Stacking order of foam, tarp, pavers/wood for supports

[volcano]

Hi all-- our ground is leveled (we hope... contractors said it is but the water will tell the truth!) and we're getting ready to assemble a rectangular Intex 9' x 18' AGP. The ground was dug down to level and topped with a thin skim of sand (super rocky soil).

For under the pool we'll have:

• A tarp (a recycled billboard vinyl-- we love these as tarps)
• 1" foam boards
• pressure-treated (ground contact) 2x12s for under each leg
• we also have the tarp that comes with the pool, but that seems thin and pretty useless

My questions:

1. If we cut through the foam to put the boards on the ground, the top surface of the wood will be ~1/2" higher than the foam. Is that a problem? Does Intex expect the wood to be buried in the ground, or placed on the ground? I see a lot of pics online like this, where the wood is simply on the ground, but a lot of folks on this forum talk about making it flush.
2. Should we put the foam under the tarp or the tarp under foam? The foam is more slippery when wet, but the tarp (black) will be hotter on feet (will look nicer than taped pink foam, though). Both will cause ponding of water. Are there other considerations here?

Thanks!

 

[Mdragger88]

The pool filled with water will compress the foam so the boards flush with the ground is the best route.
Since u have the billboard stuff you could do that 1st then the foam then the ground cloth.
Most people then add some kind of rocks or mulch & pavers as landscaping around the pool as well which would limit your contact with the ground cloth or you could just kinda tuck it in under the perimeter of the pool.

 

[BoringDamo]

The pool filled with water will compress the foam so the boards flush with the ground is the best route.
Since u have the billboard stuff you could do that 1st then the foam then the ground cloth.
Most people then add some kind of rocks or mulch & pavers as landscaping around the pool as well which would limit your contact with the ground cloth or you could just kinda tuck it in under the perimeter of the pool.

I disagree. It depends on what the foam is. If it’s XPS it won’t compress much at all (fractions of an inch). It’s designed to go under big concrete slabs in buildings so can’t compress otherwise those buildings would be unsafe.
I have an 18x9 Intex and put my pavers flush with my foam top.