If you live in the south of England and have an outdoor swimming pool…

[Orangetapemeasure]

How big is it, how much do you use it, how much does it cost to run (heated) and would you recommend putting one in?
we are a family of 4, both parents work, closest local pool is 20 minutes away.

A friend has one and it's about 18m in length I would say. She does constantly moan how much it costs her which last season (I think they open it from Easter to october) was about 450-500 a month! I nearly fell over when she told me. That cost incl energy, pool chemicals, cleaning etc..... but still I nearly fell over.

@OhhhhhhhhBiscuits I thought the running cost was double that (although I think that was for a whole year).TBH it’s not so much about the running cost as the use. Even if it was free to run I’d like to think it would get used at least 3 times a week, every week, otherwise it’s just not worth the hassle.

With the price increase if energy I expect that figure to be a lot higher now. Only you can answer how often you will use it. It could be an expensive mistake as they are expensive to put in and expensive to then take out if you don't want it anymore. Also they can put a lot of people off buying a property so if you may move factor that into your thoughts and budget as well.

We looked at having a pool a couple of years ago. Have you considered getting a swim spa? It was the option I would take

I'd be thinking very carefully about installing one as , if you come to sell your property, you would be restricting your pool ( no pun intended) of potential buyers as many will not want the expense of keeping it and the expense of getting rid and filling it is eye watering.

Following with interest.

My brother has one (came with the house). They used it quite a lot last year with the heatwave but the year before it was literally a handful of times (and they have young children too so this surprised me as I thought they would be in in it all the time).

My advice - don't! It came with our house and it's about 11m x 5m. It's nice for that one party per year when it's hot and your guests are having fun.

The rest of the time it's one long headache. In ten years, we've had two new electric covers, two air source heat pumps and various other things. They break constantly (partly because the equipment sits turned off in freezing weather over winter). I suspect it's cost us about £40k in equipment.

Everyone's pool breaks when they turn it back on so you have to beg a pool technician to come out as they're madly busy and typically pay £150 an hour round here. The supposedly more efficient air source heat pump costs £300-400 per month in electricity.

You're forever cleaning it and fiddling with chemicals. Kids lose interest in it after a while. Last year I rented it out for a few music videos which was about the only positive thing. Have I dissuaded you yet...?!

My parents have one that came with the house.

It's about 10x5 and it helps make a really nice outlook from the house (patio and flower beds around it then the big grass garden with trees beyond). We always joke every swim costs £500 and in all honestly we're probably not far off - they heat it with a heat exchanger, chemicals are expensive and there's all the kit (a 'hoover' thing you set on, solar cover etc) and the pump that always has something going wrong, it's been resurfaced, new mosaic edge, new lights... you name it, it won't last forever in a pool. It requires extremely regular monitoring, cleaning and chemicals - if you leave it a couple of weeks you will not be able to use it for a few days while you get the balance back.

They don't go in it much and there'll be weeks going by when we say 'we must make use of the pool' and just don't, and are really wasteful of it.

But, we had it growing up as kids and used it a lot then, and now my parents have 4 grandkids, so when they come and use it, it's genuinely brilliant. They've all learnt to swim in 'Nanny's pool' which has been really special, and lots of amazing memories, and we've all loved the privacy and ease of just behaving however you like that a private pool has. I haven't been to a public pool in about 20 years now - the noises and smell and other people... your own private one is another world.

For at least 10 years my parents decide at the end of each season 'we'll fill it in' but the youngest kid is 4 so we keep on giving in 'another year'. So - something's keeping them decide to keep the pool going....

But - it eats a LOT of money so you need to be happy with that.

When we were looking there were lots of houses in our price bracket with pools, but we both work full time long hours and the thought of leaving teens and then later teens with alcohol home alone with a pool in the summer terrified me.

If I was going to have a garden pool it would be one of those natural ones , unheated , with reeds and stuff.

www.gartenart.co.uk/the-concept/

All our offspring and GC are fanatical wild swimmers; all year round in Scotland and N England. Sea, lochs and rivers.

We’ve got a 12 x 24ft above ground permanent pool. It’s not so deep that we have to be constantly worried but we can all still swim in it. My 8yo is always in her depth.

We invested in a air source heat pump which is cheaper than the old style heaters. I worked out it cost prob about £500 for the whole season. It is warm like a bath though.

Its a much loved and used piece of kit, and if we didn’t want it anymore it can just be dismantled being above ground. We’re just about to get solar and that’s partially to do with the costs of electricity shooting up and us still wanting our hot pool!

Loads of groups on FB to get inspiration from, and advice.

Mentally adding another thing to my list of 'fantasy lottery win purchases'.

Ah me too, how lovely are they, they look so pretty too.

If you do get one, please make sure you get a proper safety cover for it.

We have an outdoor pool at our house which I left closed for several years as I thought it would hardly get used. We opened it for the last two summers and the children have loved it, as have friends and guests. We only open it for three months, it costs less than a one week holiday in Europe to run for the whole summer and the amount of enjoyment we got from it in those three months was far better than 10 holidays - it has been truely Epic!