The Housechick Blog

I am asked quite frequently if installing a swimming pool will increase the value of a home. 

Personally, I’m not a big fan of the swimming pool because I hate to maintain the thing.  Most Buyers are fairly sharply divided on the issue.  I’d say 45% of Buyers absolutely do not want  a pool, 45% absolutely must have one, and 10% don’t really care either way.

The cost to have a pool installed starts around $17,000 and goes up quickly from there, but your typical Tucson home with an average pool may only gain an additional $5000-7000 on an appraisal for having a swimming pool (in my experience).  So if you really want a pool, and will enjoy having and using it, then go install one.  But don’t expect to recoup your installation costs!

For high end properties, the million plus crowd, pools are almost universally expected, and a nice one at that.  For that type of property, NOT having a pool could be the difference between your home selling and it sitting on the market forever.

There are other aspects to consider as well.  If you’ve got a small lot, and put in a big pool, then most Buyers aren’t going to like that.  If you put a tiny pool on a tiny lot, well, that may just be a waste, as most people who want a pool are going to want something more than 4 people can be in at the same time without running into each other.

Placing a pool in a side yard where it isn’t visible from the patio or main living area of the house can be the kiss of death for a home sale as well.  This one I know from experience!

Also, families with young children are usually very concerned with pool fencing while home buyers without kids may not want to see tall iron fences around the pool.  So even among the pool-wanting-buyer crowd, there will be very different concerns.

In the end, I think the choice to install a swimming pool is a personal one, and not a question of improving the home’s value, unless you’re dealing with a luxury home. 

Replacing the windows in your house can be a good investment and a nice upgrade.  In many older houses, the original single pane and casement windows don’t operate well, are missing cranks and screens that can be hard to replace because of odd sizing, and can equate to higher heating and cooling costs.

I’m seeing a lot of triple pane windows lately, and was curious about the efficiency and cost differences between installing new dual pane or new triple pane windows.

There was an article in the local newspaper that discussed this very thing - here’s the key points:

Energy Star (a federal program that rates products by their energy use) names six window types that meet its energy efficiency guidelines for the area that includes Tucson.  Of those six window types, four are triple pane systems.

TEP, our local energy company, ran a computer model to compare dual vs. triple pane window systems.  A third pane of glass did improve the home insulation, but didn’t block more heat from sunlight than the dual pane windows. 

TEP says their computer model saved about $20/year by using triple pane windows instead of the dual pane.  A local window company says a typical dual pane window runs around $850 while the same size in a triple pane would cost around $1400.  (Yowza! )

So at $20 per year, and potentially a $600 additional cost per window… I’m thinking it’d take a long time to make up that extra cost in savings.

Okay, it’s a lame title.  I’m talking about mixing roof types.  If you’ve got a better idea for a title, I’m all ears.

Call it a pet peeve, but there was a period for new construction homes where builders would mix their roof types.  I’m assuming this was a cost saving measure.  Often, you’ll find a tile roof over the main portion of the house, with a rolled asphalt patio cover or garage roof.  Or in older houses, you’ll see an asphalt shingle roof over the majority with a built-up painted roof over the carport or patio.

The trouble is that all of these roofs have vastly different lifespans.  Your tile roof may last 50 years.  The asphalt shingle may last 20-30 years.  The built-up roof may need a re-coat every 3-5 years.  The rolled asphalt could go 10-15 years before it needs to be replaced. 

Perhaps it is an artifact of the style of housing here, of the general architecture.  Often, our patios are an add-on, they don’t tie into the main roof, tend to have little slope, so it only makes sense to put a rolled asphalt or a built-up roof on that. 

Even so, it doesn’t alleviate the problems - that you’ll need to care for different sections of your roof at different times and in different ways. 

The tile roof you usually can’t walk on, so it’s a good idea to call out the professionals every couple of years to have a look around.  Sometimes tiles can shift in a strong storm.  Replacing a tile roof - very very expensive.

Asphalt shingles commonly come with a 20 or 30 warranty.  You’ll want to check this kind of roof out every few years, to watch for shifting shingles, loss of granules, and nail pops.  Replacing an asphalt shingle roof runs $4000-7000, roughly, for an average sized house.

The rolled asphalt roof should be looked at every year or two, to make sure there are no nail pops, or that the surface is loosing the little granules, or is wrinkled or buckled.  Replacing rolled asphalt roof: $3000-6000, depending on size.

The built-up roof should be looked at every year, as this one degrades the fastest.  Watch for blistering, cracking, and ponding.  Recoating a typical roof runs around $2000-$3000.  To replace the roof (not just recoat) would be about twice that.