Dilapidation reports for swimming pool excavation
Pools are one of the most common reasons neighbours report new cracks. Here's how to protect yourself before the excavator arrives.
A pool is a big hole close to a boundary. Excavation removes support from the soil beside it, rock breaking sends vibration into neighbouring footings, and compaction plates and concrete trucks add more. On a typical suburban lot, the neighbour's house, fence and retaining wall may be only a few metres away.
That makes pools one of the most common sources of "you cracked my wall" disputes. A dilapidation report done before excavation starts settles most of them before they begin.
What we inspect for a pool job
- The neighbouring house, focusing on the walls, floors and ceilings on the side facing the pool
- Boundary fences, especially masonry fences and their footings
- Retaining walls on or near the boundary, recording lean, cracking and drainage
- Paving, paths and slabs on the neighbour's side, which often already have movement joints opening up
- The neighbour's own pool, if they have one, including coping and tiling
When to book
As soon as you have an excavation date, and ideally a week or two before it. That leaves time to arrange access with the neighbour. The inspection itself should be as close to the start of excavation as practical, so nothing can change in between.
Sandy, sloping and rocky sites
Around the Illawarra and Shoalhaven, pool sites vary a lot. Sandy coastal ground near Warilla, Windang or Culburra Beach can slump if excavation isn't supported. Sloping sites in Kiama and the northern suburbs of Wollongong often need rock breaking and retaining. Both are good reasons to have the neighbouring structures recorded in detail.
After the pool is finished
If the neighbour raises a concern, a post-construction inspection compares each item against the original report. In most cases it shows the crack was already there. Where it shows genuine new damage, everyone has a clear, measured basis for agreeing a repair.
Read more about what goes into a dilapidation report.
Common questions
Does council require a dilapidation report for a pool?
Not always. It depends on the consent or certificate conditions, which often turn on how close the excavation is to the boundary and how deep it goes. Even when it isn't required, a report on the closest neighbour is inexpensive protection.
Who should get the report, the pool builder or the owner?
Either can commission it. What matters is that it's done before excavation starts and that it covers the neighbouring structures closest to the pool.