Swimming Pool or RV , which should I buy...and how do I decide?
Such is a question I've heard many, many times as a pool builder, especially considering we deal with customers throughout Virginia and Maryland, one of the more prominent boating spots in the country. So to help you with the potential debate, I'd like to submit my own thoughts from personal past experience.
I grew up with a pool and my parents also had an RV. I must say I enjoyed both, but we enjoy things more when we are kids and have no responsibility in them. I did help a little with the pool and I would also help some with setting up the camp site when we arrived, but once an adult, I gathered the ‘complete perspective'.
Cost
If you are comparing cost, a nice RV will cost you around what a nice fiberglass pool will cost you, in the $40,000 to $60,000 dollar range brand new. When comparing maintenance cost and time, the RV is definitely more maintenance. It needs to be cleaned while you are using it and when you are done using it for the week or weekend or any trip you take. You have tires, axles, and regular items like stove, refrigerator, water heater any number of things that can and will break down. They are much more expensive than swimming pool pumps and filters. This I know because my wife, step son and I lived in a 38 foot fifth wheel while we built our last home. It can be very costly to repair an RV as we learned the hard way.
Usage
I have found through the experience of friends and family that RVs, in most cases, are something that tends to sit more than they travel. Even though the RV is not being used, it still requires maintenance and upkeep. On the other hand, when a swimming pool is closed for the off-season, it does not require upkeep in most cases.
But let us take a closer look at owning a pool versus an RV. With a pool, your whole family can use it - kids, grandkids, your children's friends and you can have neighbors over to enjoy it too. With an RV, you have to stick with just a few who can be available to travel. You have to worry about gas prices and tolls while you travel, not to mention there is nothing worse than camping when the weather is miserable all week long.
With a pool, if the weather is miserable for a week you are at least at home and have other things to do. You not only have the cost of the RV but you have the cost of the camp sites. Depending on your RV, you will have to tow a car with you or be stuck staying at the campsite.
Setting up campsites is OK for one-week stays, but to me, I am not a big weekend camper for a regular basis type of thing - it is just too much work. I find that with a fiberglass pool, you would spend as much time maintaining your pool for one week that you would in just setting up your campsite in the first day, plus the cost of operating your pool for one year would be about the same as operating your RV for one month if you went on just four weekend trips and that is providing you stay pretty close to home.
Maintenance
As far as maintaining its value, RVs do not come close to maintaining their value; some people refuse to sell their RV just because they cannot get even close to what they paid for it. With a fiberglass pool, it is different. They not only stand up to the test of time, but they can increase the value of your home. In fact, the national association of realtors recently stated that a fiberglass or concrete pool will, in many cases, increase a home's value 3-7%.
So let's do a quick review of the two.
- RVs have high cost of operation even when not in use.
- Fiberglass pools have very limited cost even when not being used.
- RVs have high maintenance cost - For a weekend trip 100 miles away with an RV fifth wheel will take almost $75 in gas $25 for camp site per night for two nights for a total of $125 dollars for a short two day stay.
- Fiberglass pools cost around $130 for a four month season for chemical and electricity.
- RVs have limited return of enjoyment due to time from home.
- Swimming Pools can be enjoyed on a daily basis because they are at your home. They can be spontaneous and require no ‘planning' whatsoever.
- RVs have restrictive family and friend inclusion.
- Swimming Pools can be enjoyed by the whole family and friends almost daily.
- RVs lose value quickly.
- Fiberglass Swimming Pools add value to your home.
- RVs take more time to maintain-- just to clean one is over an hour not including all the other maintenance like the toilet, shower, sink and securing and taking food out that went on last trip. Up to two to three hours work for one weekend trip is typically required.
- Fiberglass Swimming Pools take less than 1 hour a week to maintain with a high volume of use.
- RV life spans vary on how well they are taken care of.
- Fiberglass Pools will last a lifetime as long as manufacturer specs are properly followed.
Which do you think is a better investment? Let us know in the comments below!
At River Pools, we manufacture high-quality fiberglass pools for customers across North America. If you'd like to get a fiberglass pool for your home, you can browse our pool designs, try our pool pricing calculator, or request custom pricing using the link below.
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