Cloudi Space

We knew the backyard was a mess, and that there was a significant water problem. We knew (after we bought the home but before we closed) that there had once been a swimming pool – but that it was buried over ten years.

This was a particularly wet year, and when we first saw the home there were a number of wet patches collecting in the back yard, enough to get a small glimpse of what was to develop over the next few months. Still – it would have been difficult to imagine what lie ahead when spring began and the rain got more frequent – and harder.

Our inspection had been interesting – there were a number of items that the inspector had zero experience in so we decided that in order to move ahead with the purchase we needed to meet with the owner. A lot came out in that meeting, and a lot more came out later.

One of the items that we were informed of was the gunnite swimming pool that was buried in the back yard. The owner claimed no knowledge of it’s condition – something I find slightly confusing as various neighbors keep informing us that at least a portion of it was recently dug up – and apparently at the same time a retaining wall was torn down, mature grape arbors removed, and various plants and roses removed. Most important, when the wall was toppled the bricks were left to lie under the newly graded soil, and the existing french drains that had handled the water issues inherent in a downward slope to the home were smashed.