I've learned a lot by taking on this project. First of all, I'm glad I did it. The pool was a problem and getting that resolved was my primary concern. By draining, demolishing and then filling in my swimming pool I've solved several key issues with my house and the safety of my child.
The thing is, no matter what you must always get multiple bids when you're undertaking any construction projects. Costs can vary wildly and you can learn a great deal by talking with several contractors on site. Secondly the first price you hear is quite often not the final price. One vendor actually publicly chided me for not trying to get them to drop their price (see earlier comments). For some reason I thought it was a real number and not a fake car dealership number but prices quoted to you for construction projects aren't like Bloomingdale's they're more like a Sunland swap meet. I personally hate bargaining and rarely do it. I ask for the last number first and then I either take it or move on. That quote speaks volumes of the vendors.
Another thing you might want to consider is working as your own general contractor and subcontracting all of the steps of the job. For instance, a general contractor may give you a quote of $20,000 to remodel your bathroom but if you find contractors you trust and who have good references you might be able to hire a plumber and get fixtures for $6000, a tile guy for $5000 and an electrician for $3000 which would lower your project cost to $14,000. However, if you're not comfortable dealing with various personalities, timelines, excuses, Taco Bell wrappers left on your floor and you're not familiar with their technical issues it might be more convenient to pay the extra amount to have someone else manage the whole shebang for you.
Growing up on a perpetual construction site I know just enough to figure out how to parcel out each step. It may be daunting but break down your project step by step. Sure I could have paid the big construction company to do the demolition and dirt for $8500 and then forked out another $1000 to repair my wall and then another $4500 for synthetic grass but that just didn't sit right with me. Neither did the other bids. Taking my time and doing it properly and most financially responsible step by step saved me a big chunk of money. Instead of $14,000 plus extras my total for this project was under $8000 including demolition, permit fees and sodas for the handymen.
In the end, my pool is gone, the fake grass is in and my daughter has a safe place to play. All of my very patient neighbors have been coming by to look at the finished project and they're extremely impressed with how well it turned out, how great the turf looks and how I've gained so much usable space. I think a few of them might want to try taking on similar synthetic turf projects.
Whatever you decide to do with your outdoor space, do a lot of research and talk to as many manufacturers as possible. A great resource is syntheticgrassblog.com. This stuff is relatively new and with time prices will definitely drop. In the mean time be smart and watch out for all the snakes in the plastic grass.
