16% of the homes in the United States have a built-in pool. If you’re reading this article, we’re willing to bet that you’d like to be a part of that percentage.

The summer heat certainly has a way of bringing out pool-building aspirations.

Here’s the thing, though. While pools are great, they also cost a lot of money and can bring about a variety of lifestyle changes that might not be worth the fun that they’ll add to your life.

If you’re curious to know whether or not a pool is really right for you, we challenge you to ask yourself these 7 questions before hiring a contractor and getting to work.

1. Why Do I Want a Pool?

This is the most basic pool-building question that you’re going to want to pose to yourself. If you don’t have answer for it, you’ll definitely want to put a halt to your pool project until you can come up with one.

Any time you’re going to spend thousands of dollars on something, you need a solid “why”.

Your why shouldn’t just be, “Because pools are fun.” If should be something more meaningful like “I want to make my house more of an entertainment destination so my kids will spend more time here and less time elsewhere.”

Having more family time is a solid “why”. Is yours as good?

2. Do I Need a Built-in Pool?

If the summer heat is bearing down and you’re desperate for relief, there are cheap and non-permanent ways to find it.

For example, you could buy an affordable above ground pool. You could also go to your community pool.

If there’s a reason why you need to have a built-in pool as opposed to either of those simpler solutions, make sure that you know what that reason is. A lot of people jump towards the most expensive solutions to basic problems and skip over better, easier ones.

3. How Often Can I Use My Pool During The Year?

In many parts of the country, using a built-in pool during the winter and fall is an impossibility. Sometimes, even spring can be difficult due to rain.

Is the area that you live in conducive to pool time or is your weather going to hamper how much joy you can get out of your investment?

If you live in a “sunny all year” area like Southern California, a built-in pool might be a no-brainer. If you live in South Dakota, you’ve got more to think about.

4. How Much Will My Pool Cost Me Per Usable Month?

Now that you have an idea of roughly how many months out of the year you’ll be able to use your pool, think about how much your pool is going to cost you per usable month.

You can learn more about average pool payments online but for example’s sake, let’s say your pool costs $20,000 and you can only use it 3 months out of the year.

For your first 5-years of pool ownership, your pool will cost you over $1300.00 per month. That doesn’t even take into account maintenance expenses.

Is that number worth it to you?

5. Does Having a Pool Present Risks?

Built-in pools are dangerous. They create the risk of drowning on your property which can be a huge liability.

Just think of what would happen if your child or somebody else’s got into your yard and fell into your pool. What if that child drowned?

This might seem like a far-fetched possibility but in reality, children drowning in pools happens all too frequently.

Consider these risks, how you’d mitigate them and if having a pool is worth incurring them.

In many cases, taking out a larger insurance policy is a must if you bring a pool into the mix.

6. Are There Talented Pool Builders in My Area?

Building a pool is tricky business. If you hire an inexperienced builder, they could strike gas lines, ruin your yard or otherwise complicate your project.

That’s why it’s very important to consider if your community has experienced pool builders that can help you with your project.

If you live in an area that’s generally hot, pool builders shouldn’t be hard to find. If you live in an area where pools aren’t common, it’s going to be a lot harder to attract somebody that can get the job done.

In these cases, you might want to gamble on hiring a general contractor or better yet, might want to pay for a long-distance builder to come out and manage your project.

7. Is This Where I Plan on Living Forever?

If you’re installing a pool in your forever home, you don’t have to think too much about what it might mean for your space long term. On the other hand, if moving in the next 5 to 10 years is on the docket, you’ve got some stuff to mull over.

Pools can limit the number of buyers that your home will attract. That could bring your property’s price down.

Talk to a real estate agent and pick their brain regarding how pools affect property values in your area.

If they predict a decline in your sales price, take that number and add it onto your pool’s cost since that’s technically what it’s going to run you.

Closing Out Our Questions to Ask Yourself Before Pool-building

The pool-building bug bites a lot of people when it gets warm out. This article hopes to give those people a reality check so that they can be 100% sure that splurging on a pool is right for them.

If you’ve asked yourself the questions above and have determined that a pool is the way to go, have a blast!

We wish you the best of luck with your pool-building project and invite you to keep reading the content on our blog.