Looking at a house that has a pool. We don't want a pool, and this one dominates the back yard. It's in good shape, average pool size. What should I budget to demo the pool and fill the hole? Random estimates on the internet are all over the place, but I know someone here has done this.

I don't know about the cost, but one of our neighbours did it and the heavy equipment destroyed her septic field. Luckily, she was able by then to get on city water and sewer.

In the process of either that or the work to put her on city water and sewer, her natural gas line was damaged, so they had to replace that, as well. They weren't using directional boring, yet, so a trench from the house, 100' to the road.

It all made a right mess of her yard, it did.

I would guess that the cost will be dependent on local factors (competition, permits, cost of fill dirt and disposal fees) to a great degree.

I had it done, but it was a LONG time ago. I don't remember what I paid. It was a local guy and I lived in a small farm town at the time. He collapsed the sides with his loader and then brought in fill with his dump truck and packed it in. Wish I could remember more details. This was rural NH..... I suspect Dallas would be more.

Average pool removal prices

https://www.homeadvisor.com/co...ve-and-fill-in-pool/

My question is, why in the world would you buy a house with a pool in the first place that you didn't want? With the cost of labor today you know it's going to be anything but cheap?

Jim

Why would you remove it. fill it and move on. Around here the fill to do so would be about $2K plus a bit to landscape around it, but you don't say the exact size.

Below is a link to a deck built in one that is pretty cool looking. Probabally just filled it with gravel first.

https://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/co...x/1452648129574.jpeg


I've seen a couple just filled, not actually dug out. Cost saving. And I've seen one where they just caved in the sidewalls and buried that in the bottom and deep end to save disposal cost and have to buy less fill dirt. Also a cost savings. Not saying it's the best option, just that I have seen it done.

What about emptying it. Building a "roof over it", planting grass, whatever, and you would have the ultimate man cave below.

Also if the next buyer of your home wants a pool it wouldn't be too difficult to go backwards.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:
My question is, why in the world would you buy a house with a pool in the first place that you didn't want? With the cost of labor today you know it's going to be anything but cheap?

Jim

Probably location, view, price, right house size or some combination of those. If I found my dream house but it just needed the pool removed, I’d buy it. Hell, I’ve looked at houses without a garage because the view, waterfront property and the school district.

I had a 20' x 40' with a sidewalk around it filled in in 2000. Found a local guy that worked for cash. Seems like it was about $1500. He broke up the sidewalk and broke down the sides and then filled in with a sandy mix. There was some settling and over the years I had a couple of single axle loads of soil added.

Made a great tomato patch.

Paid just under $4k to fill one at a rental home here in Northeast Florida, around 7 years ago.

The company removed and hauled away the concrete deck, filled and packed with layers of clean fill dirt, and left us with graded / level dirt.

The skid steer they used to haul dirt to the back yard did leave some serious tracks (lots of trips in and out) - Not sure much can be done about that.

Hope that helps.

- Brian

Drain it and skateboard in it.

It depends on access. If you have 10' of width to get a real machines in there to break it up with a wrecking ball and easily bring fill in, I would guess $5k or so, maybe $10k at the high end depending on your location.


I wouldn't want a pool either. It's a $500 a month expense you throw into the ground between adding water, electric, chemicals, and then long term repairs (remarcite, pumps etc.)

quote:

Originally posted by Phantom229:

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:
My question is, why in the world would you buy a house with a pool in the first place that you didn't want? With the cost of labor today you know it's going to be anything but cheap?

Jim

Probably location, view, price, right house size or some combination of those. If I found my dream house but it just needed the pool removed, I’d buy it. Hell, I’ve looked at houses without a garage because the view, waterfront property and the school district.

We're actually selling what was our dreamhouse for a lifestyle change. The one we're looking at seems to be a good deal, but there's some stuff we'd change, including the pool. We have friends with pools, and need the yard for dogs.

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I don't think it's legal here to just break off the top and fill it, otherwise I might just do that.

quote:

I don't think it's legal here to just break off the top and fill it, otherwise I might just do that.

You have to break up the bottom as well, otherwise the water will not drain and you'll have a big mushy pit in your yard.

If it's a fiberglass pool I would haul it out. If it is concrete I would just break it up and fill it in.

Cost my FnLaw 5k$ in York Nebraska to remove most of the cement and fill in dirt..

Check with the city first. My city wants you to remove it all, plumbing, etc. Fence removal would be required. My bids were 10-15k for full removal and to fill with dirt. They are about 70k to install from scratch in the DFW area so my realtor advised me against removal for resale value. As installation cost continues to rise homes with them with appreciate more. Removal is a major pita and you must disclose to a buyer if you have filled it. I’d keep it or buy a different house. They are a ton of potential issues with removal.

I used to build pools in high school and college. An average size deck will have 5-10 yards of concrete. The pool itself, assuming it's gunite/shotcrete, will have 20+ yards of concrete. This is for an average California backyard. I've seen pools in the midwest and east coast that have very small decks, just a small ribbon of concrete or brick along the edges. Not to mention a ton (literally) of rebar.

If they knock down the vertical pieces and lay them down on the floor of the pool, that'd be ideal. However, I doubt it would be destroyed so nice and neat. If you buy back fill dirt, you're talking 50-100 cubic yards. This of course depends greatly upon the size and depth of the pool.

Unless the lot, house, and price are one of a kind, I'd look for another home.

When I was a county purchasing director, I had to demo abandoned houses if they were too far gone to repair and sell. Several had old pools.

Most cost effective method was to punch holes in the bottom and fill it with dirt. Without holes, low water table would push it out of ground according to “experts”.