Live your best Tri-Cities summer: Host a pool party at someone else’s house
Living your best Tri-Cities summer doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank to finance a backyard pool.
Thanks to the shared economy, hosting a private pool party doesn’t require owning a pool, belonging to a club or living in a condo or apartment complex that has one.
A handful of Tri-Citians are willing to rent their backyard pools through Swimply, an online platform that aims to do for yards what VRBO and Airbnb did for private homes, turn them into money makers for their owners and viable destinations for people seeking adventure.
Linda Christensen has rented her Richland pool since 2020, when the pandemic has shut down municipal pools.
She said her customers are mainly families who hold birthday parties or host out-of-town guests. One couple rented the pool for a date and she’s already booked her first customer for the season.
Chrsitensen said the rent money helps pay to maintain her pool, which includes a hot tub, slide, smoker, fire pits, a wireless sound system and lots of umbrellas.
Here’s how they work and some of your options to organize your next gathering around the borrowed — er rented — splendor of someone else’s backyard swimming pool.
Look at options and book a date through Swimply.com.
The website filters by location, date, number of guests and amenities such as fire pits, slides, ADA friendliness and if they allow pets.
Choose a pool, time and date and you’ll be asked to set up an account. Pool owners can list their properties on the same site.
Here are a few that caught our attention. The website deliberately obscures physical addresses.
Christensen Backyard Oasis Richland
bit.ly/ChristensenBackyardOasis
This Richland pool allows up to 15 guests and starts at $80 an hour for up to 15 guests.
Restrooms are available and it features a turbo slide, lots of umbrellas, a hot tub, fire pits, barbecue and bathroom access.
Best Pool in Pasco
This Pasco pool allows up to 50 guests and starts at $89 per hour for the first five guests. A restroom is available, as is an outdoor shower.
There’s parking for up to 15 cars. Pinball, human-scale chess and other games and activities are available too.
Party Pool Oasis Kennewick
bit.ly/PartyPoolOasisKennewick
This Kennewick pool allows up to 25 guests and starts at $50 an hour for the first five guests. It has a diving board and a large covered area with a table for shade-seekers and loungers for the sun worshipers.
There is a restroom inside the home and there is parking for up to four cars.
Swimply Amazing Pasco
This Pasco pool welcomes up to 30 guests and starts at $55 an hour for the first five guests. It has a dedicated portable restroom available by the pool.
There is a diving board and basketball net for fun and games. There is parking for up to 15 cars.
Mesa Oasis Richland
This Richland pool welcomes up to 15 guests and starts at $30 an hour for the first 10 guests. The private restroom is available inside the home.
This classic backyard pool has a diving board and places to sit in both sun and shade.
City View Pool Richland
This Richland pool welcomes up to 15 guests and starts at $85 an hour for the first 10 guests. The bathroom is inside the house. Parking is available for up to six cars.
The pool is in Westcliffe Heights on Badger Mountain and overlooks the Columbia River. Amenities include a tanning ledge, waterfall, fire pit, and outdoor bar are part of the package.
Sign Up: Boom Town Tri-Cities
Stay up to date on Tri-Cities growth and development with our weekly business newsletter. Get the latest on restaurant and business openings and closings, plus the region’s top housing and employment news. Click here to sign up. In your inbox every Wednesday.
