Let's swim - installing a pool

We have tackled nearly every home project you could think of, kitchen remodel, adding a deck, swapping out windows, finishing a basement...you get the point, this project moved us to the backyard. Heather has always wanted a swimming pool in her backyard and with moving into a new house we had a blank slate in the backyard. So, we did some research and found PoolWarehouse.com

You can order do-it yourself swimming pool kits! So that's what we did!

The pool arrives in a big 18-wheeler, I rented a skid loader with forks to unload it and get it on the ground, big thanks to the framing crew working on the house across the street for the help getting it unloaded!

If you look closely, you can see Blythe in the drivers seat with me

 Brough all the parts to the backyard, with the help of all the kiddos!

They all enjoyed driving this skid loader!

Next up...bigger equipment. We hired this part out, Anderson Excavation did an awesome job!

They parked this bad boy in the backyard for the weekend and then got started digging on Monday, we didn't mind!

Watching the hole get dug!

Super impressed with these guys and their precision, it was fun to watch!

Time to get to work...shovel work to dig out the deep end and rock got delivered, time to spread it out across the base 

Helpers are ready to help!

Let's get these walls set

Got the walls hooked together and braces set, it took some pushing and pulling to make sure everything was just right but with the help of Derek, we got it done!

Another view and if you look in the background, you can see a trampoline, while the big excavator was in our backyard, we had them dig a hole for the trampoline... it turned out great!

We also hired out Grimes Concrete for the concrete work, they did an awesome job and if you need some work done, check them out! Here was the concrete ring and sonotube anchors for the walls

Then there was lots of shovel work to make sure the deep end was graded correctly. Didn't take pictures of that...it was just me in the deep end with a shovel filling buckets and hauling them out. We did also add drainage under the pool, it goes under the deep end and we added a large tube with a sump pump to make sure ground water can get pumped out and not push on the floor of the pool

Then they poured the base

At this point, I had run all the 2 inch pvc plumbing lines to and from the skimmer that went through a trench in the yard back to the house to our equipment pad. I learned how to build a pressure test gauge and pressure tested all the lines to make sure there weren't any leaks! Once I was confident of the water lines, I backfilled the trench and the walls of the pool

Leveled everything out and prepped for more concrete

Installed the coping around the pool, this is the round edge that screws right into the top of the walls. Then those coping rails and the pool ladders had to be grounded with copper wire to make sure they don't conduct electricity!

Almost done!

Final concrete deck was poured and the yard was graded

and sod installed

Added the liner, stretched it out and clipped into the coping, big thanks for John for the sweaty work getting that done!

...time to add water

Crank on the hoses...and wait

getting there...

It's filling up...

Ready to swim!

We got a solar cover to help warm up the pool. 

Finished product! We did the salt water pool...I've learned lots about chemistry and parts per million but so far the salt water has been easier to work with!

Time for a pool party!

Happy 4th of July!

Smiles and thumbs up from the kids...

It's nice sitting by the pool!

All in all, this was a pretty big project but very doable, I would do it again! We had great people helping us out along the way. Kyle and his excavating crew and Mitch and his concrete guys have all earned lifetime pool passes to our pool! It took about 2 months from start to finish.

I watched hours of YouTube video's on installing a pool as well as pool maintenance but have learned a ton as well. Swim University is a wealth of knowledge and worth checking out!