I have always wanted a swimming pool and never had one.”

Joan Didion, Author

Pros and Cons of Owning a Swimming Pool

advantages and disadvantages of swimming pools

Swimming pools are quite popular in many countries all over the world.

Especially in warm climate zones of our planet, many people own a pool.

Even though swimming pools can give you the opportunity to refresh and also have many other advantages, there are also some problems with owning a swimming pool.

In this article, the pros and cons of swimming pools are discussed in detail.

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Advantages of Owning a Swimming Pool

  1. Having a pool at home can be quite convenient on hot summer days
  2. Kids love swimming pools
  3. Also your pets may go for a swim
  4. Your friends will love to come to your home
  5. Owning a pool can improve your productivity
  6. Swimming in a pool can be relaxing
  7. Owning a pool can improve the visual appearance of a home
  8. Swimming can be quite healthy
  9. Getting a pool can provide you with a short vacation opportunity
  10. Owning a pool may increase the coolness factor of your kids
  11. Gives you the opportunity to throw pool parties
  12. May give you the incentive to improve your fitness
  13. Getting a pool may increase the resale value of your home
  14. You can teach your kids how to swim
  15. Swimming pools can be a status symbol

Having a pool at home can be quite convenient on hot summer days

One major advantage of swimming pools is that they can offer you relief on hot summer days.

In fact, it can be quite refreshing when it is hot outside and you can just jump in your pool and feel much better afterward.

Hence, if you live in a hot climate zone, owning your own pool can be great since you can refresh yourself on a regular basis.

Kids love swimming pools

It is also quite nice to have a swimming pool at your home in case you have kids.

Children usually love to play in the swimming pool and they often do not even want to get out of it anymore once the jumped into your pool.

Thus, swimming pools can be especially beneficial if you have kids and want to offer them many nice childhood experiences.

Also your pets may go for a swim

If you have pets, chances are that your pets will also use your pool sooner or later.

In fact, many dogs love to swim in a pool to refresh themselves.

Therefore, by getting a pool, you can not only improve your overall experience, you can also do something good for your pets.

Your friends will love to come to your home

Since pools are quite popular in our society, your friends will also love to come over to your house as often as possible.

Therefore, especially if you are a rather introverted person and have difficulties finding new social connections, getting a pool may be a chance to make progress in your social life since it will be easy to attract many new friends over time.

Owning a pool can improve your productivity

In general, through owning a pool, you can also significantly improve your overall productivity.

For instance, if you don’t have time to play with your family right now since you are busy, your children can play in the pool and can be busy with themselves while you can focus on your work.

However, make sure that you have proper security measures in place so that your kids will not be at risk of drowning.

In fact, you always want to have a person at the pool who looks after your kids while they are in the pool.

Quite often, your spouse can take on this job while you are working on your projects.

Swimming in a pool can be relaxing

Another benefit of owning a pool is that it gives you the opportunity to relax.

In fact, if you are stressed on a regular basis, getting a pool may be a good idea since through swimming in your pool, chances are that you will be able to disconnect from your stressful daily life.

In turn, you can focus on yourself while you are in the pool instead of having to take care of many other things.

This downtime can give you the opportunity to reduce your stress level and to relax quite a lot.

Owning a pool can improve the visual appearance of a home

The installation of a swimming pool can also greatly improve the overall visual appearance of your home.

Especially if you get a custom-made pool that is planned by a professional designer, chances are that your property will look much more unique and also much nicer compared to a state without a pool.

Therefore, if the appearance of your home is really important to you, you may invest some money in getting a pool.

Swimming can be quite healthy

Many studies have shown that swimming can also be quite healthy for our body and our brain.

In fact, if you swim in your pool on a regular basis, chances for serious cardiovascular diseases may decrease.

Moreover, if you currently suffer from obesity and try to lose weight, swimming in your pool can be a great way to do so.

Getting a pool can provide you with a short vacation opportunity

Many people also spend plenty of time and money on short vacation trips.

However, those trips can be quite expensive and people often also use their time quite inefficiently since they drive for long hours and only spend a few days at their destination.

Instead of going on short trips, you may rather want to relax in your garden at your own pool.

This can not only save you money in the long run, you also don’t have to drive or fly long distances and can also save plenty of nerves.

Owning a pool may increase the coolness factor of your kids

If your kids are not popular at school at all and get bullied on a regular basis, chances are that getting a pool may help them since owning a pool significantly increases the coolness factor of a family.

Hence, if your kid struggles to find friends or gets bullied all the time, you may want to do him or her a big favor by getting a pool so that your kid’s popularity level can increase.

However, even though this may work, there might be better ways to solve this problem and you as parents should find solutions to it quite soon in order to protect your child from verbal or even physical attacks.

Gives you the opportunity to throw pool parties

If you own a pool, you will also have the opportunity to throw legendary pool parties at your home.

Almost everyone loves pool parties and it will therefore be quite easy for you to make new social connections and also to find a partner if you are currently searching for a relationship.

Consequently, getting a pool may also help you quite a lot to improve your social life.

May give you the incentive to improve your fitness

Getting a pool can also help you to improve your overall fitness level.

If you have a pool in your garden, you will be much more willing to just go outside and swim for a while compared to a state where you don’t have a pool at home and have to attend a public swimming pool instead.

Therefore, in order to keep you fit, owning a swimming pool can give you a great incentive to exercise on a regular basis.

Getting a pool may increase the resale value of your home

Since pools are quite popular and offer many advantages, people who want to buy a home are usually also quite happy if you have a pool on your property.

Therefore, also the resale value of your home will likely increase through the installation of a pool.

Hence, if you plan to sell your house at one point in time, having a pool may give you the opportunity to sell your home for more money.

You can teach your kids how to swim

If you own a pool, you can also teach your kids how to swim in a safe manner.

This is quite important since many kids no longer learn how to swim and therefore, there are many accidents of children who drown in lakes or other water bodies each year.

Thus, in order to teach your children how to swim, your pool offers a safe environment where they can learn this important skill.

However, always make sure to supervise them so that you can help your kids in case of emergency.

Swimming pools can be a status symbol

Many people also consider owning a swimming pool to be some kind of status symbol.

Not many people are able to afford expensive swimming pools and if it is important for you to impress your peers, you may want to get one of those pools.

Therefore, pools can also be a great way to show off in front of other people.

Disadvantages of Swimming Pools

  1. High initial purchase and installation costs
  2. You will need plenty of equipment for your pool
  3. Swimming pools require regular maintenance
  4. You may be shocked by your utility bill
  5. Some pool devices may break over time
  6. Your pool may attract animals
  7. Mosquitos can be a problem
  8. Owning a pool may be dangerous if you have small kids
  9. Some people underestimate the costs of owning a pool
  10. You have to take proper safety measures
  11. Possible health issues
  12. Benefits may not be as big as you thought
  13. Many people don’t use their pool too often
  14. Your pool may become less attractive once your children turned into grownups
  15. Exposure to harmful chemicals
  16. Your pool may start to smell quite bad
  17. Algae may develop over time
  18. You need plenty of space for the installation of a pool

High initial purchase and installation costs

Although owning a pool can have many advantages, there are still some problems with it.

One disadvantage of owning a pool is that pools can be quite expensive and you can spend many thousands of dollars on your pool.

It can also take quite long until your pool will be finished and you should factor all of this in when it comes to the decision whether you should get a swimming pool or not.

You will need plenty of equipment for your pool

Even when your pool had been properly installed, you will also need plenty of equipment.

For instance, you will need a dip net in order to remove leaves or other things from your pool on a regular basis.

If you don’t want to do the work on your own, you may have to get a pool boy how can take care of it.

However, this will cost you additional money and you should make sure that you can financially afford it.

Swimming pools require regular maintenance

In general, pools need regular maintenance, which can imply additional costs.

Moreover, you may also have to spend some time to get repair parts.

Hence, owning a pool can also imply serious maintenance efforts and costs and you should ask yourself if owning a pool is really worth all of this to you.

You may be shocked by your utility bill

Another problem of owning a pool will be your utility costs.

You will have to spend significant money on water and also on energy in case you have to heat your pool.

In general, if you get a pool, your utility costs will likely skyrocket.

Some pool devices may break over time

Nothing lasts forever and the same is true for the devices in your pool.

For instance, after a while, your pool pump may break down and you will have to get a new one.

The same is true for various other parts and if you are not technically gifted at all, you will also need a repairman on a regular basis.

Your pool may attract animals

Another downside of owning a swimming pool is that pools can attract local wildlife.

Water is crucial for all life on earth and if you live in hot and dry regions, chances are that animals may get attracted to your pool sooner or later since they urgently need water to survive.

In extreme cases, your pool may attract snakes or other unwanted animals and if you live in a region where there are many toxic animals around, you may want to refrain from getting a pool in order to protect yourself and your family from those animals.

Mosquitos can be a problem

The water from your pool may also attract plenty of mosquitos.

Mosquitos love water since it helps them to reproduce and therefore, if you offer this sort of environment, you may also invite mosquitos over to your home.

Hence, if you hate the presence of mosquitos in your backyard, chances are that getting a pool may not be the way to go for you.

Owning a pool may be dangerous if you have small kids

Especially if you have young kids, owning a pool can also do more harm than good.

Pools can be dangerous for young kids and if you don’t look after your kids carefully, they may fall into the pool and drown in the worst case.

Thus, if you have small kids, make sure that you install fences or other barriers around your pool so that your kids can not accidentally fall into your pool.

Some people underestimate the costs of owning a pool

As we have seen before, owning a pool can be quite costly and many people underestimate the true costs of having a swimming pool at home.

In fact, while many people only see the initial purchase price, they vastly underestimate the maintenance costs in the long run.

Therefore, if you consider getting a pool, make sure that you inform yourself about all the potential costs properly in order to avoid any financial problems related to your pool.

You have to take proper safety measures

In general, if you own a pool, it is your responsibility to take proper safety measures to protect you, your family and also your guests.

In fact, if your kids invite their friends over to your home, make sure that you look after them in order to avoid any accidents.

Possible health issues

If you don’t maintain your pool in a proper manner, it can also become a serious health hazard.

Many bacteria and other harmful microorganisms may develop over time, which can cause several serious diseases.

Consequently, make sure to maintain your pool properly in order to avoid those health hazards for you and your guests.

Benefits may not be as big as you thought

Many people also greatly overestimate the benefits of having a pool.

In fact, many people become quite disappointed when they finally realize that the true positive effects of owning a swimming pool are rather limited.

Many people also lose interest in swimming in their pool over time.

Many people don’t use their pool too often

While getting a pool can be quite exciting and you will likely use it quite often in the first few months, it may lose its attraction to you quite soon and over time, people may not use their pool anymore at all.

Thus, you should ask yourself whether you urgently need a pool or not in order not to spend plenty of money on a pool you will not use too much.

Your pool may become less attractive once your children turned into grownups

Having a pool at home can be quite exciting for your kids and children often really love to spend time in the pool.

However, once your children get older, they will likely not spend too much time in the pool anymore.

Therefore, depending on the age of your children, getting a pool may not make too much sense in some cases, especially if you don’t like to swim at all.

Exposure to harmful chemicals

In order to keep your pool clean and to prevent the development of harmful bacteria, you will also have to use chemicals like chlorine on a regular basis.

However, those chemicals can be potentially harmful to our health.

Thus, if you use those chemicals on a regular basis, make sure to follow the instructions in order to avoid using too much of it.

Your pool may start to smell quite bad

Many people also neglect to maintain their pool over time and therefore, those pools may start to smell quite bad.

This can significantly lower your overall quality of life.

Hence, if you know that you will not have sufficient time to maintain your pool properly, it may be a good idea to refrain from getting a pool since it would do more harm than good in such a case.

Algae may develop over time

If pools are not maintained properly, large amounts of algae may develop as well.

This will not only make your pool look quite poor, those algae can also cause health problems since they can produce harmful substances of many sorts.

Hence, also make sure to prevent the development of algae in your pool in order to protect yourself against the potential adverse effects.

You need plenty of space for the installation of a pool

There might also be special restrictions when it comes to the construction of pools.

If your property is not big enough for the installation of a pool, it will simply not make sense to get a pool.

Hence, before you decide to get a pool, make sure that you have enough space in your backyard.

Top 10 Swimming Pool Pros & Cons – Summary List

Swimming Pool ProsSwimming Pool Cons
Swimming pools can reduce your stress levelSwimming pools can be expensive
Pools can be fun for kidsOwning a pool can be time-consuming
Swimming pools may also benefit your petSignificant maintenance efforts and costs
Pools can be status symbolsMay be dangerous if you have a young kid
Can make your home look nicerOwning a pool can imply additional work
Higher resale value for your propertyYou have to keep your pool clean
Swimming can be healthyYou have to use chemicals
You can make pool partiesAlgae may develop in your pool
You can learn your kids how to swimPools may attract unwanted animals
Your friends will love to come overYour pool may lose its attraction over time

Should You Get A Swimming Pool?

As we can see from the previous discussion, there are numerous advantages and disadvantages to owning a pool.

In the end, you have to evaluate all the pros and cons of swimming pools by yourself in order to make a profound decision regarding whether you want to get a swimming pool or not.

Sources

https://www.swimuniversity.com/swimming-pool-tips-save-money/

https://www.thespruce.com/pool-maintenance-tips-2682532

https://freshome.com/inspiration/10-pool-maintenance-tips-need-try-right-now/

About the author

My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people of all ages about our environmental problems and how everyone can make a contribution to mitigate these issues.

As I went to university and got my Master’s degree in Economics, I did plenty of research in the field of Development Economics.

After finishing university, I traveled around the world. From this time on, I wanted to make a contribution to ensure a livable future for the next generations in every part of our beautiful planet.

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