Texas homeowner's above-ground pool collapses and floods neighbor's living room, runs into hurdles with insurance and repairs: 'It was basically a mess of mud, water, and broken flooring'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
May 27, 2026 2:30 PM EDT

How would you make peace with your neighbors after their precious above-ground pool project caused complete destruction in your living room?

This Texas-based homeowner shared with Reddit's/HomeMaintenance subreddit that he had a bad feeling about her neighbor's above-ground pool from the very beginning. Of course, she couldn't say or do much. After all, their project was, in fact, compliant with the policies of their local HOA. Furthermore, she didn't want to cause any friction with the people next door, so she stayed silent and allowed the project to continue without any interference.

Unfortunately, her bad feeling turned out to be prophetic, and the above-ground pool collapsed not long after it was finished. Guess whose property was damaged the most? Now, the homeowner has to deal with the headache-inducing conundrum of repairs and insurance when she didn't ask for any of this.

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    Neighbors’ pool collapsed and flooded my entire living room

    Something pretty unbelievable happened over the weekend My neighbors recently set up one of those big above-ground pools.
    via mousit11
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    An image depicting a flooded modern kitchen with chairs floating on the water.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    An image depicting a flooded modern kitchen with chairs floating on the water.

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    You know the kind you just need to assemble, fill up, and you're good to go. They've got a really tall one, way bigger than I expected for a temporary one, so you can easily dive in it. Anyway,
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    they had a few people over, and long story short, there was a lot of jumping, splashing, and the usual chaos
    via mousit11
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    An overhead view of a backyard demonstrating a homeowner's above-ground pool.
    via Unsplash+ (Ahmed)

    An overhead view of a backyard demonstrating a homeowner's above-ground pool.

  • Couldn't these neighbors have just constructed a normal pool like everyone else? We understand the desire to be trendy and to have your residence stand out, but it seems that this construction was unnecessarily tall and, well, a bit of an eyesore.

    As is customary with neighborhood debacles, the person who was the most affected by the drama wasn't the person responsible for it. Instead, it was this resident, whose living room was in shambles after having been flooded by water and debris. 

    Thankfully, after some non-stop calls, the resident was able to get insurance to cover the damage, but as is the case with insurance, getting that confirmation of coverage was an entire process in and of itself.

    If I were the neighbor who started it all, I would have volunteered to assume not just responsibility for what happened but also to provide whatever support I could regarding repairs and insurance. It doesn't seem like the family next door was self-aware enough to assume this role, not even after they learned that they wouldn't be held responsible financially. 

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    But the structure gave way. I didn't even see it happen properly, I just heard this sudden rush and cracking noise, and then a wave of water basically tore through their yard fence line.
    via mousit11
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    It wasn't just pool water either and it picked up a ton of dirt and debris along the way and just kept going
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    A side view of a neighborhood backyard showing an above-ground pool and lounge chairs.
    via Unsplash+ (Ahmed)

    A side view of a neighborhood backyard showing an above-ground pool and lounge chairs.

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    It ended up flooding part of our backyard first, and then somehow pushed into the house. Living room, dining room... both completely soaked. By the time I
    via mousit11
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    got in there it was basically a mess of mud, water, and broken flooring. Everything just... ruined in minutes
    via mousit11
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    A representation of a blonde woman gasping in shock while standing in her living room.
    via Vitaly Gariev

    A representation of a blonde woman gasping in shock while standing in her living room.

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    Now we can't really live in a place like this. Floors are lifted, everything smells damp, and there's no way around a full cleanup and probably replacement work
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    Insurance and the neighbors are going to cover the damage, so that part should be handled, but I'm still trying to figure out what the actual timeline looks like for something like this. I found
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    Regent Restoration while looking into water damage cleanup, but I have no idea if we're talking a few days, a couple of weeks, or something way longer.
    via mousit11
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    Also kind of ironic because it took me ages to finally get the living room how I wanted it... new rug, furniture, the whole setup and now it's basically all on hold
    via mousit11

  • This isn't the first instance of unruly behavior from neighbors we've come across in recent months. For more, take a look at this story of crazed teenagers as well as this piece about another homeowner's noisy DIY project. Keep scrolling below for more reactions to this author's anecdote from members of this online community. 

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    SoggyAd8149. Insurance should pay for you to stay in a hotel.
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    Pale_Attitude8798 As a contractor that has done this kind of work and dealt with insurance, you are looking at several months. It could easily be a month before the insurance company moves, and at least a couple of months to get the repairs completed.
    via mousit11
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    SlimTimMcGee • Depending on where you live, your neighbor could face criminal charges. A lot of municipalities require above ground pools to have a plan submitted to them. It
    via mousit11
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    may include placement, certain distances from all structures and must have a proper place to go should it be drained or in this case fail. Hopefully the guys insurance won't say he was negligent and deny the claim.
    via mousit11

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hoa neighbors insurance Legal Woes repairs water damage homeowner flooding pool property
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