Summer often inspires to start thinking about building a pool — one that will be the perfect summer oasis, the ideal way to stay cool and make even the hottest days of summer enjoyable, especially in times likes these where a safe place to gather with family and friends may only be at home. 

If you are reading this is because you are somehow interested in building a pool for the first time or enhancing your current outdoor experience.

When starting to think about building a pool, the first big question that many homeowners ask is, will building a swimming pool really increase the value of my house?  

The answer is yes.

Where the summers are long and hot, pools aren’t just popular — they’re practically a necessity especially in Los Angeles.

So much so, in fact, that many realtors share with their clients: if “most of your neighbors have pools,” then “not having a pool might make your home harder to sell.”

That’s because pools are such a familiar sight, in hot climates, that they’re nearly ubiquitous in many neighborhoods.

Across SoCal , not only are many homeowners building and renovating pools. They’re building those pools to be a vital part of their complete outdoor living space.

What Makes a Pool a Good Investment?

According to research, one of the top factors when building a pool is how to make sure the rest of the outdoor living space is equally enjoyable.

Three questions worth asking:

1. How common are pools in the neighborhood?.
2. How much will my family enjoy it?.
3. Is the lot “big enough to accommodate a pool and still have some yard left over for play or gardening”?

If so, a swimming pool is more than just a great way to make the outdoor living space more usable and enjoyable. With research showing that “in-ground pools will usually return 50% of their original cost when the home is sold,” “appraisers reflect that a pool will add between 10-30% to the home’s resale value.”

Depending on the area, studies have also found that a swimming pool is a great way to see, at least,  a 7% increase in home value. 

How Much is a Pool Worth?

Residential swimming pools became increasingly popular as technology advanced quickly in the last 20 years. From gunite to chlorination that made sterilization possible, pools became not just more affordable but also increasingly easier to customize, faster to clean, and simpler to maintain.

But affordability isn’t the only reason why pools have become a familiar feature. Those tangible benefits — pools that are safe, clean, and customized to be a perfect fit to complement the home’s outdoor living space — are only half the story.

The intangible benefits matter just as much as — and often far more than — the tangibles. And what makes a pool satisfying is often intangible: it’s not simply that the pool is a beautifully designed work of art, or that it has incorporated the most up-to-date technological innovations. It’s that it’s a fantastic place for the kids to play as they grow up and for the family to gather with friends and neighbors. It’s that it’s a beautiful focal point, creating a gorgeous backyard that transforms the house into a home.

How to identify which intangible benefits are the most important?

Consider which benefits make sense the most for you:

• Functional: Does the pool create a great focal point in the yard, help to keep the kids entertained, encourage the family to enjoy the outdoors, and serve as a great way to get more exercise?
• Social: Will it be a great way to welcome friends and family, host parties, and create a warm, inviting space?
• Symbolic: Does it suit the family’s taste, style, and goals?
• Recreational: Will the pool create the perfect custom outdoor living space the family wants to enjoy?

There’s no better time than now to start your backyard renovation project. Why keep waiting?