On-Ground Deck Pool dug into slope

[carlscan26]

Nice work I'd heard of an on ground pool but never seen one - very interesting.

Out of curiosity, are you going to continue building up the retaining wall? There appears to be enough slope there to need it maybe? Also did you put in any drainage below or around the uphill side of the base?

Enjoy it - you've earned it!

 

[siska]

I can imagne that! It looks wonderfull and am looking forward to see pictures of the decking as well!

 

[jch]

Nice work I'd heard of an on ground pool but never seen one - very interesting.

Out of curiosity, are you going to continue building up the retaining wall? There appears to be enough slope there to need it maybe? Also did you put in any drainage below or around the uphill side of the base?

Enjoy it - you've earned it!

Yes, the upslope retaining wall will get a second tier. Our local codes department had no problem with the first tier since it was less than 2 feet in height. Since adding more directly on top would take it over 2 feet, they tell me that I only need to stagger it back another foot and they consider it to be terraced and it does not need a permit. I did put some french drains around the base that direct water downslope. I also have some plastic landscaping edging under the mulch to direct any water flowing down slope around the pool.

 

[carlscan26]

Nice work Can't wait to see the deck!

 

[melissab]

It looks really good, can't wait for pictures of the deck.

 

[Rockhopper]

Total investment so far is about $10K. This was all DIY with me renting a bobcat and trencher and power auger. Yes, this is much higher than a typical above ground pool, but I would also have to say it is MUCH lower than an inground and should last for 30+ years. This pool uses a full inground liner and could have had a full 8 ft deep deep end if I had wanted one.

Once I put on the composite decking and railing, it will be one sweet looking pool on our slope that was previously unusable for any type of activity except gardening. My wife and I are asking ourselves why we waited so long to do this.

Looks awesome so far. Do you have a breakdown of your costs? I've considered something similar, but my budget isn't quite that high.

 

[jch]

Looks awesome so far. Do you have a breakdown of your costs? I've considered something similar, but my budget isn't quite that high.

The pool itself was around $7500. This includes all steel, all fasteners, all wood, 20mil inground liner, Hayward pump & sand filter, filter sand, fittings, pvc flex, etc. You even get a pool startup kit with the pool that has the vacuum hose, brush, pH checking kit, skimmer net, etc. The only items required for install that were not included in the kit are sand for the bottom, cement for the vertical support beams, pvc cement for the fittings, and water for the pool. Aquastarmi.com sure does put together a nice kit, but you do have to be a relatively skilled do-it-yourself type person for the install. I believe if you live a little further north, they might have some installers, but if you do it all yourself like I did, Jim at aquastar is quick to give you any answers you need. I give them my highest recommendation.

The remaining costs were spread amongst many different things. Electrical wiring and components for 30Amp two pole service to house ~$250. Renting a bobcat for a weekend ~$550. Renting a trencher ~$175. Renting a power auger ~$75. 2" foam for bottom $300. Intex Salt Cl- generator $179.

Some of my costs would not be applicable to others, because I'm also including my retaining wall and rebar.

I'm about a month into operaton now. The Intex Cl- generator (model krystal clear) is working great when running 8 hours a day. I have read elsewhere that my 1.5HP pump running this length will be about $35/month in electricity and the SWG will add a couple bucks to that. I'm not really planning on measuring it because it is well within my budget. Other than the initial soda ash to balance pH, I haven't had to do a thing and I love the way the salt water feels on my skin after getting out. The krystal clear model puts out copper ions in addition to generating chlorine. I haven't paid much attention to that part of the chemistry, but it sure does look crystal clear.

No progress on the deck yet. I will do this after swim season.

 

[Rockhopper]

Looks awesome so far. Do you have a breakdown of your costs? I've considered something similar, but my budget isn't quite that high.

The pool itself was around $7500. This includes all steel, all fasteners, all wood, liner, pump, filter, fittings, pvc flex, etc. You even get a pool startup kit with the pool that has the vacuum hose, brush, pH checking kit, skimmer net, etc. The only items required for install that were not included in the kit are sand for the bottom and cement for the vertical support beams.

The remaining costs were spread amongst many different things. Electrical wiring and components for 30Amp two pole service to house ~$250. Renting a bobcat for a weekend ~$550. Renting a trencher ~$175. Renting a power auger ~$75. 2" foam for bottom $300.

Some of my costs would not be applicable to others, because I'm also including my retaining wall and rebar.

I may have missed it, but who was your pool manufacturer?

 

[jch]

AquaStarmi.com

As far as I can tell, they are the only ones making a real rectangular on-ground. All other manufacturers are doing ovals and octagonal end.

Aqua Star Manufacturing, LLC.
1708 Hamman
Troy, MI 48085

1-888-870-7665

Phone: 248-457-9057
Fax: 248-457-9058

 

[jch]

Spring is here! Time to wake up the pool. I didn't have time to build the deck myself, so I finally broke down and hired a contractor. He is charging $14k for a 20ft by 40ft deck around the 12'by 24' pool. This supposedly works out to be $10K worth of materials and $4K for his labor. Seems reasonable enough. The decking material is the 100% PVC "Genovations" 5/4 decking material.

 

[jch]

In the images below we see the deck sub-floor almost done. Meanwhile, I have started to terrace my hill into a pathway that will lead onto the deck. I used the wall block from Home Depot and mulch from the county by the truckload.

 

[jch]

The decking is placed and the fencing is starting to go in. The Genovations PVC decking is beautiful! We have done a hybrid of "pool fence" and traditional "deck rail". The upslope side of the pool could be a walk on, so we needed the offical BOCA rated pool fence, yet the other side of the deck is at 4' height off the ground, so we needed railing. We decided to go with the BOCA fence material (Delgard Aero Sentry 48") all the way around, but used real wood 4X4's for fall protection support. We drilled and tapped the fencing and fence mounts so a side-load pressure could not buckle the fence and let it fall from the mounts. This "should" pass code since you would need over 1000 pounds of shear force to break the screws.

My wife hates the white rail post slip covers. I was not able to find the vinyl covers in black. I did notice that Sherwin-Williams makes an outdoor paint specifically for vinyl siding that can come in a graphite black, so I guess my wife will have her way in the end.

Still to do:

1. Add PT plywood around lower deck framing and install french drain around deck (included in the $14k quote from my contractor)
2. Increase h20 temperature so we can swim.
3. Plantings around structure.

More pictures coming soon.

 

[jch]

Some final pictures. Wish they could be seen without registering on the site. Williamsburg is so beautiful in the spring! Now just waiting for the water to warm up a little. 68 degrees now. Next project... pool house!

 

[johnnysnok]

Wow it is really coming together and looks great.

 

[flyweed]

this looks really great. I can't IMAGINE the amount of work this was for you. I put up a 33ft AGP on a slight slope a couple years ago....it was A BEAR!!!

Congrats on a great setup.

 

[cramar]

Looks awesome!

 

[linen]

You project looks great

Now do the right thing and disconnect the wire to those copper bars on the intex swg, you don't want copper in that beautiful pool, do you? :-D

 

[MnHotRod]

Beautiful pool. Similar to what we are doing. Came here to see what others are doing on sloped hills.

 

[mcoonan]

MnHotRod - Welcome to TFP! Take pics of your install. Lets show all that MN is not always a winter wonderland!

 

[jch]

Back to TFP after a long time away. Just thought I should mention that the tax man came and re-assessed my property. Added $20K to the assessed value of the home and property. This was not supposed to happen for "above ground" pools, but I guess I made it look so permanent that they decided to tax it as a permanent improvement.