Any regrets or must haves before installing an in-ground swimming pool?

[Newhousename]

I’m about to commit to a swimming pool in the garden. In ground 8x4m. Before I do I’d be grateful to hear from anyone who has one and regrets it or any must haves/must avoids. It would have a ground source heat pump and is the type without external pump/pool house which saves space and cost. It’s a huuuuge investment for me so having last minute cold feet. But everyone I speak to in real life say their only regret is not doing it sooner.

I would use the money to go on holiday every year or a gym or spa membership. Let someone else do the maintenance!

I’d think carefully. We have a pool and it was a ‘necessity’ when the kids were young (we are in a hot country). Ours is a hell of a lot bigger than 8x4 though, the only ones I know of that size are special little pools that (somehow???) push water out at you so you swim laps but actually don’t physically move forward in the pool.

Once they all got past 17yo ish they rarely used the pool and while we used it all the time with them when they were little, we stopped using it too. Costs an absolute tonne to maintain. Many people I know in the same situation, who have decided to stay put rather than downsize when kids grow up, have had theirs filled in.

Would you consider above ground?

yes I know it’s not as aesthetically pleasing. We toyed with doing a “proper” pool but then were put off by the building work /disruption as well as cost of build, maintenance, running. We also figured we’d still go to our local lake for “proper” fitness swimming. Basically we wanted it for DC to play in and DH and I to plunge/float and cool off in

In the end we did an above ground pool . With landscaping to make it look nice. It amazing we spent the whole weekend in it. DC love it. We got a proper filter / heat pump. Runs off our solar panels so no cost to run.

There’s nothing nice about an above ground tank if you can afford a proper pool. They definitely reduce the value of a house. I’d avoid for many reasons!

I installed one the same size and with an air source heat pump. I went with one that I could use April to October (a more powerful pump would be needed for year round use). Day to day maintenance was easy - just a couple chlorine tablets in the filter and occasionally netting some debris out. I’d do it again but this is what I’d do differently:
Try to avoid placing it near any trees or you’ll be cursing them every fall as leaves drop in and clog your filter
If you can afford it have an automatic cover.
The pump will make a noise so consider your neighbours: there needs to be clearance and I housed mine behind a trellis on three sides covered in a climber.
Get a robot cleaner.
You’ll only need someone to close it down for the winter (adding extra chemicals, removing the motor and wrapping the pump- you could do this yourself too) and opening it back up in the Spring (above in reverse).

I know a few people with pools and they all hate them! 2 bought house already with pools and really grudge the upkeep and cost but the kids enjoy it. 1 installed and regrets it. We just dont have the weather for it.

@mondaytosunday The pumps are quite quiet - just a fridge in reverse. We have set ours away from neighbours but you need a big garden to do this!

Colleague of mine has had house up for sale for ages - nearly a year. People put off because of the outside pool. If you have lots of land then fine but in a normal backgarden then I wouldn’t.

There’s nothing nice about an above ground tank if you can afford a proper pool. They definitely reduce the value of a house. I’d avoid for many reasons

We’re not looking to sell our house but if circumstances change and we need to sell we’d just remove the pool if it was going to devalue house. We landscaped the pool area in a way that can be easily turned into raised flower beds / veggie patch etc should we get rid of pool.

And the £££££ saved by not doing a “proper” pool will hopefully enable me to retire couple of years earlier.

For us personally it was the right choice. Money saved but we still have the fun factor of a pool for DC (and I stayed cool all weekend). I love our pool and if people think it’s naff fine - I couldn’t care less.

Yes if we were in “money is no object” levels of wealth I would have built a real pool. But for us building a real pop would have meant other sacrifices.

We have a very large garden and it’s been done as tastefully as possible so I generally think it looks fine. And care not what others think.

My argument is that if you cannot do a pool well, don’t do it. Above ground is not raised bed size! What depth? Is it a paddling pool? Even my basic maths seems to indicate you have no depth! Or part of it is below ground!

Thankyou you all I’m reading every comment and it is helpful. Especially practical things like colour ( had not even thought about that ) and importance of a hidden automatic safety cover and good landscaping. Kids are at the golden age I think -old enough not to need full supervision. The sales man came this morning and swears maintenance is minimal - but he would wouldn’t he. Waiting for the final quote

Ours doesn't seem to be very much work to maintain on a day to day basis. But I may be only saying that because DH does it. I know it took him a while to get the hang of it, but now it doesn't seem to involve much time or effort. We have a non-chlorine system, which is so much nicer. No chlorine smell! We don't use a company to look after it, incuding opening and closing, and never have done. But sometimes the pump/heater has needed some attention.

Presumably if the DC are at an age not to need supervision they aren't going to be using this pool much once it's built (which will be ready for next summer?)

Out of interest what age do people consider kids don’t need supervision when using a pool? (Obviously assuming they are decent swimmers)

Is your garden flat? One friend now rents an above ground pool for the occasional week in the school holidays. It feels as though it costs a fortune as the company comes & sets it all up, gets it all sorted and then takes it away at the end of the hire period BUT it is so much cheaper than it would have cost to install a pool and it always has novelty value so her kids (and all their friends) use it whilst it’s there

Pool maintenance can be annoying. I have an 8.5x3.5m concrete magnesium pool. Has a heat pump (with solar), and an auto doser/hydroxinator.

You are supposed to brush down the sides of the pool daily, and skim. Clean the skimmer basket 2-3 times/week. A pool robot is essential. The newer ones are cordless and can even skim the top of the pool.

I spend about 1-1.5 hrs during the week cleaning it/maintaining. I originally had someone over monthly to test the pool and add chemicals. Now I just bring a sample to my pool shop. Chemicals are about 30-60 quid/month depending on the weather (rain is a pain).

You are going to have wildly different answers depending on where they live, what type of pool they have (vinyl liner, fibreglass or concrete), how it is filtered and chlorinated, if there’s solar heating (it can get expensive heating your pool using the grid vs solar).

We have a pool we put in 20 years ago.
we adore it and it has been used massively every summer by our 4 children throughout their childhoods .
we are currently sat around it now and it is bliss.
we now have a safety cover which is fantastic and uses so much less chemicals as nothing evaporates when the cover is on it and a heat source pump after years of a gas boiler.
ours is 10x4 meters
happy to answer any questions

I do about 30 minutes maintenance a week and we have a robot cleaner that cleans walls etc too

Only get one if you're loaded. I am not and am so fed up of spending money on it. Pool was here when we moved in and is in a wooden shed in the garden. Kids did love it when they were younger, but I'd love to fill it in and am wondering how hard it will be to sell the house in a couple of years.

@Newhousename When you open it up in the spring it takes some work. Dh checks the water and we clean with a robot cleaner. He uses the chemicals but as an engineer, I trust him. I suggest you look at lining colours, if that’s what you are having. Our dark and moody one is great! Stunning with green borders of grasses and perennials and Millboard decking for loungers and dining areas. Don’t forget storage for furniture and pool toys.

Once dc into double figures we didn’t closely supervise but we were never far away as the house opens out towards the pool. The pool isn’t remote from the house.

I'm sorry I have not replied individually but wanted to say again thank you very much to all of you. Still waiting for final quote which will help me decide I think.

The house I grew up in in the 70s had a pool about that size. It had been built in the 60s and was there when my parents bought the house. Unheated and no cover so pretty chilly by today's standards but in a good summer (notably 1975 and 1976) it used to get well over 20'. My dad used to brush/hoover the sides and chuck a handful of chlorine powder in if it started to look green. There was a pump and a filter which got checked daily and as kids we used to enjoy scooping out leaves with a net. No testing. No-one was ever ill.

We LOVED it. As kids and teenagers we swam in it most days May to September. Our friends were round all the time after school and in the holidays. I often had a quick dip in the mornings before school and looking back, knowing what we know now about the benefits of cold water swimming, think it was a great mental health boost in exam times.

Many years later, long after we'd left home and my dad died, my mum, who was more of a gardener than a swimmer, turned it into a beautiful sunken Italian-style garden with steps and a water feature.

TLDR: the upkeep needn't be stressful, it may get used a lot as UK summers get hotter and it doesn't need to be filled in if/when it's no longer wanted.

We have one (bought the house with it and was a selling point for us)

we love it. Maintenance is expensive but easy to learn and do yourself. Chemicals are cheap (if you buy them yourself off amazon etc). Heating can be expensive.

No regrets - worth it for even the one day of the year my children get to use it and are so happy.

You MUST have a proper pool fence though. Non negotiable.