Guest thefarrs Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Hi All We are moving to Sydney in a couple of weeks and will be trying to secure a rental for our family in the Hills area when we arrive. We have a young daughter who is desparate for us to try to find a house with a pool, but never having lived in a house with a pool (a hot tub is as far as we have gone on that score), we would be interested to hear any thoughts or experiences from those who have. In particular, we would be interested in getting an idea about costs of running a small pool (electricity, chemicals, water useage etc) and also how much work it entails to maintain it (ie cleaning, water checks, pumps, how often does the water need to be changed etc?). Do you think it is generally worthwhile, or would it be better to wait until we are more settled. Any thoughts, advice or experiences welcome. Many thanks! Damiane and Cara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 We have always said we would like a pool, but i don't really want to do the upkeep and we really like these gated communities where theres a communal pool, you get the best of both worlds and the best bit, someone else looks after it, it would be a good way of meeting folk and making firends. A jacuzzi on the patio with a massive barbecue and a communal pool, sounds like my kind of heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewe12345 Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Hi All We are moving to Sydney in a couple of weeks and will be trying to secure a rental for our family in the Hills area when we arrive. We have a young daughter who is desparate for us to try to find a house with a pool, but never having lived in a house with a pool (a hot tub is as far as we have gone on that score), we would be interested to hear any thoughts or experiences from those who have. In particular, we would be interested in getting an idea about costs of running a small pool (electricity, chemicals, water useage etc) and also how much work it entails to maintain it (ie cleaning, water checks, pumps, how often does the water need to be changed etc?). Do you think it is generally worthwhile, or would it be better to wait until we are more settled. Any thoughts, advice or experiences welcome. Many thanks! Damiane and Cara I think for the 1st year of moving here you need to get a pool to get it out of your system. We have been here 12 months and not used our pool much at all. Its cost us about $100 a week extra in rent than it would to rent a house same size in the same area. Running a pool dont really cost much if your not heating it. We have a pool company come round once a month to check the pool and put any chemicals in and on avenge its about $20 per month for extra chemicals plus we buy our own chlorine tablets which is about $30 which last the month, longer in winter. You dont need to change the water but will need to top it up and empty some from time to time. It can be hard trying to keep the balance right from day to day with the weather changes. The hot sun can strip all the chlorine out of the pool plus heavy rain can cause problems too. Some pools have a auto chlorinator making life a lot easier. We have got a problem at the moment with our pool being cloudy and green from the sun, trying chemicals to clear it but not having much luck. If you take water a sample to a pool shop they test it for free and guild you to what you need to do. Each week you need to vac pool, back flush the filter and clean the skimmer basket, takes about half hour then just do a test your self to see what the waters like. I used test strips and just match the colours up on the strip to the chart on the bottle. When our tenants contract is up we are just going for a house closer to the beach and just go the aquatic centre when we want to swim but as I say you need to find out for your self if its really worth having a pool and if you will use it. Remember unless its heated your not going to use it in the winter. Hope this helps Stew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selah Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Personally, we said we always wanted one and it was a priority but then chose a house that didn't have one after living with my in-laws for 6 months who did have one. Now after just 10 months we want to move just because we want a pool. We find that without it - our kids would be TV addicts and on the ps3 all summer because of heat. It's great exercise and they spend HOURS in it. It may not be for all seasons but for 3 kids (14, 12 & 6) I can't I won't be without it. Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeM Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Well pool maintenance is included in our lease. Since acquiring the place we've scarecely used the pool. It wasn't a priority to get a pool. And our maintenance guy does a terrible job and (actually he refuses to work at all, pretty much) so we haven't got our money's worth with it at all. I won't go in it 'cos it just gets full of leaves and muck. Getting the salt levels and such right is something our pool guy should be more than capable of but he hasn't been in a few months... So it's a no for me. Go in the sea instead that's free. :dull: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Joker Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Another point of view! Many rentals with pools do include maintenance within the contract - if the pool guy isn't doing the job then complain to the letting agent. Anyway, I had a house for 7 years with a pool. Used it A LOT. I was fortunate that my next door neighbour was a pool maintenance guy so I looked after his computers and he looked after my pool. Great deal. However, he only came in once a month and I generally only swept the pool once a week (fortunate in that we didn't have any trees near the pool dropping their leaves in) and the rest was automatic. Mind you, we live in Queensland where the sunshine is more constant. I have recently moved home and bought a house without a pool. We do miss it but we are closer to the beach (literally a 5 minute drive) so go there a lot at weekends but would love a pool for a morning dip before I head off to work and an evening dip when I get back. The Hills area of Sydney will be quite a trek to the beach for you, so I would say, if it is within your budget, get a place with a pool. It helps you with the climate change. The kids will love it. Whilst renting, it will help you decide whether you want a pool longer term. If you don't and find it more hassle than it's worth you can move rental house to one without a pool. If you ultimately buy, then you will know whether to include a pool in your list of wants or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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