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Everyone seems to have a view when it comes to pools – some houses seem naked without one, while others can appear overdressed with one. Answering these three questions will help you work out whether you really need one.
Is your lifestyle suited to a pool?
South Africa’s warm and outdoor lifestyle lends itself well to the pool-life but that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. There will be some families who spend all summer in their pools, and for them, the time and money required for the upkeep is justified.
‘On the other hand, a client selling his home recently told me that his pool had cost him about R6,000 per swim based upon the cost of maintenance and the infrequent number of times he has used it. He therefore is now looking for a house without one,’ says Stephan Thomas, secure estate specialist in Constantiaberg for Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pools don’t come cheap so if you are thinking of installing one, make sure you are going to get ultimate use out of it. A pool may be considered essential in a five-bedroom home in a family-oriented neighbourhood adjacent to good schools but if the homeowners have young children or are non-swimmers, it’s really a waste of space and money.
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‘The same goes for holiday homes near the beach or a down-scaled home for a retiring couple. It may sound like a pool is a must but if the couple are planning to travel extensively, they probably can go without,’ continues Thomas.
Do the sums add up?
Rough estimates suggest that a pool can cost approximately R100, 000 to install and then about R1,000 per month to maintain. ‘The liability to hold the water and keep it conditioned (all through winter and even while you’re away for your annual summer holiday) can also add up considerably,’ says Thomas.
However, Lisa Connellan, sales, and rental manager at Knight Frank points out that these figures are size dependant. ‘We once had a property in Constantia in Cape Town which had a huge pool that literally required an unreasonable amount of salt, which would obviously not fit in the R1,000 a month price bracket,’ she says,
As Nasreen Moosa, managing director at Legendary Investment Holdings explains, the type of pool you choose to build can help you save money in the long run. ‘Adding a saltwater pool for example may be expensive on the onset but maintaining it in the long run is much cheaper than an ordinary pool. On the flip side, a chlorine pool may be cheaper when building but in the long run it can be an expensive exercise in terms of time and money,’ she says.
There are also plenty of ways to reduce the cost of having a pool so shop around and do some research. ‘Adding a solar blanket to stop pool water form evaporating is an inexpensive way of drastically reducing costs associated with water loss and maintenance,’ explains Thomas.
What are your long-term plans?
If you’re thinking of selling in the next few years then Chris Tyson, chairman at Tyson Properties advises that a sparkling new pool will add value to a home. ‘The majority of buyers today view a home with a pool far more favourably than a home without a pool, so a pool adds to the purchase price,’ he says.
It’s hard to estimate what value a pool adds to a home, but experts suggest this can vary from anything between five and 15%. ‘The more aesthetically enhancing the pool is the more it adds value to your home,’ explains Moosa so if you are looking at this from an investment angle, then think of what will help sell the lifestyle – like lighting, decking and a braai around the pool area.
