Does a Swimming Pool Increase Home Value?

Does a swimming pool increase home value?  In Springfield Missouri the answer is not really.  The costs to install a pool are pretty high but will not return near as much value when it comes time to resell.  The problem is a lot of people just don’t want to deal with the continued maintenance and costs associated with a pool.  Due to a less than high resale market for homes with a pool in Springfield, MO, a pool does not translate to a big increase in a homes value.

The return on the cost of a pool is in the enjoyment you, your friends and family get out of hanging out in the pool.  I would only recommend installing a pool if you are planning to stay in the home for several years.  The longer you stay in a house enjoying the fun summer days the better your return on your initial investment.

Another way to go is to buy a house with an existing pool, you get the same enjoyment of the pool without the large upfront costs.  You can also buy a house in a neighborhood with a community pool.  This allows you and your family access to a pool for only a few hundred dollars a year.

If you decide to hire a contractor and install a pool, you will need to decide what kind of pool is right for you.  There are 3 different types of in ground swimming pools, fiberglass, vinyl liner, and concrete gunite pools.  Fiberglass pools are generally the fastest top be installed since they are built in a factory and installed with a crane. Another advantage of a fiberglass pool is there is not continued maintenance for the pool surface, no liners or painting required.  A disadvantage to a fiberglass pool is the limited design options, since the pool is built off site and must be shipped by truck to your home it width is limited to 16′ due to shipping restrictions.  The next pool type is a vinyl lined pool, these are the cheapest option of the 3. and its smooth surface helps to repel algae. A drawback is the vinyl liner will need to be replaced every 7 to 15 years.  You must also be careful with dogs and kids toys so as not to tear the vinyl liner.  Concrete pools offer limitless design options, including beach entry, vanishing edges, tanning ledges or any other design option to fit seamlessly into your landscape.  Because of the surface of a concrete pool there is a little weekly maintenance to control algae, and the surface will need some repair every 10 to 20 years.

There are 3 different types of pool filters as well.  Sand filters are large tanks filled with special pool filter sand, the sand filters the water and traps the contaminants.  Because of this they need to be backwashed at least once a week to prevent damage to the filter.  Cartridge filters are more energy efficient than sand filters and rely on a cartridge to trap the contaminants.  The filter will need to be removed and cleaned with a hose several time a swimming season.  These filters are also subject to blow by for larger contaminants.  A Diatomaceous Earth or D.E. filter catches the smallest particles of the 3 offering the clearest water, but this comes at a price.  The D.E, filter has the highest up front price and the D.E. powder will need to be replaced with every backwash, this can be done by adding the powder to the skimmer line.  Once all the pool equipment is properly adjusted the daily maintenance consists of using the pool screen on a pole and cleaning the debris from the top of the pool.

I recently bought a house with a pool and have had many hours of enjoying the pool with family and friends.  I chose the option of buying a house with an existing pool in place, I did have to replace the pool filtration and chemical equipment, but this was a lot cheaper than the initial cost of having a pool built.  There are many options available, so consider which one works best for you.

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