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A Couple of Top 10's To Consider When Removing Your Swimming Pool

Posted by Ryan Crownholm on Fri, Mar 19, 2010 @ 10:49 AM

If you are reading this blog right now, you are most likely among the thousands of Americans who are fed up with the maintenance, repairs, and liability of having a Swimming Pool. I have personally removed hundreds of swimming pools in the San Francisco Bay Area, and thought I would share some of my clients' experiences and how they came to the final decision to hire Dig & Demo to get rid of it.

Top 10 Reasons Most people remove their Swimming Pool.

  1. "The kids used it for years and now they have moved out and it never gets used"
  2. "The pool is in desperate need of a remodel but the cost of the remodel is too high to justify"
  3. "The pool is leaking and the cost of repair is more than the cost of removal."
  4. "We are moving out and renting the property and don't want the liability of a pool."
  5. "We never wanted a pool but the home of our dreams already had one."
  6. "The pool takes up our whole yard and we want room for the kids, dogs, us to play"
  7. "We want a pool more suiting of the house (make my round pool square)."
  8. "We want to put an addition on our existing home and the pool is in the way."
  9. "I drained my pool to save water and it popped 2 feet out of the ground!" True story
  10. "I'm greening my home and want to save water and engergy."

Top 10 Things to Consider When Hiring a Pool Removal Contractor.

  1. Check the contractors license number at http://www.cslb.ca.gov/ or by calling 1-800-321-2752.
  2. Get at least 3 bids from quality swimming pool removal contractors
  3. Get a minimum of 10 references and call at least 3 of them.
  4. Make sure all project expectations are in writing and only sign the contract if you understand the terms. There should be NO change orders or up charges for a pool removal if bid is done properly.
  5. Confirm that your pool removal contractor has general liabilitiy insurance and workers compensation. Also, make sure they will not be using any subcontractors without your knowledge.
  6. Never pay more than 10% or $1000, which ever is less, for a deposit. Additionally, never let the payments get ahead of the work.
  7. Before work commences, make sure your contractor has pulled the proper permits.
  8. Ask your contractor what techniques they will use for compaction and ensure it is appropriate for the soil type.
  9. Whoever you decide to hire, it is important that they have substantial experience in removing pools. If the process is done incorrectly, the cost to correct the mistakes will be more than the original cost of the removal.
  10. Do NOT make your final payment until all work is done to your satisfaction and all items in the contract have been fulfilled. (This includes the city permit being finalized)

Thank you for reading and I hope you find this helpful. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. Please feel free to call me.

Ryan Crownholm
Dig & Demo
925-933-4448
General Engineering Contractor
lic # 834630
http://www.ihatemyswimmingpool.com/

Tags: Swimming Pool Backfill, Swimming Pool Removal, Swimming Pool Demolition