new pool, ultra frame, partial inground with deck

[kshuf]

Hi floks. New here :-D We are in the planning/drawing stage of our pool. We are a family on a budget, with a plan to have a fun family backyard with a pool, hoefully to keep the kids around our place during the summers..lol

here is the plan

9 x 18 x 52 ultra frame pool from Canadian tire.

Dig out 12x 20 about 26 inches, building a deck around the pool and hottub, with enough space to have porch swing, table and chairs and some loungers...

We plan to use a better pump and filter system, and possibly add a heater (we live in the Kooteneys of BC, it gets cold at nigh even in the summer :x

we want to also add a solar cover with roller, ladder that attaches to deck and maybe a slide..

hows that sound? We are planning on doing all that for about $3500

anyone else have anything similar, and can share tips?

 

[techguy]

I am not sure what you mean about a partial in-ground. IIRC, Ultra-frames can't be buried. Many steel walled AGP can be buried to the water line with careful planning.

My AGP is on-ground (at grade) but I have raised the deck up around the pool. Most of my decking is about 35 inches below the top rails.

 

[Bama Rambler]

There is a thread her somewhere where a guy buried a metal frame pool. I don't have time to look for it right now but you might ty using the Google search at the bottom of the page to see if you can find it.

 

[kshuf]

Thanks. I have seen a few where people have placed ultra or frame pool in ground, just making sure that the ground around has some clearance. Then the deck is built up to meet the top rail of the pool and gives a nice finished appearance and its easier to use. We actually bought the pool last week and decided to go with the bigger size. 13 x 22' by 52"

Ya!!

 

[Charlie_R]

I did put mine in ground about 16". The liner will handle it, the posts will eventually rust off.

 

[kshuf]

Hope we can get 5 years out of it!!

 

[Charlie_R]

You are planning on space around the liner and frame, so the metal parts of yours will outlast mine.

 

[kshuf]

Do you have a picture of your setup?

 

[Charlie_R]

Here's a link to my pool pics. I didn't take any pics of the dig.

You can see I've backfilled higher than the hole, to the top of the strap.

Of note is the type of material used by Intex for these liners. It appears to be the same construction as semi truck lumber tarps. two plies of fiberglass or similar material, and three heavy plies of flexible vinyl.

I've dug truck tarps out of mud from flooding that were buried for several years. A bit of pressure washing, replace the grommets etc, and almost as good as new.

But look at mine as being a "test pool" for this. As far as I know, I'm the only nutcase here that would do this kind of thing.

 

[kshuf]

Nice

Are you planning to build a deck around it?

Did you hire a heavy equipment operater and a machine to dig and back fill?

Our ground is very dense and contains a fair bit of clay so we are confident that the ground around the pool will hold up pretty well. If it's not the case we plan to use something to make a barrier between pool wall and dirt such as plywood. Also we are placing the deck blocks inside the hole so the deck legs will also provide a barrier.

I don't think that you are a nutcase

 

[Charlie_R]

That platform in a few of the pics is the beginning of a modular deck that may take a year or more to build.

No, the dig was entirely by hand, and me with a screwed up low back. Took me the better part of 2 months to do it. If I had had access to a few extra $$, I would have rented a track-hoe and dug about 30" down.

If you want to backfill up against your liner and have the $$ for the 1/4" accordion fold poly insulation sheets, you can put a double layer on the outside of your posts and backfill against that. This was my plan, but $$ ran shorter than I expected. As noted in previous posts, a drainage system would be needed up close to the legs. If you do leave a gap between the dirt and the liner, it would be best to use pressure treated plywood, 2 layers of 3/8" would be sufficient. That thin, so it would be easier to bend around the curvature.

Clay? You want clay? Let me put it this way, In this small town there used to be 3 brick plants. The largest being A. P. Green, who made most of the heat resistant tiles for the space shuttle program. Does that give you and idea of ground conditions here?

 

[kshuf]

By hand

Yikes!!! We did a 6 inch dig for our 15 ft frame pool a few years ago and it took my husband and the two boys plus myself and it took a couple weekends to do. Was not a fun time!!

This time we are getting a friend with a digger to come!