Perhaps you have lived with a pool for a long time and you first had it built when your children would benefit the most but now they are all grown. You know the costs of maintaining the pool and you know how much you actually swim in it. Perhaps it takes up too much space and now you really want to have a serence, peaceful garden with low maintenance costs. But the costs of filling in a swimming pool can make you reconsider your future plans.
Your Two Options: Fill in or Complete Removal
A “fill in” involves leaving the bulk of the concrete shell and filling the pool in with gravel or soil mix. A complete removal results in a hole in the ground with no evidence that a pool used to be there except the surrounding deck.
A complete removal is more expensive obviously as more time and equipment is required. What you intend to do with the area should factor into the decision as to which option is best.
Your local jurisdiction may have specific rules as to what they allow and whether permits are required, so check with your city or county first before contacting a contractor.
The fill in method involves removing the water first, then taking down the perimeter about two feet. One or two holes are punched into the bottom of the pool for drainage. Then the pool is backfilled with material. The type of material and the method of backfilling depends on your future use and the requirements of the local jurisdiction.
The Backfill Process
How you intend to transform the pool area to another use enters into how the backfill is placed. If you want to simply convert it to a lawn or putting green the backfill should not have to go through a process of compaction and inspections. But that depends on the requirements of the local jurisdiciton. If you want to build a room addition or other structures that require a suitable sub grade, then the backfill material and method of compaction will be required.
If you don’t get a permit and don’t have it properly backfilled and you end up selling the house, you could have problems if you can’t document in your seller’s disclosure statements that you received a permit or did it properly based on an engineer’s specfications. What if the new buyer wants to build a structure where the pool was?
A Backyard with no Pool
- No maintenance costs
- No safety issues or insurance claims
- No ugly pool fence
- Peace of mind
- Freedom to transform the yard into something special
- A house for sale without a pool can be just as desirable as one with a pool
Balancing the Costs of Pool Removal vs. Your New Backyard
Research on the internet reveals the costs to fill in or completely remove a pool can be anywhere from a few thousand dollars to up to $20,000 but these are just ball park estimates without seeing the property or knowing the scope of demolition involved. Once you do get a written cost estimate and understand the permitting process, will the cost of removal be worth it compared to simply continuing to pay for on going maintenance and repairs? Perhaps the pool is in need of some serious upgrading and repairs that could easily cost you upwards of $20,000. Is it worth it to spend that kind of money even though you don’t see yourself using the pool that much?
These are questions that every pool owner has to grapple with when making the decision. Everybody has their own personal circumstances but these are the key things to consider before you decide to go about relinquishing swimming pool ownership.
For a case study where I had a client who decided his pool was no longer viable, check out this post: Sedona Pool Fill In