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View Full Version : Is a pool worth it in Calgary?



The BMW Guy
08-26-2019, 10:41 AM
Was looking at some houses recently with pie lots, some of which have a pool. While I'm not against a pool I'm not for it either from a safety/maintenance and it being unusable for 9 months of the year. Granted I have no knowledge of pools and am just basing this off of my perception.

Do you own one (or know someone who does) and is it worth it?

A790
08-26-2019, 10:48 AM
Not at all worth it. You'll get maybe 3 months of use for what is ultimately a maintenance headache.

My dad has a pool at his house in TO. The shit he has to deal with has forever put me off owning a house with a pool. And it's not just this house and THIS pool; he's had 3 houses with pools and it was the same shit every time.

Expect to spend:


$400/season to open the pool (get a tech to come out and do all the things)
$250/season to close it
$750/yr in maintenance; $1,250/yr once the pool is 5+ years old
Random heater/pump failures because fuck you I'm a pool

jwslam
08-26-2019, 10:51 AM
Plus all the horror stories of dead animals.

taemo
08-26-2019, 10:52 AM
if you're baller and can turn it into an indoor pool sure, but outside? not worth it

muse017
08-26-2019, 11:02 AM
Indoor or bust.
Outdoor pool is not worth it.

Mitsu3000gt
08-26-2019, 11:11 AM
Not worth it. Maintenance and cleaning can be ridiculous, and home resale will be a nightmare because nobody wants a pool in Calgary when there is ~2 months out of the year they can potentially use it, and only if the usual rain and smoke doesn't prevent that altogether. You also have to worry about winterizing everything properly every year.

I have cousins with a pool in Lethbridge and while I loved using it once a year when I was kid, they said it was absolutely not worth it.

On top of all that, it's a liability with children/pets.

If everything goes perfectly, they are expensive and lots of work - and it probably won't go perfectly.

Pools are kind of like boats - they are super expensive and you can barely even use them in our climate, so a lot of the time it's better to know someone with one of those things rather than own one yourself. Except pools are even worse because when you go to sell your house, you're cutting the potential buyers down by 99%. If you like water, get a hot tub or buy into a lake community (or have a friend that lives in one).

Buster
08-26-2019, 11:28 AM
Buy on one of the fake lakes. All the benefits of a pool but zero maintenance.

killramos
08-26-2019, 11:45 AM
You could always go white trash and get an above ground pool lol

suntan
08-26-2019, 01:01 PM
It actually gives negative equity. No one wants to maintain a pool.

2Legit2Quit
08-26-2019, 01:16 PM
I presently have a pool, and no it's not worth it. Waste of time and money unless you have kids that will live in it 24/7 during summer.

kertejud2
08-26-2019, 02:42 PM
Buy a house next to a house with the pool, and become friends with those people.

botox
08-26-2019, 03:20 PM
Not worth it whether indoors or out. If its indoors and doesn't have the proper ventilation, enjoy the mold.

BavarianBeast
08-26-2019, 03:57 PM
Everything is worth it if you can afford it.

JRSC00LUDE
08-26-2019, 04:19 PM
Everything is worth it if you can afford it.

Fuck yeah.

More anything? More everything!!!

shakalaka
08-26-2019, 08:18 PM
I grew up around one and we enjoy ours a fair bit and it's an awesome place to hang out. Also the hot tub room is wicked, especially in winter. Neither get used THAT often (used to be used a lot more when I was younger and would sneak girls in when parents weren't around lol) but like said above, if you can do it then why not even if it is going to be used occasionally. I feel like you can't think about whether such luxuries are 'worth it' cause technically and strictly speaking they will never be 'worth it' per se but the value of such an item won't be the same to everyone out there.

ExtraSlow
08-26-2019, 08:24 PM
I do know a family out near millarville who have a large outdoor pool and to thier credit they have a dozen kids into every warm day all year.
So, for them, they are getting decent value.

you&me
08-27-2019, 05:11 AM
A few years ago, we looked at a house that ticked all of our boxes, except for the pool...I thought it would be cool and fun for the kids when they got older, but it was a hard no from my wife and she wouldn't budge on this point.

Now that my kids are a little older (and we have more), I totally understand... Having a pool with younger children would suck, a lot. I would guess a lot of parents would see it this way and it would affect the resale potential in the future.

If none of those are a concern for you and you'd actually use it... why not? The costs are relatively insignificant and the hassles of operating the pool seem pretty over-blown.

cycosis
08-27-2019, 07:06 AM
Grew up with one. If I didn’t open it/maintain it, it didn’t get filled. Fucking endless. Dead squirrels, ducks, yard debris. The worst was the sap that would fall from the large blue spruce and stick to the walls of the pool. Every week you are water testing, skimming, vacuuming, backwashing... ugh. Unless you can afford someone else to do all that shit, I’d say get a membership at a pool for kids and just enjoy life. Could be different for an indoor pool though, wouldn’t want the humidity risk/mold potential though...

killramos
08-27-2019, 08:02 AM
A few years ago, we looked at a house that ticked all of our boxes, except for the pool...I thought it would be cool and fun for the kids when they got older, but it was a hard no from my wife and she wouldn't budge on this point.

Now that my kids are a little older (and we have more), I totally understand... Having a pool with younger children would suck, a lot. I would guess a lot of parents would see it this way and it would affect the resale potential in the future.

If none of those are a concern for you and you'd actually use it... why not? The costs are relatively insignificant and the hassles of operating the pool seem pretty over-blown.

Wouldn’t having young kids be 90% if the upside of a pool?

Ours in Kelowna was a nightmare, and that was WITH paying someone to maintain it.

you&me
08-27-2019, 08:12 AM
Wouldn’t having young kids be 90% if the upside of a pool?

Ours in Kelowna was a nightmare, and that was WITH paying someone to maintain it.

Absolutely, once they're all old enough to swim well and be responsible, but until then, they'd need constant supervision.

When we looked at the house with the pool, our oldest was about about a year old (and our only child at the time). Now she's 7 and the youngest is about to turn a year old. That would have been 6 years of hell and probably another 5 or 6 until the youngest would be a strong enough swimmer to be trusted without 100% supervision (hypothetically; not sure how I'd actually feel about that). So, imagine if one kid wants a snack or needs to go to the bathroom, it's everybody out, dry off, sit still for 3 mins, then back in the pool... wash, rinse, repeat. No. Just no.

revelations
08-27-2019, 09:17 AM
Inground pools make sense in Calgary:

- above say, 1.5 million $$ property value (upper class/rich owners)
- if they are covered in a 3 season room (or are part of the house)

legendboy
08-27-2019, 04:58 PM
I lived in a house on Capri Ave that had a pool when I moved to my grandparents in grade 9
It was pretty pimp back then, had some wild parties.

Would I have one today? Fuck no. Way too much maintenance I don't even like our backyard kiddy pool

masoncgy
09-04-2019, 10:39 AM
To each their own, but I don't think a outdoor pool in Calgary is worth all the cost and maintenance that will ultimately go into it. Perhaps an indoor pool would be alright.

I've had a hot tub and I never used it much and had to spend a lot of time keeping it up... then my wife decided we needed an above ground pool for the kids and that was yet another pain in the ass.

I'd never have any of that stuff again, personally. Find friends with a hot tub & pool and go there. haha.

A790
09-04-2019, 11:30 AM
Hot tub I can totally see. I also have a back herniation/arthritis and heat is amazeballs for it.

The BMW Guy
09-04-2019, 11:30 AM
Thanks....hoping I can bargain down a home price if it has a pool haha.

I do love hot tubs when going to ski resorts and such. Never had one myself or know anyone that does have one.
Are they a big pain in the ass cost/maintenance-wise or are they still worth it for Calgary? Can still use it during some winter days possibly?

A790
09-04-2019, 11:35 AM
I do love hot tubs when going to ski resorts and such. Never had one myself or know anyone that does have one.
Are they a big pain in the ass cost/maintenance-wise or are they still worth it for Calgary? Can still use it during some winter days possibly?

So first off, hot tubs are the bomb in winter. Fuck yes you can use it in winter.

Maintenance wise, it's generally about maintaining water quality. Chemicals every week or so. There are some companies that will set you up on a schedule and take care of it for you.

CompletelyNumb
09-04-2019, 11:43 AM
It's no more work than taking care of a fish tank. And hot tubs are BEST in the Winter.

ExtraSlow
09-04-2019, 04:19 PM
I'd say hot tubs are less work than most fish tanks. Fuck yeah to hot tubs.