How much does a swimming pool cost to install and run?

[HeyN0nny]

We're house hunting, moving out of London. A swimming pool isn't on our list of essential criteria(!) but it seems that quite a few houses in our search area have heated outdoor pools. All we're after is a garden with some actual grass.

I'm trying to get an idea of a) how much extra we're being asked to pay because of a pool and b) if we did like a house that happened to have a pool, how much we'd have to factor into monthly bills for running costs.

If anyone does have an outdoor heated pool, how much do you actually use it? I can't help feeling we'd be paying over the odds for a house because of a pool that we'd never use due to weather...

What about a swimming pond?

We have a hot tub and its waaaaay more than £10 per week to heat! We love it but it is expensive and if anything breaks on it it is also expensive so wouldn't fancy the expense and maintenance of a decent sized pool.

We have an outdoor pool and it would now cost about £40,000 to install. Our house is high value but I would not ask extra for the house because it has a pool if I was to sell. It also only takes up a small portion of the garden. We have extensive lawns and the planting around it is fantastic. We expect to pay about £2000 to run it for the summer. My DH does all the cleaning and maintenance. I would not buy a house with a wreck of a pool. We run ours from an air source heat pump and we do not use chlorine.

Advertising spam reported. Thanks everyone else for your replies.

Hollow laugh at these 'reasonable costs. We're renting a place with an indoor pool in a separate building to the house. Energy costs this year to run it = £1500 PCM (it's been switched off all winter) plus another grand on chemicals and cleaning, and £1k on repairs and maintenance (fortunTely the landlord paid that one). Can't wait to be rid of the fucking thing. Loved it the week we moved in. Now would never have another.

I've always secretly wanted a swimming pond - at least even if you don't get in them they look beautiful!

You can buy an endless pool, basically around 14k and you swim against the current. I'm considering one seriously. Installation costs are around £1000, 600 if you DIY some of it. Removal costs are about £800. I'm thinking of a conservatory with solar panels to help with heating, but honestly I don't want it too warm as I swim long sessions and warm up quickly.

We had a pool when we lived overseas. They do take a lot of work (though we had someone come once a week to clean and do testing rebalancing so I was just in charge of making coffee😀).

Tear up £20 notes and put them on the fire - cheaper than running a pool. And I've had two!

Current house has a pool and we are now looking to turn it into a shallow reflection pool.

We heat our outdoor pool by air source heat pump. We just pay the electricity bill because it's for the whole house! However we don't find it unreasonable and chemicals are not that much. We are just relining it - now that is an expense!

However, we put the pool in and we use it. I have about 1.5 acre garden and lots of paddocks and the house is worth £££. So I don't think the pool devalues it. We have a thatched pool house too! What's not to like!? If you can afford to buy my house you can afford to run the pool quite frankly!

If you are not able to run a pool without thinking about it, then avoid a pool. If half the garden is pool, don't buy the house! If it is up close and personal with the back door, avoid that! Ours can be seen from the kitchen but it has its own garden area. The pool area could easily be fenced and you should take this possibility into consideration. They can be the centre of family life but you really have to want one. If the house is fairly standard with a pool I would walk away.

We have an outdoor pool. It is used May - October. We had solar mats installed at a cost of £1700. These heat the pool to around 25 degrees and cost nothing. We top up the heat for weekends using an air source heat pump. Extra electric costs around £100 for the summer months. We do all chemicals and maintenance ourself, costs around £30 per month.
The fun the children and their friends have is amazing. I use it for lengths after an exercise session, so to us the cost is well worth it.

One thing to consider is where the pool is. Ours is in a courtyard totally separate to the garden. It cannot be accessed by the children or dogs alone. I would not be so keen on a pool in the main garden, mainly for safety but also they are an eyesore when covered up for winter.

Hi, you are not overpaying for a pool.. If want a house with pool buy one with a pool, and pay the price they cost, like anything they are costly to install, so the seller should be paid for it, if you don't then don't waste time looking at houses with pools, likewise with stables, sea views etc.. .. Its like buying a house with 6 bedrooms when you actually want 4. Pools are a fantastic little luxury, so you don't have to go to dirty community shared pools, but If you cant afford it, then perhaps best to go without or compromise on the house or location.. . Air source heat pumps reduces running costs & environmentally friendly.. I would not want a house without a private pool.. and would get one installed if not there..

Where did you get the solar heat mats.. And do they work well?

MiL has one and it's a nightmare, always broken in good weather, costs a fortune and gloriously unfenced so perfect for small suicidal children to leap into (okay, that may just be mine!)

What bojorojo said. You have to be pretty rich for it to work and the house definitely needs to have substantial grounds to cover it. I hate average suburban houses with pools with a passion. I would say they are pretty proposterous!

I would far rather swim at the local million pound swimming pool thanks!