Hi all,
In about a year's time I'll (probably) be buying my first house. I grew up in an old (1779) house in New England, and I have thus had a certain amount of experience repairing the house and building DIY-type stuff.
I've been turning over various ideas in my mind for my future house, and since it will be in a warm climate (North Carolina), I figured a pool might add a nice touch to the thing.
Professionally-built in-ground pools seem to cost quite a chunk of change, and I'm always in the mood to save, and to build stuff myself. So here's my idea. I dig a hole in the ground, approximately the size and shape of the desired pool. Then I build a plywood frame that's a bit smaller than the hole, and that is the size and shape of the desired pool, and then I pour concrete between the frame and the ground, reinforce it, and let it set. Then I seal the concrete, and boom! A pool.

First, has anyone done such a thing? While I'm sure this isn't the most efficient way for a professional pool-building crew, all this can be done with stuff from the Home Depot.

Also, does anyone have anything thoughts on how to seal it? Or would concrete (if it's thick enough) hold water well enough for the summer? Of course, I'd need some sort of cover over the concrete, because concrete wouldn't be that comfortable. It seems that crystalline waterproofing could do the job (http://www.toolbase.org/techinv/tech...chnologyID=165).

Thoughts? Feedback? Has anyone else built their own pool using other methods?

 

your not out of line , just a little out of date, some of the very first pools in the hollywood area of california, that were built during th turn of the century [ only the affluent , and movie stars type could afford them ] were built using this method, its called hand pack, rebar was still used for strength , some of the early pools were plastered using silica sand instead of marble sand and believe me they were solid pools, as you know there are fiberglass, and vinyl liner pools , ive even heard of wooden walled pools , have seen concrete blocks used , whatever you use will more than likely have to be approved by your building department, as far as waterproofing the shell, paint works, fiberglass resins work, vinyl liners work , do your homework , but ultimately your building department will steer you in the approved direction.


steve

 

Steve,

If you don't mind me jumping on your comments here, I am looking a project not nearly the scope of original post. I am designing a self made cement hot tub. Any suggestions on concrete mixtures, plaster, and most importantly, procedure?

I had envision digging a hole, let's just say rectangular for ease, building the seat and steps up using cinder blocks (filled with cement? solid?), then it would seem that I need to use some sort of cement/mortar to provide a nice sealer coat to entire tub, followed by plastering with 1/4 inch to 3/8 of plaster (as I have learned).

What other info can you provide on this? I understand, dig, plumbing first.

Appreciate it.

Eric

 

as far as cost, a professionally installed vinal lined pool will be close to the cost of what you are looking at installing and you will have a much better result. I prefer a gunite (or concrete) pool, but I have installed alot of different types. I have been called in on several occations to finish a formed and poured pool. The biggest thing to remember, is that concrete is permanent. Short of using a jack hammer, what you pour is what you get. Water has alot of weight, and the ground you are building in must be taken into consideration. If it is not reenforced properly, you end up with an 8 foot deep dry hole that you can't even ride a skate board in because of the corners. If you have alot of experience pouring concrete, this is a good idea, if not, I would save up and let the experts do it. I have seen several inexperienced people end up in the hospital due to cement poisoning from a project similar to this. You have to have concrete vibrators for the walls, or you end up with large honeycombs in the walls. They will cause alot of problems a few years down the road. Also, if you don't have your grades right, water pours out of one end of the pool. The inlet pipes and drains and skimmers must be properly placed or the pool won't circulate properly, then it will be hard to maintain. Two years of this and you will be filling it back up with dirt. Anyway, I'm not trying to discourage, but pools are harder to build correctly than a house.

 

Texcowboy is right on the money. My family has been building concrete form pools for 30 yrs. and a huge percentage of the work we get are restorations from people who have tried to do far less ambitous projects. We have been called in to help correct pool issues built by so called experienced professionals (who mysteriously disappear when trouble pops up).
As an avid DIYer it pains me to discourage anyone from trying to save some cash and gain that sense of accomplishment that only comes from your own labour, but a properly built pool is a pleasure to enjoy. An improperly built pool can be an ongoing nightmare until you just doze the thing over and plant grass.

 

I would support your statement and I am not a pool builder but I AM an avid DIYer. I would never attempt to build an entire pool. I am skeptical about building my own hot tub out of cement so a pool is a HUGE undertaking.
Vinyl is extremely popular and I think gets a bad rap as a cheap pool but after much research on concrete versus vinyl, they both have good and bad but all my neighbors have vinyl. Now, so do I. At $26K I think I got a great deal. Vinyl liners just get replaced, concrete gets resurfaced. Maintenance is a key concern.
Good Luck!