New Home with severly neglected pool

[ITR6]

Hello all!

First off I am very pool ignorant and am looking for a little advice/recommendation.
My wife and I are most likely putting in an offer to buy a house in our small hometown and it has an in ground pool. Kinda...
The pool has a more or less permanent deck built over it, completely covering it. I know the owner of the house and they said when they bought the house back in 2002 the deck was there and they never touched it. There is a small little door to look in and all I see is white walls/steps and a good deal of black muck on the walls but it was pretty clear water. The pump and filter look like an old pressure cooker (Shiny steal top/cap with a gauge in the center) but I cant get any more detail such as make/model.

My main question is, is it worth it to fix it back up or tear it out? I would love to have a pool of my own but don't want it if it will cost more to repair then rip out.
Also, can pools just develop cracks overtime? It looks like it holds water, but not sure if it was a little low due to neglect or leaks.

I'm sorry I'm being very vague right now but that is all the info I have. Im trying to get a hold of a family friend that builds above ground pool but he hasn't called back.

I'm going to look at the house again today, and most likely put in the offer. Can you tell me anything to look for to help decide one way or the other?

Thanks in advance.

 

[robertmee]

Really hard to give advice that's meaningful on such vagueness. I'd be doing you a disservice by guessing.

We'd need to know if it is a concrete, plaster, vinyl or fiberglass pool. If it has white sides, probably plaster, but again, we shouldn't guess. Yes, plaster and concrete pools can develop cracks, especially if the water level is allowed to get low and the hydro-static pressure of the water table pushes it up. Also just due to age, as most pools need resurfaced every 10 to 15 years, and the pool has been neglected at least that long.

I would not base your offer on a working or even salvageable pool, and actually might use it to your advantage that it's going to cost xyz to fill it in. No way to know the cost of repair without knowing the size, what it's made of and its current problems. If you can get some pictures that will help. BUT, on the bright side, members have saved some pretty bad looking pools neglected for years, so it is very possible.

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

You might be surprised at the cost of removing an in-ground pool. Unless there are major structural problems, it is likely cheaper to get it up and going than to completely removed it.

Likely the pool equipment is worthless if it has been sitting for 14 years (maybe the filter is salvageable). So you would at a minimum need a new pump and maybe a filter.

 

[Geebot]

That's a big pig-in-a-poke issue. While you may be willing to accept it as-is there's no guarantee that it won't become an issue at resale. At the very least it's a negotiating point, but you're taking on a non-trivial 5-figure liability one way or the other.

 

[borjis]

Did you take any photos? post them if you can. That will explain a lot.

 

[ITR6]

It is a kidney shaped pool roughly 25ft at the widest two ends and 32ft long, sadly I have no idea how deep it is. I don't think it is vinyl or fiberglass due to its age. I dont know if it is original to the house, which was built in 1986, or an addition built quickly after.

I assumed a pump and filter would be the bare minimum to get it running again but didnt know if I could just replace those 2 items and be OK or just need to bite the bullet and get someone out to estimate a resurface job.

 

[borjis]

Vinyl pools have been around since the 60's....

Until the pump and filter are inspected you really don't know...they could be fine.

Might just need a seal kit and new carts (if it's a cartridge filter)

Photos would fill in quite a few of the blanks here.

 

[ITR6]

I added some pictures to the OP

- - - Updated - - -

Did not know that about vinyl pools in the 60s, thanks.

 

[borjis]

whoa...I see what you mean....that image of the deck just makes me sad.

It would be very difficult if not impossible to assess it's needs without the decking all removed.

Could be a previous owner just didn't want to deal with it but liked the house.

Also could be it was seriously damaged and decking over it was the least costly option, but
you said it's holding water so that's a good thing.

 

[ITR6]

I'll take pictures of what I can see from the little access door this evening and post them. I doubt I can see too much into the pool besides a few feet around the door.

 

[C3Cl3N3O3]

There's no way anybody would build that structure over a pool that didn't have major issues.

 

[borjis]

You sure? I have heard of people that loved a home, but didn't want a pool and built a deck over it.
There's a company that does just that.

Either way there's a ton of work to be done on this one.

 

[chipchip]

I've never seen anything like that. I'd definitely remove that wood and try and salvage the pool if possible.

 

[C3Cl3N3O3]

You sure?

If I'm negotiating with the seller I am.

 

[borjis]

haha! indeed!

I took a chance with my current pool, it was half empty, green with
liner torn out.

I wanted to pressure check the plumbing but the seller wouldn't allow it
and promised it would not have any problems. (in writing)

Turned out to be fine, but I sure was nervous.

 

[Divin Dave]

Could be they covered it up because they could never control the algae and it wasnt enjoyable. Certianly not hard to have an awesome pool to enjoy if you just know how.

 

[ITR6]

Well, thank you all for your time and advice. On our way to see the home 1 more time before we put in an offer. The house was grabbed out from under us without warning.
The listing agent didnt even warn our agent about a possible offer so we lost it.
Pools are not exactly common in southern Oklahoma so I dont know if I will be back in the future or not.
Thank you all again.

 

[crocop]

Open it! Open it!

 

[robertmee]

Well, thank you all for your time and advice. On our way to see the home 1 more time before we put in an offer. The house was grabbed out from under us without warning.
The listing agent didnt even warn our agent about a possible offer so we lost it.
Pools are not exactly common in southern Oklahoma so I dont know if I will be back in the future or not.
Thank you all again.

I know it's kind of disappointing right now, but it might also be someone looking out for you! We had a similar situation 3 years ago, when we put an offer on a house after much negotiation. At the 11th hour, someone magically showed up to make a higher offer (mind you this house had been on the market for a year). We figured the agents were playing games, so we said c'est la vie and walked away. Turns out, the house had mold and rotting masonite (we found out later), and within 2 months we found our dream house we are in now. So things happen for a reason sometimes, and you may have just avoided a huge money pit.

 

[ITR6]

I know it's kind of disappointing right now, but it might also be someone looking out for you! We had a similar situation 3 years ago, when we put an offer on a house after much negotiation. At the 11th hour, someone magically showed up to make a higher offer (mind you this house had been on the market for a year). We figured the agents were playing games, so we said c'est la vie and walked away. Turns out, the house had mold and rotting masonite (we found out later), and within 2 months we found our dream house we are in now. So things happen for a reason sometimes, and you may have just avoided a huge money pit.

Thank you for this. That is what I keep telling myself.