14 Great Reasons to Have a Backyard Swimming Pool

Installing a backyard in-ground swimming pool is life-changing

Summer is around the corner.

You have planned your vacations, family trips, camping trips, and other family Summer activities. However, there’s one thing you and your family can’t stop talking about is going swimming.

One problem many families struggle with is — they don’t have a pool in their backyard. So like many families, you figure out ways to get access, dip and relax in a pool.

Your options include visiting a friend’s house who has a pool, trekking to a public pool, or your subdivision pool. For those who live in an apartment or condo, you’re the lucky ones who have access to your community pool.

Obviously, all these are great options for people without a pool — but here’s the catch.

Nevertheless, every single one of these options above have a time limit. As much as your best friend loves your company, they would want you to go home at some point so they can go to bed.

Whereas, some families who do not own a their own backyard pool go on staycations at local hotels. That’s one of the ways, albeit costly, to get access to the pool. Why? So they can spend a few days swimming and they can watch their kids cannonball into the pool and see who can make the biggest splash.

First and foremost, staying in a hotel sounds like fun. Because it is. Realistically, how many times in Summer can you really afford to stay at hotels just to have access to the swimming pool? It is not a reasonable or financially responsible option; unless you are swimming in money (no pun intended). Despite the allure of the well-maintained hotel pools, it may not be worth the hundreds of dollars for a few hours of dip in the water.

And just like with the other public pool access, your enjoyment of the hotel pool is entirely dependent on someone else’s schedule. Not only your time is limited, but also you can’t do anything you want — like hosting a BBQ pool party. While the hotel guests may think it’s awesome — the hotel manager may not be totally on board.

If you live in a subdivision or an apartment, you might save a few dollars. It should be noted that if you live in a subdivision, your pool access isn’t really free. Despite the perception free and unlimited access to the swimming pool, you are paying for the pool through your HOA fees.

But there’s something fulfilling about opening your backdoor and seeing your own pool in your backyard.

Complete your backyard with a pool

Like many homeowners, you’ve been considering installing a backyard pool for a long time.

While we can’t convince you to install a backyard pool, there’s undeniable benefits to having one if your budget allows for it.

Consequently, for homeowners like yourself, a backyard pool is an investment in your home’s value, but even greater is the enjoyment that you and your family will get out of it during the warmer months.

Besides access to your own pool anytime you want, here are more reasons why owning your own backyard pool is a good idea — and something to consider.

Table of contents:

Reasons to have your own backyard pool

1. Teaching your kids swim at an early age and not to fear water

Most kids are afraid of water. As a result, children without access to a pool take longer to learn how to swim compared to the ones who do.

Getting used to water at a young age is an advantage to children. The fear of water could prevent your children from enjoying activities later on in life — if they develop Aquaphobia; of fear of water.

Aquaphobia is a specific phobia that involves a level of fear of water that is beyond the patient’s control or that may interfere with daily life. People suffer aquaphobia in many ways and may experience it even though they realize the water in an ocean, a river, or even a bathtub poses no imminent threat.

Without access to a swimming pool, parents who want their kids to learn how to swim but are skeptical about the hygiene of public pools end up spending hundreds of dollars in swimming lessons.

2. Family time can be bonded over weekends in the pool

Enjoying family time in your backyard is a moment you will cherish forever.

Whether your children are doing cannonballs, having fun pool fights, or just lounging and basking in the sun — your family will enjoy every minute of relaxation and laughter.

With parent working feverishly every day, and children having piles of homework and school projects to do, having the family pool in the backyard is a great escape for everyone. By the weekend, the last thing you’d want to do is spend time packing your car, driving somewhere, and arriving tired and not enjoying your family. That sounds stressful.

But envision waking up on a Saturday morning, relaxing in your backyard, and firing up your grill. And when it gets warmer, dip in the pool. As a result, you are spending more time with your family stress-free.

The weekends bring the perfect time to jump into the pool with your family — do a few laps, play a few games, and definitely enjoy some backyard BBQ as well. There’s nothing better than this.

3. Takes the stress out of your life

From a survey done by Speedo,

Getting in the pool is the perfect way to unwind after a busy day, with 74% of those surveyed agreeing that swimming helps release stress and tension. Swimming is the ideal ‘feel good’ exercise, with 68% saying that being in the water helps them to feel good about themselves.

Swimming is peaceful and relaxing. There’s not someone who gets more stressful after a swim. In fact, swimming refreshes your body by allowing oxygen to flow through your muscles and regulate your breathing.

Regardless of the size of your backyard pool, you can do laps to get you focusing on your rhythm, helping you get refreshed and ready for the rest of the day. It’s a feeling like no other.

Additionally, research has shown that it can actually change the brain for the better through a process, known as hippocampal neurogenesis, in which the brain replaces cells lost caused by stress.

4. Increase the appeal of your backyard landscape

A lush backyard landscape is to be appreciated.

The beautiful fruit trees, flowers blooming, and hummingbirds — if you have one of those pretty bird feeders. Writing about this makes me want to just go hang out in the backyard right now…but I digress.

For homeowners like yourself, there’s so much more you can do to add to your bring your landscape to life.

Yes, it will cost a significant amount of money. And yes, it will be a major construction project. But everything good in life is worth waiting for. Right?

A backyard swimming pool can amplify the aesthetics of your backyard by turning it into a beautiful oasis and perfect entertainment area.

The backyard is not just extra space of your home that you happen to own. It your blank canvas, and you’re the artist — ready for you to create your own vision of paradise.

“But nobody will see it…,” and you are absolutely correct — at least from the outside. But that’s not what you should care about. The people who will have access to enjoy and appreciate your backyard pool and landscape will be your closest friends and family.

5. You can get easy financing to install a backyard pool

Financing your backyard pool installation is convenient. And some professional pool construction companies will allow you to make reasonable monthly payments so you don’t have to get stuck with a huge bill before you even get to enjoy your swimming pool.

The average cost of installing an in ground pool is between $35,595 and $64,720. The average is $49,595.

Your price will depend on the type of pool – concrete, vinyl or fiberglass – as well as the size and location. There are many variables that go into the cost of your backyard pool.

First, figure out what type of pool you want and the shape. Second, talk to contractors and hear get their feedback on your ideas. Third, get quotes from at least three pool contractors. Last but not least, before your hire your pool contractor — look them up on review websites like Yelp.com or ask for feedback on the Facebook community page.

A swimming pool is a significant investment and must be done right. Even if you got financing, you could go over budget if you don’t stay on top of your pool contractor to make sure they’re not cutting corners on your project.

6. A different kind of staycation that doesn’t require you to check into a hotel

Checking into a hotel is fun.

I don’t know about you, but every time we drive up to the hotel lobby to check in, I get this euphoric feeling. Maybe because of the anticipation that we will be living like royalty for a few days and all our worries are temporarily put aside.

Staying at hotel is not just because of the pool but the fun having all your needs taken care of — from room services and laundry to fun and games. It’s exciting!

I have a friend has been talking about installing a pool for years but never get around to it. So what do they do when they want to go swimming? They check into a hotel for the weekend. It’s safe to say that it costs their family over $1,000 every time they go swimming.

As you can imagine, a few years of hotel stays could add up to a significant down payment towards your own backyard pool.

Of course, there are exceptions. A place like the Great Wolf Lodge would trump any backyard pool — and it’s a great staycation for the entire family.

With a backyard pool of your dream, going to hotels for your staycation can be eliminated. You can enjoy your private oasis with your family in the comfort of your own home.

7. Exercising has never been easier; no more excuses

Swimming is definitely a great exercise.

You burn calories quicker than other forms of exercise because of the resistance and entire body muscle movement.

A simple search in Google for “swimming burn calories,” returns a ton of helpful articles on how many calories you can burn and the difference between styles of swimming.

According to active.com, a 130-pound person swimming freestyle for one hour will burn 590 calories swimming fast, and 413 calories swimming slower. A 155-pound person swimming freestyle for one hour will burn 704 calories swimming fast, and 493 calories swimming slower.

People sign up to gyms so they can use their pool to swim laps. For homeowners with a backyard pool, you can swim laps anytime you want without the need to share the same swimming lane or wait for your turn if the gym pool is crowded.

8. Great for hosting summer pool parties for your family

My favorite time of the year is Summer — when we hosts pool parties practically every weekend.

From the tri-tip and baby back ribs to corn and briskets; makes me hungry just writing about it.

I’m not saying that you can’t host an awesome backyard party without a pool – but doesn’t it sound better to say backyard BBQ pool party instead of just a backyard BBQ party?

Who doesn’t love the smell of hickory smoked BBQ while relaxing in the pool — maybe with a beer or two for the adults, soda for the teens, and popcicles for the kids.

9. Sleep better at night after an evening swim

33% of adults have difficulty sleeping, both physical and emotional stress are a common cause for this. This is a common problem with adults because of the demands life brings — from bills and relationships to finances and debt.

There are many ways to cope with stress, but swimming is one of the easiest and best ways according to some experts.

Swimming a few laps in a warm evening can give you a better night’s sleep.

It relaxes your mind and body. Swimming gets rid of the stress from your long day.

In 2013, researchers from the National Sleep Foundation released results from a study in which they found an association between swimming and sleep. The organization administered a poll in which they asked participants about their exercise and sleep habits. Those who worked out on a light, moderate or rigorous basis indicated that they got a good night’s sleep nearly every night when compared to those who didn’t exercise at all.

Many swimmers claim that they feel happier and more relaxed after a good swimming session. There is substantial evidence that swimming makes us less stressed, more tired and sleep better.

Without a doubt, whether it’s the gym pool or the public community pool — swimming is worth considering.

10. Quick installation with better and longer-lasting material

Installing a new backyard pool is a big job and can take a couple of weeks to a few months depending on the material and size of your project.

There’s no set timing of how quickly you can get your backyard pool installed — from start to finish.

Let’s look at the different types of pool you can choose from. Each will differ in the time it takes to get your pool installed.

Concrete Pools

Concrete pools take the longest to install — around 4 to 6 weeks. Why? Because the installation is done onsite.

Meaning, everything is constructed on your property — in your backyard.

Additionally, the project will involve a lot of subcontractors. After the excavation, the gunite has to be poured in and takes about one month to cure before further work on the swimming pool can be done.

Vinyl Pools

A less labor incentive construction method because of using preassembled components. If you choose to install a vinyl pool, you and your family could be enjoying your first swim within 2 to 5 weeks once the project starts.

Fiberglass Pools

It takes one day to install a fiberglass pool — at least that’s what how pool contractors promote it.

In reality, it could take a few more days, but installing a fiberglass pool is still quicker than vinyl and concrete pools.

Under the right circumstances a prefabricated shell is shipped directly to your home and installed very quickly.

Again, those are just ballpark numbers. Various pool projects fall outside of those ranges. As you might expect, in the vast majority of those cases, they tend to go over. Nonetheless, installing a backyard pool today is much quicker than it was many years ago.

Other things that can affect the installation are:

permits
schedule conflicts
size
features
site obstructions
weather
inspections

11. Increase the value of your home

It’s become a truth in home ownership that having a pool is the best way to increase the value of your home.

Realtors claim you can add 15% or more to your home value with a pool installed. Now, before you go and planning your backyard pool installation — don’t do it just for the sake of increasing your home value.

Your purpose of installing a pool should be family first — and it just so happens that it adds value to your property.

If you are a skeptic, you can do the research yourself on Simi Valley home prices.

Ask your pool contractors to show you examples of their past projects and ask when the project was completed. A simple search in real estate websites like zillow.com, redfin.com or realtor.com can show you historical values of the homes before and after the pool installation.

You’ll get a good idea of increase in value — but keep in mind there could be other market and economical factors causing the increase in home value.

12. Less backyard lawn care maintenance; less grass to cut

Ain’t this the truth! I love greenery, but maintaining a backyard is tedious.

Depending on your budget, style, and design, your backyard in-ground pool could take up half of your backyard — eliminating a lot of grass you need to maintain.

13. Swimming all year round; with heated pools

If you are a homeowner considering installing a new pool, you may be thinking about heating your pool.

While it’s warm in the Simi Valley area, we still have Fall and Winter months where the temperature is too cold for swimming.

It may seem that your are not getting the most of out your pool.

Getting more family fun

In a new installation, adding heaters to your pool will allow you to use your pool almost all year round, yes, even winters in Simi Valley.

Choosing the right pool heater will depend on how you want to power your heater and how much you’re willing to invest.

Four types of pool heaters

Electric resistance pool heater
Gas pool heater
Solar pool heater
Heat pumps

Reap the benefits of a heated pool whether it is a new installation. Happy swimming!

14. Grandchildren will come over more often

I wished my grandparents had a pool in their home when I was growing up. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed and loved my grandparents every time I visited them.

As if there’s not enough good reasons to install a backyard pool.

If you’re grandparents, then your grandchildren would have great reason to be begging to come over and visit all the time.

Conclusion

As a homeowner, you have to decide if having a pool is right for you.

Here in Simi Valley, you can find many trusted pool contractors who an build you a pool your family will love.

In a few weeks, you’ll be ready to take your first swim in your very own inground backyard pool.