I feel like the only guy who doesn't want a pool at his house. Surely I can't be.
It would be different if we lived in the south. Relatives in Florida had a heated pool under a skeeter- and UV-blocking screenhouse that was very nice. It wasn't a heated pool, so you really didn't want to go in the water from, say, Thanksgiving to St. Patrick's Day, although you could if you were brave. But here in New York, you get maybe three months out of the pool. They open in May, no one goes in the water until June, they come out for good at Labor Day, and wrap it all up by October.
It's a lot of work and money for a three-month dip. Besides, most of the time no one actually goes in the water in the families I've observed. They just sit around the pool, tanning.
Bankrate.com tells us that in-ground swimming pools can add up to seven percent to the value of the house, but they may cost more than that to build and maintain.
The value they add is more in scenery and potential than swimming. Everyone who wants to entertain knows that guests--especially those with kids--will be excited to come over if there's a pool. The kids will use it, but the adults, probably not. However, it will keep the kids busy. And it looks nicer than a dry, empty, sunbaked backyard with maybe a tetherball and some cornhole stuff. BORING.
I don't want people coming over in large numbers anyway, so I'm cool.
I've resisted successfully, and it has not been too hard. Our backyard has a severe slope, so the cost of installation would be much higher than if the ground was flat. The legally required fencing alone would cost thousands. Financial setbacks over the years have often taken big capital improvements off the table. Most of all, I've resisted because you know whose job it would be out there with the net and the chlorine tester every day. (It's always the husband.)
Now, this kind of pool might be worth investing in:
6 comments:
My parents had a pool. Took up the entire postage-stamp back yard, with a 60 foot drop behind it (unfenced) to surprise the unwary (or tippled). No. 1 son (me) was the pool boy, and I developed a lifelong dislike of anything to do with the things.
It's sort of like a boat- I'd love to come over and play with yours, but none for me thanks.
The confined puddle is just what the pups (and most little kids) need. Add a sprinkler and you'll probably have the ideal pup/kid refresher.
My mother's love of gardening (with the kids as the forced labor) developed a lifelong dislike of veggie or flower gardens in me similar to Technochitlin's dislike of pools.
A round animal trough/stock tank is ideal for dogs and a quick cool off for people. Big enough (6 or 8 foot) to float in if you are not too tall. If water is cheap for you, you can empty in now and again rather than constant chlorinating.
When my kids were little, every summer day revolved around the pool. Keeping it clean & chemically perfect was my job, & I loved it. I love the smell of chlorine.
Smells like victory!
You are not the only one. And I live in Houston, Texas, where I could use it most of the year.
Not worth initial and ongoing expense to me.
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