I would imagine in Boston that the presence of a pool in a suburban yard would be neutral at best and a negative more than a positive for many buyers because of the limited amount of time per calendar year that it gets used. That's how it is in my location except if the lot is large enough that the pool is tucked away and you aren't looking at a pool cover for 8-9 months of the year.

ADIVRA Is correct, it is not a matter of just filling the pool with dirt. You need permits and depending on local rules you have to partially dismantle and dig drainage holes in the pool. Also without water in it in winter there is a good chance it could heave a foot or so. I would get and estimate. Then again depending on condition it could be cheapest route in the long run.

the house we live in used to have an in ground pool, the previous owner filled it in before she put the house on the market. looking at the old google earth pictures she made a good choice.

our vacation home has a pool by chance, it was neutral in our purchase (i guess we are pool magnets) but it turned out to be a good thing as now no one has to get up early to get a parking spot at the town beach as you can sleep in and then lay by the pool.

it certainly is lovely to sit by even when its too cool to swim in it. and when i wish it was more incorporated into the home's design i realize that not being able to look at it from every window in summer means not having to look at it covered up from every window the other 9 months of the year.

The building in the picture is an out building...The actual house is behind where I am standing to take the photos..thanks to all for your helpful comments and ideas...

I would keep the pool, but that means you are going to have to fix a lot of problems around it. And by looking at that house and the yard, I don't know what your budget and design skills are to do that. You would have to do some things to bring the scale back into reason and to make it a beautiful area and to make it flow off of the back of the house. As always, everything you do with a house should always have two things in mind ... what you want to live with now and resell.

cpaul, op says thats an outbuilding, you arent seeing her house.

I believe it can cost up to $10,000 to fill and remove an inground pool

I live outside of boston and would love a huge pool. would not fill. Neighbor did this, wrecked the only nice thing about the house.

I would love a pool at this point in our lives... especially a huge one. Today's pools are so tiny they aren't really good for exercise swimming. That one looks PERFECT to me.

I looked into what to do with our pool a few years ago (still have it, but it is hot here!), there are companies that cover your pool with decking in some way that preserves the pool for future use!

I'll just chime in to what others are saying. Since you do have dirt (and dirt can be surprisingly expensive) then it may be rational to fill it in, even if now you're still using it somewhat. Think a couple years down the road, do you still want to be throwing money into it and dealing with the upkeep? Think cost vs benefit. Yes, right now it's going to be a pricey to fill it in but calculate how much money/month you're throwing into it. If you have kids then an un-fenced pool could be a safety hazard. I grew up with a pool (my parents bought a home with one thinking it would get much use) and although for a time I practically lived in it as I got older it was never used. Plus I never wanted to swim alone so that also factored in the amount of use. since it's bricked, try to make it a patio. Better than just covering it with grass and that area would still have a purpose. And add a fire pit because those things are awesome! If it were me, I would fill it in. Seems like the rational thing to do at this time. Good luck!

Make it into an herb garden. Or a rose garden.

As a person who could only dream of another,I've that would include a pool, here's my 2 cents: Include the pool in the renovation. Enclose it, retractable roof, if in cooler climate. Convert that back house into a pool room, bath/showers/towels, etc. maybe include a game room in it? Pavers around the pool? I've heard that you can get something to go over the top of the pool when not in use so it can be used for other things - tennis or other sport or even ice skating. But maybe this is all just part of that dream thing. Good luck with your project and would love to see the decision.

Well we live in West Texas so it is hot here most of the time, we have a huge pool and use it as much as possible. No brainer. I will say that the pool was here when we bought our home 20yrs ago, about 3 years ago we had the pool redone, resurfaced, retiled. So I can say that to fill it in would've been tough here and maintaining it is a constant job. If I were to fill mine in, ( and my backyard is just pretty much patio,pool and Palm trees) I would do a raised deck, 2 stage levels and make it a gathering area with comfy seating and a cool fire pit, and or a combo water/fire feature. String up some low key party lights, invite friends, and have a few drinks. I wouldn't take a hot tub if you gave it to me. They sound great, and are for a few times, then they sit there providing a good place for dirt, bird targets, and any other creature that my need a place to hide. Go for the outdoor kitchen, or the deck, or both.

Wait a year then decide. Knew someone who hastily decided to have their pool filled in (very costly) and 2 years later installed an above ground pool in the yard!

We have a pool and I hate to even think how much money has been spent over the years for maintenance....hate to ever figure out the "cost per lap".

That area of yours could be converted to an outdoor covered dining spot. Add space heaters for more year round use. Even create a covered and screened in area to battle those bugs!

Do you live in California? If so it might be a good idea to fill it in.

Everyone with a pool in CA should cover their pools to save water loss thru evaporation (pretty large!). Only cost $200 for the blue solar bubble wrap stuff for our 38 by 18 foot pool. The thing to roll it up cost $500, but we will be able to use our pool for a few more months, so well worth it!

Swimming is fantastic exercise. Pool parties/BBQ days are fun! I knew someone who used the pool, but then had trouble selling so filled it in then. As long as you have a cover there is not much maintenance. PH testing etc. I would keep it for awhile, enjoy it then decide.

I removed a pool from my Seattle area home shortly after purchasing it. My family would have only rarely used it, so we would have been paying for upkeep for no reason. Then the pool equipment broke and we decided to tear it out then instead of putting money into fixing it. We did have to get permits for it. It's also important to make sure the bottom of the pool is broken up enough to allow drainage.

The concrete in our case was 4 times thicker than it was supposed to be, so we had to bring in specialists to saw through it and break it up. It ended up costing us $10,000, then another $10,000 for a landscaper to bring in soil, regrade the yard, and install sod, mulch, trees, and shrubs in the new yard space. Your removal could end up being much less.

I don't regret my choice for a second. We've doubled our yard space on a small city lot, reduced our maintenance costs and efforts, replaced the pool with something we'll actually use, modernized the look of the landscaping, and made room for a future master bedroom addition.

So many parts to your decision. I faced same decision 8 years ago. It was equal cost to fix it right versus filling it in.
I chose to retile , rework, re landscape entire back yard. I hired a pool service to come each week to clean and keep water conditions. My pool is 15x30. Is yours larger? You have a tough decision to make. I have not regretted fixing it the right way; however, don't take shortcuts to fixing your pool and deck right ( correctly)
You seem to have been given a lot of advice. Just know that whatever you decide will be costly. And a pool is continued cost! I leave my pool going all year round and do not cover it. I keep a small fountain inside the water going so I hear the sound of water. I love water but it comes with a cost!

We bought our house here in Virginia eight years ago. It had a very large pool about 50 meters away from the back of the house. It was surrounded by a huge concrete patio (crumbling, dirty and cracked in various place), a privacy fence (old and ugly with a gate that had to be "jerked" open) and a pool cabana (nice but the back wall had a a couple of cracks). The pool was very large with a slide and a removed diving board and a kiddie pool. We operated the pool for two summers (our summers are very short here) and found it to be VERY expensive to keep functioning plus we never used it plus the finish on the inside of the pool kept flaking off into the water and clogging the filters. We kept it covered and never opened it again for a couple of years. After giving it much thought we decided to fill it in. They came in, busted up the bottom and up the sides a couple of feet and then filled in with rock and finally dirt. We decided to keep the cabana and concrete around the pool area and created a garden. We now have a crab apple, some lilac bushes, numerous irises, ferns and other beautiful plants around the outer perimeter of the "pool/garden" and grow corn, beans, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, watermelon.... you get the idea.... in the remainder of the "pool/garden". We left the slide and my husband built a large planter, recycling some of the old fence boards we removed, and I planted a honeysuckle vine to grow up the slide. He has built other planters using some of the fence boards, insulating them against the winter, and I planted dogwood trees, hostas for the shady areas, etc. They have survived even the polar vortex the past couple of winters here. We have rocking chairs, a small dining table, etc., under the cabana - nice! Our next step is to convert the kiddie pool to a koi pond and continue adding planters, etc. We had a pool installed at our previous home before moving here and regretted it. We used it rarely, it was expensive to maintain and took a great deal of my time away from gardening that I loved so much. It cost about $10,000 to have this pool busted up and filled in but it would have cost even more to have it resurfaced, the concrete repaired, etc. We haven't regretted it one day.

What shape is the pool in? I can see wanting to fill it in if it needs a lot of fixes.

Have you considered going all out and building a pool house? Not some funky aluminum thing but an architecturally compatible glass structure that allows you to swim year round? You might find the cost of this is only marginally more than the cost of filling in and landscaping.

Here are a few questions.

Does your partner have a strong preference?

Do you plan to live there the rest of your life? Do you wish you could use it more often, but weather is the only reason you don't?

If so, you may want to consider enclosing the pool (maybe solarium style!) and joining it to the very lovely "out building." Cabana instead?

Trishstepp you owe us a photo now!!

speak with a pool company about refurbishing the pool to a smaller size
in Florida we update our pools. speak with a professional pool person. I am a Realtor and everything sells. There is a buyer for everything.

In CA, buy pool cover; make it smaller or fill in. People in CA are even removing hot tubs to conserve water. In Boston, do you really use it??? I live on the Central CA coast north of LA and never gets hot enough for a pool. Individual decision but the fact that you are considering it says that you don't use it much. As I look at all the brown lawns and dry hillsides in CA - ship me the water - LOL!

We had a 16x32 pool in our backyard and removed it because we were not using it enough and we wanted a yard. I would suggest you speak with the building inspector in your town. I am outside of Boston too, and found due to the amount of concrete around the pool it had to be taken out rather than filled in (Environmental Protection regulation). Our pool was raised somewhat because the land slopped so I had a wall built 3/4 of the way around to accommodate the raised portion and lowered the bulk of the yard to "ground level". Allowing the raised portion to remain, meant the fencing remained. the result is a lovely fenced private space we all enjoy. Good luck with your decision.

Yes. If the family does not use it...get rid of it. Do our environment a favour!!!!!! Thanks

I have no idea if such an idea is even feasible, but I'd love to cap a drained pool with a glass greenhouse.

Should you decide to get rid of the pool, your home insurance premiums should go down considerably.

I am an appraiser. A filled in pool is not necessarily perceived by the buyer as the same as no pool, If it is not completely removed or well integrated into a logical design of patio, garden or whatever that does not make you think "filled in pool" the minute you see it, it just becomes a big eyesore. If the buyer doesn't want a pool, she surely doesn't want a big filled in pool taking up much of her yard. Whether a usable pool has any resale value depends on your area. Look around you neighborhood. The more homes with inground pools, the more accepted it is and the better the resale value. The fewer pools, the less the average homeowner wants one and the less the resale value. In the vast majority of the country, inground pools do not return their cost (the exception being parts of southern California, southern Florida, etc But it is obvious driving through those neighborhoods ; every third house has a pool.) A really expensive pool renovation in your area probably will not pay for itself at resale.

Google earth is a great way to assess pool popularity in your area. My town near boston has a ton.

Michigan Resident

Before you do anything, you should check your building code. In our area the law has changed so you can not fill in a pool--You have to tear all the concrete out first, haul it away, only then can you fill the area with dirt. This really brings up the cost.

Depends on where you live.... down here in Texas where the summers are hot, a pool is a plus when selling. I wouldn't own a house without a pool... or buy one without a pool or the lot to put one in...

We live north of Boston, our pool is in full sun and is in use 6+ months of the year. Our tree shaded neighbor has extened their swimming season by adding a heating system. If your pool in is in need of major repairs and is not being used at least weekly during the 'season' then its removal is the answer. If it is still being enjoyed & the routine annual maintance costs are nominal, I say "Keep It" !

We had a home and pool much like yours but in Indianapolis. We knew we would be moving in a few years and had to make a decision to remodel the pool or fill it in. The cost of filling it in and relandscaping was twice the cost of resurfacing and updating the equipment of the pool. Even though we no longer used the pool much anymore we decided to remodel and keep it because of the cost difference. We figured we might get less for it when it was time to sell, but it was pretty and still fun when the kids came home for a visit. When it was time to put the house on the market we were prepared for it to take a while to sell and to lower the price if needed because of the pool. Low and behold, it sold in less than two weeks and for the asking price in a not so hot market. Our buyers were only looking at homes with a pool. So, I would say do what is best for you now and trust that when the time comes others will like your choice too. Good luck!

Turn your swimming pool into one giant pond, stock fish, or raise ducks, etc.

With all this pool talk I'm going to have to get a pool. A kiddie pool is all that I can fit but hey, it's a pool! Oh yes, this will be fun. Should I get the hard sided or the blow up kind? Hahahahaha. Seriously, I'm very stoked about this. :)

In New South Wales Australia some local councils are encouraging home owners to convert unwanted pools to create habitat. The advantage of using their method is that it can be reverted back to a pool should it be required in the future. If you are interested here is a link.

http://www.kmc.nsw.gov.au/Projects_priorities/Key_priorities/Environment_sustainability/What_we_are_doing/Our_community_programs/WildThings/Pool_to_Pond

If you have to ask about removing pool it suggests you really don't swim and it isn't something you have always wanted. I lived in Florida for 20 years where pools are standard. After the novelty wore off I found it to be an expensive pain to care for. The fire pit suggestion make more sense in Boston. .also will you have small children about? Can't take eyes off for a second! A neighbor lost a child. .happens too often.

I really like the idea suggested above of a smaller, enclosed fiberglass pool and a koi pond. Lots odf excellent, thoughtful comments.

Please do not fill in the pool.

Hi. Have you considered just reducing the size of the pool and building some kind of structure to make it an indoor pool? I'm thinking of having access directly from inside the house - it would be like expanding the house in a way! Separating it with doors from the rest of the house to keep out the moisture. I have no idea what would be the cost of that, but with the climate of Boston, I imagine that having a medium sized, indoor pool would be really comforting during winter....and during the warmer time of the year, having the option of opening all doors wide and just enjoying the sun and the piece of garden you have....am I being totally delusional? Good luck!

I have read all the comments and agree with the idea of a deck or "floor" over the pool. It will extend your entertaining space, will cost less in the long run and gives a buyer the option of uncovering the pool or leaving covered. Also really liked the idea of covering with a roof and walls that open up in the warmer weather, however if you only use the pool occasionally this will not be a cost you'd be wanting. even before I read any comments I pictured a similar idea to the first commenter. Cover it with I'd say a composite decking (no rot, no maintenance) with a railing if leaving part uncovered or you can even get creative with a sunken oasis (water removed lol) at the far end from the house. think of the circular outdoor fire pit/ fireplace areas. Also, if deciding to cover, it can be done in stages as you have funds available to get it exactly how you want it. This pic shown can be incorporated into the pool shape and if you use dry stacked stone the pool can be made useable in the future if so desired. I think it would be cozy. drainage would have to be dealt with with someone who has that profession. good luck.

Yes...if you lived in Southern California then a pool like that is a blessing but where you live, not so much. I would think some landscaping and perhaps a gazebo and a spa would be a much better fit. That you could use in the winter with a glass of wine at relaxing out in the spa or as a refreshing little pool for little ones when they visit. I love the firepit idea as well.

I have a good friend who has a pool with doors off the kitchen and family room, and from upstairs and the utility room. The only door he likes to use is the one that goes thru the utility room thru the bathroom (doors at each end) past the shower and sauna. Even tho it is fully enclosed and heated, the chlorine smell invades the home if the pool is accessed thru the kitchen or family room.

It depends on if you swim in it or not. You could do a light tile or concrete

Keep the pool and maybe remove the bushes to get more space for an outdoor room/kitchen. Connect the two spaces with tile or preferred flooring.

Curious! What did you decide to do and are you happy with the decision? We are in a similar position and trying to decide what to do.