Summer is fast approaching, and you likely want to make the most of it! Installing a swimming pool is an amazing way to reward your family after a long school year. However, there are plenty of hidden factors you might not have thought of before you decide to commit to its installation.

You Need to Keep it Safe

While pools can be a lot of fun, you have to ensure it is safe. Families with young children occasionally face tragedy—roughly 350 child deaths occur in swimming pool-related accidents every single year. With numbers this devastating, you may want to hold off on a pool addition until later.

If you do decide to go through with it, there are ways you can childproof your pool. For starters, gates work very well. They can keep your child out of harm’s way. Second, you must be prepared to stay outside with your children and clearly enforce the rules. Third, add a cover whenever your family is not swimming.

Installation is A Lot of Work

You also have to be aware of how much time and money installation takes. To properly excavate and install your new pool, contractors will have to use a variety of equipment. Between ordering the right supplies and hiring a contractor, it can take months before your pool is in working condition.

What is the price? Above ground pools are on average $22,000, while in-ground pools are more expensive at $35,000. It is not a cheap investment, and you should make plans right now on how you plan to pay for it.

You May Not Have the Right Yard

Unfortunately, you might not have the right yard for a swimming pool. This may be disappointing to you and your family, but swimming pools can only work in extremely specific circumstances. Weirdly shaped backyards can prevent the necessary installation work from occurring in the first place.

Sloped backyards are another disaster for your pool ambitions since they need a level area to be added. You may have too much plant life and trees to add a pool to your yard, which can make things especially disappointing. If any of these are true for you, you may have to add a pool whenever you can move.

Pools are so much fun and great for the whole family. However, the upfront costs and conditions to make it happen just might not work for you. Hopefully, if you can work it out, you’ll be relaxing by the pool this summer!

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