I’m Removing My Own Pool — A Week by Week Diary (Updated Live)

By the founder of ByeByePool — writing this from Stoughton, MA as it happens

Why I’m Writing This

When I decided to remove my pool I went looking for real information from someone who had actually done it. Not a contractor trying to sell me something. Not a generic article with ballpark numbers. A real homeowner, in a real situation, figuring it out in real time.

I couldn’t find that. So I’m writing it myself.

This is a living document. I’ll update it every week as the project progresses — the decisions, the costs, the surprises, the mistakes. Everything. If you’re thinking about removing your pool, this is the article I wish existed when I started.

Week 1 — The Decision, The Trap, and Why I Should Have Done This Years Ago

How I Got Here

I bought my house in 2019 and it came with a pool. I’d never owned one before. Honestly? It felt like a shiny new toy. It attracted us to the house and I thought — how hard can it be?

I was naive.

The first couple of years my family actually enjoyed it. We used it, we had fun, it felt worth it. But as the years went on something shifted. The pool stopped being a feature of our home and started being a burden.

Here’s what nobody tells you when you buy a house with a pool in New England:

You have maybe a few weeks a year where the weather is actually good enough to use it. A few weeks. And for those few weeks you’re paying year-round — chemicals, cleaning, electricity to run the pump, gas to heat the water. The costs never stop. The season does.

I knew it had to go years ago. But you convince yourself. The family likes it. Maybe next summer will be different. Maybe it’ll get easier.

It didn’t.

The Breaking Point

This year the heater went. Then the liner went. Combined replacement cost — on par with just removing the pool entirely. That was it. That was the moment.

I did the math. I’m spending $3,000–$5,000 every single year on maintenance, chemicals, cleaning, electricity, and gas. Every year. For a pool I use a handful of times. The priceless part — the headache relief — doesn’t even have a number attached to it.

The decision was made. The pool has to go.

What Kind of Pool and What It’s Going to Take

My pool is a vinyl liner pool, approximately 16×32 feet. For anyone who doesn’t know — vinyl liner pools are generally less expensive to remove than concrete pools, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s simple.

My situation has a few complications that I suspect a lot of homeowners will relate to:

Access is a problem. Getting equipment into my yard requires removing a section of fence. That fence then needs to be reinstalled after the work is done. That’s an added cost most people don’t factor in.

Utilities need to be properly disconnected. The gas line to the heater and the electrical to the pump need to be safely disconnected before anyone touches that pool. This isn’t something you cut corners on.

My house needs other work too. This is the part that really surprised me — removing a pool doesn’t happen in isolation. I need a new roof, new windows, and my deck overlooks the pool. We may need to demo the deck first, do the pool removal and masonry work, and then rebuild the deck afterward. That’s a sequencing puzzle that requires real planning.

The realistic cost for a proper full removal — not just filling it in — is $15,000–$20,000 in my area. Anyone quoting you dramatically less for a full removal in New England should raise flags.

Finding The Right Contractor — And The Advice That Changed Everything

I’ve talked to several contractors. The landscape in New England is exactly what you’d expect — some contractors know homeowners lack knowledge in this area and price accordingly. Others are straight with you.

I’m leaning toward going with my landscaper. Here’s why.

He knows the land. He knows the town requirements. He’s done this before in my area. But more than any of that — he gave me advice that nobody else did, and it’s advice I think every homeowner removing a pool needs to hear:

Figure out what’s going in place of the pool BEFORE you start.

His reasoning was practical and smart. He didn’t want me removing the fence for equipment access, doing all the excavation, and then having to tear everything up again later when I’m ready to build a patio or deck. His suggestion — let’s decide what you want, at minimum put in the proper base and footings during the removal, and then you can build whatever you want on top later. Patio, deck, pavilion — whatever. It spaces the cost out over a few years if you need it to.

He also said something that stuck with me: “If the total cost is too much right now, let’s just close the pool up this year and plan properly for next year.”

That’s the kind of contractor you want. Someone who’s done it before, isn’t pushing you, and makes you feel comfortable. They exist. Don’t settle for anything less.

The Surprise Nobody Talks About — You’re The General Contractor

Here’s what genuinely caught me off guard. When you remove a pool and redo your yard — especially if your situation is complex like mine — you essentially become your own general contractor. You’re coordinating roofing contractors, window contractors, pool removal contractors, masonry, landscaping, deck rebuilding. The sequencing of all of it matters enormously.

Get one thing out of order and you’re paying to redo work or waiting months for the next phase.

The even bigger surprise? I’m realizing a landscape designer might not be optional — it might be essential. You’re spending serious money to transform your yard. That space needs a vision before a single shovel hits the ground. Removing the pool and putting in a thoughtfully designed outdoor space — entertaining areas, proper landscaping, hardscape — will increase your home’s value. Removing it and winging it could do the opposite.

This isn’t just about getting rid of a pool. It’s about what you’re creating in its place.

Where Things Stand This Week

Right now I’m in the planning and coordination phase. Getting roofing and window pricing. Once that’s sorted my pool removal contractor can give me a firm number. Then we’ll map out the full sequence — roof and windows first, then pool removal and stonework, then rebuilding the deck.

It’s a lot to coordinate. But going into it with a plan is the difference between a project that transforms your home and one that becomes its own nightmare.

I’ll update this next week as things progress. If you’re going through something similar — or thinking about it — feel free to reach out through our contact page. This is exactly why ByeByePool exists.

— Founder, ByeByePool

Next update: Week 2 — Contractor pricing, sequencing the project, and what we decided about the deck

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