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Original poster

House with swimpool. Is it pointless?

325 replies

SweetSally · 05/12/2019 20:20

Hi lovelies!
My husband and I are considering buying a house with an indoor swimpool. We don't know anything about swimpools and are not sure if it's a good investment...

The property is in the UK and the swimpool is indoors (extension added to the house) and it also has a conservatory added to it. It's large space and the swimpool is rather generous when it comes to the sheer size of it.

Please, could you share your experience? We actually want to use the swimpool and are not considering the house because of it. We do actually like the property.

OP posts:
BasiliskStare · 06/12/2019 07:28

I'd be interested to know what that house would cost without the pool. I can see it would be a nice to have - but personally ( and this is only my opinion) unless you are going to be using it every day / very very frequently , I would rather have a better kitchen space.

Given it is built already I would be looking at what you are allowed to use that space for and how much it would be to convert it. If I lived somewhere where there was the room (and the money ) - and indeed the weather to have an outdoor pool , I would do that . For me ( and again this is a personal opinion, ) that kitchen would always feel like a compromise to me considering the size of the pool room.

But - only your choice. I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole but it is not me and not my choice. What I would look at is how easy has that house been to sell compared to others in the price bracket , because if you ever do decide to move - it's a factor. If your long term home & you don't care & the house gives you what you want - then do it.

Good luck whatever you decide @sweetsally

wendyoz · 06/12/2019 07:30

We had an indoor pool when I was a child. It was fabulous for me but expensive and a chore for my parents.
Be aware that you will be a magnet for the local children and your heating bill will be enormous but if you can afford it then I would recommend it as it becomes a brilliant focal point for family fun.

RickOShay · 06/12/2019 07:44

I think it looks lovely. Like pp if I won the lottery an indoor swimming pool is top of my list Grin
I really like the house. I say yes.

AdalindMeisner · 06/12/2019 07:48

Wow, don't believe the OP asked for a dissection of her language - some of you seem to look for an opportunity to be bitchy.

OP, that pool is gorgeous. If you can afford it, will use it, and you put into place all necessary safety elements immediately to protect your children then I would definitely go for it.

ActualHornist · 06/12/2019 07:53

I wouldn’t want a pool at the expense of other rooms.

I also worry about the smell and the damp. Pool water is so strong smelling, with it connected to the house will the house smell like chlorine all the time?

Also cost. This would be a huge factor for me.

Personally if I had a pool I’d rather it not be in the house.

BlaueLagune · 06/12/2019 07:56

Blimey, half a million for that? I'm moving to Dudley! Those of you saying it's too small should come and look at my house which would sell for a similar price.

Massivetree · 06/12/2019 07:57

Why is swim pool giving me so much rage

Roselilly36 · 06/12/2019 08:01

It looks lovely OP. But I can understand your concerns. We live on the south coast, and houses around us seem to take ages to sell if they have pools. A friend of mine had to agree to fill in her pool before the sale went ahead, as her buyer loved her house but didn’t want the pool. I think people worry about the maintenance and expense of running a pool. Pool heating is expensive. We regards to the safety element, yes lockable door and a solid retractable pool cover to give you peace of mind. Enjoy.

BaolFan · 06/12/2019 08:03

The pool is lovely but I wouldn't buy the house. Pools are a luxury feature that would become a selling point for larger properties. This house - whilst nice - is a family home and lots of families would be put off by the pool because of cost and safety concerns, so it is likely to affect your ability to sell it should you decide to move on.

Swisskit · 06/12/2019 08:09

I think that "swimpool" is a result of things being manufactured in countries that don't speak English as their first language, eg China.

I've seen all sorts of things shortened in this way, like "doll house", "fry pan", "race car". Really annoying, as people are going to be learning English wrongly.

I would love a swimming pool, but an outdoor one with a cover, not an indoor one.

crispysausagerolls · 06/12/2019 08:16

Came for swimpool comments, was not disappointed

Boom45 · 06/12/2019 08:17

Hi, half my family live in southern Spain and a couple of them have outdoor pools: maintenance day to day is pretty easy and not too expensive but if anything goes wrong it can cost a packet. My uncle's was empty for years because he had to drain it to fix and the cost of filling it was over a thousand euros.
In the UK I imagine a poorly designed one would cost a lot to heat but it can be done cheaply if it was designed well. My concern with this one would be the listing mentions a "boarded loft/office" - that sounds like they've gone into the roof space without properly getting building regs so the estate agent cant list it as a room (my neighbours did the same in the hope of selling their 2 bed as a 3 bed and it backfired). If they've not got building regs for the loft room I'd worry about the pool being well designed....
Also, again in Spain where things are a little less safety conscious than here, drowning is such a risk with small children and open water. Only takes the door being left open once, one curious non- swimmer. And that's not just toddlers remember, many children cant swim well enough to get themselves safe until they're well into primary school and certainly long after you've stopped following them about everywhere.
However. I am so jealous of my cousins who have pools in their garden, I'd LOVE a pool....

rp30 · 06/12/2019 08:27

@AdalindMeisner "Wow, don't believe the OP asked for a dissection of her language - some of you seem to look for an opportunity to be bitchy."

Why is that? Swim pool is just a word but it's excited so many people to no end, I don't get it?

Also, how comes so many people are providing their unsolicited criticisms including that the rooms are tiny. Do they live in castles and it does not seem nice for OP who is contemplating making this her home.

I get that there's banter but none of this is amusing, even by the standards of mothers.

I don't get it. Aren't women supposed to support one another and all that against the evil patriachy?

LazyDaisey · 06/12/2019 08:30

I can’t shake it- I keep reading the OP’s “swim pool” in Stewie’s voice and imaging this

BertieBotts · 06/12/2019 08:32

Maybe the OP's first language is not English and swim pool is a direct translation of the term in their first language? I don't understand why this is taking over the thread :o

LesLavandes · 06/12/2019 08:34

Pools are a money pit.

FrauleinF · 06/12/2019 08:38

I think that the OP and I may have a language in common...

Was pretty obvious what she meant by "swimpool" and didn't need the massive pile on, especially after she had posted the pictures.

BigSandyBalls2015 · 06/12/2019 08:39

Wow that is so cheap!

I don’t understand a PP comments about schools, they are mostly good or outstanding.

redwoodmazza · 06/12/2019 09:00

Very expensive to maintain a swimming pool. It's a no from me.

Hingeandbracket · 06/12/2019 09:05

I'm just curious about the swim pool term - I don't mean to be racist or offensive but would love to know how it appears in OP's vocabulary - but I guess if OP prefers not to say that's also fine.

Disfordarkchocolate · 06/12/2019 09:07

That is lovely.

I would go for it, my husband would use it every day, especially if you could add one of those things that give you a current to swim in. I would definitely go for a decent cover if any small children or non-swimmers are likely to visit.

Hingeandbracket · 06/12/2019 09:08

I've seen all sorts of things shortened in this way, like "doll house", "fry pan", "race car". Really annoying, as people are going to be learning English wrongly.

All of those are perfectly normal in US English. I suspect most to the world learns US English. I recall being told by an Italian tour guide in Rome how much she resented the US cultural imperialism of MacDonalds - which sounded really odd as she was speaking English with a very pronounced American accent.

LazyDaisey · 06/12/2019 09:13

OPs English grammar is impeccable and her writing is better than most native speakers on here. That’s why some of us are curious where the term swimpool came from.

afterme · 06/12/2019 09:16

Yes it would just be interesting to know.

If op said, oh I didn’t realise it’s swimming pool, or that’s what we say where I am from, or it’s a direct translation from my language. Whatever the explanation, she hasn’t touched on it at all!

Excited101 · 06/12/2019 09:19

God some of you can’t get over yourself with the term ‘swim pool’ don’t be so nasty.