How to make a swimming pool at your dacha with your own hands: the best options and master classes

Who wouldn't want to splash around and cool off in their own pool on a hot summer day? How much joy and endless pleasure an artificial pond would bring to adult dacha owners and the restless younger generation. Imagine, this seemingly “rainbow” dream is quite feasible.

For those wishing to build a pool at their dacha with their own hands, we offer a number of practice-tested methods for organizing it. Here you will learn how to make a temporary and permanent option. You will be able to compare which method is easier for you to implement personally, which is more acceptable in terms of price and method of construction.

This article contains clear answers to all your questions. Construction technologies are thoroughly analyzed. Valuable recommendations are given for determining the best place for a pool, choosing the optimal type of material for constructing a bowl, and for performing waterproofing and finishing.

Options for constructing country pools

Even an inexperienced craftsman can carry out the construction of a country pool. You just need to follow the construction technology of the chosen structure.

But first you need to choose a suitable location for the swimming facility and its type. Not every site will be able to arrange a large reservoir for long-distance swimming or diving from a three-meter springboard.

It is expensive and difficult to build a warm structure for a swimming pool in a country house with a roof for swimming all year round, but an option with a lightweight polycarbonate cover is possible

Structurally, swimming pool baths can be made:

• With penetration into the ground. The basin bowl is installed in a pit; it can be ceramic, fiberglass, monolithic concrete, built from foam blocks or brick.
• Surface mounted. These are structures for temporary use; they can be frame (collapsible) or inflatable. To install them, you will need a flat, compacted or concrete-filled area.

Their bowl shape can be round, rectangular, oval or complex geometry. The simplest option is a bathhouse near the bathhouse in the form of a large barrel. But it is difficult to call such a structure a full-fledged swimming pool.

For installation in a country house, an outdoor pool in a stationary or mobile version is most often chosen.

Both options, due to the lack of a roof, can be used for their intended purpose only in the summer, but for a country holiday on the weekend, these structures will be quite enough. Their installation does not require too much investment and is quite simple if done independently.

It is much more difficult to build an indoor pool with your own hands. For him, you will have to order a project for a full-fledged building in the form of an extension to a country house with the laying of pipelines, installation of equipment, pool ventilation and heating.

If the site is not protected, and the owners rarely visit the dacha in winter, then it is irrational to erect such a structure.

Inflatable structures are inexpensive and quick to install, but any sharp object can quickly turn them into useless rags

To finish the walls and bottom of the bowl of a stationary pool from the inside, the following is used:

1. Fiberglass.
2. Polypropylene.
3. PVC film.
4. Mosaic or tile.

Thick polyvinyl chloride film is used in both frame and monolithic structures. And other materials are only used when installing stationary structures with partial or complete burial in the ground.

The construction of a stationary pool buried in the ground requires preliminary calculations and design. The overflow diagram will tell you how to make the project

Bowls made of composite fiberglass are manufactured in the factory. The dimensions and configuration of products are not limited in any way. The same applies to the polypropylene cast version.

Modular polyvinyl chloride panels are produced on an industrial scale, from which the pool bath is assembled and installed directly on the site. A set of panels can be used to create a pool of almost any size and shape.

Ready-made swimming pool baths are available in monolithic and prefabricated versions. For a temporary structure, it is better to prefer a prefabricated structure. If the bowl will be installed in a pit, it is better to choose a monolithic ceramic, PVC or fiberglass bathtub

Tips for choosing a location for a pool

The structure being installed should, on the one hand, decorate the dacha plot, and on the other hand, not spoil the soil on it. Splashes of water from the pool are inevitable.

Excessive humidity can quickly turn the estate into a swamp, destroying all the trees and plantings around its own artificial reservoir.

The optimal hydrogeological conditions for a stationary installation are low-moisture sands with a groundwater level that does not rise above 2.5 - 3 m during periods of heavy rainfall. However, such a situation is very rare, because pool baths are waterproofed not only from the inside, but also from the outside to protect against groundwater

The fewer bushes and trees nearby, the better. The absence of shading from the crown means faster heating of the water. Plus, their roots will reach for moisture, inevitably crushing the sides of the pool along the way.

At the same time, it must be equipped as close as possible to the “source” of water - a water tap or a natural body of water.

The ideal soil for constructing a swimming pool in a country house is clay. It will act as an additional waterproofing layer created by nature itself.However, this mostly applies to monolithic structures; the frame version can be installed on any type of soil.

The size of the pool area depends on the personal preferences of the owner of the dacha. Some people need one 2.5x5 meter path for swimming in the morning, while others need a small pond with a “beach” for arranging sun loungers.

The optimal depth is considered to be 1.4–1.5 meters. However, for small children it is better to make the bowl smaller. And if you plan to put a slide or a diving board nearby, then, on the contrary, it should be buried at least 2.5–3 m.

Useful: How to make a pool from a Eurocube with your own hands.

Instructions for installing swimming pools

After determining the location of a stationary pool on a summer cottage, it is necessary to draw a plan with the distribution of communications and the exact dimensions of the structure, as well as a diagram of the location of equipment for water circulation and purification.

It is impossible to dig a pit without preliminary planning and marking on the ground. This is a labor-intensive task; throwing large volumes of soil from place to place several times will destroy the desire to build anything with your own hands for a long time.

The pit is dug in depth 30 centimeters larger than the size of the bowl created in it. This space is filled with a sand cushion and a layer of waterproofing on top, for which you can use geotextiles or roofing felt.

Waterproofing must be laid as a continuous sheet. Bitumen roll materials are laid with an overlap and combined by welding with a polypropylene torch or gluing with a suitable mastic. Geotextile panels are glued together with double-sided tape.

We recommend that you read the detailed instructions for implementation. pool waterproofing with your own hands.

You will need: How to build an indoor pool with your own hands.

Option #1 - made of polypropylene and fiberglass

Installing a composite or polypropylene bowl can significantly speed up the process of installing a swimming pool at your dacha. It is created in the workshop and delivered to the site in finished form.

Recommendations for arrangement

The materials used in manufacturing are resistant to mechanical stress and water.

The finished bowl made of fiberglass or polypropylene does not need additional finishing inside; it is enough to install it in the pit and place a reinforcing layer along the sides

In extreme heat in the sun, the polypropylene walls and bottom may begin to “float”. This material tends to expand at high temperatures. As a result, the surface of the bowl slightly ripples. However, when the midday heat subsides, it returns to its forms.

Unlike polypropylene, composite fiberglass is more resistant to heat, but also costs much more than the first option. Otherwise, their characteristics are almost identical. Installation of pool bowls from them is also carried out using the same technology.

The process of constructing a pool using a ready-made bathtub includes several stages: 1 - constructing a pit and strengthening its bottom; 2 — installation of the bowl; 3 - strengthening the walls; 4 — site arrangement

The construction of a pool at the dacha from these materials is as follows:

1. At the bottom of the pit, a concrete slab 25–30 cm thick is poured as a base from a solution with a cement grade of at least M300.
2. After installing the bowl, communications and a layer of reinforcement made of steel or fiberglass rods with a cross-section of 6–8 mm are installed.
3. Spacers are installed inside the bathhouse, and it is partially filled with water.
4. The space between the side of the bowl and the wall of the pit is filled with concrete mortar.
5. After the concrete has hardened, the edge of the pool is arranged and the surrounding area is decorated.

Another option for arranging a polypropylene pool is to use sheets of this polymer material with a thickness of 8 mm or more.

In this case, the bowl can be created of any size and shape. The main thing here is to correctly connect the sheets by welding. To do this, you will need to purchase or rent a special welding extruder and a hot air gun.

If you choose a small bowl made of fiberglass or polypropylene, then you can do without reinforcement and pouring concrete; it will be enough to fill it with crushed stone from the outside and compact the soil after filling

If the dacha is located in a cold region, then it is recommended to insulate the pipes in the ground, the walls and the bottom of the bowl with polystyrene foam several centimeters thick before pouring concrete in case of poor drainage of water from the system before preservation.

However, thermal insulation cannot be considered a measure that unconditionally protects polymer walls and underground pipeline branches from breakthroughs when water freezes. It is better to completely free the system from it before wintering.

Installation instructions

The installation of the plastic fiberglass pool and the construction of the engine room for maintenance will consist of two stages. Let's look at them in more detail below.

The first stage is installing the pool bowl in the pit and connecting the lines and fittings.

The next stage is the construction of a protective pavilion and the connection of equipment serving the pool.

Thanks to the transparent dome, the pool can be used both outdoors and indoors in any weather.

We have other materials on our website about pool maintenance equipment. We invite you to familiarize yourself with them:

• How to choose a pool pump: a comparative review of various designs
• Heat pump for a swimming pool: selection criteria + installation rules
• How to make a sand filter for a pool with your own hands: step-by-step instructions

Option #2 - made of monolithic concrete

This method of constructing a swimming pool at the dacha involves installing formwork to form a concrete bottom and sides, followed by covering them and the bottom with mosaics or tiles. In this case, the concrete used is of a similar composition as in the version with a polypropylene bowl.

First, the “floor” of the future pool is created. To do this, reinforcement with cells of 15–20 cm is laid in two layers in the pit. Then communications for draining water are installed inside the resulting structure. The concrete solution is poured so that the floor has a slight slope towards the drain hole.

Concrete pool walls can be protected from water with PVC film or with a layer of membrane waterproofing and tiled or mosaic cladding

After the concrete has hardened, reinforcement for the walls is installed around the perimeter of the bowl and formwork is installed to fill them. The entire resulting concrete surface is waterproofed with bitumen mastic or a similar coating material.

We reviewed the best types of waterproofing materials in more detail. In this article.

If the sides turn out to be uneven, they will have to be plastered using reinforcing mesh.It can be metal, but it is better to take a more expensive composite made of polymer materials. The latter will cost more, but it will definitely not begin to rust from exposure to moisture.

Without a mesh, the leveling layer of plaster in the structure being built will not last long. The energy of wave impacts from a passing person will inevitably and quickly destroy it.

You can finish the formed bowl of a country pool:

• mosaic;
• PVC film;
• tiles.

The decorative layer should not only decorate the pool structure, but also reliably protect the concrete from exposure to water.

If you cheat at this stage and make mistakes, then the concrete pool will soon have to be overhauled. In some cases, it will be necessary to completely disassemble the damaged structure, and then refill everything.

The sides and bottom of a monolithic pool can be made without the use of formwork by spraying concrete, but this requires certain skills and special equipment

The easiest way to decorate a bowl is with PVC film. You just need to spread it out and straighten it, and then solder the individual flaps into a single sealed fabric. You should use a film with a ribbed surface on the steps, otherwise they will turn out to be too slippery.

The use of tiled decorative materials allows you to create a more attractive looking country pool. But doing such cladding with your own hands is much more difficult. And it is extremely important to use only waterproof brands of glue, and grout only with antifungal additives.

Option #3 - from wooden panels

To make a wooden pool at your dacha you will need 60x60 mm bars and planed boards with a thickness of 30 mm or more. The structure will have the shape of an octagon.To begin, you need to knock down eight shields as high as the depth of the bowl.

All wood must be treated with antiseptics, otherwise a lumber pool will have to be rebuilt several times over the summer.

A wooden pool structure can be partially buried in the soil or simply placed on the ground. In the first case, the bottom is best done according to the classical scheme with digging a shallow pit, laying reinforcement and pouring concrete. And in the second, you will be able to get by with thick boards knocked tightly together.

After assembling all the panels into a single structure, the necessary technological holes should be made in them. Then PVC film is placed in the thicket for waterproofing. At the end of the work, all that remains is to install the stairs and refine the upper edge of the sides.

In addition to the three options given above, a country pool can be built from brick or polystyrene foam blocks with concrete poured inside them, as well as from plastic bottles or large tires. There are quite a few ways, the choice here depends on the wishes of the owner of the dacha and his financial capabilities.

How to improve the area around the pool?

The main thing in the design of a pool structure in a country house is the shape and color of the bowl. Intricate shapes with curves always attract the eye.

And to make the pool visually look deeper than it actually is, its inner surface should be made white. In this case, the adjacent area must, on the contrary, be done in dark brown shades.

A frame pool rising above the ground with a small platform next to it, surrounded by a garden, does not look as cumbersome as it does alone in an open area

To decorate the area adjacent to the bathhouse, it is enough to place garden figurines and flowerpots nearby. Planting any ornamental plants directly into the pool, as is the case with an artificial pond, is strictly prohibited.

Chlorine-purified water is absolutely unsuitable for their growth, and swimming in the “thickets” will not be very convenient.

It is recommended to paving the territory of the summer cottage around the pool:

• decking (terrace board);
• wood of moisture-resistant species;
• paving stones with a rough surface.

Also, don’t forget to arrange a recreation area nearby with sun loungers, garden furniture and a small gazebo. If there are children in the family, it would not hurt to locate a children's playground nearby.

And all the furniture, sports equipment and even a gazebo can be assembled with your own hands, using scraps and remnants of plastic pipes. The best ideas on how to make stylish and useful crafts from pipes see here.

As a finishing touch, you should install lighting so that you can relax by the pool not only during the day, but also in the evening and at night under the stars.

Popular options for arranging the area around the pool:

Methods of filtering and purifying water

Visible debris should be removed by hand as quickly as possible using a garden net. To get rid of stains, the walls should be cleaned with a brush from time to time. You can also use a special vacuum cleaner for the pool to get rid of debris and dirt.

We reviewed popular pool cleaning models among buyers in another article - follow the link to view ten best vacuum cleaners.

All this will not eliminate the need to purify water, but will significantly reduce the risk of its blooming. It’s easier to change it altogether, using it once a week to water the garden. However, this is not always possible.

The bathtub of a skimmer-type pool must be equipped with a skimmer, pump and filter unit, but in the country this is rarely done due to the high cost of installation and maintenance of this equipment

You can purify the water in an outdoor pool using filters:

• sandy;
• cartridge;
• diatom.

More complete information about the types of pool filters and the rules for choosing the best is discussed in another our article.

The water will also have to be treated with chlorine, active oxygen and bromine. Such treatment of water will only be needed if it has not been changed in the country pool for too long or was taken from a natural reservoir. In a centralized water supply system, it is already subjected to chemical disinfection.

If you do not have a centralized water supply at your dacha, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the means for water purification.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Technology for constructing a concrete structure:

How to set up a swimming pool at your dacha with your own hands:

Installation of a polypropylene bowl:

The technology for independently installing a country pool is a rather labor-intensive, but not too complicated process.

If you wish, you can do all the work yourself, spending a minimum of money on construction. You just need to choose the most suitable option for your site..

Do you dream of building a swimming pool on your summer cottage and are you considering options? Or do you have any questions about the instructions discussed in our article? Ask for advice in the comments block - we will try to clarify the difficult point in detail.

Or maybe you already use a homemade pool for your country house? Tell us how long it took you to build and what materials you used. Better yet, share a photo of your pool by attaching it in the comments to this article.