All You Need to Know about Owning a Pool

How do you feel when you visit someone who has a pool at their home? A little jealous maybe? You must think that their life is heaven. While this is mostly true, it is important to realize that there are a number of responsibilities that come with owning a pool. If you are considering building a pool at home and are wondering what it entails, this article is for you. Many people wrongly assume that their work ends after saving enough money to build the pool, and choosing the pool design. However, there is actually a lot more that goes into it. In fact, some pool owners say it is very much like owning a pet because it needs a lot of maintenance work if it is to remain in good condition.

Many have had to stop their pool construction projects halfway because they did not know all the costs involved and how much time they would need for maintenance and all that jazz. The other alternative is to hire someone to do the maintenance for you, but that is more money out of your pocket. Maintenance can take up a lot of your time and money. However, with a routine schedule, it is possible to have everything down to a T so you can budget for the costs involved.

What are the costs involved?

• Well, obviously, you will need to hire a pool contractor to help you come up with a design for the pool and implement it.
• You will also need to purchase all the materials needed for building the pool. This includes pool equipment like filter hoses, liners, a pump and other such things. After construction, you can breathe a sigh of relief because it is safe to say that you are done with the expensive part of the process. However, there will be more things to spend money on.
• You will need to invest in a pool fence, especially if you have kids or pets that might fall into the pool while running around in your yard. The good news is that there are many options to choose from. You can go for high quality glass fencing, metal fencing, wooden fencing, or any other material depending on the design you wish to achieve. Glass fencing is growing in popularity because it is very elegant and can make your pool look absolutely stunning.
• Maintenance of the pool is another expense you need to budget for. When chlorine is exposed to sunlight, it causes damage to vinyl and plastic, which are the materials used to make most of the things used around a pool. Therefore, you will need to replace these things over time. You need to budget for new filter hoses, O-rings, filter repairs, pump replacement and replacement or repair of other pool equipment. There are also chemicals used in water treatment. These include chlorine and algaecide, among other things.
• When you get a pool, expect that your water and electricity bill will go up. If it is a heated pool, then I hope you are ready for the high power bills.