Anyone here have a swimming pool in a cold climate?
 

We are planning to move from Wisconsin to Minnesota next year, and we are seriously considering looking for a house with a swimming pool. This was never in our minds until recently when our 26yo dd pointed out how a pool becomes a social magnet in the summer time. We love having younger people around, so this looks like a good idea for us. I have done a little bit of research on pools and realize there are increased insurance costs with a pool, not to mention maintenance costs including heating the water. However, I am really interested in hearing what advice others might offer -- especially those who have actually lived with a swimming pool.

Edit: I forgot to ask about animals and swimming pools too, especially in the winter. We recently inherited a 60-lb goldendoodle and I'm wondering if he would have the sense to stay out of the pool. Also have seen some stories on the internet about deer and small wild animals getting trapped in a pool.

Wow! Interesting questions. We do have a pool but live in a warm climate so it's a very different consideration. When we moved from Oregon to Arizona the pool was almost a necessity to make the adjustment to a warmer climate. Now, well, it can be a pain to take care of and certainly an expense. Since our pool equipment is older we do not have a variable speed pump so electricity per month runs about $80 just for the pool. Pools must be continually maintained with chemicals to be added 1 to 2 times per week. Skimmer baskets need to be cleaned at least daily and the pool walls swept regularly, especially after a storm. We do have a salt system pool which eliminates the need to add chlorine but you still have to watch the chlorine level to ensure you are within the ideal range. Too high, or too low for that matter, throws off other required chemicals; the better you maintain the chemicals the less maintenance/repair will be required overall. As for a social magnet - well - we find people do enjoy the pool when they are here but have yet to have visitors because of it. If we had to do it again - well that would be an interesting discussion and I could not predict what we would do.

We had an in ground pool in Michigan for 22 years! Loved it! We used a solar cover at night & when we had a day we weren't using it. Great gathering place for children & their friends & adults loved it too. Our yard was fenced. Dog never went in. Winter cover. We sold our house in 5 days so the pool was not a negative. We weren't sure about that. OH we used it from mid May earliest - usually Memorial Day til mid September.

I had a pool in NH and a pool in 2 of our residences in So Cal. I would recommend salt water pool if you have a choice to reduce the need for chemical maintenance and a solar cover. The biggest expense is electricity for the pool pump even when you have it on a timer. Our usage was 3 times that of a home without a pool. Our current home is on hill overlooking a valley and we do not nor can not have a pool- if I could I would put one in.
As far as dogs, our vet said the water with the chemicals would not hurt them if they drank from it. Neither of my dogs would "voluntarily" go into the pool unless pushed by one dog or one was trying to catch bug.

We put in a pool when we built our house 23 years ago. It was great when our girls were around, lots of social activities here at our house that we enjoyed. Now that it is just my husband and I it doesn't get much use, and is somewhat of a chore and expense to clean and maintain.
It is warm enough here in The summers we don't need to heat it. Winters are cold so we shut it down, winterize and cover it from October (before the leaves fall!) and open it up in April. We never drain it.
I think it was worth it when we had kids here. One grandson is learning to swim so maybe it will be good for grandkids!
We have always had dogs, but none of them had any interest in getting in it. We have had a couple fall in it, so I have tried to teach them to swim to the corner with the steps so they would be able to get out if they did get in it.
We have been thinking about getting a safety fence installed around the pool just In case a toddler grandchild got in the backyard without anyone seeing. Our back yard has a 6' privacy fence so we don't have issues with deer or other animals.
A pool an be great but they are also a big upkeep item. So make sure you are ready for that, even if you hire a pool service to come once or twice a week.
Lastly, consider your landscaping and how it will impact your pool. We have lots of trees and flowering shrubs so there is always debris blowing in the pool. We have a pool vacuum (creepy crawly) running 24/7 as long as the pool is open until we shut it down in the fall, and still have to go out and manually skim/clean the pool at least every other day.

I've had my pool 28 years. loved it esp when the kids lived at home. It requires maintance every day. I never minded the work, or expense but I live in a warm climate. When I lived in Mass. I would never have installed one....too cold. I'm sad that due to a disability I was unable to open the pool this year (we've had 33 90 degree days this year, but almost 100% days of rain). I'm a water baby, I love a pool, but was not on my list to buy a house. I installed my own, its like a used car, you never know what options people chose and how they maintained it. This is one feature you should start new unless you are in florida or arizonia where every house has a pool. Expect 1 hour a day to do the work, and plan on no one doing it but you.

Many years ago, my Dad's girlfriend enclosed her pool with some sort of heavy vinyl which would certainly keep any kids and animals from getting into the pool. The enclose was heated so it was great to swimming during the winter months.

Who would do the maintenance?

It seems like there is a lot more to having a pool than filling it and forgetting about it.

Do you and DH swim a lot? How long do you think DD will still be living with you?

( I am beginning to circle back to the idea that multi- generations of a family living on one household can be beneficial - providing that all those that can contribute to the well - being of the home do so.)

We had a pool in North Carolina for 8 years and I found that it didn't require as much maintenance as I thought it would. I had planned to have another one when we moved to New Hampshire, but we moved to mountains in the woods where there is wildlife and so I reconsidered. One year, when we were opening the pool for the season, we found a squirrel. One of my cats used to like to bat at the water and fell in once. He was terrified and went nuts clawing at my husband when he tried to rescue him. My dog never tried to go in the water. I know that some people let their dogs swim in their pool, but I wouldn't encourage that. I think it's a great idea to get a pool. You'll enjoy having it.

We had an inground pool in southern Chicago area. Husband did all maintenance so I have no idea of cost. It was usually open from Memorial Day til mid-Oct depending on weather. It froze during the winter so DDs and their friends skated on it. The pool was a magnet for kids and their friends year-round and for us adults during the summer.