A filled in pool will be a problem for you and the buyer. The pool prevents drainage of the soil retained by it and therefore, you will have a mud pool in the yard during the rainy seasons. It will cause extreme moisture problems, and anything structural placed over the pool area will be prone to movement and settling. In fact, the pool in place renders that area unacceptable for any type of structure to be built, therefore limiting the future use of that area.

Repair the pool, remove it, or disclose it as a pool in need of repairs. Don't fill it in under any circumstances.

Some people break up the bottom of the pool before filling it in to provide drainage, but the remaining walls of the pool still limit construction possiblities for the future, and also prevent planting trees in those locations. The cost of breaking up the bottom of the pool is not justified. You might as well spend the money on the repairs, or spend a little more to remove the whole thing. If you do break up the bottom, keep receipts and pictures to document it.

Yes, its a lot of money, and the buyer does not want to spend it to do the job after its been filled in.

All I can say is DON'T! Pools add a cetain value to the property and make the perceived value of the home more appealing during a sale.
Here is a simple formula I use to show the value of a pool to someone considering filling the pool in.

Cost of Fill in + the negative difference of property value = TOTAL DEPENDING ON AREA NEGATIVE (LOSS+LOSS)

VS.

Property Value - Repair/Remodel Cost (est 5-8K) = Recovery of remodel cost at time of sale (EQUITY-COST)

If it makes sense, keep it. If not, get rid of it!

All,

First off, thanks to everyone for their responses. I had a pool company come out to inspect the pool. Long story short, the cost of repair (pool and deck) is at least $12,000. After reading the responses, it has become clear that I should consult a local realtor since there are quite a few factors to consider before deciding the fate of the pool. Once again, thanks for everyone's help!

Have the pool thoroughly inspected before you make a decision to fill it. We've owned a house with a gunite pool for 10 years now, so we've had some experience with repairs.

We've had pool leaks, but the leaks have not been due to a failing of the gunite. The gunite is a super heavy-duty and dense cement about a foot or so thick. Over the gunite is a thin layer of finishing material. In our case, the finish is plaster. Our pool had been in place for at least 15 years when we purchased the house, so the chemicals have had lots of time to make the plaster coating crumbly. When we first saw a spot in the deep end getting bigger, we thought it was the hole developing in the pool. The pool guys got a laugh out of that and reassured us that it was a sign that refinishing was needed and not a major repair.

We've also had some of the tiles around the lip of the pool come loose. This is also normal wear and tear. They can be reattached with mortar and grout, but I've been toying with the idea of replacing the ceramic tiles with a more updated version.

Neither of these maintenance issues was a source of leakage though. The leaks we have had were do to the need to reseal joints in the skimmers and the intake and in cracks in above ground PVC pipes.

We have a DE filter system. Over the last ten years, we've replaced the filter pump, the filter switch, and added automated in-line chlorinator. All of those required reconfiguration of the piping. We do not have a heater, but have considered installing a solar heating system.

I've checked out the cost of replastering which is only about $3000 for our 30,000 gallon pool. There are several newer finishes including Pebbletek and into competitors that are very popular. They cost considerably more, but they also have a lot of ascethic appeal and have a 20 to 30 year warranty whereas a standard replastering will have only a 10 to 15 year warranty.

My husband was all hot to repaint the pool "and we can do it ourselves". (If you've ever emptied and refilled your pool, you know that it's a lot bigger empty than you thought it was full.) Every pool technician we have ever had out to work on our pool system or to maintain the chemicals has told me not to waste the time and money ... including the guys from Leslie's. It takes a lot of both to repaint and it only lasts a year or two. The better approach is to replaster with a tint.

My advice is to get an inspection and get an estimate from a pool remodeling company on a refurbishment. You might not have as big a problem as you think, and you may actually increase your property value by investing what you would spend filling it in and a couple more thousand into a pool update. One very popular and relatively inexpensive update is to install a salt water filtration system.

In addition to that pool inspector, consult with a realtor about home values in your area both with and without pools. You would not want to overimprove your property if you update the pool.

As a gardener, I wouldn't see a filled in pool as a very good landscaping or gardening opportunity. The fill dirt is going to be nutrient poor and need lots of supplementation. The fill will compact over time and need topping off. That huge gunite shell is still going to be lurking under the surface to be rediscovered when you excavate to put in the first tree. Even if you or the next homeowner manage to plant without interference from the concrete, you still have in actuality a huge planting container in your backyard with will inhibit root growth at some point and leave the owner with an unstable and top heavy tree. If your idea of landscaping in more along the lines of laying St. Augustine sod down, you're not going to have the same issues.

We have toyed with the idea of turning the pool into a big cement pond complete with fish and plants and other critters, but that was basically laziness because we didn't want to clean it or maintain the chemicals. That option would probably work very well is you have one of the smaller and shallower pools.

We moved here from somewhere where pools were not practical. In Texas, they are and the one thing our 14 year old (at the time) wanted was a pool (even though she would swim in every friend's apartment pool for the first two years until she finally got over our making her move away from her friends).

Pools are very expensive backyard toys. They cost money to maintain the chemicals (even if you monitor and maintain them yourself). Our electric bill is way more than our neighbor's because of the energy needed to operate the filter in season, but I grew up in the 60's and in the northeast where no one had a pool and it was just way cool to have one. My cousins on the west coast had a pool in almost every house they lived in.

We enjoy our pool in season and now that we're welcoming grandchildren, we're enjoying it more.

I think that you have 2 options:

If you have the cash, fix the pool and keep it. It would still be a plus to have a pool from a resale standpoint.

If you don't have the cash, fill the pool and make sure that the yard is levelled and sodded etc... because if if you keep it the way it is, then it would be an eyesore and would hurt you when it's time to sell.

Naima

Marcus, Why do you want to fill in the pool? If you elect to do it, make sure to disclose it on the Seller Disclosure. Without the reason it is hard to give a good answer.

Marcus
You need the advice of a Realtor that knows three things:
1. Your property
2. Your personal situation
3. Your market trends and values.

I do not believe we are in a position to advise you.

Lending issues for one, and property value decreasing for 2. Don't fill!

Fill your pockets by using the pool as a selling tool! Good luck!

Marcus

I am little bit concerned about you filling in the pool for two reasons:

Lending-For lenders this is becoming a problem as once a pool is filled in it can affect the ability of the lender to sell the loan to servicing companies. I can't say that all lenders care about this however I have had personal experience with a client of mine that ran into some difficulty. Its always better to be safe than sorry

Buying-Many sellers may be concerned with the pool being in the back yard regardless of it being filled in or not. Cosmetically it may be hard to conceal the pool and equipment well enough to make the yard family friendly and if the buyer ever wanted to put in a sprinkler system or some other landscape item this would become a problem as well.

I have talked to many pool companies that refinish pools and their pricing was better then expected. With the cost of fuel today it might be a better deal for you to refinish the pool rather than have truck loads of fill dirt brought in.

Hope this was helpful.

Steve Ferguson http://www.GetMortgageAnswers.com

Naima,

Thanks for the quick response. The pool actually takes up the majority of the yard, so by filling it, it would free up a lot of space for landscaping. The condition of the pool is pretty bad. In addition to the repairs you mentioned, it has a couple of major leaks and some minors ones. And yes, it's an inground gunite pool.

Is a filled in pool a big turn-off for homebuyers? I'm assuming that this is something that needs to be disclosed during the sale of a house.

Once again, thanks for your help!

It depends on the size of the yard too. If the pool doesn't take up the entire yard then I think it would hurt you in the long run when it comes to selling. So many people want to have a pool in Texas. Also, depending on the condition of the pool, does it need to be replastered? painted? if it needs too much work, then you are better off filling it up.

I am also assuming that you are talking about an inground gunite right?

Naima
214-289-8555
naima@sumner-realty.com