And yes, it was a very expensive project – more expensive than we had expected, too.
The pool shed, for instance, has to be built on a cast concrete base and must be frost-free – so it needs insulating, power has to be run to it, drainage installed and so on. Yet another expense on top of the pool project itself, which adds up very quickly as it is.
We received a printed quote listing the prices for the various services around the pool. On top of that came unforeseen costs for additional soil tests/excavation and so on – although we had been told that this might happen.
The pool project alone – without the shed, without the paving around it and so on – cost DKK 1,250,000.
And yes, that is an insane amount of money – I have to admit I swallow hard myself when I read it out loud, but it is and always has been our biggest dream. For us the pool is a piece of furniture in the garden, our breathing space and our indulgence. A place where we spend an extraordinary number of hours and have a wonderful time with children, family and friends. In the pool, but also just sitting on the terrace in the evening enjoying the water.
Right – so we had just about got over the price. Then came a big (enormous) shock once the heat pump had been running for the first 3 months. Gas and electricity prices have admittedly shot up – buuuuut I still felt a bit queasy when I saw that we had used an extra DKK 5,000-7,000, PER MONTH – since we started the pool up. And the water bill has not arrived yet – ouch….
One of the reasons is that the cover went on very late, so the pump has been working flat out to keep the pool warm, and the summer vanished in a flash, and yes – then it simply costs more to heat the pool.
Jes, my husband, was quite convinced that we could easily set the temperature to 35 degrees once the cold started to set in, and the pool then held a temperature of around 29 degrees – and it was tremendous fun and lovely too… until the bill for October dropped through the letterbox at DKK 9,500. When we saw that, well, we decided to turn off the heating – and simply leave the pool circulating with ice-cold water☺️ And that is where we are now – and we are very much looking forward to starting it up again in the spring, and shutting it down again – BEFORE the cold sets in and the heating bill goes through the roof😂
And then I took my very first winter dip, 9 degrees, blimey it was cold🥶 and brilliant 😍
I will keep adding to this blog post as I/we gain experience as “fledgling pool owners” 😃
