe even a dab more...

[Xin Lu]

A swimming pool could also affect your home insurance rate in some places. Some cities also have laws that you have to install a fence if you have small children. In some places in California they restrict the water usage, too. So I think you should research the regulations in your area before diving into it. It could be more trouble than it's worth.