Milford chronicle., 1956-08-31
On The House
by DAVID G. BAREUTHER
AP Real Estate Editor

The backyard swimming pool Is
giving air conditioning some lively
competition in home improvement
glamor. OF course, there aren't as
many private swimming pools as
year-round air conditioned homes,
but the pools are increasing at a
rate of about 10000 per year. And
what man can afford both of these
luxuries at once? !,
Each of these modern refinements
can cost about the same, although
swimming pools usually run high
er. You can't argue that it costs
less to run pool until you have
it. The water cost may be low.
but other liquids of bottled varieT
ties seem to be needed Friends
get the idea that you asked them
over, to get wet both outside and
in. The entertainment bill can be
rugged.
If you re good with a pick and
shovel, it might be possible to
build swimming pool on a do-it-
yourself basis. One man built his
for less than $500. It's poured
concrete and measures II by IL
feet. In Alabama you can get a
do-it-yourself kit for a pool mea-
surfing 20 by 40 feet for STATS. But
made to order pools usually run
about $4,000 to $4,000.
This may seem strange, because
when you build house you can
figure roughly that the inclusion
of a basement will add only about
81 per square foot. This would
make 20 by 40-foot concrete-lin-
ed hole in the ground cost about
$500 instead of $4,000. But there
are all kinds of pools. i
Last spring Esther Williams
demonstrated her prefabricated
fiber glass swimming pool at the
International Home Building Expo
sition in New York Coliseum. Now
she is making a personal appear
ance tour of backyards around the
country and might have splashed
in yours by this time.
You can have a concrete pool, q
steel pool, plastic pool, or an in
f1atable type, which is big bro
ther to the youngsters wading
pool. A big hole in the ground
seems to be the one thing you
need for this Hollywood touch.
Forms for the concrete often are
dispensed with. The sides of the
hole are cut as straight as possible,
erected, and concrete is sprayed
over it by the gunite method.
One contractor with dealers
scattered around the country has
been offering pool for about
81 800 with no money down and
five years to pay. The craze seems
to be so great that there is no
worry about repossessing a hole
in the ground if your payments go
sour.
The shape of a pool whether it
should be round, square, trapezo-
idal or kidney style-has suddenly
become important. A cartoonist
recently wisecracked about the
millionaire who had no imagina-
tion-he had plain rectangular
swimming pool.
OF course. the initial cost is not
the whole story. You may start
with a pool, but you'll wind up with
terrace. barbecue, shaded
gallery for spectators, a miniature
sandy beach, deck chairs and UNI
brellas and may be cabana-and
still you won't be the first person
who spent more on his backyard
than for his house.
Even if you hold down on the
embellishments, you'll have to have
a climb-proof fence to prevent tots
from wandering back there and
falling in. You'll need plenty of
liability insurance. You'll need fil-
ters and special vacuum clean
err
But ii certainly must be worth
it. A recent issue of Swimming
Pool Age estimates that "a mill
lion dollars will be spent on back
yard pools before this year runs