I envy you folks with lawns to build on (new build on gravel)

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treehouse pool

treehouse pool

0
Jul 5, 2014
17
Lynchburg
Wife and I decided to set up an above ground in order to teach the kids how to swim this summer. the place that would be ideal is technically our front yard and the 18' round intek we bought would almost cover the grass completely. So we are using a section of what we previously used as parking.....a large gravel area. Had a 6" slope across the 20' area we decided on.

I have boxed in the low side with 6" timbers that end about halfway back up the grade, next will be a gravel base about 4" deep...a mix of VA red clay and sand ontop of that..going to rent a tamper...pavers for the feet and filter...., and then we get to my question.....

I bought 11 sheets of 3/4 pink foam....I have seen alot of folks using 2" foam....is my 3/4" thick enough?

will post pics soon.

Thanks
 
By gravel base, do you mean crushed rock. The stuff with the fines and powder in it. That makes the best base, it is compactable and very stable. Personally if you are going with compactable base and foam, I would skip the sand, or go with a minimal amount to final level. I find it to be a pain to maintain. When uncovered it blows and washes around. I ended up removing as much of my sand as I could down to my compacted base and putting my foam directly over that.

I used 1" foam board. I think 3/4" would be just fine. 2" is definitely overkill. I would use gorilla duct tape on the joints.
 
I grabbed 2 rolls of gorilla tape when I bought the foam.
Actually what we have is more like parking lot gravel, the sand I'm talking about is actually from a creek on the property and is more of a mix of red clay sediment and sand, I hope that after compacting it the result will be pretty solid.

Thanks for the info about the sand blowing around, I hadn't thought of that. Might not be a big factor for me because I am hoping to leave pool up year round like others I have seen in our area.
 
I am in the same boat, but in my case I have to have the aggregate brought in. I am going with limestone, but any sort of stable gravel (ie, gravel with sharp edges vs rounded stones) will be fine for a base.

I am going with 1.5" foam sheets for my setup. I would be concerned with 3/4", more having to do with the aforementioned rocks working their way through it.

Here is a "quick fix" for that, put down weed barrier first before the foam. It will make sure nothing grows through (if you have nutgrass I would still use a kill/preventer for it) and it will make sure the rocks don't cause an issue with the foam.

For our setup I am taking off the topsoil used to fill-in the previous in-ground pool, putting down weed barrier, then 1/4" limestone and dust (4"-6" worth, compacting every 2"), then foam wall, foam for the floor and foam cove.

Pavers are overkill if you are using a vibratory plate compactor and wetting the area while compacting. If you can get that level, the pavers are not needed since the gravel will have no ability to "move" since it is interlocked with pressure on it. Go ahead and use pavers if you want, but I am skipping that part after talking to a few engineers on the subject. Even the Aqualeader instructions omit the pavers if you use a gravel base, and all of their pools are all resin.
 
I used 3/4" foam on top of compacted crusher run and it works perfectly. As long as the base is dampened and compacted properly I highly doubt any of the stone is going to protrude through the foam.
 

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treehouse pool said:
I grabbed 2 rolls of gorilla tape when I bought the foam.
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How many more trips did you make for more rolls of gorilla tape? I triple seamed the tape and bought 2 rolls. Went back for 2 more, then again. Finally, couldn't afford the gorilla tape any more as I was running out of money so bought 2 rolls of regular heavy duty duct tape. I don't remember now how many rolls I went through, but it was a LOT more than 2 rolls.


Thanks for the info about the sand blowing around, I hadn't thought of that. Might not be a big factor for me because I am hoping to leave pool up year round like others I have seen in our area.
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Don't know where Lynchburg is, but here in midwestern PA, my pool has done fine for 2 winters with some -30° nights tossed in this past winter. I drain down to the skimmer hole and let it sit. It freezes probably about 10 inches thick at least.
 
bought two more and did the triple seam thing.....actually wish I would have done more now, it feels good but a part of my foam shifted during set up.

Anyone have an opinion on the fact that my feet are on my tarps....so I have tamped base, paver, expensive tarp, cheap tarp that came with the pool.....and the foot is sitting on the top.
My foam is coped around the pavers and is sandwiched between the tarps.
 
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