How to Build a Swimming Pool

On this site you will find information on how to build your own swimming pool or how to contract out the work for building your own pool. Either way, careful planning and forethought are the keys to the swimming pool project turning out successfully.
With 13 years in the swimming pool industry I have received questions from so many people wanting help building their own swimming pool. Many of these questions are from people that are already in the middle of a project that they started without any knowledge of building a pool then ran into serious trouble after the fact.
If you are interested in building your own swimming pool, whether it be a concrete block swimming pool, a gunite/shotcrete swimming pool or a vinyl liner swimming pool, please get all the information needed before you begin your project. This will save you a lot of time and money in the long run. Starting construction on an inground pool with no idea of how it should be done can result in the whole job needing to be torn out and started over.

There are several different methods for building an in ground swimming pool using concrete block, some are better than others, some are less expensive than others. You must know what you are looking for as end results before starting. You can’t change your mind midstream and hope for the best.
A vinyl liner swimming pool will always be less expensive than a gunite/shotcrete swimming pool, even if you are building it yourself.
I have seen a few sites offering plans on how to build a vinyl liner swimming pool using concrete block as the wall structure. It may very well be that I’m not calculating right but I can’t make the numbers come out less than it would be to purchase a steel wall vinyl liner kit to construct a vinyl liner pool, and to me it sounds like considerably more work to build the walls with concrete block.
I have seen several and even built one swimming pool myself from concrete block where the finished shell was to be tiled and plastered. This is a project that a determined DIYer can handle on his own. It’s a lot of work, but doable. I have wrote an article on this site explaining how to build an in ground pool using concrete block.
After figuring up the costs I think it would be cheaper to hire a shotcrete/gunite crew to shoot and finish the shell than it would be to build the pool using concrete block. Shotcreting the swimming pool shell will also allow you much more freedom in swimming pool shape and design than building a pool from concrete block. One drawback in going with a shotcrete/gunite pool shell for the DIyer is you probably won’t be able to shoot concrete yourself, unless this is what you do for a living. On the other hand one could conceivably lay their own concrete block.
There is also a lot of other things entailed in build a swimming pool.
Properly sizing the swimming pool pump for instance. Ideally the turnover rate should be no more than 8 hours, less is better,commercial swimming pools require a maximum 6 hour turnover. Turnover rate means that the swimming pool pump, filter and plumbing should be able to move a volume of water equal to that in the swimming pool in that given amount of time. For instance a 10,000 gallon pool needs a pump and filter capable of moving and filtering approximately 28 gallons of water a minute to have a turnover rate of 6 hours.
There are several different options for swimming pool filters that you need to consider as well. Again the swimming pool filter has to be properly sized for the amount of water the pool contains and the amount of volume the swimming pool pump circulates.
Plumbing also has to be installed properly. It’s not enough just to circulate the water in the pool, placing the returns in the correct areas ensure that the flow keeps the water moving in areas so all trash is swept away to the inlets called skimmers and main drains. The plumbing also has to be properly sized for the amount of water that needs to be turned over and also for the length of run to the swimming pool equipment.
Swimming pool cleaning systems should be thought about and addressed before beginning the pool project. There are several different brands of in floor pool cleaners available and these will have to be designed and installedbefore any concrete is poured or sprayed in the floor. If you are planning a robot type pool cleaner such as a Polaris swimming pool cleaner, you need to know which model you will be intending to use.  Some robot cleaners require a dedicated line to operate. This will need to be included in the planning.
Swimming pool heaters are another thing you want to think about when planning your pool, although this is something that can be added later, by planning for it in advance you may save yourself some headaches with the plumbing by making provisions for it while building you swimming pool.
Many people are finding the convenience of salt water pools very inviting these days.

Making provisions for a salt water chlorine generator to be installed can save time and money later even if you don’t want to add it in the budget now.
Swimming pool spas are another thing for discussion. Too many times we have built shotcrete pools only to have the homeowner ask if we can add a spa after the fact. Some advice here, think about it before you start. If you want a spa, the best time to do it is when the pool is being built. It is much more expensive to add a spa later than it is to build the spa while constructing the swimming pool. Adding a shotcrete/gunite spa at a later date involves tearing out some deck, possibly cutting into the existing pool wall and a lot of plumbing that has to go somewhere, usually under the existing deck.
To give you some heads up , a spa in conjunction with a shotcrete gunite pool is great. We probably use the spa more than the pool.A gunite/shotcrete spa is a feature that can be enjoyed year round. In fact, should I ever move and build something else, I would probably just build a spa and forget about the pool. A word of advice, don’t skimp on the heater. I had already built several pool spa combos when I decided to build my own. I went with a 175,000 btu heater to save a few bucks. Big mistake , in the colder months it would take hours to get the spa up to temperature after sitting idle for a few days.I changed it to a 400,000 btu spa/pool heater several years ago, now even on 40 degree or less days the spa is up to temperature within 30 minutes. I personally never tryed to heat the pool, although it can be done, I see no need to waste that much gas.I have however circulated the hot water out of the spa and into the pool just for a quick swim on occasion.
I don’t really go into fiberglass pool installation on this site. These pools are pre manufactured. They are delivered by truck and set in a hole. There really is no construction involved other than digging the hole, running the plumbing to the swimming pool equipment, wiring the light and pouring the deck. I have several fiberglass  swimming pools that I visit on service calls and have yet to see one that the pool hasn’t seperated from the deck due to settling. Fiberglass pools are quick and easy . If that’s what you have your mind set on , by all means, go for it, just be aware that settling may occur.