By Lana - re-published January 2017

There are two types of people in this world – those who drink coffee and those who don’t; those who have kids and those who don’t; those who love cats and those who don’t; those who think Ryan Gosling is perfection and... well there’s no alternative view on that one. And finally, there are those who have a pool and those who don’t. I’d never had a pool... until about 12 months ago that is.

Sure it cost us a whopping $150,000 but it was worth every penny (I think it was… well I hope it is… it bloody better be!).

In all seriousness, we are in love with our pool and it’s had such a positive impact on our family already.

You see, B.P. (Before Pool), we were always getting out of the house to find something fun to do elsewhere and on hot days we simply had to leave to escape the heat. On top of that, our kids never wanted play dates at our house – the friend with the pool was always the preferred choice. Now, A.P. (After Pool), we’re spending afternoons and weekends at home, by the pool, and the days seem longer, brighter and better. I think I’m even looking younger (just kidding... that’s the chlorine talking... maybe just a few less lines?).

Another change I’ve noticed A.P. is how I’ve become a walking-talking know-it-all about pools. My husband will tell you I’ve been a know-it-all since birth, but knowing pools? That’s definitely new.

HERE ARE A FEW THINGS
"I KNOW"

Fiberglass pools are awesome – If you can believe it, I never knew these even existed but I’m convinced they will overtake concrete pools in popularity. They are cheaper, faster, gentler, warmer, cleaner and greener! What more could you want!? Let me explain:

+ Cheaper: they cost around 20% less than a concrete pool to install and ongoing costs are lower due to less maintenance, chemicals and energy consumption.

+ Faster: installation takes only 3 weeks instead of 3 months (in fact I’ve read they can be installed in just 3 days! Surely not!?)

+ Gentler: the non-abrasive surface is softer on your feet (no torn-up tootsies) and fiberglass is not as rock-hard as concrete if your kids accidentally hit the bottom.

+ Warmer: fiberglass acts a natural insulator so it holds in the heat for longer.

+ Cleaner: the gel-coating is smooth and non-porous preventing growth of mould and algae.

+ Greener: less cleaning, less chemicals, less energy consumption = smaller carbon footprint.

You can buy a pool that cleans itself! – and just when you thought I’d run out of praise I come out with this clanger. I have a pool that cleans itself! That makes it a pretty special pool considering I can’t even get my kids to do that! There’s no Kreepy-Krauly™, no vacuums, no ugly tubes floating around to spoil the vista, and a pool scoop is not included. No – instead my Compass pool came with a Vantage self-cleaning system. In-floor nozzles pop up and flush water around the pool pushing all the leaves and debris towards an in-floor drain in the deep-end. This drain sends the debris into large leaf baskets which you empty maybe once a month (and it takes all of 30sec).

In a nutshell, we don’t need to clean our pool. Leaves and sticks drop in our pool all the time. I see them on the surface and I see them on the bottom. But when I look back a few hours later they’ve vanished and the pool is sparkling clean. It’s astonishing don’t you think? Oh… and of course this means you get much more time to enjoy the pool rather than clean it!

Landscaping can cost more than the pool – landscaping cost us about $70k. The pool was $55k. We had a large surrounding area so there was lots of landscaping to do. The retaining walls, new stairs, pavers, drainage, deck, screens, pergola, plants, turf and fences cost more than the pool. The pool companies hardly talk about landscaping costs so remember to budget big time for it.

Enjoy summer!

Lana x