He Uses Simple Free Lumber To Make An Above-Ground Swimming Pool His Kids Love

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Homeowners often dream of having a swimming pool in their backyard. However, installing a pool can be expensive, particularly for homeowners working with a limited budget. Even all-in-one DIY pool kits can involve considerable costs and installation challenges. What if you could easily build your own pool for less? DIY YouTube channel Do It Wrong Yourself shared a tutorial showing exactly how to pull this off. Although the project required considerable construction work, the creator reported keeping his material costs relatively low. The project shown in the video only cost $250 in total to make. He kept expenses down by using scrap lumber obtained for free from a construction site to build an above-ground pool for his children.

The creator used a 3D model displayed at the start of his video as a visual reference for the project. After building the frame, he used a $95 vinyl pool liner to line the inside of the pool. The pieces used to build the wooden frame were attached to one using screws and nails the YouTuber snagged for $15. Additional materials included $40 worth of Blue Wave Pool Wall Foam, $15 in pool noodles, and $10 in tape and staples.

The creator used an unconventional combination of salvaged lumber and inexpensive materials to construct the pool. Although the reported material costs were low, a project like this may involve additional expenses for structural reinforcement, safety equipment, water treatment, and ongoing maintenance. Above-ground pools can cost anywhere from $1,010 to $5,967 on average to install. The low-cost approach to swimming pool design illustrates how salvaged materials can help reduce initial expenses.

As a first step, the Do It Wrong Yourself YouTube creator cut his lumber pieces to size using his own table saw at home. If you would like to try this project out yourself but do not have the appropriate wood cutting tools, consider having your wood cut to size at your local home improvement store. Keep in mind that this may add to the overall cost of the project. After cutting the pool's wood frame pieces to size, the DIY dad arranged the bottom pieces of the frame on a concrete slab in his backyard. You can install a compacted sand base instead if you plan to recreate the DIY without a concrete slab base. He then assembled the wooden frame, working from the bottom upward. Next, he cut pool noodles into sections and placed them along the pool's interior corners. To keep this pool design idea super low cost, use the Noodle Pool Toy from Dollar Tree.

Next up is covering the pool's interior walls with foam padding. He mentions using a sticky spray to get the padding to remain stuck to the wood. The creator doesn't identify the adhesive used, so anyone considering a similar application would need to verify that a product is compatible with the foam, wood, and outdoor conditions. After installing the foam, he taped additional sections of pool noodle along the pool's lower interior edges. A vinyl pool liner is then added and secured in place. Finally, the pool was filled with water. After all that work, you'll have a fun, family pool to lounge around in. However, maintaining safe pool water will require appropriate circulation, filtration, regular water testing, and properly managed sanitizer levels.