When we were first looking at moving back to the East Coast from Minnesota, I told Jeff I would have to have a pool if we were moving somewhere with hot, muggy summers.  I didn’t mean that we had to have a backyard pool, but I at least wanted access to one through a neighborhood membership or something.  I just melt in the heat and being able to jump in a pool would help me enjoy the summers more.  When we narrowed down our search to Washington County, Maryland, I primarily picked out homes with pools.  Again, it wasn’t a must-have, but I felt like it was a huge perk, especially with two teenage boys.  We ended up looking at an as-is home built in 1970 with a backyard pool that hadn’t been used as a pool in over 15 years.  We have never owned a pool and didn’t know anything about it, so as a condition of our offer on the house, we would consult with a contractor to make sure the pool could be renovated at a price we could afford.

We learned from the contractor that the pool could be saved and the quote was within our renovation budget.  (If you’re curious, you can read all about how we pay for our home renovations HERE.)  Work would start on the pool the following spring so we could use it our first full summer in the house.

So, for several months, someone would mention the pool and I would point out that we don’t technically have a pool.  It’s just a concrete hole in the backyard, but it will be a pool one day!  That concrete hole filled with water and became a collector of fallen leaves, toads, and frogs, and algae.  Oh, it was so gross when we started pumping it out to get ready for the renovation.  We would have to pump it as much as we could, get into the pool with wellies on, and rake the leaves and muck out to dry and bag.  We had to capture and relocate the toads, which was a pretty comical endeavor.

Our contractor replaced sunken and cracked sections of concrete, part of the coping that had been replaced but not matched very well, and the tile that was falling off.  While they did their work on the pool, I worked on the garden beds surrounding the pool deck so I wouldn’t be surrounded by weeds while I was trying to float and relax!

The plaster was redone in a medium-gray color to make the water a soft blue instead of a bright teal.  A new pump and filter system were added and then we were ready to fill the pool with water to have it ready for swimming by July 4th.

It was going to be around $1200 to have water delivered to fill the pool, but we decided to fill it up with the hose. It took two days, but it ended up costing $140 to fill the 40,000-gallon pool!  With so many renovation expenses, it was a great place to save!

Once everything was hooked up, the skimmer line, which had passed the pressure test, didn’t work.  We spent last summer using a temporary line to draw water back through the filter.  it made the pool functional, but it didn’t actually skim leaves and things floating on the top of the water, so we had to do a lot of skimming last year!

Our contractor installed a new skimmer line in October before closing the pool for the season.

Having a properly functioning skimmer line has been a game-changer!  The surface of the pool is so much cleaner and we’re only having to skim after a storm or if we want to scoop up some leaves before they are pulled into the basket.

green striped pool floats

We’ve also been using THIS Dolphin robot vacuum and it has been amazing.  I just plug it in, drop it in the pool, and it cleans the bottom and sides of the pool.  It has a little trouble on our steps since they are steep and an odd shape, but we just use a brush on those as needed.  I run it 2-3 times a week or after windy-stormy days.

We store the vacuum in THIS container, which is the perfect size for the vacuum, the cord, and some extra pool accessories like test strips, an extra skimmer basket, etc.

Our pool runs on the Frog System, which is a mineral-based system.  It still uses chlorine, but doesn’t require as much as traditional chlorine pools, so it’s a little gentler on your eyes, skin, and hair.  I have to replace the “Bac Pac” every two weeks and backwash the filter once a month.  I just set alarms on my phone so I stay on schedule.  I also test the pool water every couple of days and make adjustments as needed.  Typically, I just need to add chlorine (we use THESE bags of shock), but sometimes I’ll add muriatic acid or baking soda to balance the alkalinity and acidity.

I was very nervous about caring for a pool and messing it up, but it’s been pretty simple and, like most things, works well if you stay on top of it.  I’ve never had it turn green or gross or anything.  I just test it regularly and take 5-10 minutes to check on it each day.  Our contractor is also our “pool guy” and he opens and closes the pool and is on standby if we have questions or issues.  He’s been a good teacher and very encouraging through the learning process and is always willing to stop by and double-check the levels to make sure the water is clean and safe.

As you would guess, there are costs associated with having a working pool.  I think the electricity is pretty minimal to run the pump and filter (we don’t have a heater), but we haven’t spent a summer in the house without a functioning pool so I don’t really have a comparison.  The main expense comes with opening & closing the pool (chemicals, winterizing, installing, and removing the cover) and the chemicals to treat the water.  I add money to our pool budget over the winter so the cost is spread out through the year and it ends up being a reasonable expense.  And, even when we’re not swimming in it, we enjoy it thoroughly.  It’s made our backyard a sanctuary and it’s so peaceful sitting by the water or on the edge to let your feet dangle on a warm day.

This year, we replaced the fence (you can read about that HERE) and I’ve been working on the garden beds, and lawn, and planting flowers, shrubs, and herbs in containers.  I also swapped out the navy umbrellas for THESE really cute beige two-tiered umbrellas.  It’s a small change, but they look so good and I got them on deep discount in early spring.  They are also larger and sturdier.  I like that the beige is visually quieter than the blue, too.

If you missed it, I got the teak lounge chairs from the Salvation Army for $50/each.  You can read more about that HERE, but they cost over $2,000/each new when the cushions are included!  When lined up under the umbrella, they definitely give resort vibes.

I changed out the navy floral pillow covers for THESE beige and white striped ones.  I kept the navy umbrellas and pillow covers so I can swap them out if ever I want to.

THIS is the cast aluminum table & chair set we got from Walmart last year.

I found this antique twig plant stand at an antique store a couple of weeks ago and it’s a great little side table to move around as needed.

We have a couple of comfy swivel chairs (THESE) and a smaller table over by the grill.

I got THESE woven checked outdoor pillow covers for the pillows on these chairs and the end chairs at the table.  These pillow covers are high quality and come in a few different colors.

I’ve been taking a little time each day to check on all of my plants and then deadhead, weed, water, and fertilize as needed.  I don’t know if I’ve ever had plants look so good.  I’ve enjoyed my time out there in the morning and evenings to see how “everyone” is doing.

And, it was inevitable.  I added a bird feeder.  I actually bought this cedar feeder a while ago, but I took it down once we removed the trees around the pool.  I felt like I didn’t have a place to hang it, but it works just fine on a shepherd’s hook (which I also already had.)  Surprisingly, the squirrels haven’t messed with it, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time!

There is still work to do, but work on a hot summer day is sweeter when you know jumping in the pool will be the reward.

We’re having a bunch of teenagers from our church over tomorrow evening to swim and celebrate summer birthdays and then my parents are coming to enjoy the pool and a cookout to celebrate July 4th, so I’ll be signing off for a couple of days to soak up the summer festivities.