Bestway 12x24 softside, dropping a little in-ground

jak0715

New member
Jun 4, 2024
1
Staten island, ny
Almost divorced over this project already but still trying to make this (project) work. Ha!
I have so many questions still though so mnay of these treads answered a lot of other questions I had..

We want a deck around the pool but to help with privacy from being too high close to a neighbor's fence, we decided it would be best to drop the pool down *some*. That some was back breaking even with renting an excavator for a few days. Took down a tree. Then, we hit a runoff pipe and had to move the new pool outline 7'! Turns out now that tree could have stayed. Hired a plumber to repair said pipe. Husband had a great idea- tap into that pipe to use as future drainage.
Anyway, we are only down 20" but it got too difficult with the ground being heavy clay-like. For this 12x24 We dug out 14' x 26' after seeing a helpful diagram on these forums but now learned we needed to dig even wider for the paver/pressure treated wood for under the supports. WWIII broke out at this point..

Now, we still need to:
level, put up rentention wall and planning to use stone, gorilla pad & .75" foam boards.

Wish we just kept it fully above ground at this point.
Really not looking for a divorce here so I am looking for advice from wiser softsided-inground experienced people:

1) Can we still make this (project) work with the size of hole we are at 14'x26'? Possible to only remove more earth only into the sides where the other half of a paver/wood needs to sit?
2) What is the proper layer of material above this clay Crud? Stone first, foam second, and gorilla pad last?
3) Should we even be using stone? I'm affraid sand will move being that its inground. Just had very heavy rain, currently looks like a mud bath (see photo).
4)We DO need a wood rentention wall, correct?

Not planning to take down after season & in NY - if that matters at all.
 

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Welcome to TFP :)

While I can address everything here and I am sure others will chime in, what I see as the primary issue is your line item #1
The problem is the pools legs will not sit center on the pavers/pads. This will cause unequal pressure causing the paver/pad to sink on one side causing the pool to become uneven. While you can sustain a maximum of 1-2 (some say 3) inches when all the legs on one side are uneven, I think it compounds the issue.

My very first Intex was a 9x18 and my legs were not centered. Although I had 2x8 PT wood as a surround and the legs pushed up against it, my pavers did sink on one end all around the pool. It got so bad at the third year, I ended up draining and redoing all the pads.

Once you establish the base (the most important and biggest headache) then I would say address the other issues. It is not easy, especially if you're a power of 1. Deep breaths, relax, and you got this :)

Here is the diagram I used and helped another user with some measurements:

Once you get the foundation figured out, then lets move on to your other questions/concerns.
 
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