When temperatures consistently climb well-above the 70-degree mark and school is a distant memory, it can mean only one thing: it’s finally pool season.
For most of us, that translates into locating the pool passes, packing the car, and making the trek to the local recreation center for an afternoon of splashing fun. But for some in this area, going to the pool is as simple as strolling out to the backyard.
Morning, noon or night, the pool beckons, offering recreation and relaxation. While pool ownership has plenty of rewards, it comes with responsibility. Ongoing upkeep and constant water maintenance are two factors that should be considered when either putting in a new pool or maintaining an existing one.
Fred Munoz, a real estate agent for Realty Alive in River Forest, is no stranger to backyard pools. As a homeowner, he has enjoyed his own backyard water paradise for quite some time. As a real estate agent, Munoz is practiced in marketing homes with private pools. He says the public perception of pool ownership has evolved over the past decade.
“Traditionally, pools were viewed as a leisure item. Now, a lot of pools are sports pools,” he says. “They often have a center that’s about six feet deep and two ends that are three-to-four feet deep, so you can play sports in the pool. My pool is always the kid hangout. We use it for fitness and leisure. We do a lot of lap swimming and volleyball. We’ve also have a basketball hoop and lights for night swimming.”
Munoz also notes that innovations in pool technology have changed over the years.
“[In the past], pools were viewed as being high maintenance. Now, they are much easier to maintain. A lot of newer pools have safety covers that open and close in less than one minute. You can walk right out on these covers, so they provide great protection for homeowners in terms of personal safety.
“They also make maintenance so much easier,” he adds. “There’s less debris in the pool, less loss of chemicals and less loss of heat if you heat your pool.”
Munoz says all he does for maintenance is skim the top of his pool, empty filters and check the chemical balance, while a self-propelled vacuum does most of the work.
“It probably runs about $20 per week for us to maintain the pool,” he says. “We have the pool professionally opened and closed for about $300 to $350.”
Dan Golema, owner of Profiles Pool Service in Berwyn, notes that the heaviest work in having a pool comes at the beginning and end of the season.
“Given our climate, you obviously can’t use an outdoor pool during the winter, so you have to protect the water and systems to make sure they don’t freeze,” he says. “Most above-ground pools, you don’t have to drain, you just have to drop the water level below the drain and cover. With in-ground pools, you have to blow the piping out, get anti-freeze in the pipes and winterize the piping and filters. In the summer, you reverse this process.”
During the season, many homeowners do their own maintenance, but Golema employs four people to service customers on a weekly basis. “We vacuum the pool, readjust chemicals and clean filters,” he says. “If you use our services, it’s like having a commercial pool in your backyard.”
Long-time customer Margaret Riccio put in her pool 20 years ago for her children. It’s her grandchildren that now enjoy it.
“I really like that Dan makes sure things are done correctly,” she says. “It’s a small, personal service. I know all of his employees and feel safe letting them into my yard. Dan never recommends a chemical unless he’s tested it first. He’s not going to give me something that will change my hair color.”
Munoz is currently listing a home with a pool, 715 William St. in River Forest, and says that with the use of the internet, most notably the Google satellite image, potential buyers know what’s in the backyard before they visit the house.
“Buyers either really like that there’s a pool or they’re scared off,” he admits. “If they’re scared it’s probably because they have an old-school thought about what it takes to own a pool. The pool at the Williams Street house is a great sports pool. It’s 15-by-30 and has jet streams, so it’s great for aerobics or a low-impact water running workout.”
Installation prices for new pools can vary widely based on the materials used. Above-ground pools can start as low as $350, with a more expensive model running about $2,000. In-ground pools start at about $5,000 and can go all the way up to $100,000 depending on the materials used.
For those who are less-enthused about having a pool, Jeff Ocic, owner of Chicagoland Swimming Pool Demolition can help. His business has been working in the western suburbs for 15 years, removing pools for homeowners or bank-owned properties.
“There is a benefit to owning a pool, but the window for using them is so small,” he says. “You can use them 4-5 months max, and that’s if you have a heater. Some people love it, but some people with kids are terrified about the risks. We get a lot of customers who have owned a home for about 30 years and want to take the yard back to green space, or the maintenance is getting to be too much so they want to get rid of it.”