I have always been a spa guy and had this great plan for decking and then buying an above ground spa. Then I started to talk to people and I might be swayed to add a pool.

The main reason for my pool is when my little one gets older.

Is the additional investment worth it?

 

I'd go with the jacuzzi tub over a pool. The reason being mainly the liability associated with a pool -- they can be very dangerous and you have to ensure that your yard is 100% kid-proof from entry. You also lose a lot of valuable play-area by putting a pool in. At elast a spa can be easily covered (and even locked) with minimal risk to your child and others' children.

 

By worth it, are you talking about resale value? If so, a pool adds little to resale value and usually is consider a detriment as it typically reduces the number of buyers.

Buy a pool if it's something you enjoy.

 

That is a tough decision. I would probably use both equally, but pool maintenance > jacuzzi maintenance.

 

I would go Jacuzzi because its all weather...

 

Spa for me. I was hoping to find a home that came with a spa when I was shopping. .

 

You will have more sex in a jacuzzi than in a pool.

 

If you are content with a spa do it....the pool and all the necessities will cost 10x's the price of a spa and you can use the spa all yr round. I made the mistake of doing both! Not to mention I took out 38 20ft+ trees. NEVER AGAIN!

 

Are you saying that you regret the pool and spa, or just one?

 

I love both, but if you can deal with the 5-10k spa vs the 50k+ pool itd be the way to go.

 

We toyed with both as well but in the end went with the pool. Much more versatile and it adds a whole new dimension to the yard verses just the spa.

 

Why not just do both? Or build the spa/hot-tub attached to the pool? If you can afford a pool, what's an extra 5-10k for a hot tub (even if it is stand-alone)?

 

pool

 

I would definately do a pool w/spa so I guess it should be pool with spa or just spa.

I would just use the spa but in talking to people they had some good points for having the pool.

The reason why I am going back and forth is the good points are also negatives:

1. You house would be the place to be:
-Good- You know where you kid is
-Bad- Liability for other kids

2. He will use it when he is older
-Good- Family time
-Bad- Being as nervous parent as possible can you really child proof the thing (Right now he is 1)

3. Look
-Good- I do like the way pools can make a backyard
-Bad- They chew up a lot of space

I am guessing there is not a big resale value in above ground spas? Landscaping a new home back yard is so expensive and I don't want to get a just the spa now if in 6 years I am ripping it(and the decking) out to buy a pool.

 

your return on investment varies too much to say depending on neighborhood, size of yard, what buyers want, etc etc

 

It's not only the construction costs, but the cost to run the spa. Not sure about the OP's area, but around here gas is expensive. To heat a spa for a couple of hours per day can run $75 and up (per use). So that needs to be factored into the equation. For us, it wasn't worth it. We wanted a pool and that is what we knew we would use... so we got the pool only.

Another thing to consider is pool design. If you are incorporating a spa into the pool design, you then are essentially forced to design the pool around the spa. By not doing the spa we were free to design the pool however we wanted. This enabled us to do a completely free-form pool of our own design, plus we were able to incorporate elevation changes into the design... neither or which would have been feasible with a spa.

 

Depends on your intentions, area of the country and neighborhood.

1. Above ground spa is personal property and adds no value to your home generally.
2. Some neighborhoods in some parts of the country expect pools of a certain type.
3. Houston has a lot of hot days and a long season I think so pool might be good idea.
4. Like most home improvements/upgrades, do it for yourself, most of the value is in use, not resale. Don't get one unless you love to swim.
5. In my area, those who can afford it teach their children to swim as they are learning to walk (after potty training).
6. The people here that have gas heaters generally don't use them. Solar Heat makes more sense and can extend the swimming season by a few more months.
7. For resale, you don't want the biggest house or most expensive pool in your neighborhood.