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We're going to move from Chicagoland to San Diego and are in the process of house hunting (virutally at the moment). Some of the houses we've liked have a pool - my husband would rather have a yard so we'd probably remove the pool. I've heard anything from $2,000-3,000 to $8,000-10,000 to do this. Has anyone done this and, if so, how complicated was it and how expensive?
Congrats on the move. My SIL lives in SD. She has worked with home buyers that would prefer a patio or grassy yard to a tiny yard filled with a pool that is not ideal in SD climate. On the low end, just filling it with "approved construction grade fill" will likely cost more than a few thousand dollars. You need to get all the permits to make sure it is done properly as the municipal authorities understandably do not want anything toxic being heaped in yards. The also have to verify that if can be done is a way that will not negatively impact ground water / overland water flow. That is bigger deal in some parts of SD where they have protected hillsides...
Once the thing is filled in you need to budget for some greenery and /or hardscaping. This can get crazy. Mature cacti and palms can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Native plants that don't need much water grow slowly. Irrigation restrictions are numerous. If you want a nice "outdoor kitchen" with a "shade structure" you can spend as much on that as a luxury imported car...
Figure a couple of month of hassles and budget according to priorities. It ain't cheap. But you will use it all year round which is harder to say about a pool...
When you get out of the Chicago cold and into the SD year-round warmth, you might discover that a pool is much more appealing. Nevertheless, I don't think anyone actually "takes out a pool". Instead, they fill them in and make large (expensive) planters. Better yet, if you are really firm on getting rid of a pool, don't buy a house that has one in the first place. (Otherwise, you are probably talking conservatively about $10-$15K ... depending on whether you are going to also remove the decking, etc.).
I wouldn't mind a pool; today I said that if we end up buying a house with a pool, please can we keep it just for one year? But the husband says "then you pay the maintenance". I've heard you can't just fill one in because of drainage issues; you have to actually remove the old pool. So the higher end estimate is probably more realistic and a starting point. Thanks for the details, Chet!
Also consider the price impact on your home sales price if you try to resell it. Ask the realtor what would your house appraise at without the pool. You want to make sure you aren't underwater on your mortgage.
They can be filled in: there are prescriptive methods involved of course and requires a permit typically,but, is less than total removal,however, it is not cheap- you will probably be into the mid four figures. The equipment needs to be removed properly as well.
City may require complete removal. In that case, heavy equipment to break up the pool, filling in and compacting the soil. Can be very expensive. Far cheaper to keep the pool running, about $75 a month.
Cheapest way is to knock some holes in the bottom. Knock the curbing into the old pool, then fill and compact the soil.
In any event, when you get rain,you will have additional compaction, requiring additional soil and landscaping.
Best to get a couple bids from contractors who do this before making offer on house.
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