Why people remove pools here
The Coast has plenty of backyard pools built in the 1970s and 1980s that are now leaking, cracked, expensive to run, or simply unused. Common reasons for removal:
- Running costs — power, chemicals, maintenance.
- Safety — families with young children or grandchildren.
- Space — for a lawn, a granny flat, a shed or a new house.
- Condition — failed shells, lifting coping, cracked tiles.
- Selling — a failed pool is a liability at sale.
Full removal
The whole shell comes out. Clean fill goes back in layers, compacted as it goes, so the ground can take future use. This is the right choice if you may ever build over the area — a granny flat, an extension, a new house. Engineering requirements for building on backfilled ground should be confirmed with your engineer and certifier.
Break-and-fill
The floor is broken for drainage and the top of the walls removed. The shell is filled and compacted. Cheaper and quicker, but the buried shell stays in the ground and may restrict building over it later. Buyers and lenders may ask about it.
Access on Coast blocks
Most pools are at the back of the house. Access is the biggest variable:
- Side access of 2.5 metres or more — a small excavator and tipper can get close.
- Narrow side paths — mini machines, smaller loads, more trips.
- Steep blocks in Terrigal, Wamberal or Avoca — slow, careful and more expensive.
- No access at all — sometimes a crane lift or conveyor, or breaking by hand.
Soil and drainage
Sandy coastal soils drain well; clay soils further inland do not. Backfill and compaction are matched to the ground so the area does not subside or pond after rain.
Fibreglass pools
Usually cut up and removed in sections rather than broken. Faster and generally cheaper than concrete.
Approvals and barriers
Some pool removals may be exempt development if conditions are met; others need a certificate or consent. Pool barrier obligations continue until the pool is decommissioned. See council and approvals.
Costs
See the 2026 cost bands.
Call 02 5024 3718 or send the job details through.