I took Patrick by to see it yesterday and he agreed with perception of the house...it was great, but oh, that pool! Here are our main concerns (though we may not share the same intensity of feelings for each one, we agree on the list)
1. Mallory could fall in and drown (applies to Cayman as well)
2. Mallory could try to walk across the liner, fall in, and drown (applies more to Cayman than Mallory, but it could happen to both) or drown in the standing water in the liner
3. The general maintenance of it would be a hassle
4. Higher maintenance costs because of the pool
The pluses of the pool are as follows:
1. It would be a great way to excercise for me (and Patrick)
2. It would be fun to play with Mallory in the pool
3. Birthday parties could be raised to a WHOLE other level
4. Pool parties with friends would be a blast
Patrick is very hesitant about the pool, which I respect since I have my hesitations too. I get upset thinking that we'd disregard this house, though, because of it, though I'm willing to do so. But, the fear of our children (and dog) being hurt (or more!!!) because of it is great and I'm struggling with being too unreasonable about the fear. I keep going back to other things about backyards that can be fearsome (i.e. a high deck that the baby (and dog) could fall off/jump over, too hilly of a yard that could cause a broken bone if running too fast down, too close to a busy road that the baby (and dog) could cross and get hurt by an oncoming car). These types of fears plague so many parents, but I don't want these fears to overwhelm us to the point that we can't make a decision about a house. Fear is sin, but I know we need to heed our intuition on what is best for our family according to the wisdom imparted to us by God. But, what is hindering our decision in this case - Fear or Intuition?
Anyway, Patrick and I have wrestled quite a bit with our home decision and are coming down to the wire on ending or extending our lease based on us finding a house. It's frustrating, time consuming, draining, yet exciting all at the same time. I went to the bank yesterday and we're pre-approved for a loan far above what we'd ever take out, but I see God's grace on us and know that He'll bring us to the house that we're supposed to settle in.
So, to humor me, what are your thoughts on a pool...both good and bad? It may help us think of things that we haven't yet concluded.
7 comments:
Ah, the house looks really nice from the back. I understand your concerns about a pool. I've never wanted one simply for the upkeep. Definitely keep that in mind. You could always pay a service to do it, though!
I tend to think that Mallory will never be out near the pool without yours or Patrick's supervision, right? Now, I do see your concern with Cayman. I couldn't really tell from the pic but is it possible to put a fence around the pool?
I say if you absolutely love the house and it's in your price range then go for it! You'll make the pool work for ya...
Good luck!
There are all sorts of security devices that you can have installed, such as pool alarms, fences, hard covers, etc. For fear of sounding completely ignorant, can't dogs swim? I thought all dogs can swim, sorta like how cats automatically land on their feet :-) Now, the maintenance really is an issue. I'm still struggling to maintain our spa...it's kind of a pain. But, if you love the house...
I know that you will make the right decision.
I grew up with a pool in the backyard. We moved into the house when I was eight, and I was a "just O.K" swimmer until then. My parents had the same fears as you.
We moved into the house in July. My sister (then 12)and I were in the backyard playing, scooping water up in a bucket and dumping it out. My parents were upstairs in the master bedroom, which had a bay window overlooking the backyard. As they watched, I reached for the bucket...just...a bit...too far...and fell in the deep end (9 ft.). I popped right back up, sputtering and laughing at myself, and my parents looked at one another and said, "well, I guess we don't have to worry anymore." That's not to say they weren't careful, but they weren't watching me with fear anymore. They never let us swim alone, even when we were teenagers. And we always had a fence around the pool...it was the law. So maybe you could just let Cayman out beyond the pool? Our dogs fell in maybe twice each, and they were Labs (who loved the water). We trained them to stay out.
I am a June baby, and yes, my birthday parties were raised to a whole other level! Plus my house was the cool place to hang out in the summertime, which was nice since we lived kind of far away and nobody ever wanted to come there at other times.
It is a lot of work and some expense (but you should talk to Coty and Beth about their methods...they've found a cheaper way to do it). But could you drop your gym membership in the summertime to even out the cost, knowing that you'd be swimming?
Your kids will be great swimmers. Right now I wish we had a pool out back because it is a hassle to load them all up to drive up to the pool, but I don't want them to be afraid of water, so we do it. My kids MUST learn to swim, it is a non-negotiable!
Anyway, can you tell my opinion? If that's the only thing holding you back, I'd say go for it! But definitely defer to hubby on this one. He's the one that will be doing the heavy work, right?
There's a fence around the yard, but not the pool. Dogs should be able to swim, so if she fell in, I'm not too concerned about it. Now, if she fell through the liner into the pool, that's another story...but, it's highly unlikely because of the weight of the water it can hold. Yet, our beagle is not like a normal dog...
The basement of the house could hold gym equipment, so stopping our gym membership is definitely an option (saving us $87/month).
I do want my kids to "respect the water". I don't want them to be afraid of it. So, Mallory will learn to swim, too.
Thanks so much for your comments. Keep them coming!
Wow. That house is gorgeous. I had the same thoughts...tall privacy fence and when Mallory is older a sensor on the gate or in the water. They make really cool ones these days, although it could be costly. It does seem that if you really love the house enough to stay there for a long time, the pool could really serve you guys and bring a lot of fun for you, Mallory and future kids. The upkeep is another issue (don't know much about that). God has already given you much wisdom and we know He will continue. It sounds like you're considering all the major isses. Keep us posted.
When we first saw our house, Coty was inclined against it because of the pool. He thought, "cash drain and maintenance nightmare." Fortunately, it has been neither. We had a lot to learn that first year but now it's not that hard to take care of and not as costly as you might think - certainly much cheaper per year than a membership in a community pool. The health benefit to Coty of being able to exercise vigorously without pounding on his joints has been wonderful. The boys love it, we love having people over to swim, we've hosted baseball team and other parties, and it's just so relaxing to sit out there. We love it! Our kids were all good swimmers when we moved here so we didn't have the same safety concerns you do. There are good pool fences that you can put just around the pool area itself and also warning systems in case someone falls in. But you do still need to be very careful. I guess I'd say that if you love the house, don't say no because of the pool...but you do have to really pray and weigh carefully how much time you want to put into it and how comfortable you are with being able to address the safety issues. It looks like a very nice house and pool. Coty would be happy to give Patrick all the info he's learned in the last few years.
I know it's not easy making the decision. We'll be praying for you all.
Lots of love,
Beth
Hi! So, this has nothing to do with the pool isue but can you email yours and Erin's email addresses to me here at work? courtney.icenhour@boschrexroth-us.com. I can't get to hotmail at work and I want to verify our big, crazy weekend!
:)
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