Been lurking on this site for a long time, trying to soak up as much knowledge from all you folks as possible. Figure it’s time to contribute…
After getting quotes from some local PB’s ($$$), and learning how far out they are on builds (1 year +), we decided to buy a kit from Pool Warehouse and do it ourselves.
I did have a friend who installed his own pool a couple years ago, and also had a couple neighbors pools installations that I was able to stalk and learn quite a bit…combine that with the info on here from you fine people, and I wasn’t exactly going into this blind.
Ordered the kit in January, it was delivered in April, but several wall frame pieces were heavily damaged. Replacements showed up in June. Started digging June 29.
We’re about 2 weeks in and not as far along as I’d like…mostly due to weather. It’s been abnormally wet. Normally, July here means the grass is brown and everything is bone dry…not this year. Day 1 of digging got cut short due to storms, which continued the following day, and it ended up being day 4 before it dried up enough to continue. Have barely been able to get anything done this week due to more rain.
Found a guy to dig who also digs for some local pool builders, so having someone who’s dug pools before was very helpful.
Got the walls up and leveled (using roofing shingles to level worked well). We learned the hard way to not just leave wall panels standing up unbraced when it’s windy out. Had several sections bolted together, they blew over and bent as they fell, needed some straightening.
We got full width steps, which I’m sure we’ll really enjoy, but assembly was a challenge. Poor hole alignment meant needing to use a quite a bit of persuasion to get bolts in. Also, apparently Hydra Pools has some optional step add-ons that we didn’t get, but the step pieces are pre-punched for them, leaving us with extra holes that need plugged to protect the liner from getting pushed through the holes.
Local PB’s around here all install the plumbing and pour it into the collar concrete, so figured that was good enough for me. Pouring the collar was the most difficult part so far…heat index was 99 and it was no joke, especially shoveling the concrete up under the steps. We have friends with high school aged boys looking to earn extra $$ in the summer, so it’s given us some inexpensive labor. Like everyone on here has said, this is a big project and a lot of work.
Have 60 tons of pea gravel sitting in the yard, ready to backfill if it ever stops raining.
After getting quotes from some local PB’s ($$$), and learning how far out they are on builds (1 year +), we decided to buy a kit from Pool Warehouse and do it ourselves.
I did have a friend who installed his own pool a couple years ago, and also had a couple neighbors pools installations that I was able to stalk and learn quite a bit…combine that with the info on here from you fine people, and I wasn’t exactly going into this blind.
Ordered the kit in January, it was delivered in April, but several wall frame pieces were heavily damaged. Replacements showed up in June. Started digging June 29.
We’re about 2 weeks in and not as far along as I’d like…mostly due to weather. It’s been abnormally wet. Normally, July here means the grass is brown and everything is bone dry…not this year. Day 1 of digging got cut short due to storms, which continued the following day, and it ended up being day 4 before it dried up enough to continue. Have barely been able to get anything done this week due to more rain.
Found a guy to dig who also digs for some local pool builders, so having someone who’s dug pools before was very helpful.
Got the walls up and leveled (using roofing shingles to level worked well). We learned the hard way to not just leave wall panels standing up unbraced when it’s windy out. Had several sections bolted together, they blew over and bent as they fell, needed some straightening.
We got full width steps, which I’m sure we’ll really enjoy, but assembly was a challenge. Poor hole alignment meant needing to use a quite a bit of persuasion to get bolts in. Also, apparently Hydra Pools has some optional step add-ons that we didn’t get, but the step pieces are pre-punched for them, leaving us with extra holes that need plugged to protect the liner from getting pushed through the holes.
Local PB’s around here all install the plumbing and pour it into the collar concrete, so figured that was good enough for me. Pouring the collar was the most difficult part so far…heat index was 99 and it was no joke, especially shoveling the concrete up under the steps. We have friends with high school aged boys looking to earn extra $$ in the summer, so it’s given us some inexpensive labor. Like everyone on here has said, this is a big project and a lot of work.
Have 60 tons of pea gravel sitting in the yard, ready to backfill if it ever stops raining.
