Thank you for your kind words.

Ours is 25′ x 50′ and we received estimates from $30k to $100k! We ended up in the lower half of that range and went with a simple design. We didn’t have any of the pricier features like rock formations, a whirlpool section, etc.

My kids are 13, 17, 18, 20, and 23. The 23-year old lives on his own now but the rest of the kids use it a lot! My 13-year-old uses it daily and the others are in it at least a few times each week and usually have their friends over.

How old are your children? I hear a lot the older kids do not use it and it sits unused all summer. My kids are 18, 14 and 10. I don’t want to invest and not have them use it! I’m torn every year and like you said – waiting is only wasting the time it will be used.

Yes, we got a vinyl saltwater pool. We have a large family and lots of friends so we wanted a larger pool. I’m super happy about our decision to go with saltwater since it really is much gentler on our eyes.

I agree that the maintenance hasn’t been nearly as time-consuming or difficult as I had feared it would be. I’m so glad we got the pool. We spend so much more time outdoors as a family, plus the kids are all great swimmers now and I’m slowly getting better (I never learned as a kid so I’m terrible!).

Usually, the people who are against pools are the ones that do not have them! We absolutely love our pool and the maintenance is minimal with robots to clean the bottom. I take care of the pool all summer and it is not a problem at all.

Hi Brent, thanks for letting me know about the ads. They’re necessary in order for me to justify the time I devote to running this site, but I try to keep them from being overly intrusive. I’ll definitely chat with my ad network to make sure they’re less annoying to visitors.

As to your other remark, my intent was not to encourage others to take on debt, but to know what options might exist if, like me, a swimming pool was something they wanted to invest in. I was sharing my personal process and considerations before I made the decision for myself. I respect your opinion that a swimming pool would be a frivolous expense, but for our family it’s been a wonderful experience.

Second, telling people to go into debt to purchase something completely unnecessary is irresponsible and horrible advice.

Yes! And haven’t regretted it for one minute. We use it almost every day as soon as it’s warm enough.