If the neighborhood restricts above ground pools does that help increase the home value in the neighborhood?

Answer 1

• Difficult question for an above-ground pool company to answer. The premise of the question suggests your answer. Many realtors, as well as surrounding homeowners, see the above-ground option as a "low(er)-cost" alternative, and more "temporary" that an in-ground. However, several site considerations and/or surrounding home/deck construction features may lend themselves to the above-ground option, but exceptions are infrequently granted by ARB's or local zoning councils.

Unfortunately, above-ground pools may have unfairly developed a percieved reputation of being cheaply built and susceptable to damage from normal use.If you are considering and AG pool, pay attention to what you are considering: the gage of steel/aluminum used in panels and support columns, the decking type and construction (if available), the vinyl liner thickness and warranty, and the filtering/cleaning systems. I design, sell, build, and provide warranty proceedures for in-ground, Gunite commercial and residential pools, and thoroughly appreciate the fact that there exists a market for the AG pool in todays society. Good luck with your project.

• Unfortunately, it is very easy for aboveground pools to become unsightly eyesores. They require less of an investment on the owner's part, in fact, some people I've known seem to consider them disposable, so they don't get the kind of care a more expensive pool might. They are also prone to rust, dents, wind damage and 'user damage'. They are more visible, too, because they rise above the yard level, therefore swimmers and sunbathers are more visible. And if a wall cracks or splits, you may inadvertantly flood neighboring yards.

Personally, I like the look of inground pools, but above ground pools do have their merits. In my opinion they seem safer in some ways. It's more difficult for a child or a pet or wild animals to accidentally fall into an aboveground. If your yard ever floods, an inground pool can be a nightmare - one of our neighbors has a beautiful backyard with an inground pool as its centerpiece, but every spring heavy rains flood the yard and the pool, then they are having layers of mud and debris cleaned from the pool while neighbors on higher ground or with above ground pools are opening their pools for the year.

To be honest, pools don't add much value to a home (except ''maybe'' if your pool is some elaborate show piece). For instance, if you spend $20,000 dollars installing an inground pool, it will not increase the value of your home by $20,000. You'd be ''very'' lucky if it increased the value by 10K, 5K is probably more like it. My husband and I used to invest in real estate and this was one of the first things we learned from realtor friends and other investors. This was over 10 years ago, but I doubt this rule of thumb has changed.

The restriction you mention is most likely just an arbitrary, maybe even snobby, neighborhood by-law. Some neighborhoods won't allow chain-link fences, or wooden privacy fences over or under a specified height. Some won't allow Basketball goals in the front of the house even if it is in your own driveway, some won't allow parking on the street.

An above ground pool shouldn't effect home value one way or the other unless it is unsightly and poorly maintained because an aboveground pool, unlike an inground pool, can be removed fairly easily if you decide to sell your home.