Over the past week I have been brainstorming the best way to get this above ground pool on a level surface.
Considering how much dirt I would have to bring in and where I would get it from sent me in the direction of digging it out.
Plus I didn’t want that much weight sitting up on a mound of dirt which could eventually slope off.
As for the dirt that I have to dig out, I have a spot on the side of the house where I can dump it. If I want to haul it off it is easy to get to with the double wide gate.
Dig The Hole
After deciding exactly where we wanted the pool, I marked it out and squared it up with the house.
First, I need to get this grass out of here. Don’t even bother trying to dig the grass out with a shovel, you will be there for a year and won’t be able to reuse the grass anywhere as it will be in little chunks. Go and rent a sod cutter trust me on this one.
With my Truck out of commission with a broken water pump, I turn to the Excursion to get the work done. This sod cutter fit perfectly in the back thank God
Granted it only took me 20 minutes to cut the sod and I had rented it for their 2 hour minimum @ $50 but it was totally worth every penny.
I have the perfect place for some of this grass I cut out but not all of it.
Duck Encloser
Cutting the grass into manageable pieces I loaded them up on the Gorilla dump cart and hauled it back there and laid it down.
I almost got all of it back there but not quite all of it.
The yard doesn’t look too good but the Duck Enclosure is sure looking good.
So then it was time to start digging. No not by hand, I have access to a mini excavator from work. Again I am glad I own 2 diesel rigs because the Excursion towed this back to the house no problem.
Take a scoop, load it in the Gorilla Cart which is being towed by the John Deer mower, take it to the side of the house and dump it.
This would be a whole lot easier it I had another person. Instead I am on and off the mini excavator...on and off the mower... back and forth back and forth. This went on from about 5:30 PM until 8:00 PM.
Behold, I have a hole that is really close to being level thanks to the grade laser I borrowed from work.
Fired up bright and early Friday morning and started finishing up the hole. Cleaning up the edges and trying to get it flat as possible.
In order to make sure there isn’t a ‘crown’ or hump in the middle, I used 2x4’s on each side of the hole and set the bottom of the 2x4 to 3 inches above the grade I wanted.
After anchoring the 2x4’s to stakes I drove into the ground, I used another 2x4 and cut it to fit exactly in between the 2 outer rails (2x4’s) On top of both ends, overhanging about 1 inch I screwed a stake on each side. This allows the 2x4 to slide on the side rails along with giving you an idea of how level the middle of your hole is. Let’s just say I had a nice crown and ended up digging for a couple hours. This dirt is like a thick wet clay and isn’t too kind on the hands and back of a shovel operated. Dispite the frustration and sore hands and back I am really glad I check it. I would have had like 1/2 in of sand in he middle. Then I borrowed a compactor from work and ran it over a few times to make sure I had a good base to lay the sand on.
Bring in the Sand
But first I need to eat some breakfast. It’s already about 10am and I haven’t eaten yet. Been all jacked up on coffee and high on working.
After I inhale some breakfast I head into work and grab a trailer that will work perfect for sand. Ya I have to shovel it out but that is just the way it goes sometimes.
They call this concrete sand. I have no idea why but the guy told me it won’t settle when it gets wet and it is half the price of the fill sand
$20 a ton..
Let’s start with 1 ton and see how far she goes.
Load it into the Gorilla cart and tow it into the back yard where my wife is waiting to spread it.
Back and forth I go until this load in the trailer is empty. Then I get a call to go into work for a power outage. I was the only person he could get a hold of, so I dropped everything and took care of the outage. Glad it was an easy one 😉
With making many trips from the front to the back yard I couldn’t avoid having any passengers.
This John Deer X330 has got some power. Hauling a load of wet sand, two kids and an adult without any hesitation.
What a Beast
That ton of sand filled about 1/2 of what I needed before compacting so I went and grabbed another 1.5 tons.
Back and forth, dumping and spreading it out then packing it down.
Leveling Out the Sand
Using the side rails and the board cut to fit in between them, Mama Splatts and I Drag the board along the rails raking the sand perfectly flat and smooth
DON’T TOUCH IT!!
Oh ya, check out how smooth that is!!
The plan is coming together for a nice smooth bottom pool.
After soaking it down really good, we began building the pool next to the prepped area.
The plan it to put the pool together completely. Then with 3 adults and 2 kids, lift the pool and walk it into place.
The reason for doing it this way, is to keep the smooth sand untouched.
We are Getting Soooo Close!!!
I am just flat out exhausted at this point. I’ve been shoveling, digging, raking, got called off the pool building to take care of a power outage at work, then back at it again. I am so close I can’t stop now. Gotta finish and get this pool filled with water TONIGHT!!
Ok so the pool is put together and ready for the big team lift and move. We have to be careful not to let it drag or touch the sand. Keep all the legs tight and walk it into place.
With proper communication and team work the pool landed safely in its resting place with no casualties and no touchy touchy of the sand.
FILL IT UP
Grab every hose and use every hose spigot, we need max water flow!!!
We ended up getting it filled right as dusk was upon us. Perfect timing to check out what it looks like at night with the pool light and deck lights on. No too shabby.
The next day I ran some wire and added a couple new electrical outlets on the back of the house to run the filter and saltwater system. Why in the world would you build a house and only have 1 outlet in the back of the house?
Come on people!!
Just add salt and wait 24 hours for it to fully dissolve before running the saltwater system. Let’s cover this baby up and get ready for the fun times ahead.
No dry skin, burning eyes, faded clothes and harsh chemicals. Saltwater is the way to go.
Now we just need to figure out what we are goin to do around the base of the pool.
Maybe on the bottom we will place river rocks and build a little block wall where I had to take the dirt out.
Either way we will figure something out. I am just glad this pool is in and ready to go. I can’t wait to get off work and cannonball into the pool to cool off everyday this summer.
Another busy weekend with a few more things knocked off the to-do list. Hey I even found my keys that I lost a month ago. They were in this box for some crazy reason.
I found them when I was picking up the garage a bit.
I also got my shed all clean out and the Duck enclosure cleaned up and ready for the last bit of chicken wire to get installed.
Overall a good productive weekend.
Thanks for stopping by and checking out another one of my projects.
Stay tuned for the next one.
Until next time
Steem on
And
Hard work
Will
Pay off
