Pool or no pool

[Saugatucktrader]

One of the many questions we have about building, should we go for the pool or not? Cost, maintainence, how much? Seems there are a lot of homes with pools. Our lot has an ocean view going up at about 12 ft. Could a pool be elevated, like say putting your cisterns underneath? Anybody have any experience to share? Thanks loads.

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

In dry times, I wouldn't want to pay the bill to haul water to keep a pool filled, as well as drinking water. The alternative is a saltwater pool and there's a ginormous one close to any direction you care to walk. One can always imbibe in an adult or other beverage at the nearest watering hole that has a pool. Put that money to use in landscaping, a good genset with circuits to prevent brown-outs that ruin appliances, interior/exterior asthetics, or to something bearing interest to cover insurance or other escrow things.

[BahamaAngie]

If it is an affordable item for you....I myself would definitely want a pool! Sorry Half, it would be one of my top priorities. If I were able to afford to own a home there, it would have to have a pool! My daughter just went to a friend's last weekend and they filled it with water was RO and they told her it did not need any chemicals. That I don't understand. How they keep it clean like a chlorine pool. But it sounds great. When we first had our pool built, they filled it with bay water (looked terrible until they cleared it up) and than we had our own salt water pool. or half salt water pool. Just my 2 cents.

[PattyRudi]

Saugatucktrader,

I'm with Half. We're building and that is the absolute last thing we'd ever imagine putting in the Abacos! Water is a precious resource, and we will be very careful with it there. Here in Canada, with the most fresh water in the world - that's another story.

You can get to a pool in short order I imagine on most islands. In Hope Town (for example), most pools are empty - at the Lodge or Abaco Inn or Sea Spray - and available for any paying customer to enjoy - without the headaches!

We wouldn't want the maintenance of a pool - especially during the times we won't be there.

Think seriously about the responsibility of a pool, and I mean environmentally as well as in terms of maintenance.

[norvell]

Having built a house on Guana, we cannot imagine putting in a pool, not before, during or after we finished, for all the reasons already mentioned.

[BahamaAngie]

I guess it makes sense not to have the headaches of a pool if you are NOT there a lot and if you rent it, it could present problems. I just was thinking of myself that I have always had to have access to a pool. I look for that most everywhere we go and we were the first one here to have an inground pool when we moved here. Now just about everyone on the waterfront has one! At the time, it was unheard of!

[floridaskater]

I think the way to do it would be to drill for water, install one of those RO & desalinization units, then you could keep the pool filled regularly. There is a big cost to the well and other machinery for the water and maintenance of the system. However, I do believe you could rent you place for more money and more often with a swimming pool. You'd have to run the math to see how long the additional rental fees would pay off the added expense.

We may opt to add a very small hot tub size "splash pool" to our patio deck, just to have somewhere to sit and cool off. Our thinking is that something this size could be emptied or filled easier and with less expense, and with far less maintenance than a full size pool.

Or you go really cheap and get a plastic or blow up baby pool, LOL. Serves the same purpose but not quite as nice looking. And you are less likely to drown in a baby pool in case you drink too much. (I am joking a little here)

[BahamaAngie]

Don't laugh, I just went out and bought one yesterday while my pool is being repaired!

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

Not sure how it works there, but here, the liability on a pool, especially with an absentee landlord, would be astronomical. We'd have to have a locked, fenced enclosure, lots of signs and lots of homeowner's insurance, not to mention the maintenance. Trying to do that long distance would be a nightmare, I would think.

[BahamaAngie]

Yeah you're right. I certainly was NOT thinking along those terms. I got caught up with thinking of being there and enjoying the pool. Same here, HAVE to have a fence and a locked gate and when away it is a nuisance to keep it clean while you are gone. We tried a timer once and had someone come daily to put chlorine in and came home to a green pool. Something or someone was not doing their job. But in a PERFECT world, I would love it! One of the reasons we were staying in a complex that had a pool. I love the ocean, but I love pools also.

[Jacaranda]

Ya know, a spa tub makes a lot more sense here than a swimming pool.
A small 4 person tub only hold about 300 gallons of water, doesn't need heating, (but if you do go solar) and the jets feel really good after a hard day on the sea. If you are close to the sea you can use fresh salt water.
The best units for the Abacos, in my opinion, are the ones built to go on yachts, have no wood to rot, or metal to corrode....

[PattyRudi]

Not sure how it works there, but here, the liability on a pool, especially with an absentee landlord, would be astronomical. We'd have to have a locked, fenced enclosure, lots of signs and lots of homeowner's insurance, not to mention the maintenance. Trying to do that long distance would be a nightmare, I would think.

Ah, that is another excellent point, Half!

Liability is massive when you own a pool - I think in law it is called an "attractive nuisance," meaning that it beckons those who see it and hear it calling them... "come, swim..."

And then fencing and locks are required.

We had a pool in our amazing estate property we sold last year (to move to Elbow cay) and it only passed for not having a gate because it was on our 120 acres, and 2000 ft. up a gated driveway. But I still worried that friends of my daughters might know the dates we were traveling, and the liability would still be ours.

[jstjr1]

Can anyone tell me how much rain (fresh water) Marsh Harbor gets a year? Does it rain frequently enough so you always have fresh water for washing off the sticky salt in salt water, for cooking etc.?
Thanks, Jstjr1

[Saugatucktrader]

Thanks for the input. Several goods points were bought up to think about. I have noticed there seems to be a lot of homes that have pools.

[dp]

That's right....there are many pools in Abaco. And, they use almost NO water - as enviro-rumors may claim. Once full, keep it full with a cover. Very little new water is needed. You'll need someone dependable to service it, of course, just like anywhere. Of the many pools around, (lawyer bait in the US), I see very few with the ridiculous fencing that has become so standard elsewhere. There are "attractive nuisances" all over the place. Most Abaco people just take care of their kids. A pool is a very attractive addition in Abaco.

[Saugatucktrader]

Does anyone know how much more your homeowners policy would be because you have a pool? Thanks