removing a swimming pool (Houston, Sugar Land: HOA, house, to buy)

[maymove2H]

hi all- this may seem a rather silly question to most but this seems to be a good forum to ask. need help from anyone that has had any experience in removing a swimming pool, not closing it for the winter but breaking it down and removing it from the back yard. this person I know wants to buy a house without a pool for feng shui reasons but has found a house he likes a lot that has a small pool in it. he is looking into getting it taken out and has been told that requires permission from city inspectors, etc..anyone have any info on this? also the cost involved, so he can quickly decide on the house. thanks in advance for the response.

[DSL_PWR]

Bust up the decking, dispose of in the pool, drain pool, fill with dirt (usually 15-20 truck loads). Total cost is about $3k.


Total cost to remove a pool can range upwards of $10k if you have it broken up completely and all debris removed then back fill.

[RandomStorm]

In Houston you will need a Sanitary Sewer Disconnect Permit (not sure of its cost, and the work needs to be done to code, so not DIY), and a Demolition / Fill & Grading Permit (~$100).

If the house is in an HOA, you might need to seek special permission for such large changes to the property. (Example: In First Colony (Sugar Land), you'll need HOA permission just to switch out the old fence between neighbors, even if not visible from the road.)

Price-wise it's tough to say, you'd need to get a proper quote for it. It really depends on the pool size, building material, quality, decking, plumbing, accessibility for heavy equipment, soil fill-in, etc. It can range from just a few thousand dollars, up to ~$15,000. If you are back-filling the pool, it needs to follow certain "hole punching" rules, and the site needs to be inspected by a structural expert before filling.

Once the pool is removed, you'll have to get the property reappraised to lower your property taxes, as pools usually only add to the appraised value, and you'd want to minimize it. You'll also need to have site inspection, for the city to verify that a sewer disconnect has happened and that it's proper.

[RandomStorm]

In fact, here's a link from the Department of Public Works & Engineering Planning & Development Services Division:
http://www.houstontx.gov/health/Envi...permit_(2).pdf

[mikeyyc]

Odd that you require a sanitary sewer disconnect permit when pools aren't connected to the sewer in the first place.

[RandomStorm]

Originally Posted by mikeyyc

Odd that you require a sanitary sewer disconnect permit when pools aren't connected to the sewer in the first place.

How do you drain your pool for maintenance? Storm Sewer? That's not allowed.

[azinwood]

don't know anybody with a pool that doesn't use the storm sewer.

[Ohky0815]

My parents and grandparents didnt use a storm sewer.

[marksmu]

Originally Posted by RandomStorm

How do you drain your pool for maintenance? Storm Sewer? That's not allowed.

I also don't know anyone with a pool that does not use the storm sewer. Most pools just empty straight into the ditch out front if there is a ditch...if no ditch, then they often tie into the french drains (if they exist) and exit where the french drains exit, which 99.9% of the time is the ditch/storm sewer, or street which runs to the storm sewer.

[RandomStorm]

Well, local ordinances and regulations prohibit anything other than uncontaminated rainwater from entering the storm drain system. (Note that the PDF from Houstontx.gov above, does say "NOTE: Do not drain pool/spa water into a storm-sewer.")

The storm sewer system has no filter from contaminants, so highly chlorinated water would be dumped untreated into our channels, bayous and rivers before it goes to Galveston Bay.