Pool digs and pool removal in San Bernardino
Shandin Excavation handles the excavation side of pool work across the valley: the dig for a new gunite or fiberglass shell, the over dig for the plumbing, the spa and the sunken areas, and the removal of a pool nobody uses anymore. Pool builders sub the dig out on most jobs, and a homeowner who understands what drives it can read their builder’s line item with confidence.
What a pool dig involves
The pool contractor stakes the shape and sets the elevations. The excavator digs the shell about six inches oversize so the steel and the gunite have room, steps the shallow end and the deep end, cuts the bench and the spa, and trenches for the main drain and the returns. The walls have to stand long enough to be steeled and shot, which is where sand and cobble behave differently: Lytle Creek fan sand in Rialto stands a week in dry weather; loose cobble in Highland ravels at the edges and gets shot sooner.
Summers over 100 degrees keep pool builders in San Bernardino, Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga busy from March through October. Off season digs, November through February, are easier to schedule and the ground is still dry enough to work most weeks.
Why the same pool costs different money across the valley
North of Highland Avenue in San Bernardino, in all of Highland and in Alta Loma and Etiwanda the lots sit on alluvial fan material. The first two or three feet are fill and topsoil; below that, rounded river cobble and granite boulders the canyons dropped during floods. A dig there carries a breaker and a boulder allowance. South of the 10 and across Rialto and south Fontana the ground is sandy loam that digs clean. The published pool range of $2,500 to $9,000 covers both; where your lot lands in it is mostly about the rock.
How the dig is priced
- 1
Gate and access
Eight feet or wider: full size machine, one day. Six to eight feet: mini excavator, more hours. Under six: the fence panel comes out.
- 2
Ground
Sand near the low end. Cobble and boulders add breaker time and extra loads. A probe bar during the site walk tells most of the story.
- 3
Size and features
A 14 by 30 rectangle is the base. A spa, a sunken bar, a deep end over eight feet or a freeform shape adds hours.
- 4
Export
60 to 120 cubic yards at $200 to $400 a load. Anything that stays on the lot comes off the bill.
Pool removal runs on its own line, $6,000 to $18,000, driven by partial versus full demolition, the shell size and the compaction report the city wants before the yard can carry a structure again. The full table is on the cost guide.
Get the dig priced for your yard
Call (443) 364-3676 or send the form below and one licensed contractor calls you back within one business day.
Pool dig questions
How long does a pool dig take?
One working day for a standard residential shell when a full size excavator fits through the gate and the ground is sandy. Two days with a mini excavator through a narrow gate, or when cobble and boulders slow the bucket. The dig is usually the fastest part of a pool build.
How wide does my side gate need to be?
Eight feet lets a mid size excavator and a skid steer in. Six to eight feet means a mini excavator and more hours. Under six feet, the fence panel comes out, which is almost always cheaper than the extra machine time.
Where does the dirt go?
Out the same gate, into a ten wheeler at $200 to $400 a load. A pool produces 60 to 120 cubic yards, so 6 to 12 loads. Keeping some on site for a raised planter or spreading it in the back cuts the bill.
What if the excavator hits a boulder?
North of the 210 and in Highland, plan on it. A boulder under about two feet gets lifted out. Bigger than that it is broken with a hydraulic breaker or craned over the fence. The cost guide carries a boulder line of $1,500 to $6,000 so the quote names it up front.
Can you remove an old pool?
Yes. A partial removal breaks the top of the shell, punches drainage holes in the floor and fills with compacted material; a full removal hauls the whole shell. Both need a compaction report so the yard can be built on later. Figure $6,000 to $18,000.