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Considering adding an in-ground pool to your backyard? Here are some pros, cons and FAQs

If you're a homeowner in San Antonio TX, you might be considering adding a swimming pool 🏊‍♂️to your backyard. Pools can provide a fun and refreshing way to beat the heat🌞 during the summer months, but they can also come with a steep price tag 💰and maintenance requirements. Before making a decision, it's essential to weigh the pros and cons and set realistic goals and budgets. You also need to consider some additional landscaping and potential unexpected costs.


Our family actually decided to put a pool in our back yard three years ago. It had never crossed our minds until we spent 3 weeks with our family in Florida 🌴, where the kids enjoyed the pool every single day. So, when we got back home, we began to seriously weigh in our options.

So, in my experience (and also adding some real estate knowledge to the mix), here are some pros and cons of building an in-ground pool in San Antonio followed by the most frequent questions I get asked by my clients who are thinking about putting a pool in their backyards.


PROS:

  1. Loads of summer fun 🏖️ and relaxation: We have two kids (ages 9 and 4), who happen to love the water. Our pool provides a place for us to wear them out and also to entertain their friends, host pool parties, and spend time with friends and family. It's also a great way to relax and unwind after a long day at work. We have a small water feature, and the sound of the water is the perfect accompaniment to work outside or read a book.

  2. Health and fitness: We are very active people and decided to build a rectangular pool in order to swim laps. My husband and I are both swimmers and we have truly enjoyed having the option to exercise in our back yard. He even does some cold plunges in the winter; something I would NEVER do, even if he paid me. 🧊❄️😅

CONS:

  1. Cost 💵: Building a pool can be expensive, with the cost ranging from $50,000 to much higher 💲, depending on the size and features of the pool. Your family will have different wants and needs. If you add a hot tub to the pool, that will add $10-$20k depending on the size. Do you want a pool heater? Increase the budget for sure! Your "must-haves" should align with the budget, which should always align with what you see yourself enjoying the most! If you love the idea of relaxing in a hot tub and not having one would ruin the idea of a pool for you then a hot tub is a must! There are many financial options. If you are thinking about financing your pool, I would caution you to read the fine print. Some financial institutions will add an additional lien to your property so I would highly recommend understanding the process before committing to it.

  2. Maintenance 🌊: Pools require regular maintenance, including cleaning, balancing chemicals, and ensuring proper filtration. This can be time-consuming and expensive, especially if you hire a professional. We had a company maintain our pool once per week until we made it a point to learn how to maintain the pool ourselves and now, we do it. It is time consuming, so we are trying it for a few months. If you are a very busy person, however, it is never a bad idea to budget for someone else to do the monthly maintenance as well. Many pool construction companies will require you to regularly maintain your pool in order for your warranty to stay valid. Either way upkeep will be essential, because if you don't do it, getting back to the right usage conditions will cost even more time and money.

  3. Safety concerns: Pools can be a safety hazard, especially for children and pets 🐶. It's crucial to take all necessary precautions, such as installing a fence and/or pool cover, to prevent accidents. There are great fence options these days. Safety was the biggest concern for us because our daughter was 2 at the time and we live in a neighborhood where we are very close to neighbors with kids. We also have three dogs. We opted for a fence called Life Saver Pool. (link below):


It is a fence made out of mesh and it is removable, but it has a ton of child safety features. Kids cannot climb it; the lock is child proof, and you can lock it with a key as well. It was an extra expense but well worth it to give us peace of mind. We absolutely love it. The fence did cost about 8% of the total pool cost, but to us it was not negotiable.


This picture was taken three years ago as soon as the fence was installed.



I have many clients that are considering building a pool and below are the top three questions I get all the time:

  1. Will the pool add value to my home 🏠? The short answer is yes. You will not, however, get the full value of your pool back in the short term. I tell all of my clients that a pool is lifestyle investment 🕶️, not a financial investment 💵. To give you an example, our home value increased by half of the cost of the pool. The pandemic, however, did make pools highly desirable in San Antonio, so adding a pool will not only make it more desirable but will also make it sell faster, especially in the summer months 🏖️. We have also seen buyers willing to pay additional out-of-pocket funds in order to compete for a house with a pool. I had the opportunity to chat with an appraiser not too long ago, and he mentioned that as of the last year, he has seen a higher dollar amount being assigned to homes with pools. So, for those that already own a home with a pool, that is fantastic news 🎉. In Short, adding a pool will add value to your home, but never the same value as the investment of the actual pool. Look at it as an investment in your lifestyle. 🌺

  2. How should I budget for my pool 💰? How much you invest in your pool depends on how much you are willing to pay for it and what you can afford. In Real Estate, you will hear various guidelines, but we established our pool budget as 20% of the value of our home and we understood it would only add about 10% of additional value to our property. We also knew we would be in our home for at least 7 years, which made the lifestyle investment worth it given we would have at least 6 summers of pool enjoyment. We have had clients that go up to 30% or 40% of their home value for their pool budgets. It is at your discretion, and you can always call your #realtor® to run a valuation on your home and a valuation of homes with pools in your area. That will give you a better idea 💡of what your return on investment would be.

  3. How long does it take to build a pool 🏊‍♂️? That will depend on the pipeline of the company you choose. Our pool took 5 months from our first meeting with the contractor to completion which, I am told, is very fast. It is best to imagine your pool a year out from the time you start gathering bids from various pool companies to be safe. Keep in mind that it is not only building the pool but also budgeting time and money for everything around the pool: landscaping 🌴(which will be ruined when building a pool; that goes for your irrigation system as well) as well as any pool and deck furniture you decide to get. Also, if you decide against adding a pool heater and your pool is completed in the winter months ❄️, you might have to wait for warmer weather to use it. Depending on the pool you get (gunite or fiberglass) the building time might vary as well. Make sure you talk to your pool company about the different kinds of pools you can build so you can make an informed decision.

  4. Should I add a pool heater 🌞? This is a good question. If you add a hot tub, that portion of your pool will need a heater. Keep in mind that heating the pool will add to your utility bill. Your pool company can probably give you an estimate energy cost based on the size of the pool. If your home runs on natural gas or electricity, heating costs will also vary. If you think you will use your pool year-round, a heater is probably a good idea if the cost fits into your budget. We went without a pool heater and sometimes we still use the pool in the winter. Remember those cold plunges I mentioned? 😂 ❄️

A pool can be a wonderful investment, but it will come at a cost 💵💵; both monetary, time and energy-wise. I hope the above gives you a glimpse of it all and helps you weigh in the pros and cons to see if a pool is the right choice for you. It has been a fantastic investment for us, and as you can see, the fun never stops.


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