A would-be homebuyer looking at a house with an in-ground pool went to Reddit expecting answers about fill dirt and machine rentals. Instead, many users stressed another potentially big cost: fixing the yard after the equipment is done.
Here's what to know
The prospective buyer explained on Reddit that a home they were considering came with an in-ground pool they wanted removed because of the "short season, high cost, little kids, and I want more yard." Their question was whether that kind of fill-in job could realistically be handled with a rented bobcat, hauled-in fill, and a layer of loam, which is a crumbly soil mix that includes sand.
The OP said, "I like the house, I don't want the pool."
One user said local requirements could shape the entire project, warning, "This is something that needs to be 'done right' and you almost certainly will need a permit for it."
They added that some places may require major demolition of the pool shell before it is filled, and that the bottom would probably need to be broken up so water can drain.
Another user highlighted a less obvious expense: what the equipment can do to the rest of the property. Their point was that the buyer should also expect to pay for restoring the area around the pool, because the machinery used for the job can leave the surrounding yard torn up and in need of regrading or reseeding.
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More background
Some replies suggested the true cost can rival other major projects. One user in Ontario said their neighbor considered removing a pool that needed renovation, but after getting quotes, chose to renovate instead; the user said that renovation came in at "over $10k" and that removal and fill-in pricing was in the same ballpark.
One person described neighbors who did something similar. They said, "Years later, in the middle of the night, we heard a horrible noise. A sinkhole opened up in their yard where the pool used to be. It took down the extension to the house."
Users also said the issue is not simply getting dirt into the hole — it is avoiding trapped water, voids, settling, and future structural problems.
What can be done?
Users said permit rules may dictate whether sections of the walls have to come out, whether the shell must be demolished, or whether the bottom needs drainage holes before any fill goes in. Because of that, they said the first call should be to the local county or city permit office.
Rather than treating the old deck as fill, users described a more careful process: remove the deck, open up the pool bottom, add gravel and sand in compacted layers, and then finish with dirt if dead set on removing the pool.
Even users who said the job was technically doable stressed that plumbing, drainage, and compaction problems can surface long after the grass grows back. For that reason, the thread leaned heavily toward hiring professionals unless the homeowner has serious planning time, equipment knowledge, and patience.
Users also said buyers should price out the entire job — permits, fill, compaction, and yard restoration — before deciding whether the property is worth the trouble.
Where can I learn more?
Yard and drainage issues like these can get expensive fast, especially after big outdoor projects. These stories look at illegal pool drainage, water collecting near foundations, rebate-backed landscape changes, and inherited yard choices that create extra cleanup.
• A homeowner found neighbors had drained pool water into the garden, leaving plants damaged.
• Outside one home, water pooling near foundations raised worries about grading and long-term damage.
• A landscape designer said pea gravel on paths can look nice but feel miserable.
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