Removing a Pool from Backyard

If you remove the pool you will not only have to pay for them to bring in the heavy equipment to break up the pool, and pay to have all that debree removed and disposed of, you will than have to pay for soil and to have it brought in. A friend just bought soil, one load in his own pickup cost him $200, and that only put a thin layer over 1/4 of his small lawn. The fill for a large pool is going to run you a lot. If you do not want a pool, I would not buy a house with one unless you have thousands to remove and fill it.

I know my mom paid a ton to fill a hole that had a built in trampoline. I'm sure to fill a pool would be way more. I would consider keeping it. It's only about $1600 to get a fence around it and about $20 per week to hire someone to care for it. Even tho we live in AZ, I can't imagine not having a pool. The kids are complete fish and it's great exercise and entertainment for them and us. Good luck with whatever you decide to do and congrats on being able to get a house!

I would have it drained and covered (they make kits to cover pools that make it possible to walk on and everything). I would urge against actually removing it as you probably will change your mind when the little ones are older and its a lot more expensive to put in a pool than taking off a cover.

L.,

What about making it into the biggest planter box ever?

Blessings......

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I agree with the cover......if you live there for awhile, it can become a great thing to have. Also, if you don't live there for along time, it might be a help to re-sell the house. Here in Indy a pool was considered a bad thing, but in CA, I'm sure it's a plus..............so, if you can find a cover that will make it like having a nice deck, then that is what I would do.........you could even get a gazebo, the kind like a tent, and put over it if it's not too big.....and get some patio furniture and make you nice little back yard get away.

Be creative and good luck. I hope you find the perfect house and love it every day!

Hi L.- I agree with the others. When we bought our first house it had a very long and very OLD concrete driveway. We replaced it with new concrete and the cost of breaking up and getting rid of the old was nearly as much as pouring the new stamped and dyed driveway. When they started taking it out they found some underground concrete "bunker" thing that wasn't that big but had to be removed too, added $800 to the removal cost! Something to consider is your kids won't be little for long. Having a pool with big kids sounds like fun and will keep your tweens and teens at your house, instead of somewhere else gettting into who knows what. My best friend in middle school had a pool and we were there everyday during the summer, so much fun! I would find a house without a pool or keep it if your dream house has one already. Happy house hunting!

You should do some research about pools. There are TONS of safety items you can buy for pools -alarms, etc. plus all kids need to learn to swim at an early age. Maintenance for a pool is really nothing like it used to be -automatic pool sweeps, chemical balancers -you can also change to a saltwater pool that is chemical and almost maintenance free. With 2 young kids, having a pool may be the best thing you ever had! I grew up with a pool and we're putting our own in this winter.

Instead of removing the pool, you usually hire someone to come in with fill dirt and fill it in and cover it after draining it. I can only imagine your kids' reaction in a few years when they find out they could have had their own pool if you do that!

I know you don't want a pool but just wanted to share with you our experience...our house has a pool and all of my kids were very little at some point in time...3 of them were born while living in this house and granted it does add extra stress (worrying about the small babies around the water) and money for maintaing but it has been a big hit with our family! All kids do have to learn to swim at one point and it does keep the kids busy as they get older! We did invest in a SERIOUS safety cover and locks for the gate, which is a necessity and you still have to watch them like a hawk...but once they learn to swim it is so much better! On average all 7 of my kids were swimmers at age 3!

I have 7 of the best swimmers ever...2 who have awesome summer jobs as Lifeguards!

Just something to think about...

I felt the EXACT same way as you looking for houses last year. We finally found a gorgeous house with a gorgeous pool. We looked into filling it in (a rough estimate was about $4000 - but that was a VERY rough estimate). Then we got an estimate to get a fence, net, and all the equipment. We spend about the same amount as it would have possibly been to fill it in. The MOST important piece is the net. A fence is actually secondary when young kids are involved. This is the company I used and they were great: http://www.katchakid.com/pool-safety-nets.htm
They custom cover your pool (took 2 guys about 4 hours), but the key is that the adults have to have the rule - if an adult isn't out there, the net is ON. No exceptions. That's our rule and I feel perfectly safe with my kids being in the backyard knowing there is NO way for them to get around the net, even if they do climb over the fence.
I do think you're right to be concerned. But we and our friends and family are certainly enjoying the pool during the summer, but we weren't willing to do it unless we felt the pool was completely safe.

fencing with a locked gate would help

You don't have a pool removed - you fill it with dirt.

I live in Huntington Beach and would be very happy to be able to afford a home with a pool. It is much cheaper to put up a locked gate around the pool than to take it out or fill it. Also, when the kids get older, they will love it. We have a 4 year old and an 18 month old and my in-laws have had a pool since my husband and his brother were babies-with no gate!!! No one has every drowned or even had a close call. Take the house and put up the gate, I think you will be happy in a few years when the kids have a place to swim and hang out.

The excavation involved with removing a pool? Yikes!
Talk to people in your area that have pools they choose not to use. How can they be drained and safely covered?
I'm not sure, but you may regret the decision to have it removed all together when it comes time to sell your house down the road. Unless it's a disgusting broken down heap of a pool in the first place.
I know lots of people in Southern California. At least the ones I know find a pool a plus. Putting up some type of gate for safety would seem less expensive than removing the whole thing, but I would talk to your realtors or property developers in your area who have contracting contacts and weigh your options.

Good luck!

an inground pool? can you just ship to me???
khairete
S.