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An excavator working a pile of moved earth.

Swimming pools are our specialty Phoenix, Arizona

The pool goes away. The yard comes back.

Swimming pool excavation, demolition, fill-ins and removal. Hard digs, rock hammering and ripping.

★★★★★ 5.0 · 93 Google reviews

The method

An excavator with its bucket down inside a pool, the shell cracked open and rubble in the bottom.
01The shell opens
The cavity backfilled with the pool's own broken concrete, a run of the old shell still standing at the edge.
02It becomes the fill
Flat compacted ground where the pool was, the surrounding deck left intact.
03The ground closes

Three different yards, not one job's before and after.

The arc

A pool is the one thing you pay to put in and pay to take out.

We do both ends of it. The shell comes open, the concrete that used to hold the water becomes the material that fills the hole, and what you get back is flat, compacted ground.

An excavator with its bucket down inside a pool, the shell cracked open and rubble in the bottom.
01

The shell opens

Power disconnected, plumbing lines capped, equipment pulled. Then a hammer goes through the bottom so the ground underneath can drain.

The cavity backfilled with the pool's own broken concrete, a run of the old shell still standing at the edge.
02

It becomes the fill

On a fill-in, the deck and the top 18 to 24 inches of wall go into the pool. Backfill follows, compacted in 12-inch lifts.

Flat compacted ground where the pool was, the surrounding deck left intact.
03

The ground closes

After compaction the yard is rough graded so it is flat and even — ready to landscape, build on, or leave as it is.

These are three separate jobs in three separate yards. We have not lined up a before and an after, because that is not what the photographs are.

What we dig

Sand in one yard, rock in the next.

Swimming pool excavation

Residential swimming pool excavation, spas, and water features
Hard digs, rock hammering, and ripping
Landscape removal and pre-grades

Swimming pool demolition & removal

Residential and swimming pool demolition
Swimming pool fill-ins
Swimming pool removal

Our crews can accurately excavate even the most complicated pool. The precision given to every job reduces or eliminates the need for extra shotcrete and over-break, which brings down what the pool costs to build.

Breaking out a pool shell, rubble stacked where the water was.
Breaking out a pool shell, rubble stacked where the water was.
A curved pool shape cut into the ground, formwork following the sweep.
A curved pool shape cut into the ground, formwork following the sweep.
An emptied pool void beside a white arched colonnade, string lines set and the excavator arm reaching in.
An emptied pool void beside a white arched colonnade, string lines set and the excavator arm reaching in.

The machines

Any size pool. Any size access.

A variety of sizes of excavators and hammers, a dump truck on site to take the spoil away, and water and a compactor to leave the pad the way it should be left.

An excavator working tight against the side of a house.
An excavator working tight against the side of a house.
Loading a dump truck straight from the excavator bucket.
Loading a dump truck straight from the excavator bucket.
Watering down a finished pad before the compactor goes over it.
Watering down a finished pad before the compactor goes over it.
Machines still working as the light goes.
Machines still working as the light goes.

The proof

The number is made of the ground we move.

Ninety-three reviews on Google, and the average is 5.0.

Phoenix ground

CALICHE.

Arizona's soil is very dynamic. Sometimes we run into abnormal soils like caliche, sand, or rock, and certain areas of the Valley are known as hard dig areas.

If you are in one of them, the first thing we do is dig a test hole inside the pool area to find out whether we can get down to the depth of the pool without hitting rock or abnormal soil. If it is there, you get a price to complete the pool before any work has started — not after.

That is the whole reason we carry hammers and rippers as well as buckets.

Timber footings framed up on a graded pad, a desert peak standing behind the houses.
Timber footings framed up on a graded pad, a desert peak standing behind the houses.
Footing trenches cut and squared, ready for steel.
Footing trenches cut and squared, ready for steel.

Where we work

  • Ahwatukee
  • Anthem
  • Apache Junction
  • Avondale
  • Black Canyon City
  • Buckeye
  • Chandler
  • Carefree
  • Cave Creek
  • Casa Grande
  • Desert Hills
  • El Mirage
  • Fountain Hills
  • Gilbert
  • Glendale
  • Goodyear
  • Litchfield Park
  • Maricopa
  • Mesa
  • New River
  • Paradise Valley
  • Peoria
  • Phoenix
  • Prescott
  • Prescott Valley
  • Queen Creek
  • Scottsdale
  • Sun City
  • Sun City Grand
  • Sun City West
  • Surprise
  • Tempe
  • Wickenburg
  • Wittmann

Questions

Before you call.

What are my options for getting rid of a swimming pool?
Three. A complete removal takes out all of the deck and shell, which leaves the backyard open for a structure, an addition, or a new pool. A fill-in punches a large hole in the bottom for drainage and drops the top 18 to 24 inches of the walls into the pool — the most popular choice. Dirt only leaves the shell and deck intact.
What does a complete pool removal include?
The permit from your city, disconnecting the electricity, capping off plumbing lines and removing the pool equipment, then every piece of deck and shell out of the ground. Backfill goes in and is compacted in 12-inch lifts, and the yard is rough graded flat and even. Three to four days for most pools.
How long does a fill-in take?
Two to three days depending on the size of the pool. Dirt only is one to two.
Can I landscape over a filled-in pool?
Yes. There will be at least 18 inches of dirt above the buried pool shell, which allows room for sprinkler systems and for trees and bushes to be planted.
What happens if you hit rock or caliche?
Arizona's soil is very dynamic, and certain areas of the Valley are known as hard dig areas. In one of those, the first thing we do is dig a test hole inside the pool area to find out whether we can reach the depth of the pool without hitting rock or abnormal soil. If we find it, you get a price to complete the pool before any work has started.
Do you only do removals?
No. Residential swimming pool excavation is the other half of the work — pools, spas and water features, plus landscape removal and pre-grades. Precision on the dig reduces or eliminates the need for extra shotcrete and over-break, which brings down what it costs to build the pool.

Request a Free Estimate

Tell us what is in the yard.

Call for a free estimate on your pool excavation, pool demolition, or any other excavating project. If you already have plans for the pool, email them over and we will price from those.

(602) 368-6475

2020 West Adobe Drive
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Call (602) 368-6475