An above-ground pool is the easiest kind to take out, and also the one people put off the longest. The liner wears, the wall rusts, the deck gets soft, and every spring the same question comes up: fix it or finally get rid of it. If you have decided to get rid of it, this page covers what the job costs, what we take away, and how the day goes. If your pool is dug into the ground, that is a different and bigger job, covered on our inground pool removal page, and our pool removal overview compares both.
Above-ground pool removal cost in Toronto: the real ranges
A pool on its own, with no deck, typically costs $1,200–$2,000 to remove and haul away. If the pool has a deck or platform attached, the job runs $2,000–$3,500 because the deck is lumber, screws and footings that all have to be taken apart and carried out. Together those two figures sit inside the $1,200–$3,500 range quoted across this site for above-ground pools.
Two add-ons come up often. Pump, filter and a small equipment pad add roughly $150–$400. Removing the sand or stone base and rough-grading adds roughly $300–$800, mostly depending on how deep the base is and how easily we can get a wheelbarrow or small machine to it.
What moves the price: pool size, deck size, how far it is from the pool to the bin, whether the gate is wide enough for a loader, and whether the pool is in good enough shape to come apart cleanly. You will get a written number before we show up.
What we remove: liner, wall, frame, deck, equipment
The liner comes out first. It is cut free and bagged, because wet vinyl is heavy and tears easily. Then the wall: steel panels are unbolted or cut into sections, and resin walls are taken apart at their joints. The top rails, uprights, braces and ladder come out last and are carried to the bin.
If there is a deck, it is torn down piece by piece, starting with the railings and boards and ending with the framing and any post footings that are above ground. Pump, filter, skimmer and hoses are removed once the power is made safe. We separate the metal for scrap and the rest goes into the bin.
What stays unless you ask otherwise: any fence around the yard, patio stones, gardens and landscaping that were never part of the pool.
How the removal day goes
The crew arrives and walks the yard with you one more time. Once the water is down, the liner comes out, then the wall and frame, then the deck if there is one. Everything goes straight into the bin or onto the truck. Most pools under 24 feet are cleared by early afternoon. Larger pools with decks take a full day.
When the pool is out, the crew rakes the area and, if the sand base is in the scope, shovels or machines it out. You do not need to be home for the whole visit, but being reachable by phone helps in case something unexpected turns up, such as an old buried hose or a drain line.
Draining, electrical and the pump
Draining comes first and it is the part most people get wrong when they try to do the job themselves. Pool water has chlorine or salt in it, and a full pool holds thousands of litres. Dumping it all at once can flood a yard, wash out a flower bed or send water into a neighbour’s property. We drain slowly, in a direction that makes sense for your lot, and point you to the local rules for discharge to the sewer.
Electrical is a separate issue. Most above-ground pumps plug into an outdoor outlet, but some are on a hard-wired circuit. If wiring runs to a pump or light, the power has to be shut off and made safe by a licensed electrician before we touch it. We tell you at the quote stage if we see anything that needs one.
A note on permits: removing an above-ground pool usually does not need one in Toronto or York Region, but a deck, an electrical connection or a safety fence can change that. Check with your municipality before the day. Confirming and filing anything that is needed is the property owner’s responsibility.
What’s left behind and what you can do with it
When we leave you have a flat, raked area. If the base was removed, it is bare soil. If the sand was left, it is a pad of sand with dead grass underneath. Neither will grow a lawn on its own, so the usual next step is topsoil and seed or sod, which you can do yourself or have a landscaper do.
Some owners keep the sand for a garden border or a level base for a shed or patio. Others want it gone. Tell us which when you ask for the quote and we price both. If you want to keep the pool deck for a shed pad or a garden platform, tell us and we will leave that part standing.
Anything with resale value, such as a newer pump or a sturdy ladder, can stay with you if you ask. Otherwise it goes in the bin. If you are also clearing a fence or other yard structures at the same time, see our deck and fence removal page for how that is priced.
Above-ground pool removal across Toronto and York Region
We take out above-ground pools across Toronto, Scarborough, North York, Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill, and surrounding York Region neighbourhoods. To get a firm number, send us photos of the pool and deck, the approximate diameter or length, and a picture of how a machine or wheelbarrow would reach the backyard. Most above-ground quotes can be given from photos alone.
