If you are worried about the cons of maintaining or actual use… maybe do a large hot tub! we could fit 17 people comfortably so it felt like a small pool. Big enough to wade and swim in but also so nice to relax in- way less maintenance and we barely used our pool side. Just a thought!

This was about the size/style of our jacuzzi- i don’t miss having a pool but i sure do miss having a smaller scale of maintenance aspect that served both purposes!

Thanks for these ideas! I really appreciate it.

You don’t mention if you have kids at home or access to a community pool, or the climate in which you live. Those are all big factors that affect the pros and cons. Along with the significant issues of cost and effort to install and maintain.

If you don’t like maintenance you will need to factor in a pool service. maintenance is easy if you read up on it. will you use it enough to justify cost? dont expect it to add value, some buyers wont want it. and some areas it doesnt add and some it does. property tax will increase. where i live, a pool is expected and design and function really matter. we designed ours to meet our needs but also potential buyers needs.its a lot of money if you dont use it.

I'm from Los Angeles, and I do have two kids. That's why I'm thinking of having a pool for my kids to enjoy.

A pool in LA will probably be in the $150,000 range. We used to live in LA and had young kids when we moved there. We though about a pool, but decided against it. We had a nice Country Club a few miles away that also offered summer pool memberships. The kids preferred the huge pool and playing with the others kids there.

We also had a neighbor with a pool and kids. One of my sons was good friends with one of their kids. My son usually got invited to swim over there, when they used their pool ... and they barely used their pool a few days each summer. I guess they weren't pool people.

I used to walk/hike the trails in our town, many of which run behind homes, and I rarely saw/heard anyone using their pools, even on the weekends. Most families with kids are busy with sports all weekend and weekday evenings.

So ask yourselves, are you a pool family? Do you all really like the water? How much will you really use a pool? That $150K could buy you many years of membership at a Club and some vacations!

We retired and built in FL. We did add a pool, because it is expected in our area. I call it a very expensive water feature and we only use it a few days per year. We just aren't pool people!

Do you have trees/plants that drop leaves and other debris? Like cottonwoods have blizzards of fluff an maples have red shag and helicopters. Conifers drop less, needles and cones. If so, that is something to consider.

I had a pool installed a few years ago, finished right before covid started. I love it! We use it 8-9 months of the year, and the hot tub year round.

DH handles the chemical side and I handle the cleaning. For the most part I really like cleaning the pool- brushing and using the net. It's sort of my zen alone time.

As long as you have some kind of cleaner on a schedule, it's not bad. I get pollen in the spring for a couple weeks, and pine needles in the fall, but the rest of the year it's easy enough.

We downloaded an app to use for the chemicals and it tells you what is needed and how much.

1-2 times a year we have the filter serviced and cleaned out.

Perfect size!!! Love it

Hi Kassandra - I am currently in the process of a massive renovation project in Los Angeles and we are including a smaller plunge pool (we're on a hillside, so are limited in available space). One thing I've learned is that pool projects under a certain size (I think it's 250 sq feet) don't require a permit in LA, which is kind of huge given the permit costs and time. That said, the inspections give you some oversight into the quality of work performed. Just thought I'd throw that out there! Best of luck!

If your kids are good swimmers, it’s fun to have a pool. Easier to swim for an hour than if you have to pack up and go elsewhere. If they are young and not water safe, be aware of the very real danger involved. Yes, they will learn eventually. But in the interim you may need additional safety measures.
There are pluses and minuses as they get older. It’s great for them to have friends over and know where your kids are and what they’re doing. It also puts you in the position of being the sole lifeguard/babysitter/chaperone. Lots of trade offs!

Do it for you, family and friends. Exercis - fun - relaxation - cooloff.. I've had vinyl, gunite and now fiberglass... hands down fiberglass easiest to maintain whether you do it yourself or not. And the BIG plus is the ionizer system vs salt or chlorine. Ionizer floater too... no need for chlorine. The only thing I don't like about my pool is the frogs in the skimmer! I hate frogs!

We have a pool at our house in the desert..where we spend the winters…never get in it..but the humidity it adds to the dry air is worth whatever it takes to have it…another thing to benefit the enjoyment of a pool is locating it where you will have poolside shade for a relaxing seating area in the hottest part of the day..and adding green plantings to relieve the unappealing concrete elements….nothing better than a siesta in the hammock

We moved to Southern California when my kids were in elementary school. We didn’t put a pool in because my husband’s employer told him he’d only be there a year. We were there for 6 years and and to this day I wish we’d put that pool in. They were at the perfect ages for our family to enjoy it. When we then moved to El Paso we did put the pool in but by then they were in middle/high school and I was the only one who regularly used it.

You lived in hotter than heck TX with teens that didn't care to hang pool side????? That is very odd indeed.

I had a vinyl pool for 20 years, staring when kids were ages 1-and 16. It was fun for a few pool parties and one summer in particular, but over time proved much more work than what we got out of it. But so many factors that are very family- specific.

Really good comments, not just the maintenance but being realistic about your family spends time.

For example, we have hot summers but temps still cool in April & sunlight changing in September, I run cold, pool wasn’t heated, so only 3 months use ( but looked pretty in April “. Also partly shade by a large oak which was perfect for sitting or eating in some shade, but also made water heat up less. But if hadn’t had shade, I wouldn’t have been able to sit out there.

As noted above, kids had some other activities even in summer.

So again, climate, parents’ schedules as well as kids, what are kids’ ages, will pool be “ the activity “ or will kids be off doing other things, are there kids’ friends who can walk to your house or does everyone have his own pool anyway, who will supervise, does your yard allow for locating it where not a dangerous nuisance, wil you use up yard space so now can’t toss a ball or run around, will you landscape for shade and/ or build/ purchase shade structures.

Correction: kids’ ages 11 and 16.