Austin Pool Demolition & Removal — Done Right the First Time
Engineered backfill that won't sink. Drone-documented start to finish.
Full Removal or Partial Fill-In?
Here's the Honest Math.
Most crews push whichever option pads their margin and stay quiet about the trade-offs. We'd rather you choose with eyes open — because the wrong call shows up years later at resale.
Full Removal
Build-ready · clean disclosurePartial Fill-In
Lower cost · conditions applyEither way, the part that matters is the same: how the hole gets filled. That's where most jobs go wrong — and it's the next section.
Cracking, shifting, or failing? Find out WHY before you spend $30K patching it.
A failing pool, deck, or slab is a symptom. Soil movement, expansive clay, drainage, voids beneath the shell, or concrete chemistry like alkali-silica reaction (ASR) — the cause dictates the fix. Demolish the wrong thing and the problem comes back in the new construction. We diagnose the ground first, then recommend the work that actually solves it. Sometimes that's full removal. Sometimes it isn't. We'll tell you straight.
Why Cheap Fill-Ins Fail
A "fill-in" is only as good as the compaction underneath it. Skip that step — as the lowest bidder almost always does — and here's the chain of events that follows.
The Lowest Bid
- Fill pushed in loose, no measured lifts
- No compaction testing — "trust us"
- No documentation when settling starts
- You inherit the disclosure problem
The ClearGround Process
- Engineered backfill placed in measured lifts
- Compaction verified and logged, lift by lift
- Drone-documented start to finish — a system of record
- A close-out package you can hand to a buyer or engineer
This is the difference between a hole that's filled and ground that's verified.
Six Steps. Documented at Every One.
Concrete is crushed and recycled, not landfilled. Every lift is logged. You finish with a documented record, not just a flat yard.
Before. After. On the Record.
Every project is captured by drone from start to finish — so the difference isn't a claim, it's documented.
failing / aging pool
restored, compaction-verified yard
Pool Demo/Removal: Pool Cancer / ASR + Drainage Correction — Crystal Falls, Leander, TX
The homeowner saw a leaning retaining wall, a cracking gunite shell, and runoff pouring off the gutters and patio with nowhere to drain.
Rather than quote a demolition, we diagnosed first; the failure was traced to "Concrete cancer" (Alkali-Silica Reaction or ASR) is a chemical defect in concrete mixes where reactive aggregates react with moisture to form an expanding gel. This expansion causes concrete to crack and crumble from within. In swimming pools, it severely compromises the shell's structural integrity, leading to severe cracking and rendering the pool unusable.
Second, we found uncontrolled surface water saturating the expansive clay behind the wall, not the pool itself. We removed the pool in full, backfilled the void with engineered select fill compacted to 95% Standard Proctor (ASTM D698), then regraded to a positive 3% slope and laid sod to carry runoff away from the foundation and stabilize the new grade against erosion — the drainage control the lot never had.
Real Ranges.
No Truck-Side Guesses.
Every quote starts with an RTK drone scan that maps your site — and the rock under it — to centimeter accuracy. That produces an exact scope and a fixed price. The ranges below reflect typical Austin and Hill Country residential projects.
Rock & limestone is the biggest Hill Country variable — denser "blue rock" can double hammer time per cubic yard at the $250/hr rate above. Pool type matters: gunite and concrete take more demolition than fiberglass or vinyl, but fiberglass and vinyl-liner pools can only be fully removed — a partial fill-in isn't an option for those. Size and depth drive both breakup and backfill volume. Access — tight gates, slopes, and close-set Hill Country lots may force smaller equipment and more hand work. Decking, coping, and equipment pads add concrete square footage. Imported fill, haul distance, and permit fees round out the rest — most of which we offset by crushing and recycling concrete on-site where the layout allows.
Ranges reflect typical Central Texas residential pools. Your fixed price comes from the free on-site RTK scan — scope, timeline, and number, in writing, before any work begins.
Verified.
- A real estimator walks your site — not a phone guess
- Honest recommendation: removal, fill-in, or diagnose first
- Compaction-verified, drone-documented work
- Concrete recycled, not landfilled
Request Received.
We'll call you shortly to schedule your on-site quote. Need it sooner? Call (512) 880-8888.