Remove Above Ground Pool and Fill In — Pool Out, Yard Back
The pool has not been opened in years, the liner is shot, and you want it gone and a flat lawn back where it stood.
JMB Builders will remove your above ground pool and fill in the spot, anywhere in the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud. The pool is drained where the city allows, the liner, walls, frame and any deck taken down and hauled away, the sand base and cove removed or spread, and the area filled, graded, topsoiled and seeded or sodded. Priced per project.
- Priced per project
- Pool, liner and deck hauled away
- Filled, graded, topsoil and seed or sod
- Drain water sent where the city allows
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
An above ground pool comes apart in a day, but the yard it leaves behind is a round, dead patch of sand, often dug in on one side, with a ring of settled soil where the wall stood. Fill it wrong and it becomes a low spot that holds water every spring.
The water goes first. Many cities have rules on where pool water can be drained, and chlorinated water should not go straight into a storm drain or onto a neighbor's lot. We drain it to your own lawn or where the city allows. The liner, steel or resin walls, top rails, uprights and any attached deck are taken apart and hauled; steel goes to scrap.
Then the ground. The sand base and the cove are removed or spread thin, any cut into a slope is filled and compacted in lifts, and the spot is graded to match the lawn around it, topsoiled and seeded or sodded.
What you supply
- Photos of the pool, the deck, the filter and pump, and the path to the street
- Whether the pool still has water in it
- The electrical feed to the pump shut off; disconnecting the wiring is done by a licensed electrician when it is hard-wired
- A choice of seed or sod to finish
What JMB supplies
- Draining the pool where the city allows
- Tear-down of liner, walls, rails, uprights, filter and pump
- Deck and stairs taken apart when they go with the pool
- Haul-away, with steel to a scrap recycler
- Sand base and cove removed or spread, cut-in slopes filled and compacted
- Topsoil, grading to match the lawn, and seed or sod as quoted
- Photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Pool size and whether water is still in it
- An attached deck, stairs or fencing that also comes out
- Whether the pool was dug into a slope and needs fill compacted in lifts
- How much sand base is hauled off vs. spread
- Topsoil and seed vs. sod to finish
- Access for a skid steer and trailer from the street
Send photos of the pool from two sides, the deck, and the path from the backyard to the street. Most pool removals are quoted from photos.
How long it takes
Tear-down and haul: most pools in a day. Fill, grade and seed or sod: another day. Seed needs a few weeks to fill in.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Pool only
Drained, liner, walls and frame taken down and hauled, sand base spread, and the spot graded, topsoiled and seeded.
Pool and attached deck
The deck and stairs come apart with the pool; footings or posts are pulled or cut below grade, and the whole area is graded.
Dug-in pool on a slope
Where one side was cut into the hill, the cut is filled and compacted in lifts so it does not settle into a low spot.
Pool to patio or shed pad
Instead of lawn, the flattened spot is prepared as the base for a gravel pad, a patio or a shed.
Remove Above Ground Pool and Fill In — Pool Out, Yard Back: questions, answered
How do you remove an above ground pool?
The water is drained where the city allows, then the liner is cut out and the top rails, uprights and wall panels are taken apart. Everything is loaded and hauled, with steel going to scrap. The sand base is removed or spread and the spot is graded for lawn.
What do you do with the ground after pool removal?
The sand base and the cove around the wall are removed or spread thin, low spots and any cut into a slope are filled and compacted, and the area is graded to match the lawn. Topsoil goes on top and it is seeded or sodded. Leaving the sand as is makes a patch where grass struggles.
Where can I drain my above ground pool?
It depends on the city. Many ask that pool water be dechlorinated and drained onto your own lawn rather than into the street or a storm drain, and it cannot run onto a neighbor's lot. We check your city's rules and drain it the allowed way.
Can you remove the pool deck too?
Yes. An attached deck and stairs are usually taken down in the same visit. Posts and footings are pulled or cut below grade so the area can be graded and seeded.
How long does it take to remove an above ground pool and fill it in?
Most pools come down and are hauled in a day, and filling, grading and seeding or sod take another day. A pool that is full of water or a large attached deck adds time.
Will the spot where the pool was sink later?
It can if the fill is loose. Where the pool was dug into a slope or the base was excavated, fill goes in thin layers and each is compacted before the next, then topsoil on top. That keeps the spot from settling into a puddle.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
Related jobs we do
Concrete Patio and Sidewalk Removal — Broken Out and Hauled Away
An old patio, walk or set of steps is cracked, heaved or in the way, and it has to come out before anything new can go in.
Read moreRock and Boulder Removal From Yard — Dug Out, Reused or Hauled
A boulder sits where you want a shed or a garden, rock keeps coming up under the lawn, or the old landscape rock beds are more weeds than rock.
Read moreLawn Repair After Construction — Regrade, Topsoil and Seed
The addition is done, the septic is in, the windows are new — and the yard is ruts, clay and a pile where the lawn used to be. We put the grade back and grow a lawn on it.
Read moreSod Installation — New Lawn Sod and Sod Repair Patches
A lawn that never came back, a new house sitting in dirt, or a strip of bare ground where the trench went through — sodded on prepped soil so it takes root instead of shrinking.
Read moreGravel Pad for a Shed or Hot Tub — Compacted Class 5 With a Border
The shed company delivers to a level pad and drives away; this is the pad — compacted, bordered, a little bigger than the shed, and draining so the floor does not rot from underneath.
Read moreBackfill and Final Grade Around a New House
The foundation is in and inspected, and the dirt needs to go back around the walls and the lot shaped so the basement stays dry and the lawn can go in.
Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All excavation pages
Where we work
Excavation near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: