Pool and spa construction terms, from gunite shells and coping to hydrostatic relief valves, plus the terms used when a pool is removed or abandoned in place.
Prices for this work: demolition · concrete and asphalt removal · all 2026 prices
Related services: Pool removal · Concrete removal
Pools and spas
- Above-ground pool
- A pool with a metal or resin frame and liner sitting on the ground. Removal is mostly takedown and hauling. The frame, liner and any deck around it are hauled away, and the ground under it is leveled if the area will be used again.
- Attached (spillover) spa
- A spa built into the same concrete shell as the pool, often raised so it spills water into the pool. It comes out with the pool. Because it shares the shell and plumbing, it is priced with the pool rather than as a separate spa.
- Bond beam
- The thickened, reinforced top edge of a pool wall that supports the coping and tile. It is the most heavily reinforced part of the shell, and in an abandon-in-place closure it comes off with the top of the walls.
- Commercial (public) pool
- A pool at a hotel, apartment complex, club or school, permitted and inspected by the county health department. Usually larger and thicker, with more equipment and piping.
- DE filter
- A pool filter that uses diatomaceous earth powder. Used powder can’t go down the storm drain and is bagged for disposal.
- Fiberglass pool
- A one-piece molded shell set into an excavation. Removal cuts the shell into pieces; it weighs far less than a concrete pool.
- Freestanding in-ground spa
- A concrete or gunite spa built on its own, away from any pool. It is removed as its own small shell, with its own equipment, plumbing and gas line to disconnect first.
- Gunite pool
- An in-ground pool built by spraying a dry concrete mix, wetted at the nozzle, over a steel rebar frame. The most common pool type in Southern California, and the heaviest to remove.
- Hydrostatic relief valve
- A valve in a pool floor that lets groundwater in when the pool is drained, so the shell doesn’t float or crack. Where groundwater is high, an empty pool can still lift or crack, so a drained pool shouldn’t be left empty longer than the work needs.
- Infinity (vanishing) edge pool
- A pool where water flows over one edge into a catch basin below, giving the look of no edge. The catch basin and its wall add concrete to remove.
- Lap pool
- A long, narrow pool built for swimming laps. Its long shell often runs close to a fence or property line, which can limit equipment access during removal.
- Main drain
- The drain at the deepest point of a pool floor, connected to the pump. It is plugged or broken out during demolition.
- Plunge pool
- A small, deep pool for cooling off rather than swimming, often in compact yards. It has less concrete than a full-size pool but still leaves a deep hole to backfill and compact.
- Pool barrier
- The fence, wall or cover required around a pool to keep children out. It stays in place until the pool is filled or removed.
- Pool deck
- The concrete, pavers or stone around a pool. Deck removal is priced as flatwork. Concrete removal service
- Pool equipment pad
- The slab where a pool’s pump, filter, heater and controls sit. It is removed along with gas and electric lines, which must be disconnected first.
- Pool plaster (pebble finish)
- The interior finish over a concrete pool, made of white plaster, colored quartz or exposed pebble. It is broken out with the shell and doesn’t change the removal method.
- Pool shell
- The structural walls and floor of a pool. Shell thickness and rebar set how long it takes to break out and how much concrete is hauled.
- Portable hot tub
- A self-contained acrylic or plastic spa on the ground or a deck, with built-in pump and heater. Removal is usually cutting it up and hauling.
- Poured concrete pool
- A pool with walls and floor cast in forms, more common on older and commercial pools. Its walls are often thicker than a gunite pool’s.
- Return jet
- The wall fitting where filtered water flows back into a pool. Its line runs back to the equipment pad and is capped during pool demolition.
- Shotcrete pool
- An in-ground concrete pool built by spraying a pre-mixed wet concrete. It looks and demolishes the same as a gunite pool.
- Skimmer
- The opening at a pool’s water line that pulls floating debris to the filter. Its line runs back to the equipment pad and is capped with the other pool lines during demolition.
- Swim spa
- A long portable spa with a current generator for swimming in place. It is larger and heavier than a hot tub and often needs a crane or cutting to remove.
- Vinyl-liner pool
- A pool with walls of steel or polymer panels and a vinyl liner, on a sand or grout floor. The lightest in-ground pool to remove.
- Waterline tile
- The band of tile along the top of a pool wall at the water line. It comes off with the bond beam in an abandon-in-place closure, or with the shell in a full removal.
Pool removal and closure
- Pool backfill
- Filling a demolished pool with soil or clean broken concrete in compacted lifts. Cities often require compaction testing. The fill material and compaction requirements are set by the city or, where something will be built, by the soils engineer. Pool demolition and backfill
- Pool demolition permit
- The city permit to remove or fill in a pool, usually issued with a site plan showing the closure method. Inspections typically cover the drain holes or excavation before backfill, and compaction results where they are required.
- Pool demolition: abandon in place
- Breaking drain holes in the pool bottom, removing the top portion of the walls and backfilling the shell in place. It costs less than full removal, but the area may not be buildable without an engineer’s approval. Cities set how far below grade the walls must be removed and whether an inspector checks the drain holes before backfill. Pool removal service
- Pool demolition: full removal
- Removing the entire pool shell and equipment, then backfilling and compacting the hole. It is needed when a structure will be built over the pool area. It leaves the area buildable for an ADU, addition or new home without designing around a buried shell. Our pool removal work
- Pool draining
- Pumping a pool out before demolition. Most Southern California cities require pool water to go to the sanitary sewer through a property cleanout, not the street or storm drain, and allow storm drain discharge only after dechlorination, if at all.
Removing or abandoning a pool
Who’s involved
Homeowners, buyers and sellers, HOAs, apartment and hotel owners, and the city inspectors who sign off when a pool or spa is removed, abandoned or rebuilt.
What the work involves
These terms describe how pools are built (gunite, shotcrete, fiberglass, vinyl liner), the parts in and around them, and the two ways to close one: abandon it in place or remove it completely, then backfill and compact.
Why it matters
The closure method changes the price, whether the area can be built on later, and what the city and future buyers will accept. Many cities require a permit, inspections and compaction testing, and some require full removal where a structure will go.
Where it applies in Southern California
Backyard pools are common across Southern California, and most are gunite. Owners remove them to make room for an ADU or addition, before a sale, or to cut water and upkeep costs.
How SoCal Removal fits in
SoCal Removal removes pools, spas, decks and equipment pads, backfills and compacts to the city’s requirements, and coordinates the compaction testing. See our pool removal service and pool removal prices.
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