How To Build My Own Inground Pool

Best Selling Vinyl Liner Swimming Pool

Want to improve the value of your home? Why not invest in an inground pool? Inground swimming pools are permanent backyard structures that can help raise your home’s value by 7%, not to mention that they provide your family with a place to cool off and relax during those hot summer afternoons.

However, the cost of the in-ground pool construction may be too high. For this reason, potential pool owners prefer to take on DIY constructions to save on the cost of hiring professional pool builders. Wondering how to build my own inground pool?

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to install an inground swimming pool in your backyard, but first, a look at the various types of inground swimming pools.

Let’s dive right in.

Types of Inground Swimming Pools

Inground pools come in three different types. So before you start your DIY construction, you should familiarize yourself with the different pool types to choose the best one for your backyard. Here are the different types of inground pools.

1.Vinyl Liner Swimming Pool

These are pools made from a pre-formed sheet of vinyl that fits in an excavated pool hole. DIY vinyl pool installations involve securing the vinyl to a reinforced frame made of steel, aluminum, or non-corrosive polymer.

Vinyl liner pools are quick to build, cost-effective, and come in numerous designs, making them one of the best options for DIY installations.

However, maintaining vinyl liner pools can be expensive as they are more prone to algae growth.

2. Fiberglass Swimming Pool

Fiberglass pools are single structures made from fiberglass materials and have a protective gel-coat cover. DIY installation of the fiberglass inground pool typically involves setting the pre-made bowl into a pool hole using a crane.

Installing a fiberglass pool is less time-consuming compared to other pool types. What’smore, these pools are much easier to maintain as their surfaces are algae-resistant, thanks to the gel coating, have low lifetime costs and are more durable.

However, since these pools are pre-made, they come in limited sizes and shapes; therefore, they may not suit a uniquely shaped backyard.

3. Concrete Swimming Pool

Concrete pools are made from Gunite or Shotcrete. These pools can be custom-made into any size, depth, and shape, depending on the available ground in your backyard.

Now a concrete pool is ideal for your home as you may remodel, update and enlarge it when the need arises in the future, but of course, at an extra cost. What’s more, these pools are durable and long-lasting. You may keep using a concrete pool for over 50 years.

However, DIY construction of these pools can be a demanding project to take on as the installation process takes a lot of time, need higher technical know-how since it is done from scratch; therefore, you may have to hire professional pool builders.

How Much Does It Really Cost To Build An Inground Pool?

Although you want to provide your family with thrilling swimming experiences right in your backyard, saving as much money as you can is crucial. For this reason, you need to know how much it costs to build an in-ground pool to set a reasonable budget.

The following are factors that influence the cost of an inground swimming pool;

1. Pool’s Size and Shape

How big do you want your pool? Typically, the bigger your pool is, the more costly it is likely to be. This is because a bigger pool will require more building materials and equipment, more labor, and installation time. Therefore, you end up spending more money on a finished construction project.

2. The Pool Type

As earlier established, inground pools come in three different types: concrete, vinyl liner, and fiberglass pools. The cost to install these types of pools differs significantly. This is because the process and the equipment required to install the pools are different.

For instance, to install a fiberglass pool, you have to purchase a pool shell and hire extra equipment such as a crane to place the shell into the pool hole, which is not the case during the concrete swimming unit construction.

3. Pool Builders

Who will handle the construction work for you? Inground swimming unit construction is time-consuming and demanding; therefore, you may hire professional contractors.

Unfortunately, this means that you have to spend more to have your pool installed.

You can decide to cut the cost of hiring professional pool builders and work on a DIY project.

4. Location

Where do you live? Your location determines the condition of the soil and the delivery time and distance for the building equipment. The longer it takes to have your construction equipment delivered to your location, the more money you are likely to spend.

Your location also determines the existing weather conditions, which may affect the final construction price.

That said, the average cost for building your pool may range between $30,000 to $50,000. However, if you add extra amenities to the pool, such as waterfalls and lighting, the final price could increase past $100,000.

What to Consider During DIY Inground Pool Installation

DIY pool building on your property can be overwhelming. Therefore, to ensure a hassle-free building process, you should keep the following factors in mind.

1. The Zoning Laws

Every region has laws regarding inground pool constructions, maintenance, and liability. For instance, some zones have rules on the distance your swimming pool should keep from houses, property lines, wells, septic tanks, sewer lines, and wetlands.

Therefore, before you break the ground, ensure that you familiarize yourself with such laws. This helps you abide by local zoning ordinances for pools.

2. The Site

Where do you intend to have your inground swimming pool installed? Picking the right site is as essential as having the swimming pool itself. Therefore, if you are having trouble deciding the best location, you could hire a contractor to help you decide.

An ideal site should be away from the trees and open to the sun to help you keep the swimming pool warm. This saves you from spending millions to purchase heating systems.

In addition to that, make sure that your pool site is not in low-lying areas, as this results in your inground pool flooding with debris and mud during heavy rains.

If you have small children and pets, your pool’s site should be within view from the house to help you keep an eye on swimmers while still indoors.

3. Pool Features

Interior and exterior design in bedroom of luxury pool villa, house, home feature swimming pool

What kind of features do you want to include in your pool? Often, you are not just looking to offer your family thrilling swimming experiences. Instead, you want them to indulge in various pool games, too, to maximize enjoyment.

Therefore, you should have the special features you want for your pool in mind before you start the installation project. For instance, you could consider adding areas to play water basketball and volleyball. And if you are interested in aquatic exercise, you could install underwater handrails and a variable-speed current system to help you swim in place.

So have a plan to create an ambient atmosphere for your swimming pool before you start building. Besides, this will save you time and money that you could use if you decided to add the features later.

4. The Function Of The Pool

Before you embark on the installation project, ensure that you are clear about the purpose of your pool. This will help you decide on the design, size, shape, and depth of your inground pool.

If, for instance, you intend to use the pool for training and laps, a more extensive pool is ideal. On the other hand, you could go for a smaller pool if you need a place to relax and cool off during hot summers. First, however, ensure that you intend to use the pool frequently enough to justify your spending.

5. The Cost

How much are you willing to spend on construction projects? Make sure that you include the construction equipment, such as cranes, excavators, and the delivery and transport expenses while setting a budget.

You could consult a professional for insights on budget allocation to come up with reasonable approximations. You do not want to be under the budget, or do you?

How to Build an Inground Swimming Pool

Wondering how to build your own inground pool? Here is a step-by-step guide. However, it is worth noting that the pool erection procedure depends on the type of inground swimming pool you are interested in.

Let’s dive in.

1. DIY Concrete Pool Construction

DIY concrete pool construction can really be challenging especially when you are not a contractor or do not have any experience with construction or engineering. This is because, in concrete pool installation, you do not have a pool shell or pool kit to take care of a lot of the work for you.

However, if you are really bent on saving the cost of hiring professional builders, follow this simple guide to have your pool installed;

Step 1: Design Selection

You should first sketch a simple design for your pool. Ensure that you include the pool’s size and shape, the desired features such as lighting, pool steps, and other accessories in your sketch.

It is worth noting that you should factor in the available yard space to develop reliable approximations. In addition, you may have a professional builder look at your pool building plan or design to advise on how you can improve it for quality results.

Step 2: Excavation

Before you start digging out the ground, you should first create a temporary outline of the pool. You can do this by measuring and marking the dimensions of the pool on the ground. Include every feature you want for the swimming pool in your outline.

Next, start excavating the area within the marked perimeter into your desired pool shape and size. Make sure that your soil cutting is per the design plan in hand.

Once you are done digging out the pool hole, you should use a rake to level the bottom and the walls. An even foundation helps to keep the pool strong and resistant to damage. To ascertain that you have leveled the ground, you could hold a carpenter’s level in various pool areas.

Step 3: Make A Rebar Grid

You want to make sure that your pool has the tensile strength to safeguard it from structural damage. Therefore, you should lay rebar rods across the pool’s interior and tie them together with metal ties.

Step 4: Plumb The Pool

Install plumbing pipes for the pool’s circulation system. Ensure you follow your concrete pool plan for the best results. Since you are going to add concrete, cap the pipe openings to keep them from clogging.

Step 5: Wire The Pool’s Filtration System And The Electrical Components

You should hook the pump and filter system to the pipes.  You may consider seeking a professional plumber’s opinion to ascertain that you are doing it properly.

Next, connect the electrical parts of your inground pool, including the lights and the filtration system, to a power source. To avoid messing up with your local community powerlines, save on time, and ensure your safety, you should have a professional do the electrical work on your behalf.

Step 6: Concrete The Swimming Pool

Once you have the plumbing and the filtration system in place, the next step is to add concrete to your pool. You should therefore pour concrete to the pool’s bottom and spray the walls. Ensure that the concrete is thick enough to guarantee durability.

Next, use a float to smooth the concrete to ensure that it is even and leveled up. For difficult spots and corners, you could use a big metal straightedge to even the surfaces. You should then cover the surfaces with a plastic sheet for at least five days to allow the concrete to cure.

Step 7: WaterProofing

You could use ceramic, porcelain tiles, glass, or epoxy-cement systems to waterproof your swimming pool. Now the waterproofing method you select depends on the water table level of your location and the moisture condition of the soil.

Step 8: Coping

Coping refers to the material around the pool’s edge that connects it to the deck or patio. Tiles, marble, or stone can be used while installing coping to the pool. However, to save on cost, you could opt for concrete coping.

Step 9: Fill the Pool With Water

Once you have installed coping, you now need to add water into the pool to make it functional. And, voila! You now have your concrete pool.

2. DIY Vinyl Liner Swimming Pool Construction

A vinyl liner in-ground pool is ideal for DIY construction as most of the materials you are going to use are readily available offline and online. Installing vinyl liner pools involves;

• Creating an outline. You want to have a picture of how your built inground pool is going to appear. Therefore, you should sketch the pool and even place flags around the pool area to help you visualize and guide you on where to start excavating. This helps you take less time on the building project.
• Once you have a visual pool plan next, you should start excavating the ground to create a pool hole.
• Next, you should install the pool wall. A vinyl pool wall is premade and comprises galvanized steel panels, coping, a pool pump, filter, and skimmer system.
• You should then install the plumbing pipes to allow circulation and filtration of the pool water.
• Pouring wall collar to provide structural strength to the pool
• Installing the pool bottom by adding a layer of grout mix.
• Backfilling the pool to cover the spaces left between the liner and pool hole to ascertain stability.
• Connecting the built electrical parts of the vinyl liner pool to a power source
• Erecting the pool deck and coping.
• Finally, you should set the custom-made liner in place and fill the pool with water.

3. DIY Fiberglass Pool Installation

DIY fiberglass pools installation entails;

• Excavating the yard with an excavator, also known as a track hoe
• Next, you should remove the unwanted soil and dirt from the yard. Now it is worth noting that you will have tons of dirt on your hands to get rid of; therefore, to save time and energy and to make your work simple, you could consider hiring contractors.
• Setting the fiberglass shell on the dug hole. Ensure the ground is leveled up and even to avoid damaging your new pool.
• Installing plumbing and pouring backfill. To ensure that the pool remains firm and steady, you should fill it with water as you add backfill to equalize the pressure.
• Once you are done with the plumbing, backfilling, and installing the pool shell work, you should build a patio or coping deck. For quality results, you should have done deck or patio installations before.

DIY Pool Installation Cons

While installing a swimming unit on your own helps you save on hiring professional builders, you are often exposed to various disadvantages. They include;

1. Limited Warranty

Most professional builders offer a full warranty during erection projects. This, therefore, means that in case of damage or problems with the pool, the builders are responsible for fixing it. However, if you erect the swimming unit on your own and encounter any setbacks, your pool manufacturers are not obliged to cover the damage.

So, if you are not proficient with the pool constructing project, it is prudent to search for professionals to do the work for you. This way, you will enjoy the full warranty benefits.

2. Extended Construction Period

DIY construction means that you have to get everything done on your own. Now, creating time to work on the swimming unit construction may be challenging as you have other responsibilities, including your family and your job. Therefore, you end up taking longer to complete the project.

Now, you may also have to keep restarting the construction process all over again, especially when you lack the technical know-how, therefore lengthening the erection period. Now, the longer you take to build your pool, the more problems you are likely to encounter. So why not hire professional builders to get the job done for you?

3. Low-Quality Pools

Constructing a pool requires choosing an ideal site and planning even before you start digging the ground. Now since you are not an expert in this area( unless you are a pool contractor yourself), you are likely to choose the wrong site, tear down a wall you should have retained in the first place, or hit the groundwater or rocks while excavating, resulting in an imperfect pool. So why not have someone who has done this before work on your construction projects?

4. Extra Costs

Often you opt to build the pool on your own to save the cash you would have otherwise paid professional builders. However, you end spending even more as you hire sub-contractors to help you out as the erection process is difficult to handle on your own.

You may even end up damaging the premade pools; therefore, you have to purchase a new one hence more costs.

Conclusion

DIY inground pool constructions help you save on the cost of hiring professional builders while improving the value of your home. That said, your DIY erection procedure depends on the type of pool you intend to install. There are three types of inground pools, including vinyl liners, concrete, and fiberglass pools.

For fiberglass and vinyl pools, you have to do your own excavation, backfill the pool, set the pre-made liner or the pool shell, plumbing, the coping, and patio. However, you have to build the concrete pool from scratch as you do not rely on premade tools, such as the fiberglass shell.

To ensure an incident-free project, consider your local zoning laws, the site, pool features, and the cost, to mention a few.