1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

pool or no pool

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by txsportsscribe, Sep 1, 2011.

  1. Dyno

    Dyno Well-Known Member

    We had an inground pool when I was growing up. I think every house on our street did, now that I think about it. The only community pools nearby weren't very nice. The pool wasn't heated (I grew up outside of NYC) and I don't remember it ever being so cold that I couldn't go in. My parents eventually filled it in after I moved out after college. I have such fond memories of all the fun I had in that pool. I can't speak to the costs and my dad was very handy so when there were problems with the filter or anything else, he was able fix it himself. I say go for it.
     
  2. trifectarich

    trifectarich Well-Known Member

    The price for chemicals for the newest in-ground pools is negligible; you can do it, on average, for less than $30 per month. (There are no more jugs of chlorine for the newest pools; now you buy a 40-pound bag of salt for about $8.) Time for cleaning: 45 minutes a week.

    In North Texas, where it's hotter than hell for six months, go for it if you'll use it.
     
  3. qtlaw

    qtlaw Well-Known Member

    I remember my dad always telling me that the option to put a pool in was worth more than the pool.

    A pool would be great but the costs are high and where we live (here in Cal.), the private pools and even public pools are very nice and much cheaper than having to pay for upkeep, etc.
     
  4. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    Especially Poindexter... :)
     
  5. Turtle Wexler

    Turtle Wexler Member

    If I want a pool, I'll join the Y.

    For me, it's not worth the time, money, liability and safety concerns. Plus, my husband doesn't swim.

    But do some research on what it takes to fill in a pool if you don't want it anymore. It can run up to $8,000, you may need to get a permit to do the work, and then let the county registrar or assessor know that the house no longer has a pool.
     
  6. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    North Texas (I'm in Arlington) has been a bitch this summer, and a pool sounds good. We use a neighbor's a good bit, but it's not as refreshing as you'd think. It's like a nice warm bath this time of the year. You have to wait until the sun's going down and the wind's kicking up, and then you can cool off ... you get out and let the (relatively) dry wind blow over you. It actually feels cold. Still, April through June and September and October, a pool's nice. You can always do some cheapie DIY solar collectors, too, to add a month or so on either end of the season.

    Unless you're handy, though, better sock away a few hundred dollars specifically for emergency pool repairs. I fix my neighbor's, but without me he'd probably spend hundreds every year just for piddly little fixes.
     
  7. txsportsscribe

    txsportsscribe Active Member

    well the decision was made for me - the house is under contract to another buyer. i wasn't willing to get in a bidding war. the two other houses on my finalist list don't have pools so i'll probably just get a hot tub.
     
  8. Sam Mills 51

    Sam Mills 51 Well-Known Member

    No, no, no, no, no, no, no. If another house with a pool emerges, just say no.

    Growing up, we moved into a house with a pool in my early teens. Fun if you're a kid, sure, but for adults, it's a time and money hole. As Turtle also stated, there's safety and liability concerns.

    It will get old skimming the pool, cleaning the gunk out of the basket, vacuuming it, offseason maintenance, fishing copperheads out of it - true story - and fishing little snakes out of the basket. Oh yeah ... make the pH is correct - assuming this is a chlorinated pool and not salt water - and the chlorine levels and make sure you backwash the crap out of the pump and filter.

    In summary, a lot more work than it's worth. And it's polarizing in terms of real estate value. For those who want a pool, it's a huge selling point. Conversely, it's a serious dealbreaker for those who don't swim or just don't want to bother with a pool.
     
  9. Dyno

    Dyno Well-Known Member

    I think of hot tubs as cesspools of bacteria, so while I voted yes on the pool, I'd vote no on a hot tub.
     
  10. BurnsWhenIPee

    BurnsWhenIPee Well-Known Member

    The insurance and liability would be enough to turn me off. I've got a buddy who's a State Farm agent, and he told me a few years back what the difference is between policies on properties with and without pools. I don't remember the exact amount, but it was staggering. Increased liability coverage, plus a required umbrella policy, plus making sure you had things like fences with locks around the pool deck area, proper lighting, etc.

    And even with all that, he said there are dozens and dozens of cases on the books where someone would climb the fence and swim in the pool (often drunk) without the owners' permission when they were not home or out of town, slip and hit their head and/or drown, and the owners - despite doing everything asked of them and doing nothing wrong - would be on the hook for a 7-figure settlement.

    I know it's not a question in this thread anymore, but I think the potential downside and constant worry would far outweigh the benefits.
     
  11. Turtle Wexler

    Turtle Wexler Member

    BWIP, that's exactly the kind of stuff I'm worried about. Unauthorized access by neighbors, or if we had guests with children I would be a nervous wreck.

    Our city doesn't require fences, locks, etc., which in my mind makes it worse.
     
  12. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    As usual, you guessed wrong.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2015
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page