As a demolition company, one of our areas of specialization is swimming pool demolition and this type of job is requested more commonly than you might think. If you aren’t maximizing the use of your pool, a pool demo can be a good option to consider.
Why Pool Demolition?
While many homes in the Bay Area boast a backyard swimming pool, it’s not uncommon for homeowners to consider getting rid of this feature and there are several reasons why, including:
- Safety
While a pool can be a lot of fun, families with babies and small children often see a swimming pool as more of a danger than a bonus. Additionally, homeowners often feel the need to invest in expensive insurance policies to protect themselves if someone is injured or drowns in their pool. While there are certainly easy ways to increase the safety of a pool area, some homeowners simply don’t wish to take any risks.
- Expense
Swimming pools can be quite expensive to maintain, and the costs include higher water bills, higher electrical bills, and possibly higher gas bills if you have a gas-powered pool heater or spa heater. Additionally, you have to pay for chemicals and either hire someone to clean and service the pool or expend your own time and energy to keep the pool and its equipment in good shape. All of these monthly costs can add up and if you don’t use the pool frequently, it might not be worth these costs.
- Cost of Renovation
If your swimming pool has seen better days, you may be pricing out the cost to completely renovate the swimming pool and the patio surrounding the pool. This can easily cost $75,000 and often much more. Swimming pool demolition is a less expensive option, and if you don’t use your pool often, this can be something to consider. The cost for inground pool removal varies on several factors, but you typically can expect to pay less than $15,000 at most.
- Lifestyle
If you never use your pool and would prefer to have a larger usable yard space, pool demolition can be an option to consider. You can remove the pool and then use that pool area to create an outdoor living space that makes more sense for your lifestyle.
The Pool Demolition Process
The first step in the pool removal process (aside from draining the pool) is to determine which type of pool removal you want, and there are four options available:
- Partial pool removal with non-engineered fill
- Partial pool removal with engineered fill
- Full pool removal with non-engineered fill
- Full pool removal with engineered fill
In general, we recommend that you opt for an engineered fill. This is often required by your city regulations, and it simply means that as we fill up the pool cavity, we compact the soil. This filling and compacting help to prevent problems with sinkage, and while engineered fill will be more expensive, it’s almost always the best option to consider. Again, it also may be the only option you have legally.
When it comes to partial versus full pool removal, homeowners typically base this decision on cost and time. With a partial removal, we complete the project very quickly, because we don’t have to remove the entire pool structure. This is less expensive and takes just a few days, but you are a bit more prone to sinkage issues. Removing a pool requires applying for demolition permits and we will handle this step for you.
With complete in-ground pool removal, along with engineered fill, you are unlikely to encounter sinkage issues. But, of course, this will add several days of work to the project, and it costs more although this pool removal cost is certainly much less expensive than pool renovation. Our goal is always to complete each job as quickly as possible, but it might take about a week for a complete removal.
It is important to note that, in most cases, you cannot build any structures on top of this area. You could certainly create a beautiful outdoor living room with furnishings or cover the space with grass or plants, but structures such as the expansion of your home or an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) typically are not allowed. You also will need to disclose the pool demolition to any future homebuyers.
Need Pool Demolition? Call Us Today!
U.S. Demo and Hauling provides pool demolition services throughout the Bay Area, and we also can help with many other demolition projects including house demolition, interior demolition, concrete removal, building demolition and much more. If you need any type of residential or commercial demolition and excavation, our team is always here to help.
