Pool removal business case
This year I finally decided to remove my pool. I was hesitating because I was afraid it would be less esthetical in my backyard without it, and of course there are a few days per year where it is nice to have access to water. But the maintenance where getting more complicated and instead of repairing it I took the jump and removed it.
I wanted to share my experience with the community in case other would be in the same situation.
1-First thing I noticed was that even without filling the gap left by the pool it was actually nicer than with it. There were already flower all around the pool and sand under it was looking like a beach. It was a nice place to setup a fire place. The only drawback is that sand would blow away with strong wind and was causing nearby object to become dirty.
2-I decided to install a secondary garden around the spot with concrete slap in the middle. It’s still a nice place to do fire, but now I get privacy with these “edible automated walls”.
Cost: a) For the garden bed I went for cedar wood. 6$ per piece, 9 piece per bed, 7 beds: 400$. b) Automatic watering system: 100$ (I already had most part from previous year experimentation, so price is given as indication only…) c) 104 concretes slab: 500$
Total: 1000$
It would have cost the same price to fix the pool and I expect to save about 300 to 400$ per year in pool maintenance feel. Because let’s face it, a pool cost way more than company would let believe their customer!
Pool annual maintenance cost:
a) Chemical: 100$ (and more) b) Parts: (patchs, equipment to replace): 150$ c) Electricity: 150$ (Mine was already running due to a lot of tree in the area, but that can be reduced with a timer…) d) Taxes: 30$ (Water cost)
Total: 300$-400$/year
Now time’s business case:
a) Maintenance time per week: -3h (cleaning, buying stuff, minor repair, tighten pipe, starting/closing activity averaged out, etcs) b) Swimming: 2 people, 3 times per week, 30 min per time: 3h (But not all weeks)
Total: 0h/week
3-But that didn’t fix my cooling need when it’s hot outside. I had an old water pond in storage that I remembered. I cleaned it up and filled it with water and it turn out to do the job pretty well! The water gets warm very quickly. I put zero chemical in it which means that after a few days I have to replace the water, but I can feed the plants with nice tempered water now. Actually, when I need to replace the water but the plant doesn’t need all the water, I refill my two old garbage bin for later use. Plus, when I don’t need it, like during work day, I empty it and store it again. It takes 15 min and I’m maintenance free again!
New time’s business case:
a) Maintenance time per week: <30min (changing water) b) Swimming: 2 person, 2 times per week, 30 min per time: 2h
Total: +1.5h free time! (When compared to previous 3h maintenance time. Also this 3h would remain the whole summer, even when it was too cold, with this solution I can store it and save further more free time!)
Bottom line, I feel a lot better without a pool, I have doubled my gardening space and I still enjoy the same benefit, beside that the look might not be 100% conventional. In bonus I also have an environmental positive impact of about 50 000 litres of water saved/year, greener backyard and consuming more good local foods!
