The pandemic has changed a lot of things about us and our lifestyles. As more of our time is being spent indoors, features such as in-house swimming pools are more in demand. So to speak, swimming pools are a luxury to some while a necessity for others.
Buying a house with a pool is not affordable for everyone but given space and upfront investment, a lot of homeowners will consider building one. Whatever your incentives maybe, starting without thorough research is not a good idea. Ask around what are the positives and negatives of owning a pool.
If you have been considering installing a residential swimming pool, you have landed at the right place. We have collected the goods and bad of owning an in-house pool for your convenience.
Table of Contents
Pros Of Building An Indoor Swimming Pool
1- Entertainment For The Whole Family
Whether you are a single person or living with a family and kids, a pool inside the house is a perfect place for entertainment. This is probably the most important reason for the popularity of indoor swimming pools. It provides a good opportunity and place for togetherness.
When things return to normal, family dinner parties can be even more fun and entertaining. For the present situation, you can plan pool parties with the people living in the home every other weekend.
Unlike an outdoor pool, a residential indoor pool can be used as a place of safe recreation all over the year.
2- Aesthetic Appeal Reasons
A beautifully designed pool can beat almost any other feature when it comes to sheer indulgence. You can increase the aesthetic appeal of your house by building a pool that looks great with the interior design. With several appealing options like wall stones and stylish tiles with impeccable color varieties, building a new pool is going to crank up the appeal of your house.
3- Boost in the Value of Your Property
It is no secret that a house with a pool is more likely to bag popularity as compared to its neighborhood. Although it is not a good idea to install a pool merely for the purpose to attract more buyers, a well-built one can boost the real estate value of your house. If a buyer is interested in the in-house entertainment opportunities, you may get even more than your investment. It can be an attractive feature on property listings.
4- A Lap of Luxury and Healthy Activity
Swimming is a healthy exercise for all groups of ages. As staying inside gives us fewer opportunities to engage in aerobic exercise, a lap (actually a lot more than one lap!) in the swimming pool offers several health benefits. Water aerobics has proven to be beneficial for weight loss, heart and lung health. So, it’s not only about the luxury of it but your family can make up for the missed morning walks.
5- Better Privacy
Not everyone enjoys the outdoors. Some people are more conscious when it comes to taking a dip in the swimming pool. For all these people, an indoor pool is a blessing as it increases your privacy standard.
6- No Sunburns
Another great thing about having an indoor swimming pool is you won’t have to fear sunburn. This means no sunscreen, which can be pretty healthy for your skin.
There are few other minor advantages of an indoor pool like the use of chlorine. An outdoor pool requires a lot of chlorine because of sunshine, whereas in-house pools use less sanitizer or chlorine levels.
Cons of Building an Indoor Swimming Pool
1- Upfront Cost of Installation
Building an indoor pool is quite expensive. Although there are cheaper options as well, you need a hefty amount to build an impressive pool that blends well with the house. Pool building these days is much more affordable than past but it’s imperative to see if your budget limits allow you to do that.
Why so much? Let's look at a quick price breakdown:
- The approximate cost of a swimming pool is $50,000.
- The average per square foot cost of the pool is $100. This means if you want to build 25 feet * 45 feet swimming pool, the structure would cost around $112,500.
- Installation of a dehumidification system, which is a must for indoor pools, costs about $25,000.
- If we total these values we get a hypothetical amount of $137,500.
2- Maintenance Mayhems
For almost every pool owner out there, maintenance mayhems are the reason they wish they never had built it in the first place. Keeping the indoor pool clean and pristine takes a lot more than installing one. And if you don’t invest the required time and energy in keeping it clean, several health and safety issues can arise. Improper usage can lead to serious illnesses. You need to keep a checklist for daily, weekly and annual swimming pool cleaning and stick to it.
And it's not only about the time, maintenance demands a lot of cash. The maintenance costs can run to a couple of thousand dollars in a year.
3- Safety Hazards
All of the inhouse pools come with their fair share of safety hazards. If the pool is more than 30 centimeters deep, it must have a suitable child barrier. Moreover, poorly kept pools can be a safety risk for the structural integrity of your house making it unsafe for everyone.
4- High-Humidity Level
Pools lose a lot of water through evaporation even if they are properly covered. This can be a big issue if the pool is in-house. To keep the humidity at an optimum level you will need to install specialized equipment.
Is it a Good Idea to Build an Indoor Pool?
If you have got the time and money to build and maintain an indoor pool, it is a good idea to install one. It is a highly desirable home feature but if you cannot maintain it well, better leave the idea and consider other indoor entertainment options.