Swimming pool vs basement

[Naturallyalmond23]

We are getting ready to renovate a period house. It is 1930s. It has a very large garden, enough to take a swimming pool and we would enclose it so it is not exposed. We also want a basement for games, etc. We are in a high water table area. Which would you prefer? The house has 5 rooms and plenty of space downstairs, it has been previously extended.

We cannot afford both a swimming pool and basement. I like the idea of an outdoor games room where we play outside rather than inside but UK weather is not great for half the year.

Go for the pool. You obviously know the maintenance and upkeep of one. I'm very green eyed!

I would go for the pool every time.

however, I am surprised at the top up only.

it does need fresh water at least twice a year I would say. How old are your kids? Someone has an accident filter is not going to cope.

I have lived in homes with basements (in the US). They're incredibly useful spaces. They can be rec rooms, home gyms, utility rooms, hobby spaces...
If damp or flooding might be an issue, I'd add A/C and a pump. You could also do some grading on your property to leave room for windows. Basements here require an exit door (fire regs) - you would need to be careful about planning permission.
Despite the attractiveness of a basement, starting from scratch and digging one under your house would be nuts imo.

In your shoes, I'd build an extension or garden room and turn it into a home gym if you don't like the idea of a sedentary lifestyle.

A pool might be very off-putting for potential buyers of your house, just as a basement in a high water table area would. It would put off more people than it would attract, imo. Maintenance, safety of children, cost of repair, and usefulness to future buyers would be issues.

it does need fresh water at least twice a year I would say. How old are your kids? Someone has an accident filter is not going to cope.

It really doesn't! Ours is never emptied and it's beautifully clean. (Edited to add - it's designed to be full of water and emptying and refilling would put stress on the structure).

If a child shits in the poo you use a net to get the poo out. The filter will do the rest.

We went for a pool last year and while the kids love it, I didn’t realise how much upkeep it needs. Cleaning, checking chlorine levels, and keeping the filter working was more work than expected. I’d really recommend checking out Pool Cleaning Tips—it made things much easier once I understood what needed doing and how often. It's helped us avoid a few murky disasters already.

If you dig out a basement in land with a high water table, you won't have to choose. It will BE a swimming pool.

Goodness, is a 1930's house 'period'? Mine was built in 1917. Guess that's almost medieval?