Summer days are simply better with a swimming pool in your very own backyard. But before you toe-dip, swan dive, or cannonball into the deep end, you’ll need to do a little planning. To prep you and your backyard for the best pool imaginable, we tapped three experts to share all the nitty-gritty details from step 1 (choosing a liner!) to opening day (pool floats).
“Whether your pool is 10' x 10' or 25' x 100', the ingredients to building a pool are really the same," says interior design Jenn Feldman. Some of the things they say you do need to consider before going all in are size, depth, position and location in your yard, and how much sun exposure it gets—not to mention whether or not a pool is a good investment for your property, and if "you can fit a Bobcat back in the yard for things like digging, pouring, and tiling."
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Use Case
Think again about how you’ll use this pool—and how much space to dedicate to certain functions like shallow play space, or a hot tub in the pool. If you’re having a hard time choosing between or balancing the two, “Ask yourself: What matters in 5 minutes? 5 days? and 5 years? Kids’ needs will keep changing, so a jacuzzi has a much longer of a lifespan as they won’t be splashing around for their entire lives,” Feldman advises.
Safety
- Slip Factor Even if you have a strict no-running policy, it’s still well-advised to consider non-slip materials around the parameter of the pool to minimize potential for accidents.
- Fencing There are plenty of ways to fence in your pool to keep pets and toddlers away from the area when there are no adults around to supervise.
- Pool Covers “Sticking to the rectangular default shape allows you to have a multitude of options in pool covers, especially
COST
On average, you can plan to spend at least $35,000 to install an in-ground pool, according to HomeAdvisor.com—and that doesn’t include the maintenance that follows. “You should be putting in a poo lfor yourself, not because it’s going to make the house more attractive to buyers,” say sNew York area Realtor Robert Khederian.“To take out a pool is a lot of money, too.”
