Why You May Not Need A Swimming Pool In Your Home
If you are looking for a home and you find two – one with a swimming pool and one without, which one do you take? Financial considerations aside, you should only opt for the home with the swimming pool if you wanted a swimming pool in the first place.
This is because a swimming pool comes with its disadvantages, which you should only be willing to shoulder if you have set your eyes on owning one. Otherwise, you may regret your decision when you find yourself shouldering the following burdens of swimming pool ownership:
Regular Maintenance
A swimming pool requires regular maintenance for it to continue serving you safely and efficiently. If you don't maintain your pool properly, it will quickly deteriorate and become a health and safety hazard. For example, dangerous microorganisms can grow in your pool if you don't keep the water clean and treated with the right chemicals. Here are some of the maintenance practices a swimming pool requires:
- Vacuuming the pool
- Maintaining the tiles
- Keeping the water filters clean
- Ensuring the pool fence is intact
- Maintaining the correct balance of pool chemicals
High Risk of Injury
A swimming pool is a dangerous thing to have in your compound. According to statistics, hundreds of deaths are attributed to swimming pools per year. A swimming pool is also an attractive nuisance, which is legal speak for saying that children are highly attracted to swimming pools even though it is dangerous to them. This means you may be held responsible if your swimming pool causes injury to a child.
Reduced Yard Space
If two homes are situated in the same lot size but one has a pool while the other doesn't, the property with a swimming pool effectively has reduced yard space. This means that if you have a swimming pool, you will have to go easy on your gardening or landscaping ambitions, especially if the compound wasn't that big to begin with.
High Insurance Costs
Because a swimming pool is dangerous, both to kids and adults, it attracts high homeowners' insurance rates. Don't forget that you can be sued if someone gets injured in your swimming pool. In such a case, your home insurance company will step in to settle the lawsuit, so it has to increase your rates to cover the increased risk.
High Utility Bills
Lastly, a swimming pool also increases the monthly utility bills in a typical home, and there are several reasons for this. For one, you will have to replace the water lost via evaporation, splashing or leaks. Secondly, the pool also requires energy for pumping or heating up the water.
In short, there are pros and cons of owning a swimming pool so don't buy a single family home with a pool just because you can. Instead, only opt for such a property if you really want a swimming pool.
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