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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Lifestyle
Andrew Herrick

Pity the fool who owns a pool. It’s like having a large, delicate, expensive pet

A backyard pool with flowers growing out of the pool
‘Over my long career in hardware, I’ve discovered that owning a pool is not all fun and bubbles at cocktail hour.’ Composite: Victoria Hart/Alamy/Getty Images

I’ll call him Bruce. He’s any of the 3.1 million Australians living in a house with a pool or spa. Over my long career in hardware, listening to the woes of so many Bruces, I’ve discovered that owning a pool is not all fun and bubbles at cocktail hour.

In the beginning, it wasn’t so bad. On first viewing his bayside property, Bruce already believed the agent’s claim that by far the most desirable addition to any home is a pool. It did look nice, glistening blue in the back yard. And weren’t the kids rapt. But now, years later, Bruce isn’t.

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