Anyone has a second thought on their pool's size?
Comments (13)
awoodwaring
11 years agojerseypool
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Has anyone had 'second thoughts' about building?
Comments (17)We actually did both things you mentioned: built a house and remodeled an existing home. The decision to build turned out to be a good one, not only because the house turned out very well but also because we now live on a lake, so our home is an incredible sanctuary for us. I will say, however, that our new 2500 sq ft house with some "bells and whistles" (i.e. beautiful wood flooring, multiple showroom bathrooms, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and 72 different species of plants in the landscape) is a lot more work than our previous house. My DW scoffs at idea of how various things were supposed to be "low maintenance." It takes the two of us four hours just to superficially clean this beast. Even though the process of building the home went well and brought the two of us closer as a result of the new-found respect we had for each other, it was mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausting (even though we had a contractor build it for us). And both of us were in our 40s. It would have been less stressful if I hadn't been the GC, but the additional cost would have been an even bigger stressor. Fortunately, our old house was only twenty minutes away - we didn't have to uproot ourselves from the community, learn a whole new city, re-establish ourselves, etc. I can't imagine what that would have been like. Remodeling, on the other hand, was a very unpleasant experience and caused a lot of arguments between us. You would think with our previous building experience that it would have gone smoothly, but remodeling is a whole different animal. You are constrained by the often dysfunctional floor plan of the original builder and are continually at the effect of shoddy materials, poor planning, or just outright stupidity. You have to put up with things you don't like because the cost of changing them, like a horribly colored fireplace, is prohibitive. And it is harder to control costs because you don't know what lies behind the next piece of crumbling floor board... or unyielding clipboard of the local county bureaucrat. We were mandated to put in sidewalks/gutters, widen the road, and put in $13K of landscaping just to bring the property in line with local statues. This was after a county planning meeting where we were told (prior to buying the property) that code compliance costs would be "minimal". In the end, I think the most important thing is to discover what is the essential, core experience you want to have in your retirement years. Is it new experiences, intimate time with each other and/or family, spiritual growth, or a unique combination of things? Once you find this "touchstone," it should be easier to decide if building a house really fits in with what is most important to you....See MoreSize of pool?
Comments (14)we put in a 16x34 last summer. it was supposed to be a 16x36 with a diving board but we have a sloped yard and hit standing water at 7.5ft. we were concerned it would be too small but it was fine since it is a rectangle. we started out looking at a kidney but 16x32 kidney seemed tiny. when we had to scale down from 36' only the shallow end shrunk but we still have 10' of shallow end (deep end is 7') i was originally concerned that it was too little shallow end but by the end of the summer, we were wishing for more deep end! our youngest is 9 is that helps. btw i would've killed for 20x40, that is huge!...See MoreHaving second thoughts about moving (long)
Comments (17)Some random thoughts... Re: the trees. Some maples are solid trees, some aren't as said so I'd get someone who knows trees to look at them. The real estate agent *can't* say anything against the house by obligation. They have a fiduciary obligation to the seller so never trust a real estate agent. They're out for the money. If they'll put it in writing that the trees are solid, fine, then they're responsible but of course they won't. Real estate agents rank very close to telemarketers IMO. Also, if you need to remove the trees, that can be rather costly. So be careful. However, again, they could be good trees and I'm a fan of trees. Re: the lawn. I like a big yard. If you're not too finicky, just get a riding mower and you can handle mowing. Or if you don't like it, hire it done or in the future you could hire someone. I've been hiring occasionally when I just can't handle it. Not very expensive and I find great value having distance between myself and the neighbors. Re: Standing water. Can be important or not. How much water? Can it be modified slightly to drain better? With the bottom of the outbuilding rotted it suggests an issue although that could depend on the age. Have you had an unusual amount of precipitation recently, snow and rain that would make this a fluke or is it normal amount of water? If it's normal, expect it. If it's going to pond water in the summer, you could have mosquito issues. What's the soil conditions? Sandy? Clay? If there's not very good drainage that would be a consideration. Re: the outbuilding. The owner saying it's good, well, that's a representation. If they don't make a disclosure you could have recourse against them if it turns out it's more rotted than you think. I might still have it inspected and do some negotiating that they misrepresented the place so they're not trustworthy. Are there any disclosures on the place about it, the drainage, etc? Re: Mailbox. You can buy a new mailbox for $10-$20 and up if the looks of the mailbox really bothers you. That wouldn't be a consideration to me nor would replacing the glass on the light fixture. That's petty cash expense. You'd spend more buying a piece of Tupperware than those two expenses combined! I wouldn't let that determine whether or not to buy a house. Re: Outside looks (brick, etc) To me, would see the inside of the house more than the outside so to me, the inside is more important. Much like I'm more concerned about holiday decorations *inside*, that I'll see, than outside. I'm not here to put on airs for others. Some people take a lot of pride in the outside looks of their houses and want it a certain way. If that's you, there's treatments for brick, even paint, which I dislike, but many like it. Options: Have sellers remove the trees, remove or repair the outbuilding or deduct from the price appropriately. As far as adding on... Are you going to get what the other house offers you, or a different house should you decide to keep looking? Remodeling can be expensive but doesn't have to be. If you can get what you want, and if you like where you live, then it's worth considering. Sit down and write out what you REALLY want in a house. Include room sizes, costs, payments if applicable, don't forget taxes, insurance, how close to shopping, doctors, recreation, etc. Then, see if the house you're looking at has it. How about the house you have? How does it compare? Then look at a few different modifications to the house. With it done, how would it compare? For me, an attached garage is a very important feature on a house so when I look for places, it really subtracts value if there's not at least a single attached garage. It helps if it would be able to be added easily. I've run across several places I really liked, but when I went home, sat down and looked at my priority list, well I haven't moved yet... Years ago I made a list of things I really like about my place and a list of things I really don't like, together with things I would like in a new place and might like. There's been things on other houses I've seen that impress me so I noted them. I know I'll never find "the perfect place" but it helps to evaluate different ones. And now as I'm getting older, accessibility is more and more important. But I try to keep it realistic. For instance a new place would be nice if it was one level living, however as long as there's the main rooms, a bathroom and a bedroom on the main floor, it would work for me. A place with all bedrooms and bathroom(s) upstairs would not. Also with looking at places I've seen some modifications to certain common style houses that were well done and really would work well for me. Maybe some of these would help you in your considerations. Kinda makes your head spin, I know. In most places, it's still more of a buyer's market so don't let a salesperson scam you. And keep in mind there's LOTS of houses for sale even if you don't get this one!...See MoreSecond built-in oven in butler's pantry- Thoughts?
Comments (6)Sounds like a great idea - I put my countertop convection oven in my pantry - not exactly a butler's pantry but it gives me one more cooking option - I failed to put on a second breaker - so if every light is on in the kitchen - pop - need sparky to come by to fix:-) In any case, I would make it a wall oven with a landing zone so you don't have to crawl on the floor to dig something out of the oven....See Morebrentr_gw
11 years agotruxtc102
11 years agotlvancouver
11 years agoWe have a 24 by 24 pool with a 6 foot by 24 foot tanning ledge (so the pool is about 18 by 24 including steps) - if you intend to heat it you will LOVE that it's not huge, and the tanning ledge really warms the water up for you.
truxtc102
11 years agomichelle_s_phxaz
11 years agobrentr_gw
11 years agotruxtc102, IMHO you should decide how you will use the pool 90% of the time and then go with a size. ( Like purchasing a house with that fourth bedroom just to house the inlaws who visit once every 2 years) We wanted a small pool because 90% the time it would only have 2-6 people in it. The wife had a total knee replacement so it was important for her to exercise in it. It was also important for us to be able to stand anywhere in our pool with a beverage in hand not have water over our head. We love to watch TV in 5-1 surround sound while soaking in the pool, the car races and football is taken to another level. Small pools have many advantages and disadvantages.
Some advantages are less water it takes so cost is less, less chemicals needed, less maintenance( it takes me 3 mins to brush my pool), we keep the pool at 90 degrees so heating time with solar and heat pump is less, one person can put and take off the pool cover.
Of course if money is no object then please put in the biggest pool and pay someone to maintain it if it begins to be a burden for you.
We entertain almost every weekend so space around the pool and a summer kitchen etc was very important for us. I am including some picsPlaying modified Volley Ball
Here is 25 people in our pool ages 2-75 years and there is plenty of room for more.
Hope this helps and please post pics of your pool build. We are very excited for you and your family.
PS. Before the contractor came out we outlined our pool with stakes and string and places chairs and tables all over the yard to simulate what the final pool will look and feel like. We did this for a weekend and went out at night and various times of the day when the sun was out to see what was expected.tlvancouver
11 years agoThanks for your nice comments, I should put some actual photos up :)
I agree with brentr, really think about what you want most of the time. We have teenage girls and they love to soak, play volleyball etc., we knew they wouldn't be diving etc. for long (and could go to friends/community pool if they needed to). We wanted low maintenance with "rooms" meaning we can sit in or on the water and lounge, while someone is floating and the girls are playing volleyball. The increase in cost to heat with depth and volume is significant.
truxtc102
11 years agoBrent, what is the size of your pool? I like the way you fence it up and make it enclosed! Thanks for the advise guys! I wanted just a play pool with some lap swimming to begin with. I'm the budget kind of girl and it is very hard for me to go over what I intended to spend on whether I have 'extra' or not..lol...It should be around 35 feet long and 20 feet wide at the widest with 6by20 for a tanning ledge for the kids. As I already go over what I intended to spend on and more, I have decided to use our neighborhood's pool to swim laps if I ever yarn for that space. Seriously, our HOA's pool is a walking distance from our house...lol...here is some pictures of the expected pool minus the add on minor details that I'm planning to have. My yard does have some other trees that are not shown in the pictures but it shouldn't be a big deal..
Picture only show one part of the yard...and I'm planning to put in a pool side gazebo on the other side..
brentr_gw
11 years agoOur pool is basically 10 x 20 ft. It is 13.5Ft or so at the widest part where the 2 benches are. The raised part around the pool are special concrete footers which is necessary for placement of the screen cage required in Florida. The screen is expected to withstand winds in excess od 130mph. On the opposite end is the summer kitchen and a Florida room.
truxtc102
11 years ago
Rob F.