We’ve been getting estimates to renovate our 20+ year old fiberglass pool. After getting several estimates, it looks like it will cost around 30-35K to fix all of the problems with it. These problems include: removing and replacing the coping around the pool, which is cracking and coming off in small chunks, repairing and re-painting the concrete decking, which is peeling and cracking, refinishing the fiberglass gelcoat (which is chalking and has numerous stains that won't come out), installing a de-watering system to prevent more settlement, and replacing the salt water generator that broke several years ago. Removing the pool will only cost around $10K. This includes removing and disposing of the fiberglass, removing 800 sq. feet of concrete decking and putting it into the hole in dinner-plate sized pieces, and layering dirt in the hole in lifts and compacting it by driving an excavator over it.
This would be an easy to decision to make if we actually swam in the pool often, if pools didn’t cost so much money each year to maintain, and if older pools added a lot of value to homes here. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Ever since the kids moved out, we only swim in the pool 2-3 times each summer. We will never have grand kids who will swim in it and our adult kids aren’t interested in swimming in it when they come to visit. Our pool is a maintenance nightmare because it is surrounded by trees so maintenance costs are probably higher than the average pool. A local realtor says that removing the pool won’t lower the value of our home much since the pool is 20+ years old and the swim season Is only 5-6 months long here. I’ve been told that we should only spend $30-35K renovating the pool if we use it often because we likely won’t recoup this money at resale in 5-10 years because it has a 25-30 year old fiberglass pool in the backyard. We aren’t interested in moving right now and would like to continue living here until retirement in 5-10 years.
My realtor advised me to ask some pool experts about their opinion about how fiberglass pools age before making any decisions. If there is a chance that more expensive renovations could be needed in 5-10 years when we go to sell the home, she thinks it would be a waste of money to renovate it since older pools don't seem to add much value to homes here. I'm leaning towards removing it, even though I will feel a bit sad to see it go, because it seems to make more financial sense.
This would be an easy to decision to make if we actually swam in the pool often, if pools didn’t cost so much money each year to maintain, and if older pools added a lot of value to homes here. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Ever since the kids moved out, we only swim in the pool 2-3 times each summer. We will never have grand kids who will swim in it and our adult kids aren’t interested in swimming in it when they come to visit. Our pool is a maintenance nightmare because it is surrounded by trees so maintenance costs are probably higher than the average pool. A local realtor says that removing the pool won’t lower the value of our home much since the pool is 20+ years old and the swim season Is only 5-6 months long here. I’ve been told that we should only spend $30-35K renovating the pool if we use it often because we likely won’t recoup this money at resale in 5-10 years because it has a 25-30 year old fiberglass pool in the backyard. We aren’t interested in moving right now and would like to continue living here until retirement in 5-10 years.
My realtor advised me to ask some pool experts about their opinion about how fiberglass pools age before making any decisions. If there is a chance that more expensive renovations could be needed in 5-10 years when we go to sell the home, she thinks it would be a waste of money to renovate it since older pools don't seem to add much value to homes here. I'm leaning towards removing it, even though I will feel a bit sad to see it go, because it seems to make more financial sense.
