One of the most common features that people add to a luxury home as either a personal convenience or a way to add property value is a pool. Pools are great in the summertime, but they do require maintenance during the off-season, especially in areas such as Colorado where there are lots of leaves falling in autumn and long, cold winters. With that said, many people still love their pools. The tips below will give you an idea of whether or not a pool is for you.
Health and Safety
One of the biggest benefits of having a pool is the fact that you can help promote better fitness in your home. Adults and children alike can benefit from the fact that they have an easy, convenient, and fun way to get some exercise on hot days. This is especially useful in the summertime, when heat and humidity tends to slow down a family’s normal exercise routine. However, you do need to make sure to keep your pool properly covered and segmented from the rest of the property, especially if you have young children. Railings, a raised platform, or a hard plastic pool cover can all help you make sure that nobody falls in accidentally. If the pool in question doesn’t have one of these, you will need to add them.
Maintenance
One of the bigger issues that pool owners face is one of maintenance. You can’t just fill the pool with water and expect it to remain clean throughout the year. Instead, proper pool maintenance involves the use of multiple chemicals, tools to help skim leaves and other debris out of the water, and steps you need to take if algae starts to build up. This is a fairly complex process that changes from pool to pool, so it can sometimes be more work than you want to do. Luckily, once you settle into a routine, maintaining the pool becomes much easier. If you don’t want to handle regular maintenance, there are many different pool cleaning services that are quite affordable as well.
Cost
Even in the luxury home market, cost means something. There are cost advantages and disadvantages to having a pool, especially if you are considering installing one in a property you already own. On the plus side, it does increase your overall property value and maintenance tends to be fairly inexpensive. On the negative side, the amount you put into the pool might not be the same amount your property increases in value by, since market forces fluctuate frequently. The thing that only you can decide is whether having a few extra costs associated with a pool is made up for by the fact that you can take a dip whenever you want on a hot day and will have an easier time improving your long-term health.
Ultimately, a pool is a decision best left up to the individual making the purchase. As an investment piece, it does increase the value of the property and it has many advantages in terms of comfort and fitness. Whether these advantages outweigh a bit of extra cost and maintenance is up for you to decide.