DIY concrete swimming pool

[moparrob]

I appreciate all the feedback! Still digging and then I'll get bids. Once the pool is up and running, the plan is to put a steel framed building over it, with a paver pool deck around it and snow melt cables under the pavers. We're envisioning a year-round spot with non-idaho plants inside, almost like a conservatory. I hope to use as many multiwall greenhouse panels as possible for natural light and insulation.

I figure I have one more big project in me before im limited to Honda 90s and model trains or whatever.

 

[dodge man]

I’d for sure go with one of those big liners. You can still have a nice deck with concrete or pavers.

 

[grsthegreat]

I appreciate all the feedback! Still digging and then I'll get bids. Once the pool is up and running, the plan is to put a steel framed building over it, with a paver pool deck around it and snow melt cables under the pavers. We're envisioning a year-round spot with non-idaho plants inside, almost like a conservatory. I hope to use as many multiwall greenhouse panels as possible for natural light and insulation.

I figure I have one more big project in me before im limited to Honda 90s and model trains or whatever.

You can always do what my friend did in north idaho…..all triple payne glass panels.

 

[paulsharvey]

Just for kicks, I looked up steel panel, liner pool kits... Dagum; $9,000 for a 16x20 rectangle, 48" deep, with pump, liner, and frames. And its a liner pool, that might last 15 years. Maybe 6-8 years per liner; and by the time you need a 3rd, the metal is likely shot.

Next pool will likely be a semi perm, ribbon wall, semi above ground pool. We had one at the old house, like 16 ft roundx54", and the metal ribbon wall, that about caused a divorce... But, it had the option if semi buried, like 2'6" in ground, and 24" above; but we went 100% above. At about 5 years old when we moved, it had some corrosion (salt water pool), near the bottom of the "ribbon", and again at the "seam" right below the skimmer, but it probably had 2 or 3 more years in it.

 

[4570Man]

I appreciate all the feedback! Still digging and then I'll get bids. Once the pool is up and running, the plan is to put a steel framed building over it, with a paver pool deck around it and snow melt cables under the pavers. We're envisioning a year-round spot with non-idaho plants inside, almost like a conservatory. I hope to use as many multiwall greenhouse panels as possible for natural light and insulation.

I figure I have one more big project in me before im limited to Honda 90s and model trains or whatever.

You don’t want to dig the hole and then take a break. Time isn’t on your side with cave ins and filling up with water.

 

[paulsharvey]

At the prices I was seeing for some pretty dang basic, small, "kits", I can see the desire to do exactly what the OP is thinking.

18x24, 6" bottom, is about 7.25 CY, and a pretty easy pour, figure a 2x2 ft grid of #4 rebar, wwf, and #5 verticals at every cell, thats a lot of steel, but pretty simple. 54" (about what I find a nice depth), 8 courses of block, 40 CMU per coarse=320 block. 80 lbs bag of diamond brite, covers 20 sq ft, at $50/bag.

 

[paulsharvey]

I did watch a video, that was suggested in my YouTube feed, lady did a metal kit, that you pour a 1.5" layer of some special concrete (no steel, so im think this is basically just for leveling?) inside the metal panels to form the bottom, on top of compacted sand, before installing a vinyl liner, I think like a 18x36 or so; that she said was $32,000.... It also called for 12" of concrete back fill "behind" the metal wall panels, kinda like a pipe thrust block i guess.

 

[RayIN]

When our kids were in high school, a neighbor built and underground concrete pool for his kids.
The same month his youngest graduated high school, he used his tractor and FEL to fill the pool with dirt.
He said the taxes and insurance, and maintenance on the pool was ridiculously high already, then the insurance company demanded a child-proof fence around the pool; that was the final straw.

 

[dkarten]

Hey kids-

After a year of on and off planning and prep work, i broke ground on an 18x36 swimming pool. Wife wants a 9' deep end and a 4' shallow end with a tanning ledge or baja shelf next to the stairs at the shallow end. Plan is to use CMUs for the vertical surfaces and a slab at the bottom, all tied together with rebar.

For anyone who has similar experience, do I:

A) pour the footing for the CMU walls first with rebar extending into the slab, then pour the slab using the cured footing as a form or

B)form it all up and pour it at the same time, screeding and floating around the zillion pieces vertical rebar.

I have an electric mixer and ready mix trailers are 30 minutes from home. Concrete trucks are an option, but harder to conceal from the nosy neighbors.

I dont have a crew besides my wife and kids, and nobody likes dad after he tries to be the foreman on home projects. This will probably be my biggest and one of my last. I may get some quotes from the pros after the hole is dug, but my wife married a Feller, not a Rockefeller which is why I DIY most things.

My pool was built in 1946, 20x40 poured concrete with a slab split in 2, all floor to wall seams & center seam were sealed with roofing tar current to the era
When i bought my house in 1981 i knew nothing about pools or concrete, i had a well known local pool company come in & upgrade the filtration & paint, there is special either rubber or epoxy based paint, Paralon2 i believe is the brand
They sandblasted the old paint off at first then switched to water blasting after seeing damage to the concrete, unfortunately they also blasted off all the original roofing tar, then worked concrete into all the seams, WHICH CANNOT WORK. the pool is a living breathing mass that moves in winter, the roofing tar was pliable & sealed the seams. so for the next ten years the pool leaked, finally I had a flat roof company come & apply a sealer which helped but they didn’t do a good enough job. Then in 2000 I used a modern roofing product from Inland Coatings in Iowa, R2200 is that product, I did this myself and painted it myself, this is its 26th season after my restoration, still looks good, doesn’t leak, I went swimming today!
Hope this helps, good luck

BTW, I also used R2200 on my roof, great product

 

[LoudonNH]

That’s not how “concrete” pools are constructed. The best ones are shotcrete, installed in 2-3 hours, avoiding cold-joints and requiring at least 6-8 workmen to finish the surface. Also, the plastering is not a DIY project.
If you’re on a DIY budget, I suggest you find a deal on a fiberglass pool shell. Even that would need thoughtful, installation with crushed stone etc.

 

[TimberFarm]

You can always do what my friend did in north idaho…..all triple payne glass panels.



View attachment 5742174
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Holy cow! $$Cha-Ching$$$

 

[TimberFarm]

I did watch a video, that was suggested in my YouTube feed, lady did a metal kit, that you pour a 1.5" layer of some special concrete (no steel, so im think this is basically just for leveling?) inside the metal panels to form the bottom, on top of compacted sand, before installing a vinyl liner, I think like a 18x36 or so; that she said was $32,000.... It also called for 12" of concrete back fill "behind" the metal wall panels, kinda like a pipe thrust block i guess.

That bottom is called "soft concrete" in some places. You mix vermiculite in the mix. That is what was done when I did my pool. BTW, plastic wall panels won't rust. That is why I did not use steel panels.

 

[TimberFarm]

I appreciate all the feedback! Still digging and then I'll get bids. Once the pool is up and running, the plan is to put a steel framed building over it, with a paver pool deck around it and snow melt cables under the pavers. We're envisioning a year-round spot with non-idaho plants inside, almost like a conservatory. I hope to use as many multiwall greenhouse panels as possible for natural light and insulation.

I figure I have one more big project in me before im limited to Honda 90s and model trains or whatever.

Chlorine is corrosive. You may want to re-think that steel building over the pool.

 

[BobbyAnalytics]

I’ve done one years ago with my local septic tank guy. He set the skimmer and 4 returns right in the shop where they pour the tanks. Then he came out to my location and set it where I wanted. On a slab with sand on it in ground. Worked out great!
I also recently had one built

 

[walnutman]

Don't try this. Most in ground pools have insulation mixed in the concrete. I 'm not even sure that they call it concrete. This is not a job for a beginner.
I had a 20 X 30 foot in ground pool. And the guys that put it in did a great job. When you think about the bottom drain, the skimmer and the filtered water outlets in the sides of the pool, there is a lot of planning in this process. Plus then you still have to find a pump and filter for your new pool. And don't forget about the fence around the pool.

Richard

Gunite

 

[1Mech]

As suggested, build a small pool, then if it's used build a bigger pool. The issue with pools is it's a 8-10 year "novelty" or nice to have, then becomes a maintenance liability.

Pools are also an insurance / liability problem. It can increase your premiums and reduce the number of insurers to pick from.

​

 

[Gord Baker]

Hey kids-

After a year of on and off planning and prep work, i broke ground on an 18x36 swimming pool. Wife wants a 9' deep end and a 4' shallow end with a tanning ledge or baja shelf next to the stairs at the shallow end. Plan is to use CMUs for the vertical surfaces and a slab at the bottom, all tied together with rebar.

For anyone who has similar experience, do I:

A) pour the footing for the CMU walls first with rebar extending into the slab, then pour the slab using the cured footing as a form or

B)form it all up and pour it at the same time, screeding and floating around the zillion pieces vertical rebar.

I have an electric mixer and ready mix trailers are 30 minutes from home. Concrete trucks are an option, but harder to conceal from the nosy neighbors.

I dont have a crew besides my wife and kids, and nobody likes dad after he tries to be the foreman on home projects. This will probably be my biggest and one of my last. I may get some quotes from the pros after the hole is dug, but my wife married a Feller, not a Rockefeller which is why I DIY most things.

IMHO, too big, too wide and a project for PROFESSIONALS.
Give her a Gym membership.

 

[alexpops]

One thing to keep in mind is the surrounding water table, and whether you will ever drain the pool for extended periods. Hydrostatic relief valve will help with uplift/cracking of bottom when the water table push exceeds the weight of water in the pool.

If you use a winter cover, it will fill and push out the pool water, so when you open it in spring, the pool could be only 1/2 full while spring thaw raises your surrounding water table, leading to bottom cracks. My dad had those issues in Ohio on a pool built in 1958. Got better after I installed a valve, but there were definitely times that the valve opened as evidenced by the new sand/mud, even when the pool was full.

 

[careyo63]

20x40 Pebble Tech. Pool it was huge for a private! Steps 4'-10' Widowed Neighbors pool. You can see the Blk fence! Co. Mandatory that sits on 30 acres.. Local Bank manager! Beautiful. Well water!

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[aircommuter]

My first house and pool. I dug the hole in late September and warned the pool contractor about the high water table. They started slow and kept going slow. Supposed to be done by October 30. Not! November nope. Rains came and pool floated. I now have a cement boat. They tried to get it down which not possible. Since it was gunite against the soil a perfect fit only once. They tried weighting around the edge and hand digging alongside. Still remained 6” up. They offered to refund 25% and epoxy rebar the top with another gunite spray to level it, then drill multiple holes and pump slurry all around. So ok lets do it while I watch!! Done and full of water. After winter a guy shows up with a pump telling me they are going to plaster and finish. I had done the decks with a gas engine mixer one yard per day after work all exposed aggregate. I asked him if was going down to the deep end to open the hydrostatic plug? No they didn’t mention that. I called while he waited. They were sure it would be fine. The next morning and all decks ruined. All over again!! They sent a foreman over with a motel room a d told him to fix it to the owners satisfaction and filled with water one year supply of chemicals before he comes back. Looking for the floating pictures.