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Starting Your Do-It-Yourself Above Ground Pool Installation

Your completed project is dependent on doing two opening steps 100% right. If you don’t get these correct, the finished result is guaranteed to be problematic, both aesthetically and structurally. A little extra attention to detail will help make your completed pool look like it was done by a pro. More importantly, it will help make sure it is stable and structurally sound.

Layout and ground preparation.

Before starting, make sure to check your local zoning to see if there are minimum distances from property lines. Also, avoid building in drainage swells, over or directly under utility lines, or over a leach bed. Now, pick your location. The easiest way to visually comprehend where your pool will be is to locate where you want the center to be. Using a roll-up tape measure with an ‘eye’ and a screwdriver, stake the center point. Then stretch the tape out to half the diameter of the pool you purchased. For example, a 24-foot pool will have a twelve-foot radius (center point to outer wall). Stretch the tape out to a 12-feet radius and start walking a circle. This represents the edge of the pool. If it isn’t exactly where you want the pool, adjust the center stake accordingly until you have your ideal location. Then mark the outer edge. When I built pools, I used spray paint to create a circle.

Now comes the real fun. Leveling the ground. Part 1.

It’s time to dig. If your yard is flat, all you may need to do is strip the sod off. Most yards have at least a little slope though and many will require a lot of dirt removal. It is important that the ground that will be under the liner is level to within an inch or so. You have a little flexibility there. However, where the pool frame resides must be much more level. So, let’s skip ahead to getting the frame properly set.

Lay out the bottom track and plates.

Using your circle, connect tracks and plates to make a completed track. Put a patio block under each bottom plate with the inner edge of the block a couple inches inside the plate. Once you have the blocks all placed, remove the track and plates. Put them well off to the side. Now, locate the block that has the lowest spot in the to-be pool area. Mark its location, then remove it. With a flat bladed shovel, dig where the block will be. You want the hole to be deep enough so that when the block is reinserted its top rests even with the ground. Also, make sure it is level. You now have the block level set and the rest of the blocks must be set to this level.

Assuming you don’t have a transit or builders-level transit, you will need two items now. Firstly, select a 2 x 4 equal to your pool’s radius. It needs to be perfectly straight with no bends or warping. Secondly, secure a long bubble level. The longer the better. At the center point, remove the screwdriver and dig down to a point at the same level as the top of the block you set. You will have to dig a channel from the center to that block. Then place the 2 x 4 in the channel and put the bubble level on top of it. Continue digging the channel and center point until the 2 x 4 rests on the ground and the bubble is perfectly level with the top of the bock. Not almost. Perfectly level. A half bubble off can lead to your frame being unlevel by several inches. The center point is now your main spot for determining the frame level. For every remaining block, dig a channel to them. Remove that block, dig down as on the first block. Then replace the block and set it to the same level as the pool’s center point. Do this for every block.

Leveling the ground. Part 2.

Once you have done your channeling and leveled each block, you have completed the ‘brainwork’. Now it’s just a matter of digging out the ground between the channels and between the blocks where the track will rest. Don’t go too deep in the track area. You want the track to rest on the ground between blocks. Once the digging is finished, double check your levels from block to block and make sure you didn’t make any errors.

The last step is a piece of cake.

Reconnect the bottom tracks and plates. Establish your center point again and stretch out that tape. Make sure you didn’t get a block set slightly off where it should be. Correct any that need re-dug and re-check the level. If you need to move the track and plates a little, do so gently. Keep working in a circle, round and round, until you have a perfectly circular pool frame. When you put the wall up, the track will still move a little. Not a problem. Just keep the screwdriver in the center and do a final tape check and adjust accordingly.

In summary…

You will want to do a slight over-dig of the project area. After all, you need room to work when bolting up the wall and installing upright posts. If you are going into a moderate or steep slope, you will need extra room, and it could be as much as a couple of feet.

There is obviously much still to do before your pool is completed. But his ends the blister-making ‘grunt work’. Get these steps right and you’ll be well on the way to a very nice pool. In short, make it level and keep it round.