| We've had a beautiful in-ground pool for about 6 years | | | | "Yeah but those prefab buildings are so ugly," chimed in |
| now, and believe me, the whole family enjoys it to the | | | | Sally, my wife. "It would make our back yard look like |
| full. My twin sons are both on the swim team at school | | | | an auto body shop." |
| and so they can get in some extra practice, and my | | | | Bobby placed his laptop on the coffee table and spun |
| wife has some mobility problems for which a good | | | | it around so we could see the screen. Before us was |
| swim every day helps immensely. And I just love | | | | a picture of a beautiful prefabricated horse stable. |
| throwing myself in it after work to loosen the muscles | | | | "I'm thinking we could get this and convert it into a pool |
| and unwind. | | | | house. We'd have enough room left over to put a |
| The only problem is, we live in the north so the | | | | workout area in the back too," Bobby said excitedly. |
| weather isn't always conducive to outdoor swimming. | | | | Well, to make a long story short, we all agreed to look |
| You'd think we were going to a funeral every autumn | | | | into the matter further, and before long made the |
| when its time to close it down for the winter. It's a job | | | | decision to order the metal building. My sons and I |
| that has to be done, but we really hate having to do it | | | | spent a good part of the winter building it in our spare |
| because it means the end to all our most enjoyable | | | | time when there was no snow on the ground. The |
| moments until the weather warms up again. | | | | conversion process was rather amazing, and when it |
| But that's all changed now! | | | | was finished, we had exactly what we wanted. |
| One day, Bobby, our more avid swimmer of the twins | | | | We actually ended up building it backwards, with the |
| was doing some research on the web looking for a | | | | two large stable doors in the back where the workout |
| gym he and his brother could join to get in some winter | | | | area was going. That way we could open both doors |
| swimming after school. One place he found actually | | | | in the summer to get some air circulating while we |
| had a separate metal building to house their Olympic | | | | exercised. We bought an additional canopy for the |
| sized pool. | | | | small door at the opposite end which served as the |
| "Hey Dad, look at this," he called out to me. "Why | | | | entry to the pool area from the house. Naturally there |
| couldn't we do something like this with our pool?" | | | | were some other additional costs for insulation, drywall, |
| I looked at the picture of this huge prefabricated pool | | | | carpeting, paint and heating, but all in all it didn't break |
| center and thought of the cost immediately. "And how | | | | the bank in the least. |
| do you expect me to pay for something like that?" I | | | | We even had enough money left over to buy each of |
| asked him. | | | | us our own locker! |
| He quietly dropped the subject, but switched his web | | | | Come spring, Sally did some garden alterations so the |
| browsing to finding prefabricated metal buildings just to | | | | pool house looked more like it belonged there. She |
| get a feel for the prices. Besides swimming, Bobby | | | | planted shrubs and flowering plants all along the |
| was also good with math and economics, so as he | | | | outside edges, and the boys laid down some red |
| browsed, the smile on his face got bigger and bigger. | | | | mulch to add to the beauty of it all. |
| After an hour or so, he strolled into the living room | | | | Finally, the boys and I rummaged through the attic and |
| where my wife and I were sitting. "Get this," he | | | | brought down all the exercise equipment we had |
| announced. He then proceeded to explain how, with | | | | stored up there because there was no room in the |
| the dimensions of our pool, we could get a prefab | | | | house to use them. They all fit perfectly in the workout |
| metal building for almost the same price as two | | | | area! |
| monthly memberships to a gym, plus the cost of | | | | Sure it was an investment, but in the end its a pleasure |
| opening and closing the pool every year. | | | | to see the family getting the most use of the pool year |
| At that moment Billy, the other twin walked in from his | | | | round. In fact, we're planning our very first winter pool |
| bedroom where he was studying. "And both Bobby | | | | party next month! |
| and I can help pay for it too!" | | | | |