In at the Deep End

I come across, every year, a few properties with their own private swimming pool.

I always try to find out from the owners the approximate costs of running a pool but even though they may be chatty and willing to divulge every other detail about their property they can be most elusive on providing an answer to that specific line of enquiry.

This may simply be that they a) do not know, b) have never bothered to work it out c) it is too horrific to entertain or d) it is just not important because a) owning a pool has been a lifelong ambition, b) the luxury of a pool is beyond any quantified price c) it is too horrific to entertain (again).

The motivation behind digging a big hole, tiling and grouting it and then filling it up with water and chemicals can be diverse.

A few hardy souls just love to dip themselves in water and it is too much hassle to drag said body down to the Municipal Leisure Centre, what with its timings for different age groups and sexes. The health benefits, I can see, may outweigh the material costs, and having a pool for your own exclusive use does maintain its position in the hierarchy of status symbols although it will have been hard pressed by the latest "must haves" of electronic driveway gates, a heated driveway and paths, hot-tub, conservatory and orangery structures.

As a child I recall the mixture of elation and horror at being invited to a house with a swimming pool. The former for the rarity and the latter because I could not swim.

Of course, those early pools in the late 1960's and early 1970's were fully outdoor and even on the hottest day of an English Summer and after a week of pre-heating the experience of entering the water brought on a dramatic shaking and an adverse reaction to the perishing cold of the shallow end. Maintaining an outdoor pool has to be a labour of love as even with protective covers there is always the intrusion of vegetation, litter, bird droppings and the occasional drowned wild animal.

I knew of a few families whose pool dreams were tragically marred by accidents involving small children and domestic pets.

My more recent encounters with pools have included a few very expensive examples in their own dedicated buildings linked in to the main residence with a few rivalling some of the facilities that, as local residents we subsidise through payment of the Council Tax.

There are certainly therapeutic and psychological benefits associated with exercise in water, again a main motivation or excuse for some significant capital outlay or investment. There remains a degree of suspicion in the minds of prospective purchasers when thinking about buying a house with a swimming pool but that does not stop them from trying out the amenities on successive visits under the pretence of fact finding. That and measuring up for curtains.

A pool also provides a superb party venue and most come with the added specification of a sauna, smaller lounging or dipping tubs, recreational bar and seating area.

Whilst some pools are almost Olympic is size and stature the average ones are not quite large enough to embark on an aquatic adventure or record breaking attempt. Most are below 10 metres long and 4 metres wide which imposes the hazard of knocking yourself unconscious at the deep end after a spirited dive at the shallow end. Diving may also be a problem if actual depths are a bit restricted in the interests of safety and the costs of excavation in the construction process.

Perhaps the main justification for your own swimming pool is to be able to just do those things normally prohibited at the County Baths. A lot can be said for the luxury of being allowed to run, jump, bomb, splash, intimidate, bully and indulge in heavy petting in the privacy of your own home.