The Backyard Swimming Pool: A Blessing or a Curse?
With the summer heat reaching record-breaking temperatures, wouldn’t it be nice to step out of the back of the house and take a refreshing dip in your very own swimming pool? It’s the dream of a lot of homeowners, right?
Be careful what you wish for.
I know quite a few friends who happen to have swimming pools in their backyards (both “above ground” and “in ground”), and to a man (or woman), whenever I pose the comment “it must be nice to have a pool”, the response is generally the same.
“I hate it.”
Whaaaaaaaat? What on earth do they mean?
The complaints are always the same.
“We never use it.”
“It’s a pain to clean.”
“It’s too much to fool with for the few times we ever get in it.”
“I’d like to get rid of it.”
“I’d fill it in tomorrow and turn it into yard/garden space again.” (for those who have in-ground pools).
Let’s be realistic. A swimming pool is a lot of work. There are chemicals to buy (and store). There are constantly leaves, bugs, or other debris to skim off of the water. Pumps beak down and need to be maintained. There’s deck maintenance and keeping the water level up (or taking it down – if there’s been a lot of rain). The water is either too warm or too cold. There are pool covers to buy, install, and remove (depending on the season). For those adults who don’t have kids, it’s a whole lot of work for a limited amount of pleasure.
Sure, one can hire someone to take care of all of this, but now there’s an added bi-weekly or monthly expense for an item that rarely gets used.
People who own swimming pools seem to fall into the same category as boat owners, and everybody know the old adage that the two greatest days of having a boat are the day you buy it – and the day you sell it. The same can be said of a swimming pool.
Oh, sure, there are exceptions. Some people use their pools all the time – and that’s great, but I’d wager that those folks are the minority.
You know who enjoys a pool the most?
Guests.
If I really have to cool off after working outside in the dog days of summer, I’ll go “old school” and just dowse myself with the garden hose.
Hope you’re finding a way to stay out of the summer heat (that doesn’t involve a giant man-made hole filled with water). Be careful out there!
One thought on “The Backyard Swimming Pool: A Blessing or a Curse?”
We had an above-ground pool complete with surrounding deck and everything you said about pools is true. Finally took it apart, labeled the pieces and sold it. However, the boats we had were a different story in that they got used frequently and were thoroughly enjoyed. Love to fish.
Other things one has to consider regarding owning a pool is that adding to the cost is the fact that they have to be fenced and gated plus you have to buy water to fill them. They also present a danger to young children and pets as well as wild critters who can fall in and drown.