<p>The newer salt systems completely eliminate all of the problems associated with chlorine - odor, dry skin, discolored clothing. If the pool isn’t salt, I would convert it first thing:</p>
<p>Can the rest of the house be sealed off from the humidity of the pool? We had a relative with a huge indoor pool room that was open to the rest of the house, with balconies and large room openings. I only visited a few times (and the chlorine smell was overwhelming but now you don’t have to have that). Isn’t NJ humid and hot in the summer? Can you keep the pool humidity out of the rest of the house?
If you can live with the few negatives and can afford the heating costs, go for it. We live where outdoor pools are 10 month activities and DH is in the pool 4 or 5 times a day. I</p>
<p>In addition to MOLD, check if it will NOT flood in the rainy season. The rain came, it was not April showers, but it is April pour for the Whole Month. Then the basement got flooded and river was formedinside teh house. It will not be a good idea to have flood water in the pool. So check for that as well. If there is French Drain, there will be flood for sure.</p>
<p>Otherwise best of luck to you. Envy you have the chance of life time. Love Jersey. Will go back any time.</p>
<p>We have an outdoor pool and have chosen a chemical treatment system that is not chlorine because I hate the smell. The chemicals we use are from Bioguard and I’ve found they also don’t eat away at our swim suits, towels, etc. </p>
<p>Just letting you know chlorine isn’t the only answer.</p>
<p>And now I’m getting sad because it is getting closer to closing our pool for the year; I’ve used it more this summer than in all previous years. Will try to get 3-4 more weeks out of it… of course with the heater running.</p>
<p>Do it! You are both swimmers, the price is good, you will use it. Couldn’t get this deal a little while ago!</p>
<p>We are in the process of getting a hot tub (or I guess you can call it a very small, very warm pool). That’s a little closer to our budget. The entire filtration system is confusing, though. Every dealership says their particular method is best.</p>
<p>I think it would be expensive to keep it heated all year round, unless you have solar energy set up. We looked at a house with a large indoor jacuzzi pool, the house smelled of chlorine.</p>
<p>A pool always sounds great, especially when it’s someone else’s. People think they would be using it every night after work, or have a pool party every weekend, but actual usage is probably not that great.</p>
<p>When something happens to a pool, it’s a lot of money to fix. We opted not to have a pool. Friends with a pool are always doing something to do it - new ones often get cracks with leakage, old ones need new lining. I would be worried with a pool so close to the house. Check to see how old the pool is, if there is any cracks. How well was the pool built, by which company? How would this effect your house insurance?</p>
<p>Just to throw one more thing into it…NJ gets very cold, what happens if your heater or electricity goes out, what would happen to the pool water? Most people with out door pool drain it enough(when they close the pool) to allow ice to expand. What does the house use to heat the pool? Does it have a generator? People we know who have indoor pool, they have full time ground keepers to make sure nothing goes wrong.</p>
<p>I am a worrier and we travel a lot, so I tend keep everything simple at home.</p>
<p>Remembering a local house that had a serious smoky fire … and when the firemen were clearing the very smoky house, they went through a door into what they thought was a family room, and fell <strong>splash</strong> into the pool. Luckily, their most recent drills had been water rescue in full gear. </p>
<p>I gotta say, I’ve never known, or even known of, anyone with an indoor pool. I’m quite certain there are none where I live. I picture them in mansions. You all are really impressing me!</p>
<p>We know one family with an indoor pool; definitely not a mansion :). In our area of California, outdoor pools are very common, but an indoor pool is unusual. The family seems pretty happy with it, and I haven’t heard of any problems with mold etc etc. </p>
<p>I’d find out if the family living there now does their own pool care, or if they have a pool care service. Pool care isn’t really that hard, especially when you’re talking indoors where you don’t have tree leaves and worms and the occasional rat (ugh) falling in to the water.</p>
<p>My next door neighbor has an indoor lap pool but there is no living area on the same level. It also has a wall of sliding glass doors that opens to the outside for ventilation. I have not heard of any problems, they use a commercial pool service and we are in northern California where it is not humid.</p>
<p>If you don’t wish to be responsible for the constant upkeep of the pool, join a club.</p>
<p>My neighbor has an indoor pool with living quarters above.^^^</p>
<p>However, it is a newly re-build. When the project went in front of city council, we were there to make sure the ventilation and the drainage will not cause a problem. We were told there are new vent systems that are low noise, low environment impact and high efficiency on the market to prevent all the problems old systems have. I have not seen any problems since it was built.</p>
<p>All I am saying is that an old indoor pool may requires such a renovation if there is a problem and it will be costly.</p>
<p>Former M-I-L had indoor pool in Jersey. Chlorine smell and mold require constant attention, as many have said. MIL solved the chlorine problem by switching to a system that used bromine and some sort of lights (ultraviolet?) in a chamber through which the water passed. </p>
<p>The biggest problem, however, was selling the house when she decided to down size. For various reasons, the market for homes with indoor pools is not great (rule out many buyers with small children, limited budgets, fear of property taxes, fear of maintenance or the cost of the pool service,etc,etc). It took a very long time to sell (even at the top of the boom) and she sold for far less than she would have sold a comparable home without a pool.</p>
<p>I have an indoor pool next door in Pennsylvania; the house was built in 1961. We have a Desert Aire dehumidifier and have never had a problem with mold. The pool rarely needs vacuuming because few leaves or bugs get in. (Put a foot bath by the door to the outside.) There is also little algae growth because it doesn’t get a lot of direct sun; it probably doesn’t get vacuumed every other month (even though we have an automatic system). We use few chemicals so there is no smell when you walk into the room. All-in-all, it’s very low maintenance. The down-side is that you have to heat it year-round. We have a gas heater and it probably costs about $250 a month to heat during the warmer months. We don’t heat it full-time during the winter as we’re not big swimmers. (We bought the house when our kids were young.) The water temp stays at about fifty-five and actually keeps the room at that temperature, so we can turn the heat off in the pool room without a problem. (The dehumidifier still runs some and does generate a little heat.) The pool room is separated from the main house by big patio doors and windows, so it is easy to keep it locked. The pool is actually very lovely, with broad brick arches defining the shape, so in the winter, with the sun shining in on the moving water, I think of it as a very expensive “water feature”.</p>
<p>Of course, now we are looking to down-size and are well aware that the pool will limit our market. We went ahead and bought land so that we can take our time and wait for the right buyer. If anyone is looking to retire to a college town, p.m. me ;). We are in a lovely historic neighborhood, walkable to town and campus.</p>