Requesting Recommendations for a Pool that was Doomed to Fail

[LionBiscuits]

Hello everyone, I'm looking for recommendations on how to proceed.

I closed on my house at the end of 2019, even hired a pool inspector that gave the OK after having the seller install a pool light. This is my first inground pool, so I went into it extremely blind. The local pool guys that service the area were intimately familiar with my house & pool because they used to service it (and hated it due to the lack of a birdcage/enclosure + live oaks overhead). They shared pictures of how the pool used to look before I bought the house and it was crumbling in on itself (pool wall on one side collapsed). They're also the ones that sold the previous owners the current pump & filter, knowing they were too small for the pool. I did my best to keep the water clear & swimmable until this year.

• House & pool built in 1972, Central FL, plumbing has not been updated besides new pump & fittings.
• Pool was crumbling in on itself prior to previous owners renovations, renovations were only cosmetic (did not know this until later)
• Skimmer has never worked, only main drain, PVC under deck likely cracked in several areas, pool loses water quickly
• Pump & filter too small for the size of the pool
• Had to unfortunately 'let the pool go' and turn green during a brief stint of unemployment this year, it remains green.
• Called several local companies, they don't want to perform a green clean (either too busy or too much work, which I understand)
• Pool company that covers pools says a safety cover is a 'no-go' because they can't drill into the deck

At this point I just want the pool gone.. Or at the very least covered w/ a safety cover until I can sell the house. Getting rid of the pool properly is too expensive and I'm on a pretty tight budget as it is ($2k).. Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm feeling pretty lost & defeated.

 

[duraleigh]

pool loses water quickly

How much water does it lose (in inches) in a 24 hour period?

 

[LionBiscuits]

How much water does it lose (in inches) in a 24 hour period?

Anywhere from 1.0" to 1.45" per day depending on the weather, we've been getting a lot of rain lately though.

 

[kimkats]

Why can't they drill into the deck?

One idea that pops into mind is to build a wooden frame to over/around the pool and cover it with a tarp. That will make it a bit safer and keep anything else from getting into the pool.

 

[LionBiscuits]

Why can't they drill into the deck?

They unfortunately couldn't provide an answer that made sense-- at least to me anyway. The deck is cracking quite a bit these days, though, maybe they were just being extra cautious. They said they could drill on the patio right below the deck and secure it that way, but that.. Would only secure one side of the cover. The other side of the pool deck is just grass/sand.

I appreciate the recommendation on the wooden frame to cover the pool! I'm pretty dang clueless when it comes to handywork though. I'll look around for some YouTube videos.

 

[kimkats]

If you can hold a hammer you should be able to do it. Maybe someone you know wants a steak dinner with some beer? You grill while they build a rectangle out of wood that fits over your pool the stable the tarp to it.

Yeah I bet they don't want to take any chances of doing any more damage to the decking if it is already cracking.

 

[ajw22]

Get 2x4's and lay it over the pool. Get plywood sheets and nail it to the 2x4's to cover the pool. Tack a tarp over the plywood.

Done!

 

[duraleigh]

Anywhere from 1.0" to 1.45" per day

Yeah, that is a leak for sure and probably expensive to fix.

That said it is really expensive to remove your pool permanently, too. almost as much as rejuvenating it.

Get some price quotes to fill it in (correctly......2x4's won't cut it) and then pricing to fix it and use it. they will be close but BOTH will be Wa-a-a-ay over your budget. Tough choices.

 

[JamesW]

Q. Is there a simple way to size floor joists?
A.Carl Hagstrom responds: The rule of thumb that I like to use when sizing uniformly loaded residential floor joists is "half the span plus two." First, round the clear span of the floor joist up to the nearest foot, and divide by two. Then add two to the answer. This will give you the depth (in inches) of the required floor joist.

For example, assume the clear span is 15 feet 6 inches. Round up to 16 and divide this span by 2, giving you 8. Next, add 2 to get the required joist depth. In this example, 8 + 2 = 10, so a 2x12 floor joist will be required (it’s important to use the actual lumber dimensions, not the nominal dimensions).

Typically, residential floor loads are assumed to be 50 pounds per square foot (40 pounds live plus 10 pounds dead), and this rule of thumb will work for loading conditions that don’t exceed that value. If the floor system is to be tiled or there are any other unusual loading conditions, I’d recommend having an engineer review the conditions.

https://www.jlconline.com/how-to/framing/q-a-joist-sizing-rule-of-thumb_o

How wide apart should decking joists be?

In North America, joist spacing for residential decks is 12″ to 16″ apart, or according to local building code.

Most decks require 16″ spacing for the deck itself, with 12″ spacing used for special applications, such as stairs or commercial structures.

 

[LionBiscuits]

Get some price quotes to fill it in (correctly......2x4's won't cut it) and then pricing to fix it and use it. they will be close but BOTH will be Wa-a-a-ay over your budget. Tough choices.

Filling it in is what I've leaned towards a few times despite the potential cost.. The only thing that's deterred me are the potential repercussions that I've read online like de-valuing the house, permit issues, can't build a structure on top of it in the future, etc.. Not that I plan on doing any of these things, but I don't want to scare off a potential buyer in the future. Are these valid concerns?

I'll have a look around and see what companies might be able to quote on a fill-in. Alternatively, I've had three renovation/repair quotes done, they've all been around $11k-$14k though unfortunately.
Thank you for the suggestions!

 

[Bill1974]

Get quotes on removing the pool, put money in escrow for the next owner to deal with it or they can put it toward fixing it.
As for covering it, you can buy a cover online and then just rent a core drill and bit to install the anchors. If you are that unhandy I am sure you can find a handyman to install it. I would say covering with wood is more likely to knock the homes resale value than a pool covered with a safety cover. A cheap tarp, water bags and cheap fence around the pool is another option but I think that also will effect the resale valve too.

 

[an1vrsy]

at the very least covered w/ a safety cover until I can sell the house.

I am not a real estate agent, however, couldn’t you get solid proposals for a renovation of the pool. Attach that to the sales contract then mark down the selling price that amount?

 

[Dirk]

Just to offer another possible option... You very likely got screwed by the previous owner. I believe FL has laws to protect you against such things. You'd have to prove the previous owner knew he was selling you a house with a pool with latent defects (the germane legal term). But you may have that proof via the very pool guys you described. There will be a statute of limitations, but you might still have time.

The point is, maybe the previous owner could be on the hook for some or all of this problem (as you will be if you don't tell the next owner about all this). Not sure how this kind of suit would fit with your future plans to keep or sell the place, but hey, just thought I'd throw it out there.

Anywho, give this webpage a read and maybe give these guys a call (or a similar firm) and see what they say. Ya never know. Maybe a 10 minute phone call could turn this around. At least you'd know one way or the other.

What does the seller of a home have to disclose in Florida? - The Robertson Firm

By Erin Rohan Smith Many years ago real estate in Florida was like the Wild West and sellers were able to unload houses that had major construction defects to unsuspecting buyers with limited exposure. Times have changed and “buyer beware” no longer applies to the sale of residential real...

robertsonfirm.com

 

[revitup]

There are anchors in the form of augers that will screw into the lawn/grass anywhere from 12” to 3’. Use that to secure a cover on the lawn side.

 

[Orion7319]

, I've had three renovation/repair quotes done, they've all been around $11k-$14k though unfortunately.

That’s honestly pretty cheap for what you are describing. We had to repair our pool when we bought our house and we had to spend 14k in total on it. Had to replace the liner, steps, equipment, fix a leak.. kicker was we even paid extra for a pool inspection, inspector said pool was fine.. I imagine though that you have some equity built up in the house which gives you some options. I once had a house that had a cracked foundation and needed helical piers. I had no good way to pay for it, couldn’t get a HELOC in an amount that would cover the repair costs, so I simply put it all on my credit card. I sold the house a month later, paid off the credit card and used the remainder of the money from the sale of the house as a down payment on a new and nicer house. I didn’t really want to move at the time, but it was the move that made the most sense. I know it’s a stressful situation to be in, I empathize with you.

 

[Dirk]

I've had three renovation/repair quotes done, they've all been around $11k-$14k though unfortunately.

Oops, missed that. Legal fees to pursue the previous owner could easily exceed that number, and they'd be payable even if you lost (but you should still call that firm for the heck of it).

Instead, include those quotes in your sale disclosures with a cash back offer. I can't now remember exactly how those work, but it's something like: they buy the house at your asking price (or whatever is negotiated) and then the escrow company gives them a check for $14K at closing, with which they can spend it on anything they want. It's a way for them to extract money out of their new home before equity would support a loan. People just looooves a cash back offer!! It feels like free money. Then they can fix up the pool or fill it in or buy some nice furniture, whatever they want. You leave your worries behind and don't have to spend even the $2K on the pool.

It'll limit the buyer's pool (the number of people that is), more so than if you fixed the pool yourself, but the chances of the repair actually costing $14K are slim. Those types of projects always end up costing more. But that won't be on you if the next owner has that issue, as you disclosed everything fair and square up front. It'll be on them to do their due diligence regarding the pool.

This is likely the cheapest way out of this for you. You'll either spend more fixing the pool yourself, or you'll lose more in terms of the final sale price if you try to sell it as is. Talk to a realtor and see what's possible.

 

[Dirk]

If you do speak with an lawyer, be sure to describe the bit about the pool inspection. Where I live home inspectors have some limited liability for missing things that later cost you money. Their contracts are generally ridiculously framed in their favor, but some of what they like to include can't actually circumvent law. This type of action usually has a pretty short statute of limitation period, but it's worth mentioning.