Restoring old pool

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Jshove24

Member
Jul 2, 2023
12
Columbia, SC
Hello everyone. I recently purchased some
Property and it had this old pool on it that we were hoping to restore. I have zero information on it other than finding an old water sample test from a pool store from 2013. We are not sure if that was the last time it was operational or not.

We have someone coming out to remove that pile of broken up concrete that was dumped in there as well as the trees/plants growing in the pool that you can see in the attached pictures.

We are just looking for any and all advice on where to go from here and what to do. There is currently no electricity or water on the property either.

I have reached out to several pool companies in the area, a lot of which never return my call or message. One guy has come out to look at it and said he wouldn’t touch it and another company based off of pictures said it would be about $30k to restore and said they would recommend just putting in a new pool for $40k. We were hoping that it would be a lot cheaper to restore than putting in a brand new one and that is probably out of the question right now anyways.

The pool was a big part of why we purchased the property because it is an investment we would like to make for our family to enjoy. It gets very hot very quick here in SC so hoping to have some sort of resolution here ASAP.

Thank you for your help/ take it easy on me, I’m a newbie lol
 

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Love these rehab threads.

First step is to get it cleared out and cleaned up. We need clear pictures of the pool’s structure. Looks like it might have been a vinyl liner pool in the past. If the walls and floor are still structurally sound, it could be a quick fix but, honestly speaking, you may not be swimming this year.

While you’re waiting for it to get cleared out, go and find the equipment pad and start posting pictures of the plumbing you find. There should be PVC pipes and electrical at the pad. Show us what you got to work with.

@kimkats is going to be exited for this one.

There are lots of folks on here who can give great advice. Fingers-crossed 🤞 that this can be a successful renovation.
 
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Jshove24 said:
Hello everyone. I recently purchased some
Property and it had this old pool on it that we were hoping to restore. I have zero information on it other than finding an old water sample test from a pool store from 2013. We are not sure if that was the last time it was operational or not.

We have someone coming out to remove that pile of broken up concrete that was dumped in there as well as the trees/plants growing in the pool that you can see in the attached pictures.

We are just looking for any and all advice on where to go from here and what to do. There is currently no electricity or water on the property either.

I have reached out to several pool companies in the area, a lot of which never return my call or message. One guy has come out to look at it and said he wouldn’t touch it and another company based off of pictures said it would be about $30k to restore and said they would recommend just putting in a new pool for $40k. We were hoping that it would be a lot cheaper to restore than putting in a brand new one and that is probably out of the question right now anyways.

The pool was a big part of why we purchased the property because it is an investment we would like to make for our family to enjoy. It gets very hot very quick here in SC so hoping to have some sort of resolution here ASAP.

Thank you for your help/ take it easy on me, I’m a newbie lol
Click to expand...
I would be pretty shocked if you could put a new pool in for only $40k.

Estimates to restore are going to not be very accurate over the phone. It could be way more than that or less depending on what equipment is there and if it’s damaged underground.
 
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I agree it looks like a vinyl liner pool. That is good as it can be less expensive to bring back to life then a gunite/plaster pool.

It is best for you to do this in phases and mange it yourself. As you are finding it will be difficult finding a one stop contractor who will bring the pool back to life and you just write a check.

The phases I see are:

  • Cleanup - find a contractor with a crew of strong men who will cleanup and remove all the vegetation and debris in and around the pool. They need to work smart and not use any heavy equipment that further damages the deck or pool structure so much of the work will be manual labor.
  • Pool Structure Assessment - Once the area is cleaned up it will scare pool companies less. They really are not equipped and don't want to do the cleanup. You need to locate the pipes and where the pool equipment was. The pipes need to be pressure tested and determined if they are usable or if the deck needs to be demoed to repipe the pool. The integrity of the walls and floor need to be assessed.
  • Find Local Contractors who Build Liner Pools and Liner Replacements - Now is the time to bring them in to look at the pool. Offer to pay them for a few hours or a day to come on site and look over what you have and tell you what they think. You should have already made access easy and clear for them to survey the pool.
  • Now you can scope out how to bring the pool alive - You need new equipment. You may need new plumbing. You need a liner measured, ordered, and installed. At this point you can see what contractors step up with quotes and what you want to DIY.
This is very doable with patience and a checkbook. We're here to help and cheer.

How to select pool equipment - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Liner Replacement - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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Makes a lot of sense to me that you need to see what you have. first thing you is to clean it out not super thoroughly just so you can inspect the surfaces and get good measurements. If you hire somebody to do this it should Cost one to two thousand dollars. could cost a lot less if you do it yourself. However it can also be dangerous if things start to cave in on you. Never enter without a solid Exit Plan and make sure somebody is there to call for help if you need it. This could be a bonanza for you or a huge disappointment. Well worth a couple of thousand dollars to find out in my opinion. What is the size of the pool as best you can measure?

Chris
 
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Here’s a quick test - bang on those sidewalls that you can get to with your hand/fist. Does it feel solid like concrete or does it feel like plastic or fiberglass or does it seem like metal?

From the looks of those pictures, it seems to show a possible concrete base but the sidewall panels could be anything - metal, fiberglass, polymer, or concrete walls.
 
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My brother found one of these very old and behind his house in Alabama. Turns out the concrete deck had some minor repairs needed, most equipment needed to be replaced, and only minor concrete wall repairs, plus a new liner. Way less than $40K although I agree that's not a real price anymore.

Chris
 
OH GOODIE!!! This one is going to be FUN!! Start swinging the sledge hammer and get it all cleaned up and out!

Renovating Season 1 GIF by The Roku Channel
 

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Definitely a vinyl liner pool. You can see bits of it hanging out of the track.

It’s going to be critical to see the condition of the walls and floor. The skimmer looks like it has broken away from the pool wall. Once it’s all cleaned and power washed, we can make a better assessment
 
So did the previous owners break up the deck on the side closest to the house and just throw it all into the pool? What a mess …

Also, are you keeping any of that house or is that getting demo’d too?
 
JoyfulNoise said:
Definitely a vinyl liner pool. You can see bits of it hanging out of the track.

It’s going to be critical to see the condition of the walls and floor. The skimmer looks like it has broken away from the pool wall. Once it’s all cleaned and power washed, we can make a better assessment
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The floor is all just mud and dirt and has definitely lost its shape over time. From what I can tell the walls seem fine. Maybe some minor cracks but that’s not that big of a deal with vinyl liner pools from my understanding? Is there anything I need to try and get a better picture of for yall?
 
Jshove24 said:
The floor is all just mud and dirt and has definitely lost its shape over time. From what I can tell the walls seem fine. Maybe some minor cracks but that’s not that big of a deal with vinyl liner pools from my understanding? Is there anything I need to try and get a better picture of for yall?
Click to expand...
I’d want to know what the pool floor is made off (if anything). Be careful taking too much material out as it may compromise the soil holding up the walls. Sometimes they use vermiculite on the floor?
 
I'm guessing sand that's long washed away. Poke around in the mud in the shallow end and it either thumps with concrete / vermiculite, or stabs in no problem.

There's just too much dirt in there to have a solid-ish floor IMO.

Then again, the dirt could have been added from leveling after pulling the retaining wall. It's had alot of time to slosh around and level itself.
 
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