Owning a swimming pool is a dream for a lot of people. Who wouldn’t love being the life of the party? Yet the decision really isn’t that simple. Before you decide whether you want a swimming pool or not, take the time to really weigh out the pros and cons.
Here are some of the main pros and cons to owning a swimming pool.
==> Pro: Swimming in Summer, Parties, Kids Love It
This is the clearest benefit of all. People love swimming pools. Kids love swimming pools. Pools make for great house parties.
==> Con: Dangerous Around Kids Who Can’t Swim
If you have kids in the house who don’t know how to swim yet, having a pool around can actually be a big detriment.
Even if your child knows he or she can’t swim, it’s still very easy to slip and fall into the pool. The pool can essentially becomes a big safety hazard.
One caveat here is that having your own pool makes teaching the kids to swim a lot easier.
==> Pro: A Great Tool for Exercise
Swimming is a very unique exercise in that it works out almost every muscle group in the body, as well as the cardiovascular system.
Unlike weight lifting, swimming doesn’t cause micro-fractures in the bones and doesn’t cause your bones and body to expand. Instead, you just get firm lean muscles.
==> Con: You Won’t Recoup the Costs in Home Value
A lot of people justify owning a swimming pool by telling themselves they’ll recoup the cost in the home’s value.
The reality is, that just doesn’t happen. While having a pool does increase the value of your home, it’s not nearly as much as the cost of building a pool.
When you build a swimming pool, you more or less have to consider most of the money as money spent.
==> Pro: A Great Teaching Experience
Having a pool can be a great way to teach your kids a useful skill. You can use the pool to teach your kids how to measure pH levels, how to maintain pumps, how to diagnose and fix problems, so on and so forth.
For a child, this can be incredibly fun. They feel a big sense of accomplishment. They also learn useful skills and can start to understand chemistry, electricity and mechanics at an early age.
==> Con: Improperly Maintained Pools Are Dangerous
If you don’t maintain your pool properly, it can be dangerous. High chlorine levels or high pH levels can be damaging to human eyes and respiratory systems. If your pumps aren’t working well, bacteria can grow.
These are some of the main pros and cons to owning a swimming pool. Before taking the jump, make sure you consider the decision from all angles.