Building your own inground swimming pool may sound like a monumental task. But when taken step-by-step as described in our do it yourself Pool Plans, you'll find there's actually nothing hard about it. The pool wall is fabricated out of standard 8" X 8" X 16" cinder blocks as shown. The first course of block is set into a concrete footing and the remaining blocks are stacked, not mortared, 5, 6 or 7 blocks high and filled with rebar and concrete. The pool bottom can be either compacted sand or a more professional perlite and concrete mix. A custom vinyl pool liner, ordered to your exact pool dimensions, attaches to the top of the pool via a track and is cushioned from the concrete block with packing foam. The deck can be either wood or concrete.
The cinder block wall type of construction is used by many pool companies and lends itself nicely for the do-it-yourselfer. The structurally engineered block wall is very robust as it is designed as a retaining wall - able to withstand the forces of the earth and deck without water in the pool. The vinyl liner should provide approximately 7 to 10 years of use with relatively no maintenance. There are many liner patterns to choose from as can be seen from the "Custom Liners" link both here and below.
The 38 page Do It Yourself Pool Plans booklet walks you through in great detail, every step of the way and will provide you with the know-how to build every bit the pool that a pool company would install, if not better. The plans are easily adapted for any size pool. You can do it all yourself or contract out various portions. You'll save about half off "their" price. And when it's complete, you'll have the satisfaction and pride of saying, "I built it myself".
We can provide any and all the pool equipment and of course the liner. We provide pool equipment pricing with each set of pool plans. As an example for the cost of a complete project:
On an 18' X 40' pool, you provide the cinder blocks, plumbing, electrical and labor - or you can contract out portions of the job. Cinder block is around $500 and would require approximately 13 yd's of concrete for the footing and 5 yd's for filling the block cells. At $110/yd, that's $1980 plus $450 for rebar. A custom 20 mil print liner, top of the line Hayward pump and filter, inlets, light, solar cover, skimmers, ladder, and all the miscellaneous equipment is $5146. Estimate $400 for plumbing, $400 for electrical and $2500 for a concrete deck. Add another $1000 for good measure and $25.95 for the plans for a total of around $12,400K.
In general, the cost for different size pools doesn't vary significantly from the above price since most of the equipment stays the same - unless of course you are building a much smaller or much larger pool. This design works equally well in cold climates which requires the footing to be below the frost line. The plans come with footing plans for a 5, 6 & 7 course block wall. The 7 course puts the top of the footing at approximately 58" (56" wall + 2" coping) below grade. If the frost line is below that, you will need to seek the advise of a structural engineer to build a taller wall.
Some pool companies sell wood or steel wall pool kits which generally comes with the liner. You then have to dig the hole to exactly match the liner - not an easy task for the first time pool builder. All of our liners are custom made to exactly fit the pool you build.
If you are thinking about building a pool, the plans are well worth the money. They are well written and have lots of pictures. Plus, we are here to help you through it, answering all your questions. The two pools on the home page were built using our pool plans as were those referenced on our home page under "View More Homebuilt Pools". Many other pools have also been built from our plans and yours can too. To order securely, you can select the appropriate button below. Alternatively, you can send a check or money order to the address below for the prices identified below or phone in your order.
Note: If you have a pool size in mind, drop us an email with the size after your order and we'll send estimated material pricing more in line with what you are considering to build. Otherwise, we'll send out 16' x 32' estimated material pricing.
Pool Plans shipped First Class USPS, US ONLY- $25.95 (click button below)
Pool Plans shipped Priority USPS, US ONLY- $32.95 (click button below)
Pool Plans shipped Air Mail - REQUIRED FOR ALL OUT OF COUNTRY ORDERS - $32.95 (click button below)
Please allow approximately 1 week for delivery.
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HOMEBUILT POOLS • P.O. Box 1488 • Belen, NM 87002 • (505) 898-7181 • (505) 214-5161 Fax
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