"NoOne N Particular" wrote in message
m...
Not intending to throw water on this subject, but I think the first thing
I
would do is make absolutely certain that you want a pool in the first
place.
I had one put in about 18 years ago when my kids were still living with
us.
It was used quite a bit for the first 2 - 3 years and then the use started
tapering off. Nowadays, it only gets used about a half dozen times
during
the hottest days in the summer.

We have had numerous disposables over the years, including our current
Walmart 13 foot above the ground special. The kids love it, and I must admit
after a long day it's fun to get in there and splash around with the little
tikes. They also have 15-20 friends in the neighbor, not to mention school
mates. They also have 8 cousins in the imediate area, so I think usage will
not be an issue. We do a lot of entertaining, so I think the adult usage
will be up there as well. We plan to stay in this house until death do us
part, so we're in it for the long term.

You should also check with local and state agencies regarding laws about
pools.

Still researching this.

There is also the ongoing expense and care of it. You should probably
figure on somewhere around $100 a month just to keep the filter running,
and
the purchase of chemicals.

That's a good point, and one we understand.

If you have it heated, you can at least double
that.

We're considering a gas heater, with the potential for a solar add on later,
but those are luxury items, and not really part of the equation now.

I don't know where your are located, but if you are in an area with
extremes
of weather, winter can lead to cracked tiles, plaster, piping and filter
components and these would have to be repaired.

This is a key area of concern for me. I don't know if I should go with
concrete, vinyl, fiberglass. We do live in a hard freeze area, Baltimore
proper, so I am worried about concrete.

Even with the best automatic systems, you will most likely still have to
spend a couple of hours a week keeping it up. It will probably need to
have the filter cleaned 2 - 3 times a year which is not a hard task, but
gets to be a PITA after a while. It will probably need to be manually
swept
down after storms, or at least the leaves and debris cleaned out. Leaving
that in the water will cause other problems.

This will be my job for sure. I am not too threatened by this. I have to
clean the Walmart special constantly, since it has no skimmer, no bottom
drain, and no filter strong enough to vacumm with.

If you are thinking that whatever you spend for the pool you will be able
to
regain upon resale may or may not be correct. You would have to have a
buyer that wanted the pool, and it seems to me that there are fewer and
fewer of those people. To many people a pool is a liability and they
would
not be as willing to spend the extra money. This is just a personal
observation and I have no basis in fact to back that up. You should also
speak to local real estate agents about this.

We're here until death. It'll be the kids problem to sell it. Muhahahaha.

I really enjoy my pool the few times that I use it now. But looking back
18
years later I would not do it again. I'm glad it is there, but it really
isn't worth all the time and expense now. I was in my late 30's when the
pool was put in and now that I am getting older (mid 50's), my priorities
have changed. So have my interests, and hobbies, and career, and just
about
everything else except my hair style (and we won't talk about hair color
or
amount). Your case may certainly be different, and you may not have the
same opinions that I do.

We are very "out in the backyard" people. I can easily see myself in this
thing forever.

This brings me back to my initial statement. The single most important
thing you can do is be very patient, and think long and hard about how
badly
you really want this pool. DO NOT make a hasty decision. I think you
should probably even wait for a year and see if you still want it badly
enough.

We've been pushing the idea around forever. Since we bought the house 5
years ago. The only plan change has been from above ground to in ground. My
wife really likes inground pools.

If you decide that you do, indeed, want a pool then by all means go for
it.
Many people do not share my opinions and enjoy their pools immensely.

This is just my $.02 and I'm sticking to it until I get a better offer.
snip

Well done. Thanks for your thoughts.

BV.