When you dream or start installing a swimming pool, probably the last thing on your mind is the possibility of having to let go of it one day. This is especially true if you’re building a fibreglass pool that is built to last for decades. With this said, a business might be booming for pool builders but the demand for pool removal is starting to be strong enough that there are companies that specialize in the service. Here are some of the reasons people decide to remove a swimming pool.
Parent’s whose children have grown and moved away from home
An article in the Financial Review described why a retired engineer and management lecturer, Mr John Waters, decided to take out their pool…
“I was a bit emotional at first about our decision to take out the pool as we put it in when we built the house 40 years ago. But now I think it was a very good decision. Our children used to use it and our grandchildren, but now our youngest is 15 and she prefers to go somewhere where she can do a few laps or meet up with her friends. And I was the only one who ever cleaned it …” Read the full interview at AFR.com
This is one of the most common reasons for our clients removing their pools. If the kids moved out long ago and the grandkids don’t visit often, older pool owners can find the prospect of maintaining a pool daunting, from both a financial and physical point of view. [caption id=“attachment_458” align=“aligncenter” width=“300”]
A neglected, green swimming pool[/caption]
Safety hazard
I know this is a sensitive topic but in an article written by Olivia Lambert, she mentioned,
“THERE IS a drowning epidemic in Australia, and there have almost been as many water deaths over a Christmas period as car fatalities. We hear the warnings year on year, every summer. ” Read the full article here…
Another article from Pool + Spa discussed how a family immediately decided to take their pool out due to a near-drown experience.
“After the horror summer of drownings Australia experienced over the 2016–17 season, many parents of toddlers are beginning to see their backyard pool as a safety hazard rather than a relaxing oasis. It’s a sad (and scary) fact that children aged zero to four are the most at risk of drowning, and all it can take is a moment’s distraction for a toddler to access a pool and drown. Parents whose children have had near-drowning incidents often aren’t willing to take the chance again. Cousins says he has been called to remove pools the very next day after a child has nearly drowned. “They get scared and nothing can convince them to keep their pool,” he said.” Read more here…
It’s sad that what used to be a fun area for the family is now being treated (and feared) as a hazard… _C_ourtesy of Royal Life Saving: Toddler Drowning Prevention campaign
Maintaining Costs
If someone is sitting on the fence, struggling to decide between renovation and removal, the cost is usually the deciding factor. In an article from Domain, Adam Martelletti specified the breakdown of costs in maintaining a pool year-round.
“The annual costs for an average eight metre by four-metre backyard pool can be $1400 every year. Pump A 1kW pump, cycles 10 hours per day, seven days a week and can cost $112 a month over summer, and $80 a month in winter. The total cost for the pump alone is $1216 each year. A high energy star-rated variable speed pump could save up to $500 per year, the cost of the pump could outweigh the savings. Heating Heating your pool can cost a bomb – especially if you’re using gas. Solar Heating is about $100 to $200 each year, electric heating $250 to $750 each year, and gas heating $500 to …” Continue reading here [caption id=“attachment_249” align=“aligncenter” width=“300”]
Draining pool before removal[/caption]
It’s natural to reevaluate your plans once you tally up the price of pool removal (that’s why we offer no-obligation quotes!). You may decide that it makes more sense to put your pool in “low maintenance mode” until you sell the house, or when you compare the costs side-by-side, you may find it tempting to double down on your pool by remodeling or just get rid of your pool due to maybe one of the reasons above. You won’t know what the best course of action is until you have all the facts. If you have questions, would like to know more or schedule an onsite quote, you can reach us at 08 6461 6464 or via Chat.