Who here has dug their own pool?

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jetranger

jetranger

Well-known member
Jul 19, 2015
110
Las Vegas, NV
Pool Size
18000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
CircuPool Universal40
Just starting a new in ground plaster build in Las Vegas. I'm on 1 acre and I have a lot of equipment I can use, so I'd really like to dig my own pool.

Every pool builder or sub I've spoken with says it's extremely difficult and I should not attempt it. They act like its some sort of well kept secret and they are the only ones that can do it.

My neighbor is currently building a pool as well. We both got our engineering done at the same time. We are both also doing owner/builder. With his pool freshly dug last week, I can use his as a reference to see what they did and how they did it relative to his plans. Both pools are basic rectangles with sun decks.

My back yard is pretty flat and a blank slate. I have a full size Cat 426 backhoe with 24" bucket I'm very comfortable operating, as well as a skid steer with backhoe attachment for smaller work (plumbing/electrical trenches).

After stopping by a few times and seeing my neighbors pool get dug out, it honestly didn't seem like something that was above my ability level if I take my time. Obviously, over digging is the biggest issue since its hard to add dirt back on the walls.

I'd like to hear from anyone that dug their own and what their experience was like.

Thank you!
 
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I did not dig my own pool. I subbed it out. I wanted to mention or ask rather, do you have a hammer attachment? My pool build needed 10 hours of hammering because of the caliche. Did you neighbor encounter any caliche?
 
an1vrsy said:
I did not dig my own pool. I subbed it out. I wanted to mention or ask rather, do you have a hammer attachment? My pool build needed 10 hours of hammering because of the caliche. Did you neighbor encounter any caliche?
Click to expand...
Fortunately, they did not hit any caliche. I have also done a geotech sample at my place for a shop I built a couple years ago and did not hit any, so I'm hoping all will go smooth.
 
Maybe @Straight6tt can chime in. They did an awesome job of documenting their DIY build.

DIY build in Biloxi

I will try to post as many pictures as possible along the way but I might not show every mistake I make. I am an avid diyer and I'm not afraid to take chances and make mistakes. We will be installing a 14x28 vinyl liner pool with Tara silver falls liner, 42"polymer walls and gray trim and...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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You can definitely dig your own pool. I'm not very good on an excavator so we just tried to get close and did a lot of digging by hand. I didn't feel comfortable getting the angles and depth right with a lagoon or kidney shaped pool which is what I would have preferred so we went with rectangular for simplicity.
 
Painfully slow, but I dug my own pool with a backhoe. Cost effective? That's doubtful but the experience was well worth it.

I had an 18" overdig and my pool was concrete block so that made it much less precise than a gunite shell.
 
duraleigh said:
Painfully slow, but I dug my own pool with a backhoe. Cost effective? That's doubtful but the experience was well worth it.

I had an 18" overdig and my pool was concrete block so that made it much less precise than a gunite shell.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input. Curious... did you overdig the sides or bottom? Do you know how/why you made that mistake? Thank you
 

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jetranger said:
Every pool builder or sub I've spoken with says it's extremely difficult and I should not attempt it. They act like its some sort of well kept secret and they are the only ones that can do it.
Click to expand...
Every professional will say the same thing.

Doctor, dentist, lawyer, accountant, plumber, electrician etc.

Even your barber will say "Well, you don't want to cut your own hair, it might go horribly wrong".

In any case, you are the only person who can decide if you are comfortable doing whatever project you need done.
 
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My pool was dug by two guys and my PB. My PB did the layout work with the forms and marked the perimeter and then, while the dig was proceeding he did periodic checks to make sure the proper depths were hit and that setbacks were maintained. There was one guy in the excavator doing the gross digging work and one guy with a shovel doing the fine carving work. All of it was supervised by the PB. Oh, and there was the dump truck guy hauling away the dirt. So I guess that’s 3 guys and a PB.

If you do it yourself, I highly suggest you find a buddy to help you out with planning and fine digging. Many hands make light work. If you try to do it all by yourself you’ll be jumping in and out of your rigs all day long making small baby steps.

Do you plan to have a dump truck on site to haul off the dirt?
 
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I just completed a pool that I dug myself. I was the owner builder. There are some pictures in this thread:

new-build CA from dreaming to pool

I have a full size backhoe with a 24" bucket and also a small Kubota with a 12" Bucket.

My notes/observations.

It can be done if you are careful.
A 24" bucket on a full size backhoe is big.
Mine was round at one end with square at the other and 11' Deep. 44k Gallons. Your pool sounds simpler to dig.
Measure, Measure, Measure.
Spend plenty of time on layout and elevation.
It took me over 4 weeks.
I dug the rough shape with the big backhoe and used the smaller one for rough finishing.
I performed it in multiple "cuts", shaping and getting close to finished shape each time, to prevent overdig.
I finished by hand digging once around entire pool surface walls/floor with a shovel/pickaxe. Used a wooden radius template in deep end for final shaping by hand.
A pool company would have done it much, much quicker.
I saved a lot of money doing it myself.
I did not over-dig, part due to my slow and methodical pace.
It was really hard work.
Being able to bounce ideas to the gunite/finish crews is useful.
 
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julian_deville said:
I just completed a pool that I dug myself. I was the owner builder. There are some pictures in this thread:

new-build CA from dreaming to pool

I have a full size backhoe with a 24" bucket and also a small Kubota with a 12" Bucket.

My notes/observations.

It can be done if you are careful.
A 24" bucket on a full size backhoe is big.
Mine was round at one end with square at the other and 11' Deep. 44k Gallons. Your pool sounds simpler to dig.
Measure, Measure, Measure.
Spend plenty of time on layout and elevation.
It took me over 4 weeks.
I dug the rough shape with the big backhoe and used the smaller one for rough finishing.
I performed it in multiple "cuts", shaping and getting close to finished shape each time, to prevent overdig.
I finished by hand digging once around entire pool surface walls/floor with a shovel/pickaxe. Used a wooden radius template in deep end for final shaping by hand.
A pool company would have done it much, much quicker.
I saved a lot of money doing it myself.
I did not over-dig, part due to my slow and methodical pace.
It was really hard work.
Being able to bounce ideas to the gunite/finish crews is useful.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the response. I just read your thread... extremely impressive!
 
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