TOM PLANT'S HOUSTON REAL ESTATE BLOG

Outdoor kitchens continue to be one of the hottest trends in home décor, but not all of them are created equal.
Here are some things to consider when evaluating the safety and durability of this attractive yet vulnerable feature:
• Is there adequate ventilation? Extensive outdoor cooking spaces should be carefully designed to keep smoke and odors away from dining spaces.
• Was the installation done by licensed and insured installers? If something does goes wrong — even years later — these professionals will stand behind their work.
• Are the cabinets, countertops, and appliances really weather proof and likely to hold up?

Source: The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), Roxanne Washington (07/01/2010)

If you don’t want the expense or hassle of installing an in-ground swimming pool, an above-ground pool is an affordable alternative.

Frame pools, which have a metal frame and an interior pool liner, come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The most popular option is a 24-foot round pool. Image: Trendium Pool Products

In-ground or above-ground? That’s the first question facing homeowners who want to add the ultimate backyard amenity of a swimming pool. Although an in-ground pool wins on aesthetics, an above-ground pool has other attractions, chiefly cost. At around $6,000 for a basic model versus $30,000 for in-ground, you’ll spend 80% less, and you avoid the disruption of heavy equipment digging up your backyard.

Of course, that’s just a starting point. if you select upgrades like patterned or textured liners, fancy stairs, and custom decking, you could be looking at a price tag of $15,000 or more. At that point, it makes sense to consider an in-ground investment, which you may be able to list as a selling amenity someday.

Ring pools: the least expensive option

Above-ground pools come in two basic types: ring and frame. Ring pools, also known as “float to fill,” are commonly around 12 feet in diameter and 3 feet high. Made of heavy-duty vinyl, they get their name from an inflatable ring at the top of the pool, which rises as the pool fills with water and lifts the sidewalls into place. The filled pool is flask-shaped, wider at the bottom than the top for greater stability.

A 12-foot ring pool holds approximately 1,400 gallons of water, enough to require chlorine tablets for chemical balance and a filtration pump. You can buy one for these for around $300, load it into the back of the SUV, and get it ready for filling the same day. Many families see this as an inexpensive way to test the waters on pool ownership and maintenance.

Frame pools: more costly and more permanent

A frame pool has a sturdy metal frame and an interior pool liner. One of these can stay up year-round, although it can be disassembled in a matter of hours. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes; the most popular size is a 24-foot round, which gives plenty of room for laps or a rowdy game of water polo. Most frame pools come with a lifetime warranty that translates into 25 to 30 years of practical use, even with kids pushing off the sides and jumping off the deck area.

The typical frame pool has walls that are 48 inches to 54 inches high, which means you’ll need a ladder to get in and out. Depending on the size and shape of your yard, installers may be able to bury one end of the steel framework deeper in the ground to create different water levels, but even with this trick, 6.5 feet is the depth limit. Once the pool is set up, you can add decking or landscaping to make it look like a more permanent feature of the yard.

A bare-bones frame pool costs around $4,000, and as much as double that if you add niceties like a high-end patterned liner or a wood frame to blend in better with the landscape. As with a ring pool, you use the backyard hose to fill these with the requisite 3,000 to 6,000 gallons.

Depending on size, plan on two to five days for installation, which includes leveling the site and laying a sand bed. The best time to get on a dealer’s installation list is in the winter or early spring. The impulse-buying nature of an above-ground pool means dealers can be backed up several weeks once summer turns hot.

Maintenance and safety issues

Above-ground frame pools need many of the same working parts as inground versions, such as filters and automatic pool cleaners. They can definitely support a heater, although to keep costs proportionate, many people just spread a solar blanket over the pool when not in use. It’s also possible to hook up automatic cleaners on the circulation line to avoid manually cleaning the sides.

Chemicals are required, but in smaller quantities. Plan on spending an average of $400 a season on chlorine, compared with $600 for an inground pool. Homeowners also need to be aware of local safety ordinances and erect the appropriate fencing. In many jurisdictions, fencing can be attached to the top of the pool itself instead of around the perimeter of the yard.

Because it isn’t permanent, an above-ground pool doesn’t require a permit, and it won’t impact the resale value of your home. Note that some homeowners associations or developers don’t allow them, and they’re not suited for diving. It’s always a good idea to notify your insurance agent that you’ve added an above-ground pool, as coverage policies vary.

Julie Sturgeon: Julie Sturgeon has written about residential pools for nearly a decade. She owns an inground pool because that’s what came with the house.

Reprinted from HouseLogic (www.houselogic.com ) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Copyright 2010.  All rights reserved. 

Chlorine keeps swimming pools safe and clean, but there are alternatives to chlorine if you’re willing to pay the price.

Chlorine can be an irritant to some swimmers; consider bromine, ionizers, ozonators, or PHMB as alternatives. Image: Image Source/Getty Images

Chlorine is popular because it handles the three main jobs in keeping a swimming pool clean: It sanitizes (kills bacteria and germs), oxidizes (controls organic debris from perspiration and body oils), and deters algae. The chemical is unpopular because it has a strong odor, reddens eyes, and causes allergic reactions in some swimmers.

There are alternatives to chlorine including bromine, ionizers, and ozonators, though with each you’ll still need to use some chlorine. A fourth alternative is PHMB, which doesn’t require the use of any chlorine. All four have drawbacks, including cost.

Chlorine is relatively cheap. How much chlorine you’ll need depends on the size of your pool, length of the swim season, amount of use, and other factors. For a 20,000-gallon pool that’s open year-round, figure you’ll spend about $600 annually.

Bromine

What it is: Pool suppliers sometimes suggest bromine as a substitute for chlorine. It can be an acceptable alternative for those with allergic reactions to chlorine, although that’s not guaranteed since bromine is also in the same halogen chemical family. Aquatic specialist Alison Osinski believes 5% of the population has an allergy to chlorine.

How it works: Bromine does a fine job as a sanitizer, but it doesn’t oxidize as well as chlorine. Most homeowners rely on a hybrid version known as BCDMH tablets that are typically 66% bromine and 27% chlorine to tackle that job. Some people opt for a two-step process of combining bromine salt extracted from seawater with potassium peroxymonosulfate (a.k.a. oxygen shock) in the pool to create that same sanitizing/oxidizing power.

Pros/Cons: Bromine remains stable at high temperatures, which is why many technicians recommend it for spas more than swimming pools. It’s less irritating on mucus membranes than its chlorine cousin, although it still produces an odor. And if you use just bromine in the pool (not the BCDMH compound), it leaves the water a dull green color that foams up when you swim in it, because the oxidation process is weaker.

Cost: It’s more expensive to operate a pool with bromine. Figure you could spend up to twice as much as you would if you use chlorine only.

Ionizers

What it is: Ionizers rely on two dissimilar metals—often copper (an algaecide) and silver (a sanitizer)—sent charged into the water as the sanitizer. The oxidizer is missing, so you’ll need a small amount of chlorine or bromine in the water to handle this cleaning aspect.

How it works: An ionizer is a device that uses a low-voltage DC current to send these two metals into the water. The positive charge attracts bacteria, germs, and algae, and the new, larger compounds they form are carried out in the filtration system.

Pros/Cons: Like bromine, an ionizer doesn’t irritate swimmers’ eyes and noses. It can substantially reduce the amount of chlorine required. Chlorine and an ionizer work together better than chlorine alone, says Osinski.

Yet, she still considers ionizers a poor choice. For starters, you only reduce the chlorine amount significantly if just a few people use the pool on a regular basis, there are few plants and landscaping in the area, and your air isn’t heavily polluted. High dirt levels are beyond what an ionizer can fight on the sanitation side.

Also, ionizers depend on moving water, so you must run the pool pump continuously to keep the sanitizing action in place. And the increased levels of metal in the water can stain the pool and turn swimmers’ hair and fingernail beds green.

Cost: About $300 for an ionizer that handles up to 40,000 gallons of water. Homeowners may need to replace the metals in the system as often as once a swimming season, at an average cost of $129. Also factor in the energy cost of running the pool pump around the clock.

Ozonators

What it is: An ozonator is a machine that attaches to the filtration plumbing line. It inserts ozone gas (an active form of oxygen) into the pool to react with impurities in the water.

How it works: There are two types of ozone generators: ultraviolet light and corona discharge. In a UV light system, special low-pressure vapor lamps installed on the water return line create ozone to kill pathogens as they float by. Corona discharge generators rely on an electrical arc to create ozone inside the generator. Again, this ozone kills pathogens in the filtration system.

Pros/Cons: Ozone generators can reduce chlorine usage up to 90%, and they use the same amount of electricity as a 60-watt light bulb when the filter pump is turned on, so the added energy demand is tiny.

Aquatic consultants say ozonators combined with chlorine are extremely effective as long as you circulate the water 24/7. One caveat: Ozonators run best on dry air, so if you live in a humid climate, expect performance to decline.

Cost: A typical ozone generator starts at $600 to handle 7,000 gallons of water; $1,200 to cover 25,000 gallons. Take into account the expense of the pool pump running continuously.

PHMB

What it is: There’s only one way to eliminate the use of chlorine completely: Switch your pool to the chemical compound PHMB, short for polyhexamethylene biguanide. Homeowners commonly know PHMB by the Baquacil and SoftSwim brand names.

How it works: PHMB disinfects by penetrating bacteria cell walls, causing them to burst from within. It then wraps those particles in a heavy gel, which sinks to the bottom of the pool, where the vacuum system sucks it up.
 
Pros/Cons: PHMB doesn’t oxidize, so you’ll need to use hydrogen peroxide for this. You’ll also need to use a separate algaecide and clean pool filters—yes, even the sand ones—every four to six weeks.

PHMB is kinder on swimmers’ skin and hair, easy on vinyl pool liners, and doesn’t require as much attention as other chemicals to keep in balance. However, because PHMB is incompatible with chlorine, you’ll need to first drain the pool.

Once you’re back up and running, make sure every bathing suit has been washed. Even traces of chlorine in suit fibers will react with PHMB. The result of the reaction: a yellowish vapor that’ll radiate from your bathing suit.

Cost: The cost for PHMB chemicals to maintain a 10,000-gallon pool for a 16-week summer season is about $725.

By Julie Sturgeon: Julie Sturgeon has written about residential pools for nearly a decade. She has always used chlorine as her sanitizer because it’s the path of least resistance.

Reprinted from HouseLogic (www.houselogic.com ) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Copyright 2010.  All rights reserved.