When Tyler and Lauren Bouldin bought an abandoned 1830s house in Pennsylvania, the neglected swimming pool was one of the property’s most obvious problems.
It had no cover or safety fence. The water had turned black, and snakes had made the damaged structure their home.
For several years, the couple covered the area and focused on making the house safe enough for their family. The main floor was missing, the staircase was collapsing, and the kitchen had disappeared entirely.
Once the house was livable, they returned to the pool.
Restoring it seemed like the expected choice. Instead, Tyler and Lauren decided to remove it and build a garden in its place.
Their transformation video later attracted approximately 1.3 million views, along with thousands of comments from people who believed they had made the wrong decision.
Restoring the pool would have cost at least $50,000
The family initially considered repairing the existing structure.
Several pool contractors declined to take on the project. The estimate they eventually received started at approximately $50,000, before the cost of repairing the surrounding concrete, fencing, buried water pipes and electrical lines.
The property also sits in a wooded valley in central Pennsylvania, where the swimming season is relatively short.
For the Bouldins, the cost no longer made sense.
Once demolition began, workers discovered that the metal beneath the pool lining was heavily rusted. Tyler said the structure could have leaked or collapsed even if the family had paid to install a new liner.
The pool briefly looked like a demolition site
Removing the structure required heavy machinery.
The damaged concrete, lining and metal components were taken out, leaving a large pit in the yard. The excavation was filled with gravel and drainage material to manage groundwater before the surface was leveled.
The family said the yard briefly looked like the site of an aircraft crash.
When the demolition was complete, the dangerous pool had become a flat gravel area suitable for a new project.
The full transformation, including excavation, landscaping repairs and the installation of the garden beds, cost approximately $15,500.
Tyler estimated that the finished garden would cost about one-quarter of the amount required to replace the swimming pool.
They chose materials designed to last
The couple did not want temporary wooden beds that would need rebuilding after a few growing seasons.
They installed powder-coated steel raised beds, Corten steel edging and cedar beams for a future pergola. The materials increased the initial cost but reduced the need for frequent repairs.
Tyler said his goal was to continue gardening in the space for years without rebuilding it every spring.
The raised beds also offered several practical advantages over planting directly in the ground.
They created defined growing areas, improved drainage and allowed the family to bring in suitable soil rather than relying on the compacted ground left after demolition.
The gravel paths reduced mud and made it easier to move between the beds.
The internet wanted them to keep the pool
When the family published the before-and-after transformation, many viewers praised the garden.
Others could not understand why anyone would remove an in-ground swimming pool.
Some argued that the family should have restored it, even after Tyler explained the condition of the structure and the estimated cost.
The couple remained comfortable with their choice.
They had never used the pool. For them, it had been an unsafe pit filled with dark water rather than a usable feature of the property.
The garden, by contrast, could provide vegetables, flowers and a place where the family could spend time throughout much of the year.
The garden is still evolving
The project is not finished.
Tyler and Lauren plan to add an outdoor kitchen, a dining area and more spaces where friends and relatives can gather.
Their aim is to make the garden both productive and connected to the history of the nearly 200-year-old property.
The family does not know exactly what the estate’s original gardens looked like. However, they believe those spaces would probably have combined useful crops with ornamental planting.
The new garden follows the same idea.
What began as one of the most dangerous areas of the property has become one of its most useful.
The abandoned pool once collected black water and attracted snakes.
Now it holds vegetables, flowers and the beginnings of a space the family expects to use for many years.
@ouroldhouse We’re in phase 2 of turning our old pool into a kitchen garden… and assembling these 7 beds meant driving in around 7,000 screws. One of those projects where the right tool makes all the difference! Using a @SKIL POWER TOOLS rechargeable screwdriver cut the work down so much and kept us moving the whole time. I have it linked in our bio.. it was a lifesaver! Still wild to see this space go from an unusable "pool" to something we’ll be in every day. Follow along to watch it all come together. #theforgehouse #sponsored #skilpowertools #madewithskil #garden ♬ A beautiful royalty-free music track.(1258381) – Art Music Style
