what do you do with pool area when your pool is down?

[mapoolgirl]

This is our first year putting up our pool and I was wondering what you do with the pool area when the pool is not up. We live in MA, so we'll only have the pool up from June-Sept. Do you just have a big dirt circle in your yard? I would like to do something so the area doesn't look like Crud when the pool is down. Should we take up the grass and then put a layer of sand down so at least the kids could use the area as a huge sandbox when the pool is down?

I would love to hear what you have done. Thanks

 

[mcoonan]

I put 3 - 2X4 sheets of plywood down and park my boat on the circle. Then I put a 12 x 20 tarp house over the boat. Then all the daycare toys go in around the boat. It is a pita to get the boat up there but it is worth it.

 

[foster400]

originally i thought i would take my 18' easyset down, but then i was afraid my dogs would be digging in the fresh dirt and ruin my level. So i just let the sucker freeze and all has been good for 2 winters now.

 

[luvmyintex]

My neighbor uses the level spot for a trampoline when they take the pool down. So her kids have a trampoline most of the year, they take it down and put up the pool for the summer. When they take the pool down they put mulch there before they put the trampoline up, then they rake the mulch away before they put down a liner and set up the pool for the summer. We keep our pool spot covered by a tarp. It doesn't look that great but it keeps the ground level. I heard someone else on here a while ago say they put sand down and made a spot in the middle for bonfires in the winter.