Above ground pools

[FridayForever]

We're about to move into a house with a large garden. It's close to some of my kids' friends and we'd love to make the garden somewhere they can have their friends over and enjoy together.

I'm thinking an above ground pool might be the draw we need to get them to choose our garden rather than other friends' gardens, and I'd quite enjoy a dip every now and then in the summer.

Can anyone advise if this is a good idea or not? Is it lots more work than I am anticipating? Any advice on brands to buy or avoid? I'm thinking of spending around £500.

Also keen for advice on other garden equipment that would make our garden the place to be for 8-12 year olds for the next couple of summers.

We have a 12ft pool & we all love it. I’d shop soon if I were you before everything goes out of stock. If my garden were bigger I’d love a bigger pool but what with this & a trampoline there is plenty to keep everyone happy. The trampoline has always been incredibly popular too, especially as it can be enjoyed all year round.

I‘ve just moved into a house with a big garden and a solar heated 4x8m pool and i‘m wondering…why the hell would you want all the other kids in your garden?
i‘m dreading exactly that 😂

Things to bear in mind, it will take literally hours to fill! We just have a small one 2mx1.5m and that takes easily 1.5-2 hours. I believe heating them can be expensive, we have no way to get electricity outside so we can't do that. So I just fill it warmish in the first place but that does use a fair bit of gas. Think also about emptying, where is all that water going to go? With mine, I have to do it gradually to avoid flooding myself and my neighbours! But it's a lot of work.

That being said, I do love it when it's really hot. We mainly just relax in there! Obviously it's not big enough to swim around 😂but it is nice when we're having a heatwave (if we get one this year!).

Costco have quite a selection on their website and they are usually very competitive .

Honestly, supervising a lot of children in a pool in your garden sounds hell!

We had one the last few summers with a solar heater. It was hardly used last year with the weather! You need to regularly hoover it, check the chemicals etc and you need a filter running most of the time.

We aren't bothering this year!

Are you heating it?

I would absolutely not want to be in charge of primary age children around a pool. You’ll need to be watching them constantly to ensure they are safe. Not how I’d want to spend my summer!

my friend has a small pool/large paddling pool set up in her garden. She bought a heater one year and ran it for a day…it cost £17!! She didn’t try heating it again 😂

A decent sized pool does require regular maintenance - it’s not an easy option. Keeping filtration and chemicals in balance can get more pricey than people expect.

Before you buy, make sure you’re happy with the upkeep needed for the model and size you’re choosing.

We were happy with a swingball when I was a kid!

Christ I’d not do this, you need to be very very careful with the chemicals and constantly supervise any child in your garden.

I wouldn't have water in your garden unless their parents are going to be present, even if all swim well and the pool isn't that deep it can be dangerous especially jumping in, slipping, hitting head ...

Better is a slip and slide as no deeper water or a kid's paddling pool, better still, they go elsewhere! I was the house they hung out at (no pool but big garden) and it annoyed me!

We have a permanent solid gazebo and a sofa set and have all 10yo DDs friends over all the bloody time chilling out in the garden rain or shine. Way easier than a pool.

We have a 5.5m diameter one, it's over a metre deep.
It holds 25k litres of water- a smaller one, say 4m diameter, will hold 15k litres.

That is a lot of water!

You need an absolutely level site, well cleared of stones and covered to stop it puncturing. You also need to add and check chemicals (chlorine tablets and anti algae) regularly, clean to skimmer, brush the bottom ect ect.
It is absolutely not fill and forget or a quick job to put up and fill unless you go for a small one that's not much more than a paddling pool.

The easiest ones to put up are the ones with an inflatable ring at the top, rather than a frame to put together.

Be careful of safety- lots of kids will mean lots of supervision!

Plus, finally, with UK weather, how often will it actually get used?

I’d worry about being responsible for other peoples kids safety

and you couldn’t leave your own kids in there playing

my idea of hell

Hmm the supervision point is potentially one to think about, especially if younger kids wanted to come over too...
I'd just rather mine were somewhere I could keep an eye occasionally than always off at others' houses. Outdoor sofa and gazebo is an option - maybe that plus more of a paddling pool for chilling off in is a better option. I dunno, I just think others kids' gardens with pets and a trampoline are always going to beat our big empty field as somewhere to hang out if I don't try something.

I really don't know about heating or not - not sure what the outdoor electricity options at the new house will be (renting, not buying)

Have you added the cost of fencing into it?

If you put it on grass, be aware the grass will die underneath.

How about a climbing frame?

Meh that’s no issue, grass always comes back, throw some seed on and water it and it’s job done.

An empty field is great for ball games…;)

We have a climbing frame in our garden now, one of our kids likes it but tbh it rarely beats the lure of screens indoors so doesn't get that much use.

I don't think I'd need fencing for an above ground pool - it's hardly like a toddler could fall into it with big sides right?

At primary it’s who issues the play date invite. And whi they are friends with, At secondary it’s where they can hang in privacy.

none of it is about a pool.

We had a 10ft Bestway one and loved it. The kids stopped going in it as much as they got older which is when we got rid. We got a filter with ours but we ended up buying a bigger/better one. We also had a net for skimming bits and a brush for the bottom, as well as cover for the top. I didn’t think it was too difficult to maintain..we got a mushroom floaty thing that the chlorine tablets went in, some ph strips and then there was a kit with the relevant chemicals in for algae and ph etc.

I used to skim it daily, which I enjoyed as it was quite therapeutic. The mushroom lived in there most of the time (not when anyone was in it) and that kept the chlorine at the right levels. We checked the pH daily with a strip. The filter was constantly attached but only on for 2 hours a day when no one was in.

I didn’t mind supervising but we only had 4 at the most in there.

1 year olds can climb ladders!

btw.. as kids we liked to hang out where the parents were relaxed/not supervising..

I wouldn't risk it

i don’t think she’s going to have athletic unsupervised one year olds, I’d not worry,