OK, as of this moment I am going to remove the in-ground (gunite) pool from my back yard. I don't care if the Lab can't swim in it any more, he'll have more room to run.

Does anyone have any experience in this endeavor or do I just break up the "cool deck" with a sledge, break out the bull nose, chop the walls down below grade level, throw all the junk into the hole and order a couple dumps of fill dirt and sod it over?

I defer to the collective knowledge of the community....

Thanks in advance.....

go rent an electric 90# jackhammer, use it to punch alot of holes in the bottom of the pool, break up the cooldeck and cut it down at least 2' below grade.
put the holes in the bottom to avoid it "floating" if the ground gets saturated.
put all the rubble in the bottom and fill with dirt.

Gunite is an SOB to break up because it is more elastic than concrete but it is easier to cut.There is a LOT of rebar in pools to cut out.

I didn't think about the "floating" - thanks for that tip. The rest seems pretty straight-forward.

I appreciate the wisdom.....

Sounds like a drunken G2G with sledgehammers.

Was considering that..... I'll get back to ya....

Spousal unit wishes to know when you're available

I have seen a few pools float up when they are drained and the rains come.

Man that does sound fun!!!!!!!!!

Always wanted to fill my old pool in at the old house!! Good read on the first reply!! Prolly your best long term fix!!

Do something with the drain, too. Maybe you can fill the drain with concrete...but I'd call a pool service just to make sure.

Should all be pvc, another good idea tho... cap off and bury all pvc at the pump as well...

That should do the job.

I don't know. I think you would be able to get more horsepower if it was a manual.

When can you get it to Richardson?

rent ya a bobcat, flip the decks over into the pool, use it to backfill, always fun to play with

You might want to check for the need for permitting/inspection from the city. From what I understand (I've toyed with the same idea), you can't just bust up and leave the materials and fill in the hole.

This topic is going to give me nightmares. You are thinking about tackling a very difficult job here. At the very least you will need an air jack hammer.

I do masonry work for a first class home remodeler and he has removed the entire pool in the past. It my be a city code.

Also, if you start without a permit, they will catch you. The City of Richardson is very thorough when it comes to code compliance.

Had that thought yesterday - will stop off at City Hall today and ask...... also gonna stop off @ Hobert Pools (the pool builder) for a chat.......

Gawd, I get so sick of having to follow rules/compliance code... LoL... This was a much funner post earlier on!!!!!!! LOL!!

Amen to that - still thinkin' about it, though......

Cheaper alternative:

In the apartment business they'll sometimes utilize the old pool by filling it with dirt and topping it with sand. If you have kids they'll get a playground out of it. Just don't forget to disconnect the drain so it don't fill up with water. I think you can put a foot or two of gravel over the drain and leave it intact but I'd check on that before acting on it.

It'll also make a nice area for a grill and a picnic table.

I demoed one about 20 years ago. We broke up the bottom with jack hammers and left it in place. Then, we broke up the concrete deck an threw it in. Next we filled in the remainder with rough fill and then about 2 feet of topsoil. It is impossible to this day to find where the pool was exactly.

I Thank the Community for all the great information - it's fantastic that there are so many folks out there who will lend their experience to a fellow human being. Maybe there's hope for this world yet......

And now for the good news: the City of Richardson does NOT require a permit to demolish an in-ground swimming pool.

Thank a Veteran today.......

Sledges and beer im game...