On balance, having a pool in your backyard is probably worth it.
It costs ridiculous money – the exact total expense will be tallied later in the budget year, but I can already venture a fairly educated guess.
It takes plenty of effort to maintain – hiring a pool guy sounded too expensive when we had considered it last spring, but I am so exasperated by my unending fight against debris that it might be a wise choice next year.
We can only use it for about 5 months a year, from late April to late September – it is heated, but when the air temperatures consistently stay below a certain threshold it is obviously a disincentive for outdoor swimming.
And yet, on a reasonably warm day in the second half of September, after an intense work day, splashing in the warmed-up pool with kids is as close to heaven as I can imagine.