In-Ground Pool Assembly Tips

By Home & Garden Last updated Friday, April/26/2024

The in-ground pool remains one of the basic ways to make your home the envy of the neighborhood.shadow in swimming pool image by Jo?¡êo Freitas from Fotolia.com

Before you assemble your in-ground pool, you should have already made sure that excavation won't present any difficulties regarding elements like septic tanks, water wells or building codes. Also keep in mind that an in-ground pool benefits substantially from 3 to 4 feet of surrounding decking areas for walking, sunbathing or holding cookouts during a pool party.

Pool Material

Choose the type of material to be assembled as your in-ground pool with care. If fast installation is utmost to your assembly plans, go with fiberglass, which will arrive at your home in one piece and probably will need to be installed with a crane. Vinyl pools are better for homeowners who don't mind more work in the assembly process when it comes at a more affordable price. The assembly of concrete pools takes far longer than the other two types of material, but with enough money to invest you potentially have no limit on the shape or size of your new pool.

Check the soil type before excavation begins. Sandy soil conditions likely mean additional costs for excavation and even the potential for custom reinforcing. The instability of wet soil conditions means an empty pool could actually collapse. The best advice for avoiding this potential remains simply locating the pool somewhere else on the property unless you have the finances to rework your yard's drainage system.

The size and shape of the pool to be assembled must take into consideration that most building codes in America require that an in-ground pool have a protective fence encircling it. This requirement lessens the chances of an accidental drowning of a child straying onto your property and keeps animals away. Include enough land in your assembly plans to provide adequate space between the pool and the fence if you have to construct a fence to meet building code requirements.

If your pool assembly plans include landscaping with plants, keep several things in mind. Plants that tolerate pool chemicals are a must if there is any chance water from the pool will be splashed directly onto the plants. Consider using evergreens or shrubs in your landscaping plans as a way to mask unsightly pool equipment. Avoid using any plants or trees where falling leaves, petals or fruits may fall into the pool or around it. Not only does this make cleaning the pool easier, but the area around the pool will also be safer.

You can assemble your pool on uneven terrain, but it will mean utilizing customized reinforcement tools. One aesthetically pleasing way to deal with a pool built on a sloping terrain is to create an infinity-edge pool in which the water appears to disappear over the edge on the slope. This will require adding concrete piers, grade beams and footings, but the result is visually appealing.