Baaaad I/G concrete pool

[RookieBob]

Hi, first post.... Northern Kentucky here;

So, I just viewed a property with an awful concrete in-ground pool. Just a rectangle, roughly 16x30 (?). Way too murky to really even tell depth at deepest point, appears to be about 3ft or so at one end; may be sharp or gentle slope. It quite obviously hasn't been opened for at least a couple seasons and I didn't even see a cover in the garage or anywhere else. It is concrete, and the edges are starting to crack away from the surrounding concrete.

Some questions...
Does it even sound like something worth even trying to get up and running?

How involved is filling it/ capping it/ making it go away? And is that expensive compared to the best-case scenario repair cost?

I wish I had taken some pics of the current condition, the listing pics for the property don't show it any closer than just that it is there. The realtor even said upon initial contact it's the largest negative regarding the property. He, as well as the owner say to have no knowledge of its actual condition other than "it's ugly and needs either a lot of work or to be filled in and slabbed over"....


Any advice besides just going back there with a pro? Any pro's able to ballpark a range, or offer some advice on what red flags to watch for when I do start asking for repair or elimination estimates?


I wish I had more info... it's raining and we didn't want to stay outside. (y'know; dudes... neither of us had an umbrella )

 

[borjis]

Interesting....nobody wanted my house either because of the pool. mostly empty with green water and an old bad liner falling apart.

It was an eyesore to say the least.

But it's exactly what I wanted and rehab was a nice chunk of change but that was vinyl lined (see my profile pic as it is today)

Some photos wide and close up of problem areas as well as equipment pad photos would go a VERY long way to offer suggestions.

I cannot remember the name but if somehow the pool is beyond repair, there is a company that builds decking
modules to build a deck over the hole which would seem to be less costly than filling in with dirt...maybe.

 

[duraleigh]

Welcome to the forum.

Bad looking water is pretty inexpensive to clean up. You have to be methodical but we can walk you through that. It is apparently holding water so that's good. The visible surface concrete (deck, waterline, etc) could be a PITA and cost some money to fix. Pictures will help

 

[Geebot]

The deck-over-pool option is more expensive than you'd think. If there's ready access to the pool for a backloader then filling in is better and cheaper, especially here when it can be used to negotiate a better sale price. When we bought our house and pool a few years ago the seller's agent told us that there were several potential buyers who loved the house and property but were not interested in having the pool, which explains why the owners jumped on our offer.

As for the original question, figure $10K to make it go away, $25K(and up) to keep it (a resurface can cost $10K, including sandblasting down to gunite; then repairing/replacing coping and deck can be another $15K or more; add in new equipment and you're starting to talk real money).

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Geebot, I wonder if those prices are Chicago area prices? I keep reading prices for pools in differing parts of the country and you do seem to live in an expensive pool area.
Kentucky... I dunno?
I would suggest having a pool pro look at it as it could certainly look a lot worse than it actually is. Non-pool owners tend to be leery of green swamps But we know how to fix that water up purty!!

 

[Geebot]

Those are "conservative ballpark estimates" and based on what I think it would cost here (and what I would use if I were negotiating the purchase of a home with those existing conditions). Obviously there are regional variations.

 

[borjis]

Someone here once posted it would cost 20,000 to demolish/fill their pool...agree it's entirely regional.

 

[Geebot]

$20K seems high for any region, unless that includes re-landscaping and other costs. As for my estimates above, there's a price point that you want to use to negotiate down the home's sales price and then you obviously want to turn around and find a contractor that will do it for the lowest price.

 

[RookieBob]

Thanks for the replies. I am meeting the realtor back over there Tuesday, and I'll get some pics posted. My parents have an I/G that was full of ugly water when they bought the house. I know that will go away with elbow grease and chemicals... It's the concrete work and surround (?) that concerns me most, followed by the filter/pump. Is the fact that it is concrete and has no liner a good or bad thing as far as it needing repair? Although I openly admit no experience, logic (to me) dictates it would be simpler and less expensive... I know my parents' pool is lined and cost quite a bit to have re-lined a few years ago.

It is holding water, so I guess you're right that it at least has that going for it. The big question on my mind right now on that subject is how much is it/ will it really hold? Like I said initially, there's no cover to be seen, and we have been getting rain. I wonder if it only appears to be holding water above a certain height. There are no visible cracks above the water level inside there, but lots of obvious patching. All of this has been painted over, but is plain to see it is older work.

There is easy access for equipment, so there's that if I do decide to get rid of it. As far as the guess approaching $20k to have it fixed up and running, I'd rather hear a number like that and be surprised with lower estimates than hear a much smaller number and get huffy-puffy if an estimate or two come in higher.

Where I am in comparison to a metro area or suburb surrounding a city like Chicago are regionally similar as far as weather; but I have noticed that in the Greater Cincinnati area (the property is about 10-15 minutes commute to the downtown area) prices for larger purchases tend to fall quite a bit lower than in many other larger cities. For example, a cute little 3BR starter in a decent school district can be had any time of year for a tad under or over $100k. The property in question here is a 3BR ranch, stick-built 60's 70's era and the asking price is $75k. From what I've seen, some places won't get you in a "meh" neighborhood with a 2BR fixer for that price. Of course there are other criteria involved, but I'm just trying to get you guys some context.

Thanks again for your replies, and I'll have some pics up probably Tuesday night or Wednesday. I'm hoping to have a pro meet us there, too. **fingers crossed**

 

[kcindc]

I bought a foreclosure with a pool in terrible shape almost 5 years ago. I paid to have it inspected by pool builder to get a ball park idea on what needed to be done right away. I have made the necessary repairs to get it running. Cosmetically it is in terrible shape and will need a major overhaul in the next 2 to 3 years. So far, it is totally worth the expense. I probably would have finished rehabbing it by now, but I live in an expensive region (Washington DC metro) and I've spent a small fortune on tree removal.

 

[RookieBob]

I called a guy.... Let's just say I'm even more confused. He wont even come look unless its up and running.... But why would i even call him if that's the case... :?

He said he cant tell me anything except there's a hole in the ground unless it's full, clear and the pump is on.... I call BS. Basically called me a dumbass then then tried to throw a bunch of huge numbers at me. Fine, you wont get my business, and everyone I know will hear all about it, including my parents who currently use his services all year.

Was this an outlier or is there actually something to this. Sure the equipment needs to be checked, I get it. But how can I even figure out if it's worth trying to save anyway if no one will even check the condition of the pool itself?

 

[Isaac-1]

There are a lot of things that you really can't know until you get into it, but of course there can also be glaring things that are visible right away, the problem is some of those hidden things can be VERY costly to repair, like broken underground pipes, etc. Once you get some photos we may be able to help more, but the question that needs to be asked up front is do you want a house with a pool. If you do then this one might be a deal as rehabbing this pool is likely much cheaper than building a new on from scratch.