Views on whether outdoor pool is a bad idea

[user704750]

We are very lucky to live in beautiful place. We won't be moving for at least 15 years (been here for 20).

I am toying with the idea of an outdoor pool. I think it would cost about £150k

I'm not a massive swimmer. DH swims regularly (at the gym). I hate travelling though and am very much a home person. We tend to stay at home during the summer and go away in the autumn and at Easter.

House is worth c£2.5m. Large 5 bed with 14 acres, separate guest cottage. High standard of decor. Based in the Midlands rather than the South coast so a bit cooler.

DC are at university but both are likely to live back at home for post grad study.

Everything I read says a pool is a bad investment but given the house is high end, I'm not sure. A reasonable number of houses in this price bracket in this area seem to have pools (although there aren't that many of them). Can't afford an indoor one which would add tens of thousands to the cost.

We have solar panels which generate excess power in the summer.

Would a pool devalue a higher end home in your opinion? Would it put you off buying the house?

To be honest whether £150k is a life changing amount of money for some people is irrelevant to anyone else's purchasing decisions whether that be a pool, a fancier car, designer clothing, holidays etc. I'm afraid I'm not going to choose not to put in a pool and instead gift the £150k to someone else who needs it (with the exception possibly of my kids).

It is a lot of money. I obviously wouldn't do it if it's going to actively devalue our property significantly. If it's going to increase the value of the property but by an amount that is less than it costs to put in then it becomes an issue of weighing up the benefit/enjoyment to us of having it. If for example the house value will go up by £75k but it costs us £150k then £75k is probably worth it IMO since it's only 3% of the value of the house.

£150k is a lot of money to anyone but we have no mortgage on the house and we both earn upwards of £250k (although looking to retire in about 5 years). We also both work predominantly from home and so get to make the most of nice weather.

We have one (Cheshire) and it gets so much use in the summer but we do have young children. It’s ‘open’ from the end of april to the end of september usually. We have a pool guy who sorts it all out for us and does the chemicals so we don’t have to worry about it. We get it cleaned properly twice a year and it does take a little bit of maintenance in terms of getting leaves out etc but I think it’s worth it. We have solar panels to heat it. It’s great for parties, and throughout the summer we have a steady stream of teenagers coming over daily to use it with DS. Go for it!

I agree. What others have or don’t have is irrelevant to what anyone spends. There are people in the world with significantly more money than you, they won’t consider that when they spend £150k on a new taps, for instance.

If you have no plans on selling until, and if you do it would be in around 15 years time, who knows what the market will be like by then.

What you didn't factor in, is the value of the pleasure you will get from it.

Maybe it's because I live in a different country, and here people buy houses for a lifetime. So things that are done to a house, are done for needs and not for the purposes of how it affects the value. For an example, I often read here things like never take out a bath and put in just a shower, it will affect the value. But I did, as I don't need a bath in that room and now with a bigger shower it is used just so much more. I have no plans to sell, so why would I sit with a bath in a room that isn't being used, when it is so much more useful the way it is now.

Same with your outdoor area. For a minimum of 15 years going forward, you have the option to have a pool day in the summer right at home. You will entertain more (yes you will, it goes with this territory) so get to enjoy the space more than if it were just a garden with some flowers.

It is a no brainer for me. The only thing that seems to be stopping you, is if it will affect the value. It is a high value residence anyway. Realistically how much could it really be affected compared the the value of the whole property.

If you want one and can afford the building and running costs , then get one.

But really, how many months if the year would your DH swim in it? How often would you?

Might have been a good thing to do when you had younger teens?

Future sale? Doubtless it will attract some and deter others.

If you want it now, do it for you

If you have another home in the grounds then surely a pool would would be a fabulous plus to Airbnb the second home as and when you wish and be a great income generator .. people actually search for houses with pools ..

None of that is what I was saying. I appreciate you’re extremely wealthy, that’s fine. I wasn’t suggesting you donate to charity or a worthy cause.

What I was saying, is that I can’t understand how or why someone, whatever their wealth, would contemplate putting in a £150k adaptation they’re not even sure if they’ll use!

It would be understandable if you’re an avid swimmer or have loads of parties, or it’s been a life dream etc but it sounds like none of you are going to be overly bothered by a pool.

It was simply an observation. Take it or leave it, we live very different lives so perhaps I’m missing something.

Well we spend it on something to enhance our family's lives or it sits in the bank.

Still contemplating however.

But even if you’re an avid swimmer, or especially if you’re an avid swimmer, most pools aren’t long enough to swim in. The bare minimum is 25m but if you like swimming that’s not really enough.

OP I think one of those natural ponds that you can swim in would enhance the value of the property even if you don’t swim much.

If you want to swim then get an endless pool but note that this is NOT an infinity pool.

If you are planning to stay for 15+ years and have the money for construction and maintenance available to spend without issue, then it's just down to personal preference. Whether it will devalue the house is sort of a moot point given you aren't selling and it isn't mortgaged.

Whether I (or anyone else) would buy a house with an outdoor pool in the UK is fairly irrelevant. You aren't selling. By the time you are considering selling in 10, 12, 15 years' time, you'll have had over a decade of use of the pool. The point is, if you want the pool, put it in, maintain it properly and enjoy it for years. Don't worry about the effect it might have when you maybe sell in 15 years. You can't live your life like that.

My PILS bought a house with an indoor pool. All newly done and done nicely. Growing up I always wanted to have a pool in my house. I used to visit once a week for a swim although it was quite cold to save on the heating bills!

We moved in with them for a year in between houses and I actually ended up swimming less when I could use it every day. Probably related to the psychology behind having a gym membership and using it more than the home gym. Or why gyms charge for no shows for classes because so many people don't show up when it's easier not to bother and there's no disincentive.

The two people I knew with outdoor pools both filled them in. They just didn't get used.

You already know you won't but I think your DH probably won't either because the gym already has everything in one place so in a way it's easier.

Younger me would have laughed at older me advising someone against it but I think you'll use it even less than you think.

I would imagine anyone in the position to buy a £2.5m home with 14 acres will already be aware they will be committing alot of £££ to upkeep and maintenance and therefore the additional for a pool is unlikely to make much difference.
I admit it's not exactly an area of the market I know much about but from window shopping, at that price I would almost expect one.
If your DH is a keen swimmer, would he be happy in a home sized pool though?
I would love one, it would be pretty near the top of my list in the event of a lottery win, at which point I assume I could also afford to pay for the maintenance 🤣

I would love to have one if I was in your position but expect it will need constant maintenance and care. A heated one would allow use all year round but will cost a fortune. If you've got the means then absolutely! We love our paddling pools in the summer so a permanent one would be fantastic 👌 xx

indoor pool better unless you live somewhere with a lot of sun. Doesn’t happen here much sadly, the sun.

Outdoor pools require maintenance, someone I knew had a saline one with a cover and they every day had to fish bugs out of it, other friends had one in Spain but they lived 5 mins from the beach so barely used it! My parents used to have one in SW France holiday home, same thing, maintenance.

Our house is worth that and we have over 14 acres and yes, we have a pool. Yes, it needs maintenance but dh mostly does it. Dc used it a lot. It’s outdoor and heated with a heat pump. pp would be allowed for a building but it’s well landscaped within the garden.