Hi all,
Looking to move up from a summer escapes 15' pool to a permanent agp now that my kids are getting older. Initially going to focus on getting a used round agp in the 26'-30' range. Planning on doing a partial bury (24") with a possible deep end. Since I'll be buying a new liner anyway, the plan is to get an expandable one for the deep end if that is what I decide to do. All work will likely be diy to save $$$. I've been reading/lurking on the forum for awhile now and I think I have a good understanding of what I need to do to accomplish this.
Here's where I need input from everyone here. I'm wanting to build a hardscaped patio around the pool at the level of the top similar to this:
Obviously, with a regular agp, the pool rails will have to be raised above the patio as a cove would be impossible without a concrete pour which I'd like to avoid. The pool will be situated near a sloped section of yard, so the entire patio would not be an island, but built into the slope.
Here's what I was thinking. A retaining wall could be built around the entire patio and pool (2'-3' away from pool edge) to raise it up to the desired height. This would be done after the pool was installed. The area not directly around the pool would be backfilled and compacted to create the base for the pavers. Around the pool, I'd use some type of draining fill (pea gravel maybe) all the way down to the rails where it would drain via french drain. On top of the fill around the pool and separating it from the fill for the patio would be landscaping fabric. Hopefully, this would keep the pool fill separated from the patio fill. On top of the pool fill, I'd put more landscape fabric for the sand base of the pavers. Some type of container/box would be built to house the skimmer/returns and all lines would be hard piped to a remote pump and filter station. Since the pool would now be at "ground" height, I'd then add a fence around the raised patio to keep children/pets away.
Obviously, with the look I'm going for, an in ground pool would clearly be the better solution, but the budget won't fit that. I know I'm looking at a significant cost for the retaining wall/patio, but with the tax rates I'm paying, it would cost $750-1000 more in property taxes every year for an in ground, which I'm not willing to pay.
What issues/roadblocks do you guys see with this? Thanks for any comments.
Joe
Looking to move up from a summer escapes 15' pool to a permanent agp now that my kids are getting older. Initially going to focus on getting a used round agp in the 26'-30' range. Planning on doing a partial bury (24") with a possible deep end. Since I'll be buying a new liner anyway, the plan is to get an expandable one for the deep end if that is what I decide to do. All work will likely be diy to save $$$. I've been reading/lurking on the forum for awhile now and I think I have a good understanding of what I need to do to accomplish this.
Here's where I need input from everyone here. I'm wanting to build a hardscaped patio around the pool at the level of the top similar to this:
Obviously, with a regular agp, the pool rails will have to be raised above the patio as a cove would be impossible without a concrete pour which I'd like to avoid. The pool will be situated near a sloped section of yard, so the entire patio would not be an island, but built into the slope.
Here's what I was thinking. A retaining wall could be built around the entire patio and pool (2'-3' away from pool edge) to raise it up to the desired height. This would be done after the pool was installed. The area not directly around the pool would be backfilled and compacted to create the base for the pavers. Around the pool, I'd use some type of draining fill (pea gravel maybe) all the way down to the rails where it would drain via french drain. On top of the fill around the pool and separating it from the fill for the patio would be landscaping fabric. Hopefully, this would keep the pool fill separated from the patio fill. On top of the pool fill, I'd put more landscape fabric for the sand base of the pavers. Some type of container/box would be built to house the skimmer/returns and all lines would be hard piped to a remote pump and filter station. Since the pool would now be at "ground" height, I'd then add a fence around the raised patio to keep children/pets away.
Obviously, with the look I'm going for, an in ground pool would clearly be the better solution, but the budget won't fit that. I know I'm looking at a significant cost for the retaining wall/patio, but with the tax rates I'm paying, it would cost $750-1000 more in property taxes every year for an in ground, which I'm not willing to pay.
What issues/roadblocks do you guys see with this? Thanks for any comments.
Joe
