I'm closer to the Austin area, but figured it was worth answering. Our swim season is from about April to October, with high frequency from May to September, the outlying months are for my crazy kids and their friends. This is obviously variable by winter highs/lows, we had a mild winter this year so got in sooner. No heater, though we have a hot tub that is used year round (remote, not connected to the pool).

Maintenance is very simple for us: check chemistry every so often (a 2 minute job) then fix whatever needs fixing, usually just dumping in a gallon of acid (30 second job). Brush the sunshelf a few times a week, check the skimmers (together maybe 10 minutes).

My biggest time is spent in vacuuming, which most people probably do not do regularly; we have bar stools and the automatic cleaners can't get around them, so about once a week I vacuum that area, the cleaner actually sweeps it into a fairly nice little pile so it isn't a huge deal (30 minutes or so).

Add it all up and it's less than an hour every week. Pretty good ratio of fun/work there if you ask me, considering my kids and their friends (an average of 15 kids per week) get MANY hours of fun per week, then average in dh and I's time out there just enjoying our morning coffee, etc.

About once per month I get in there with a mask and goggles and vacuum thoroughly, but I don't pretend to be normal, and this is not necessary, I just like REALLY clean pools. This takes maybe an hour per month, and I clearly don't do it unless the water is a reasonable temp, usually just June-August.

During the windy season (which may not happen in Houston??), I spend some time scooping leaves from the top, that's fairly time intensive for those few days in Fall, but that's optional, you could leave the leaves for the skimmers and cleaner if you'd like, it just appeals to my OCD tendencies to skim them off the top.

To answer your question literally, MY dh does none of these things except checking water chemistry and pouring in acid, I do the rest (by choice, I find pool cleaning strangely satisfying).

I spend tons more time on my plants than I do my pool.

I also find it super easy, one the order of 1-hour a week, and not so terribly expensive. I am not quite as meticulous as nanhsot though! :-)

Keep this phrase in mind, too: You don't HAVE to do pool chores, you GET to do pool chores. I tell this to my teenage son all the time.

As long as you keep your pool in balance it doesn't take long at all. You check to make sure it is balanced every few days to once a week. I brush it down about once a week. Have a pool vac that I run about twice a week and add chemicals. I have a filter that I clean about once every other week unless needed before.

I live in SW FL and our swimming is from Apr to Oct also. April and October is pretty cold but kids don't seem to mind. I don't have a heater and did have solar but didn't seem to do that much because I had the panels on the west side as I didn't want them on the front of house and the hurricane in 04 blew them off. Didn't replace.

Pools definitely require maintenance, but it's pretty low-key and actually pretty enjoyable because it gives you an excuse to be pool-side :-) Our maintenance is about what the others mentioned- check chlorine and PH every 3 days (takes a few minutes), dump the skimmers every 3 days (a few minutes), brush the pool down at least once a week (maybe 10 minutes), clean the pool cleaner bag out and clean out the pump basket about once a week (10 minutes), run a full chemical check every 2 weeks (10 minutes), add acid as needed (we have an SWG, so acid is about all we need to add), clean the filters every 2 or 3 months (about 45 minutes). I visually check the pool every morning and every evening just to make sure nothing strange is going on (algae bloom, cleaner cord kinked, toy left in pool, etc.) You quickly learn what it means when you hear people say you're either a "pool person" or you're not a pool person! You've got to enjoy tinkering with the pool or it could get old really quick. It becomes an integral part of your life for better or worse.

Thanks all! I'm usually doing a daily run thru the landscaping anyway so most of the daily stuff will probably fit in fairly comfortably & DH can take on the weekly or longer stuff.

What about the sealing & coating stuff that I am reading - is that just for cement decking? We really like the tiled look, but that will probably require applying a sealant to the grout annually right?

We are planning on a SWG pool so it sounds like that's a little tougher on some surfaces than others - any idea which ones? Much as I want it to look good, this pool will have to be as high on durability & as low on maintenance as we can get it!

We have exposed aggregate concrete decking, there's no need to seal concrete unless you're looking for a different look. There is a lot of controversy about whether or not SWGs are hard on materials. There have been some problems with flagstone copings that may or may not have been the result of SWG systems. Some PBs will not warrant stone coping with an SWG system because of this.

I actually like the look of exposed aggregate anyway. I'm glad to hear that it doesn't have to be sealed.

Do you have to do anything for the tile at your waterline other than - I assume - scrubbing it with the brush when you do the rest of the pool? I really do like the look of tile at the waterline.

Just remember that exposed aggregate is hard on the feet and gets pretty hot. I have sensitive feet and it hurts me to walk on the stuff. Spray deck is a popular choice, because it feels so much nicer on the feet and doesn't get as hot.

That's good to know - but doesn't spray deck have to be sealed?