We had one of those Intex inflatable pools last summer. We had it in a good spot in the shade, but had to take it down because there was something underneath that was sharp and poked through the bottom of the pool. (Turned out to be the sharp edge of a walnut, courtesy of our neighborhood squirrel population.) We had then decided to find a different spot for the pool, one closer to the garage so that the pump could be more easily plugged in inside.

This summer, however, dh doesn't want to put it up again because it kills the grass underneath. He is tired of spending money on grass seed and water to get it to grow.

I understand his concern, but I don't see why, once we have found the ideal location, we can't simply place the pool in the same spot every summer so to avoid killing more grass. Lots of people have pools maintain a yard at the same time.

Meanwhile, our son is asking if we can get a bigger pool. I don't know what to tell him.

So, my question to you gals is, how many of you don't have pools because your husbands object to them for similar reasons? Have you found a way to compromise?

Dh and I are at an impass with this issue.

By Kate on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 02:23 pm:

I get tired of the grass fanatics. I know one who objects to a SWINGSET because of the grass! I agree with you about putting it in the same place every year....when it's spring and all the grass is brown and yellow anyway, who cares about a 'deader' area? Then summer arrives and you put the pool up and voila! No more eyesore dead grass!! Then fall comes and you take it down and let the leaves cover it all up!! Then the snow comes and covers it... IMO there's very little time when it's not covered up by the pool, the leaves, or the snow, so I see no reason to stress over it OR to try and reseed it!!

I'm trying to talk my husband into one of those big ugly blue pools, too, and he doesn't want to for more reasons than just grass, but my theory is that it's only for ten years or so....and maybe we'd love it so much we'd get something permanent. I view it as a trial run and the kids have all summer to be entertained by it and since I'm home with them full time (and he's not!!) I think my vote carries more weight. :o) My concerns are finding a spot level enough, making sure a bird or squirrel doesn't pop it, making sure the lawn mower doesn't pop it, making sure it's WARM enough to swim in, etc.

Erma Bombeck wrote a fabulous essay your husband should read....it's all about a man fretting over the grass getting wrecked every summer by the running around of his son and neighborhood kids, the dirt bikes, the cleats, the impromptu sport games, etc., and he's always grumbling and trying to fix the lawn and saying anxiously to his wife about the lawn, 'do you think it will come back???' and finally, his son grows up and moves out and the lawn is PERFECT. And the husband says anxiously to his wife about his son, 'do you think he'll come back??'

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 02:34 pm:

We have lived here 11 years. When our kids were younger, there wasn't grass under the swings. Now that they are older, there is! The neighbor kids swing there every once in a while, but not enough to wreck the grass. So, what if the grass wears out, under the swings? Kids don't stay little very long!

I say put the pool in the spot by the garage and don't sweat the small stuff.

By Yjja123 on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 02:36 pm:

We had one before we had our inground pool installed. Yes, it does leave brown grass but the grass comes back easily enough.
Fact of the matter, childhood is short. Swimming is one of summers greatest joys. I would convince hubby that grass is nothing compared to the fun that can be had. Get a bigger one...maybe you can get hubby to go in and then he will see how much fun it is

By Chai~latte on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 02:39 pm:

What are backyards for if not having fun? Perhaps suggest as an alternative an in-ground pool, this would solve the whole killing the grass situation see what he says. I'm not suggesting that you should be dead serious about the idea but it might just help him see the light. If he doesn't want the expense of an in-ground the blue pool might not seem like such a bad idea after all. Just another perspective to offer him.

Good luck, I'm looking forward to hearing what you come up with as a solution.

By Vicki on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 03:03 pm:

I agree with the others. If you find a great spot, why on earth would he be spending money on seed to get the grass to grow? Leave it dead and put the pool there again next year. Problem solved!!

By Karen~admin on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 03:40 pm:

Ditto Yvonne!

By Cocoabutter on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 04:10 pm:

Thanks for the responses! I will approach him with a different take on the pool dilemma by telling him that he will only be a kid for so long. That sounds good.

By Colette on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 04:22 pm:

We are putting our intex back in the exact same spot as last year. Yes, it kills the grass, but it will always come back and the kids get so much pleasure out of a pool.

i suggest getting the big one. Dh and I both can go in it.

By Kate on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 04:36 pm:

Colette, what size do you have?

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 05:24 pm:

Kids are kids, just a short time! By the time they graduate from high school, it will seem like the blink of an eye!

By Colette on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 05:51 pm:

I don't remember exactly now, it's the biggest one they make.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 05:55 pm:

We bought an Intex (18' * 4') (big ugly blue bubble) about two weeks ago, first time we have ever been able to have something like this.

It took me bringing up... The price of gas. Having to make trips to the beach (45 minute trip), the stress of keeping an eye on the kids and the people there. The price of local pools and having to deal with the people there. I also used the, this will be one more huge summer boredom buster, they could (and actually do) use it off and on through out the day, which a trip to the beach or pool requires a lot of effort the pool would hold none.. I honestly played off of the things I know drive him nuts about summer because he had said no at first too.. Yes, bad wife.. But It was for the kids..

We are using it as our trial pool too.. Too see how much it actually gets used.. How much it ends up costing us in the long run and how much of a pain I find keeping up with it.. So far so good.. The kids are only home for such a short time, he will have the rest of his life to do what he wants to the yard..

My kids leave for Camp on Sunday and I am actually looking forward to having the pool to myself for a couple of days...

By Bobbie~moderatr on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 05:59 pm:

Oh and unseeded spots in your yard do grow back.. That is one bad thing about grass, it spreads every where and rather quickly. I am constantly trying to keep it out of my driveway and my flower beds..

By Kate on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 06:02 pm:

Bobbie, was it really $297? I was hoping to stay under $200...

Also, how deep is the water? Because in saying that it's four feet high, doesn't that mean the water has to stop about 10 inches before that?? Making the water about 38 inches deep? Or is water depth actually four feet?

By Tripletmom on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 06:09 pm:

My Dh used to be very anal about the grass dying.I used to pretend my arms were scales and say uhmm.... kids having fun or the grass dying.The kids having fun in MY backyard is waaaaay more important than some dying grass.In the summer there's a pool and in the winter there's snow.I really couldn't understand his logic.I told him it was important for me for our dd to swim in our own backyard vs going to a friends house.I'd rather be the parents where the kids come over and want to hang out.Our pool is set up now and everyone is happy

By Bobbie~moderatr on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 06:17 pm:

To the top of the ring is 4 feet. So it is just over 3 feet of water..

16 feet across x 42 inches high is 199.99.

12 feet across x 36 inches high is 98.74

I paid 297 but you may be able to get it cheaper, will need to look around..

By Mia on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 06:29 pm:

There's an old quote you can tell your husband - "We're not raising grass, we're raising kids."

By Pamt on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 10:26 pm:

My DH is the same. We had an Intex for one year, but it killed the grass (which is green here for about 9 months out of the year) and DH has abolished it for the past 2 years. In his defense though, we have a lot of rain in the summer and it was constantly overflowing and creating some backyard flooding problems or creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes if the cover was on.

Kate, I have to say that I literally chuckled at your first post. You are worried about grass fanatics with your yourself a flooring and dirty feet fanatic? It made me smile.

By Kate on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 10:46 pm:

Ahhh, but Pam....what happens OUTSIDE the house is not so much my concern...it's INSIDE that I am, shall we say, stringent, about.... So my INSIDE floors I want clean, and I want the feet that touch those floors to be clean. Grass, on the other hand, is nature, and well...nature I don't really care about.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Thursday, June 14, 2007 - 11:34 pm:

Kate, honestly you crack me up.. "stringent" is not in my vocabulary.. I am lucky to be concerned.. LOL

By Dawnk777 on Friday, June 15, 2007 - 08:25 am:

I don't think stringent, is in my vocabulary, either! LOL! Maybe when I have company over, though, I want things to look nice.

By Colette on Friday, June 15, 2007 - 09:28 am:

I am filling mine now. I do remember it was a MAJOR pain in the butt to drain last year. I ended up sticking a sump pump in it and using a wet vac to get all of the water out of it.

By Dawnk777 on Friday, June 15, 2007 - 12:37 pm:

Our neighbors a few houses down, have a pool. I don't know what kind, since it's tucked in the backyard, behind a fence. We could hear them enjoying it, though! Hope you have lots of fun!

By Kate on Friday, June 15, 2007 - 12:43 pm:

Happy to have amused some!!

Okay, I just called my town hall. I have to have an $85 permit, a fence, a pool alarm on the back door closest to the pool, a pool alarm in the pool, the spot located for the pool has to be inspected by a building code guy, the pool must be at least 10 feet from all property lines, it cannot be under electrical wires, if we need any electrical work done for the filter part it has to be inspected, all this is done on THEIR time schedule of course...

All this for one of those temporary ugly pools!!!! Given the huge popularity of those pools, I KNOW most people must not be doing this!! I see them right in the open with NO fences! I see PERMANENT above ground pools with no fences right in my neighborhood!!! She said if any pool CAN contain more than 24 inches of water, you need to do all this.

Kate is scrapping the pool idea....sigh....

By Dawnk777 on Friday, June 15, 2007 - 02:39 pm:

A neighbor, right next to my backyard has one of those blue pools in their yard without a fence. I'm sure it's more than 24" high! I know somone else who lives right on a corner, so they don't really have a backyard, has a blue pool in their unfenced yard, too.

I have no idea what the regulations are, around here, since there's no chance we will be getting a pool!

By Yjja123 on Friday, June 15, 2007 - 04:25 pm:

I imagine most people do not call about permitting an inflatable pool.
It does make sense to keep it in a fenced yard as anyone could mess with it (and drown) if it were easily accessible.
We had to do all the things Kate mentioned--and more--when our inground pool was installed. We had to put alarms on every door that can go outside. They told us "just do it for the permit and remove them". If I had to listen to an alarm every time my kids opened a door---I would go insane! We do not even have toddlers! We had to fence our back yard. We already had it fenced down the sides but open to our canal. We had to continue the fence along the canal..."in case someone swam across the canal and then drown in our pool". Now our canal view is gone but we have a pretty pool to look at

By Amecmom on Friday, June 15, 2007 - 04:33 pm:

I don't think you need a permit for a "portable" pool.
We had an Intex pool for three years and I loved it! It always went back in the same spot so grass was never an issue.

It went up, we filled it and enjoyed it all summer. Then we took it down. If there was a chance of a really big storm, I used to just pull the plug and let out some water so it would not overflow.

We killed it at the end of last summer becuse we are moving, but I think it would have lasted another season.

Ame

By Anonymous on Friday, June 15, 2007 - 05:34 pm:

Every town is different, we are supposed to have a permit, but I am playing dumb and pretending I don't know that. NO ONE including the police chief has a permit for it. To get a permit, I'd have to get a fence and everything else that Kate mentioned and that would cost more than the pool. I take the ladder out and put it in the basement when the pool is not in use. There are no small children in our neighborhood or the surrounding neighborhoods.