So you want to not have apool? You certainly do not want grass next to the pool unless scooping out garss all day id the aim. If you want to remove the pool and redo the yard that is another thing . As for how much it costs I have no idea but you will need to get quotes in your area

Why do this? just buy a house without a pool.

Hi Lauren - in looking back, I see several posts about you considering houses. To me, you just have not found one that works for you. They seem to involve too much change, including this one. Better to wait and find one that needs fewer changes.

I understand, Lauren and I feel your pain. I’ve been looking about the same time as you and it’s frustrating. And it makes sense that you want to make the least invasive changes. Years ago, my boss bought a house, filled j. The pool because he couldn’t swim. A few years later, he learned along with his kids and they re-dug the pool 😂. Are you sure you don’t want a pool in Alabama? There are ways to make it safe. We had a pool from the time our kids were born and I was a freak about safety. But it also was a great thing in summer and to tire those kids out. That backyard looks lovely with the trees and all.

I believe pool just needs to be filled in and only deck area demolished. Given everything else is meeting your needs, I’d quickly reach out to owner to see if they are ok with you/landscaping company going over for an estimate, which includes removing as well as basic landscaping (at this point). Also consider cost for decent landscaping down the road and how accessible the backyard is to get equipment in.

Perhaps you can live with pool if expensive and hold off until you can make all changes needed.

You would need to check with your municipality what is required for removing a pool. The above comment may be correct for her municipality but in ours the whole pool has to be dug out and then the space filled with fill and dirt in a specific manner.

You should live with it for a while and see if you learn to like it

Tell the children that if they want a house with a pool -- which they will -- they'll have to maintain it when they're old enough. It's not that hard; I did it.

Wouldn't buying a house with a pool and then removing it instantly reduce the value of the house?

" Wouldn't buying a house with a pool and then removing it instantly reduce the value of the house? "

Yes......not to mention that the cost for demo would be approximately the cost to have a new pool installed. A double hit to the pocketbook!

And conceivably you'd be putting yourselves underwater on your loan.

Pools are a neutral where I live, because of the shorter season/climate. People either want them or don't. It doesn't automatically raise the value of the house.

blfenton's comment is correct.

We have done several pool removals and every town/city is different with their requirements.

Vinyl pools generally must be removed completely. Some concrete pools can be partially demolished and the remainder can be buried. Most though, must all go.

Towns must approve the amount of soil coming in and sometimes want to know where it's coming from.

Your entire yard will get torn up from heavy equipment and trucks. Plus, you will need to restore the yard, which carries an expense.

Unless the pool is in dire condition, I would keep it or move on to a different place to consider purchasing.

I think the setting is nice and inviting.

Pretty much any pool can be demo'd. I would imagine since that's a full brick and stone surround it would probably cost a lot to remove it all and make it a lawn. How the process would happen would depend on your local codes. I'd move on with the house hunting

It’s the money/cost for sure that would be big part of the concern— you could have added that to the house you can afford, partly, though, for “ renovations “ people may spread that cost out, use different money sources.

But also as mentioned, this is a LOT of pool, to remove / fill and then to restore to usable yard. And having to be sure it’s all done to code for disclosures for re- sale. There may be cost overruns for this, like any project, but once the demo starts you’re in for the duration. It’d be a mess for some time. Even the decking and stairs and things might have to be re- thought. It’d probably be easier to buy a house that still needs some tweaks and updates for your family’s needs, live in it for awhile and plan improvements.

The value or lack of value of a pool strongly depends on your area. Where I live (New England) pools have historically added no value or negative value to your house. For a brief period of time during Covid, pools added a lot of value to homes. Now things are normalizing and it's back to a negligble value add if anything.

Why? There is a relatively short period of time when pools can be used here, we have readily-available beaches to swim at, most municipalities have nice public lifeguarded pools (and summer camps, and swimming instructors), many people belong to country/yacht clubs that have nice lifeguarded pools (and summer camps, and swimming instructors), pools cost thousands of dollars per year to maintain and repair (replacing a motorized cover is $15-20k), and in an expensive area with high land values, pools take up valuable real estate that most people would prefer to use as a yard. I know several people who "had" to have a pool when looking for a house in Covid, "settled" for a house without a pool, and now have no plans to add one.

If you live in Phoenix or LA or Texas, well, all those variables may be very different.

We used to have a pool but not as nice as the one in your house photos.

Climate wise I’m in a hot summer zone but my pool was fairly chilly for me ( unheated and partly shaded) except for 2-3 months. So it had a high upkeep: use ratio.

I think it is also harder if both parents are working outside the home, as that really limits the times the children and friends can be supervised for swim. But many families with pools work all that out. So it’s just a personal decision.