Pool removal and villa garden demolition in Marbella

Pool removal as part of a villa renovation

Marbella lies on the Mediterranean at the foot of Sierra Blanca, and besides the main town the municipality includes San Pedro Alcántara and Nueva Andalucía, each with its own district. Across Nagüeles, Sierra Blanca, the Golden Mile, Río Real, Los Monteros, Elviria, Artola, Cabopino and Guadalmina, a large share of the villas were built decades ago, and their pools no longer match how the houses are used or what a buyer expects.

So in Marbella the pool is rarely removed on its own. It is usually one stage of a larger plan:

• the old pool is taken out completely so a new, differently placed pool or an extension can be built – a full pool demolition;
• a second or oversized pool is turned into garden through a drained, compacted infill;
• terraces, pool houses, pergolas and outdoor kitchens are taken down through terrace and outbuilding demolition before the new design starts.

Working with your architect and the renovation timeline

On a renovation, our work has to fit the architect's and the builder's plan. We work with the project or documentation your técnico prepares, agree with them what stays and what goes, and coordinate dates so the demolition is finished before the next trade arrives. We do not draft projects, sign technical reports or apply for licences; the owner and their técnico do.

Marbella has a declaración responsable procedure for works; whether demolition is included in it is still to be verified (to be verified), so your técnico should confirm with the Ayuntamiento de Marbella which procedure applies to your job. A skip or lorry on the public road needs an occupation authorisation. The Las Bóvedas Roman baths are a Bien de Interés Cultural (archaeological zone) under Decree 227/2007; near protected sites like this, demolition needs a licence.

East and west Marbella: different plots, different methods

The municipality is long, and the method changes along it. On the hillside estates below Sierra Blanca and in Nagüeles, plots are steep and pools are often set on terraces or partly raised, which favours a complete demolition and careful protection of the slope. In Elviria, Artola, Cabopino and Las Chapas, many plots are flatter and sandier near the coast, and pools are easier to reach with a machine. In San Pedro and Guadalmina, older villas on large flat plots often have generous gardens where an infill is a practical choice.

Gated estates such as Marbella Hill Club and Sierra Blanca have their own rules on contractor access and working hours, which we follow. Ask your property manager or administrator for them early.

Levelling, rubble and progress reports in English

After a pool comes out, the space is backfilled in compacted layers and shaped to the level your architect needs, through our groundworks and levelling after demolition. Rubble is sorted on site – concrete, ceramics, metal, plastic, wood – and delivered to an authorised facility, and the receipts go to you or your project manager.

Many Marbella owners are abroad during the works. You can write to us in English, we send photos at each stage, and we keep your architect informed. For whole-villa demolition, see villa demolition in Marbella on our sister site. Before comparing offers, our post on red flags in pool removal quotes is worth a read.

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