It’s estimated that tens of thousands of New Zealand households are able to cool off from the comfort of their backyard in their very own swimming pool.

“About 37% of properties sold for over $3 million have pools, about 15% of sales between $1 and $3 million have them, and only 6% of sales below $1 million do” says Chris Farhi, Bayleys Head of Insights, Data & Consulting. According to the Bayleys data, that means the more expensive your home is, the more likely you are to have a pool in your backyard and especially if your home is defined as ‘prime’ or ‘super prime’.

Outside of Auckland, a prime property is priced between $3 million and $5 million and to be classed as super prime, it would need to be sold for more than $5 million. Inside Auckland, a prime property is $5 million to $7.5 million, and a sale of more than $7.5 million is defined as super prime.

But while it’s often assumed there’s an expectation from buyers that all homes in that price range come with somewhere to take a dip, according to the latest Bayleys Q3 Super Prime residential market update it was mostly only houses sold within our biggest city that did.

73% of super prime houses were sold with a pool in Auckland, while just 21% did elsewhere, and Chris Farhi says it all comes down to climate and location.

“There’s going to be demand where the climate is good enough that it’s comfortable to swim in an unheated pool in summer. Because of that, you tend to see it more in the North Island than in the South Island because it’s warmer for longer.”

“The other factor that we know of is that properties that are located close to the beach are less likely to have a pool. So, the Auckland region is a good example. A lot of it isn’t beachfront and if it was, most people would just go to the beach instead.”

HOW MUCH COULD A POOL ADD TO YOUR SALE PRICE?

Farhi says across most regions he’s found the average selling price for properties with a pool was up to $350,000 more than those without one, but the landholding required to build it also contributes to the boost.

“Properties with pools are typically 246 square metres larger. The homes are also usually higher end homes and are of a much higher spec.”

With all that in mind, Farhi says the overall cost benefit could end up being more neutral.

“I think the stats talk to the fact that you will likely recover the cost, but it's not necessarily going to be the most profitable element if you're looking to flip a house because it’s a huge project.”

But if you’re looking to stay in your home for a while and want added appeal when the time does come to sell, Farhi says then it could be a worthy investment.

“If you're setting up your house it's going to add value long term, it’s also something that you get to enjoy personally too.”

I WANT A POOL, WHERE DO I START?

Scott Humphreys from Humphreys Landscaping agrees a pool is a great addition to a home if you’re looking to enjoy it for yourself.

“It’s great for the summer, it adds a great aesthetic to your property and if the pool is heated you can enjoy it outside of the summer months.”

Humphreys says the first thing you need to do when installing a pool is work out whether or not you need consent.

“Once it's over 35,000 litres, it needs a building consent. If your pools below that threshold, you can put it in, but you do need consent for pool fencing, that's important.”

Once you’ve figured out if consent is required, it’s important to properly consider the design of your pool.

“That's positioning your pool in the best place. There are things to consider like your amenities, storm water, wastewater, and any council drains coming through the property or nearby neighbours.”

“You should also get a geotechnical report to see what the soil is like. This is so that once you start to dig you know what you’re going to find. Is there rock? Is it unstable ground?” Humphreys says then it’s on to establishing your budget for the pool’s construction and installation.

“You've got the surrounds of your pool, as you can't put it in the ground and have no access ways around it. There might be a need for retaining walls, gardens, lawns and things to reconfigure too. You've also got to consider your fencing, which is a big component.”

WHAT KINDS OF POOL CAN YOU INSTALL?

There are two types of pool to choose from including concrete or fibreglass.

“Concrete pools are customised to shape, and customised to depth and they last a long time.”

He says a concrete pool is a bespoke option tailored to your backyard, and over the long term you can also renovate it too.

A fibreglass pool is a more ‘off-the-rack’ option for property owners.

“So you're buying a shape, you’re going along to a showroom, and you pick the size, the stairs, the depth and the colour. It all comes pre-made and is a lot simpler as far as construction goes.”

Once you have the shell sorted, then it’s about what you fill it with.

“You can have a chlorine pool or a saltwater pool. You can have the water running over one of the edges, and you can decide whether or not you want to have a pool cover on it.”

HOW MUCH CAN A POOL COST?

Humphreys says the smaller the pool, the cheaper it’s likely to cost.

“But it’s not just the cost of the pool itself, there’s also the pool equipment, the fencing, the pool's surroundings, gardens, paving and decking.”

With all that in mind, he estimates the lowest most of his clients can go is $150,000, but a more realistic budget is around the $250,000 mark.

“That also covers things like your design fee, council fees, engineer, and a geo tech.”

WHAT ABOUT THE MAINTENANCE?

A pool can be a relaxing haven, but it can also take a lot of work to maintain, and Humphreys says there’s a few things to keep in mind.

“Firstly, the pool water needs to be balanced and at a certain pH. Someone needs to come along and test that pool water every month and potentially every fortnight in summer with the warmer weather, as it can go from clear to green very quickly.”

He says it’s important you keep on track with brushing down the sides of the pool often too.

“Otherwise, calcium can build up, cause problems and look really ugly.”

“You've got to clean out the skimmer basket all the time, your pump needs to be cleaned out too or there's going to be a lot of debris going through the water and into the different filters.”

HAS TECHNOLOGY MADE IT ANY EASIER?

Thankfully a raft of useful innovations has made pool maintenance a lot less troublesome.

“Dosing units for both chlorine and salt are quite advanced now. The water comes through and gets self-tested, and then the machine knows what dose to put in the pool.”

“But that doesn't mean they’re just plug-in and leave. They need to be checked and tested, and particularly with water that's full of chemicals running through it all the time as things wear out.”

Humphreys says there’s also some fantastic robotic cleaners available too.

“They run on little rollers all the way through your pool and run on an intuitive programme.”

“They pick up all the debris on the bottom of the pool and might run a cycle over a couple of hours. Once it’s done the pool will be perfectly clean, and you just need to pull out the cleaner, empty it and put it back in again.”

IF I’M SELLING, WHAT SHOULD I DO TO THE POOL?

Humphreys says like the rest of your house, it’s important to give a pool a bit of love and make sure it’s clean and tidy for any potential buyers.

“If it's not looking good, then people are going to look at it and see it as a job that's going to cost money, and it might put them off buying the house.”

A simple clean might do the trick but if the condition is worse, Humphreys says it’s worth considering a renovation before listing - something to raise with your agent early in the process.