Swimming ponds/pools/indoor/outdoor - any experiences please?

[Solo2]

From time to time I consider exploring having a home swimming pool built, at some point - obviously dependent on costs etc. As a first step, I wondered if anyone here has experience of getting one built or having one already?

Things I'm wondering about are: should I consider a swimming pond - being more natural? Are indoor pools much more advantageous (use all year round) than outdoor ones?

Does having a pool drastically reduce the price of your property, as I've heard - because of running costs? Are they a pain to maintain? How long would it take to get built? Is it worth considering overground pools/ wooden structures etc etc?

Roughly what might it cost to have built?

If anyone has any advice, I'd love to hear from you

remember you'll need planning permission if you have a proper pool!

half sunk pools are good, and only a few thousand.

Indoor - or at least covered - you can get a plastic dome thingie - is better because it keeps the heat in and reduces the costs. - assuming you'd want a heated one or you'd freeze your tits off!

I think that the effect on the value of your house depends on what it's like in the first place - if the house is huge, people might not care about running costs, and see it as a need, whereas if the house is small, and the swimming pool takes up the garden, then people might start to see it as more of a disadvantage.

When we were looking, I would have seen a swimming pond as an attraction, but we definitely ruled out a house with a swimming pool. But then I love gardening and don't much like swimming!

Friend of ours has just filled their swimming pool in, it worried her sick with the children in the garden and she felt they paid a lot less for the house because nobody else wanted the pool.

When we were buying our house years ago we went to look at a lovely, cute thatched cottage. Looked great from the front, but then discovered that the ENTIRE backgarden - which was pretty small - was taken up with a swimming pool surrounded by ugly paving slabs. 'Twas hideous and completely out of keeping with a period cottage.

Unsurprisingly the property had been on the market for a LOOOONG time.

I must admit you should only consider a pool if you are going to be in the house for a considerable no. of years and its one of those things which will divide your buyers when you eventually come to sell. Some will see it as an advantage and the others will see it as a danger which they will have to take out at some considerable expense. We of the latter opinion and have rejected some lovely houses on the basis that we'll have to remove the pool

costco have a HUGE stand alone pool in at the moment! It is rectangular and about 6mx4m if not a bit bigger and comes with a step ladder, filter and cover. Not sure if it has a heater with it but you can buy them pretty easily.

It looks amazing and is around £500!!!!

Thanks for all the replies. Sick DS1 prevented me getting back sooner. Sounds like a swimming pool may not be such a brilliant idea. Thanks for the thoughts.

Swimming ponds are massively more expensive than a regular chlorinated pool also they can't be heated to as high a temperature.

A safety cover is the only thing to have if you have dc's. You can get the electric version which is as easy as a turn of the key to open it or manual which is more tricky but less expensive.

The safety covers will take the weight of a whole family safely.

Thanks Alouiseg. I didn't realise there was a huge price difference between swimming ponds and swimming pools. I've always loved the idea of a natural swimming pond but DCs say they'd never enter any water that had plant or wildlife in it!! and would prefer a swimming pool.

We've got a garage attached to the house which might do as the initial space for a swim pool - but I've absolutely no idea whether it's big enough, whether the expense is completely beyond my range and whether we'd struggle to get planning permission.

Our garden isn't huge - about a third of an acre - so that may also prohibit any kind of pool on lawn area, as it might therefore take up almost the whole garden???

Do you know a rough 'ballpark 'figure for complete building and installation of a small swimming pool these days?

For a 16 x 32 block and liner pool with the all important safety cover you will be looking at around 40 - 50k get 3 quotes and decide what you need. You can go cheaper by using a fibreglass liner or you can make it as expensive as you like.

You don't need planning permission either if you're not in a conservation area and it's an outdoor pool.