Teatopia

I hope you get your house sold before your little man arrives. That's good though to get things fixed so your house sells better. The new house you listed looks pretty. Good luck with whatever you choose.
I don't know if I would get a pool for safety and I like having land more; but its hotter by you and if you have a safety fence of some sort with a high lock so either of your sweetie pies can't get in then I guess it's alright. Plus its fun and good excercize.

Nope. I wouldn't get one, and I don't even have kids. If I REALLY wanted a pool, I would live in a neighborhood with one that the HOA maintains, use a city pool, or join a fitness center with a pool. They are TOO much work, are a HUGE liability, and from what I have heard, houses with pools tend to stay on the market longer than one without.

Been there, had a pool, DONT DO IT! lol.

A) pools require weekly maintenance. If James (or you) dont really really have time to devote to maintaining and balancing the chemicals, skimming the pool etc etc etc, then you'll need to hire a pool company which can get costly. I would get a quote from a local place if you decide to consider a house with a pool seriously, just so you know what you'll be up against.

B) pools need replacement parts, just like roofs etc. Depending on the type of pool, you might have to replace the liner, get a new pump, new vacuum system etc.

C) pools are fun but I just remember Jason having to do pool maintenance all the time. Sucked. I think you'd be better off buying a house in a neighborhood with a community pool.

Wow, seeing that gorgeous house makes me want to move out of California. Ok, not completely, I love it here...but I love that house, too!

As for the pool, a big fat yes! My husband owns a pool cleaning business, so I think it's definitely worth it. If I had a pool like that one in the pic I would get it fenced, though. I would never want to worry about my kids (or dogs if I had them). California law says that you have to have a gate and alarm, but I'm not sure about laws for other states.

I hope you feel better soon. In our house, we've all been battling illness for weeks. MrMan finally succumbed - I took him to the doctor this morning, and it's tonsilitis. So I feel you on the just wanting to lie there.
I would NOT buy a house with a pool, until all of my kids that I plan to have are able to swim. And old enough to show good judgement in relation to a pool. And old enough to help clean it. It's a lot of work, I think.
If you do go ahead and buy a house with a pool, here's a tip from a friend who had a pool put in a few years ago: make sure to throw your dog in the pool a few times, to make sure not only that they know how to swim, but the best way to exit the pool.

PS Keeping a pool clean is really not that much work. We used to think the same thing and my husband always said he'd never want one. But, after starting the business he now realized that upkeep takes about 10 minutes a week.

I'd have mixed feelings about the pool. My first reaction is 'yahoo!' but then I think you'd have to find some way of putting a fence around it or something. And about the living room thing...depending how the house is set up could you potentially make one a play room? That way you don't have to buy extra furniture and when you have company then at least the real living room is tidy (theoretically). :) That's what we did with our house and it works out quite well really.

We had a pool growing up (it was So. Cal. after all), but my parents fenced in their patio with a low fence and gate that locked, and no kids were allowed beyond the patio to the pool wihthout an adult (even us, even a few years after we learned how to swim). As we got older and better at swimming, they removed the fence/gate. It is somewhat stressful when we visit with H, as one of us has to be in arms' reach of him at all times when we're out back.

Man, looking at those home photos makes my heart ache...a house like that in the Bay Area would come with a 7-figure price tag!

My dad was a teacher who installed pools in the summer so we had a pool in our backyard growing up. Even though my mom can't swim. It had a fence and a gate and it was a blast. Your kids will love it. And upkeep is shorter than mowing the lawn, just another 15 minute task for the yard each week. No biggie.

If I really liked a house, I might consider it even if it had a pool, though I wouldn't particularly want one. It would all depend on how much I liked the house. My grandparents had a pool installed about 7 years ago, and they've enjoyed it so far. It generally isn't a lot of upkeep, though every once in a while something happens that causes them to have to spend some money on it.

I wouldn't worry about the dogs, but I would probably constantly worry about the kids, especially if Olivia can open doors. Of course, you'd keep the doors locked, but she'll learn to unlock and I'm sure eventually someone will forget to lock. I'd definitely get some sort of fence to put between the house and that pool...it looks like a terrible accident waiting to happen.

Wow, those house (s) (are both pics the same house?) are beautiful! I'd LOVE to have a pool myself (in fact, I've been begging Bobby the last couple summers to get one!) but I'd definitely get a fence w/a lock on it for Olivia & baby boy's safety. A lady that used to keep Justin for me had a pool & she has a wrought iron gate around hers & the lock is @ the very tip top of the gate so only adults can reach it~which is a VERY good idea! That's the only thing I'd consider doing if you get a house w/a pool :) GOod luck in this process :)

That house is gorgeous! Wow! But here's the thing ~ we looked at a house with a pool and heavily considered it, but we *so* didn't want to have to deal with the maintenance and upkeep. That's just our thinking. Plus, yeah, with kids and pets ... kind of dangerous. Sure, the pool parties would be fun, but ... you just have to weigh the pros and cons and figure out how often you would actually use the pool. The cost of maintaining a pool really adds up ... and it's a pain having to clean it. :( Good luck with your house search! BTW ~ there's a package arriving for your birthday soon, so be on the lookout! :)

Yes! To the pool question - but put a childproof fence up. We moved from our old house to a rental, which has a pool. It doesn't have a pool fence, and the owner refused to pay for one (which is illegal by the way...hmmmpf) but we installed one anyway, and paid for it ourselves, it's one that can be removed and taken with us, but not so movable that a child could figure it out...check out www dot poolfence dot co dot za if you want to see what it looks like. The amount of fun we've had with the pool, and the ease with which the bubby naps after he's swum has made it ALL totally worthwhile. I would not consider having a pool without a fence though, not negotiable. OH and I would also totally move BEFORE baby gets here - otherwise you'd be totally insane trying to keep the place tidy all the time!

Just read some of the other comments, and also just want to add that pool maintenance is NOT a big deal if you know what you're doing. We are responsible for all upkeep of the pool (not the house owner) and even in my pregnant state, it's no biggee to add a scoop of chemicals once a week and flick a switch. Seriously not a big deal. If you want to see the chemicals we use check out www dot blu52 dot co dot za. It's THAT easy.