An unused pool costs money every year in chemicals, insurance and repairs, and buyers in Georgina and York Region are split on wanting one. Removing it is a bigger job than most people expect and a smaller one than the quotes suggest. Here is how it works.
Partial versus full removal
A partial removal, sometimes called a fill-in, breaks up the top few feet of the pool walls and the floor, punches drainage holes through the bottom, and fills the shell with clean gravel and soil. It is cheaper and faster. The downside: the ground over a partially removed pool cannot be built on, and in Ontario a partial removal is something you must disclose when selling, since a future buyer cannot put a garage or addition there. A full removal takes out every bit of concrete, liner, steel and plumbing, and the fill is compacted in lifts, so the ground is treated like undisturbed land and can be built on. It costs more but it is the clean answer, and it is what we recommend if you may ever sell the house.
Permits and rules
Many Ontario municipalities require a demolition permit or a fill permit for pool removal, and some require the fill to be compacted and inspected. Call your township's building department before you start. Draining the pool is regulated too: chlorinated water should not go into a storm drain, a ditch or a watercourse, and most municipalities want it dechlorinated and drained to the sanitary sewer or over lawn slowly. Cap the gas line to the heater through a licensed gas fitter and have the electrical to the pump disconnected by an electrician. Ontario One Call locates are required before digging and are free.
The equipment
Breaking concrete and pulling steel walls is Kubota U35 work, ideally with a hydraulic breaker or a thumb attachment. Moving the rubble to a bin and spreading and compacting the fill is SVL75-3 track loader work. A typical residential pool takes both machines for two to four days. Access matters: the U35 needs about five feet of clear width to get into the backyard, so a fence section often comes out for the week.
What it costs
Contractor quotes for a full removal of a residential pool in this region commonly land in the range of the low teens to twenty thousand dollars and up, driven by pool size, concrete versus vinyl, access and disposal fees. Partial removals run lower. A homeowner who does the demolition and fill themselves with rented equipment pays the machine rental, the bin and the fill: the U35 and SVL75-3 for a week together are $2,750 delivered, and fill and disposal depend on the pool size. Our contracting side also does pool removals as a complete job if you would rather not run the machines.
After the pool is gone
Expect the fill to settle for a season even when compacted. Wait a year before hardscaping over it, keep the area graded so water sheds away from the house, and keep the permit and inspection paperwork with your house records for when you sell.
Call or text 905-251-2521 with the pool size and a photo of the backyard access, and we will tell you which machines, how long, and whether an operated rental or our crew makes more sense.