Owning a Pool is Easy: Pool Maintenance 101
5205 Burke Drive
It’s officially summer! And officially hot! What better way to cool off than with a backyard pool? We decided to do some research about pool and hot tub ownership in celebration of summer and in honor of our awesome listings that feature pools, hot tubs, or both.
7710 Ridgecrest Drive
When helping clients find homes that suit their unique needs and wants, a backyard pool ranges from a must-have to a big draw to a total deal-breaker. In the pool-as-deal-breaker group, several clients we’ve worked with have resisted buying a house with a pool in the backyard because they think it will require too much maintenance or a lot of extra expense.
8236 West Boulevard Drive
So we spoke with Hawaiian Pool and Spa owner Frank O’Connor to find out whether there was any truth to this, and he made a couple of excellent points in defense of the backyard pool:
- These days, most pools come with an automatic pool cleaner, which does almost all of the work for you. In the chance that the automatic cleaner stops working properly—which doesn’t happen often—you can bring the part that is broken into the store for repair or buy a replacement part, rather than having to repair or replace the whole thing.
- One of a pool owner’s only responsibilities with regard to maintenance is checking the chemicals twice a week. Litmus tests make this a really easy and fast process. If for some reason the chemical balance is off, pool specialists will conduct extensive water analyses to get everything back to normal quickly.
1218 Villamay Boulevard
Mr. O’Connor also noted that it’s much easier to buy a house that already has a pool than to buy a house that doesn’t have a pool with the intention of installing one. Obtaining the necessary building permit usually takes between 8-12 months and can cost about $10,000-$15,000 in county and engineering fees—on top of the cost of the pool.
4609 Dolphin Lane
As far as hot tubs go, draining and cleaning them every 3-4 months is a breeze. All the hot tub owners we’ve talked to have said that owning a hot tub is worth the intermittent maintenance.
Hawaiian Pool and Spa, located on Richmond Highway, sells and services pools and hot tubs and is a great place to go if you’re experiencing any issues with your pool or spa or are looking to design and build your own.
As always, if you’re interested in seeing any of our listings, please contact The Patterson Group! We look forward to working with you.
- About the team
The Patterson Group is one of the most experienced and trusted real estate teams in the area, serving Alexandria, VA for over thirty years. We offer professional, hardworking, detailed and friendly service and a large network of contacts and resources accrued over our many years in Alexandria real estate. Comprised of seven Alexandria locals, six of whom are licensed realtors and three of whom are accredited staging professionals, The Patterson Group is passionate and knowledgeable about Alexandria, VA and here for all of your Northern VA real estate needs. Allow us to help you find your home here and discover all that the Alexandria lifestyle has to offer.
400 South Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.310.6201
