Is a swimming pool worth it?

You have to weigh up various factors, such as the initial cost, water to fill it, ongoing chemicals to keep it algae free, frequent cleaning, safety during use (i.e. visitors that may not be good swimmers) so family CPR training would be a great idea also, and maintenance issues for fencing and gates, pump, etc., safe storage of chemicals.

And being at the front of the house, does that invite unwanted guests? Or are you going to put in a high fence to give you privacy?

We had a large pool in Melbourne for years that took up most of the garden. Whilst the kids said they liked it, in reality they hardly ever used it, only really when friends came over. Best thing we ever did was filling it in when we demolished the house and rebuilt (after much deliberation). Now they say they prefer having the garden.

Friends of ours who put one in the same thing - the kids were excited for the first year or 2, and then that died off

In Melbourne you need to have it heated

Did you know you have 2 identical threads?

we moved into house with pool 4 years ago
the kidults use it heavily every summer
wife and i probably couple of times per week
first year was a learning curve on chemicals
found out pool shops are there to sell you chemicals, not keep your pool clean
since then around $100 per year on chemicals
with salt chlorinator
probably spend 10 minutes per week through the year and 30 minutes during swim season on cleaning/chemicals
i find it relaxing skimming a few leaves out

For someone looking for house with a pool, it's nice, but it does come with a big responsibility and ongoing costs, and with Melbourne's weather, then maybe only a few weeks a year of use? Unless heated of course. It's nice to have a spa in one end also, and jump from the cool pool into a warm spa! And the novelty may wear off in a few years as suggested above, but the ongoing maintenance, cleaning and chemicals doesn't stop!

My parents bought a house in Geelong, 10 min from Eastern Beach enclosure, and 25 min from Torquay surf beach. It had a pool in the back yard. they ran the filter pump daily or weekly, I can't remember, and had to add chlorine and test the pH on a regular basis. I probably swam in it 2 or 3 times, as I was living in Melbourne, and would go there for the weekend sometimes.

They were both non swimmers, and the liner in the pool had a leak. They would have had to drain it and replace the liner, and refill (9,000 gallons), a very expensive exercise for them, so they drained it and had it bulldozed and filled in. I went there one weekend and the back yard had a pile of rubble where the pool used to be! It was eventually levelled and grassed over, and the only thing left was a brick wall along the back where the walkway was!

In Melbourne you need to think of heating as well. We had solar heating, which was not ideal. The problem is the variable climate in Melbourne, where it can be hot for a few days and then cool for a few. So if you have had a few cool days and then a hot day (as you get in Melb), the pool will be cold and unpleasant to swim in, as it takes a few days of sun to warm up. Likewise you will lose heat at night, so need a cover to keep the heat in. That then becomes a pain to take on and off when people want to swim (and doesn't look nice). And solar heating is not free as you still need to pat for power to pump the water up to the roof to be heated