Building the Foundation and Steel Frame for an Inground Pool

Steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Reviewing the plan and preparing the workspace

   Watch this part (0:00)

   Welcome to part three of building my subtropical swimming paradise. In previous parts, I dug a hole that is 3.40 meters across and 1.20 meters deep. I share the master plan through an animation showing the pool, artificial plants, bamboo, wooden verandas, solar heaters on the roof, a tiki bar, and a possible large water slide.

   To stay dry and warm while working, I have stretched a sail over the garden and set up a tent.

2. 2

   Step 2: Preparing the foundation site with wood and stakes

   Almost two tons of concrete bags have arrived for the foundation plate. I laid thick 6cm wooden planks over the edges of the pool so there is no point load on the ground that could cause the hole to collapse, and my pool ladder is already coming in handy. I placed stakes around the 3.40-meter wide hole and set them all exactly 10cm high so the poured concrete will be completely level.

   What I used

   Item	Amount	Notes
   concrete bags	almost two tons	for the foundation plate
   wooden planks	thick	6cm thick, placed over the edges to prevent point load
   stakes	multiple	set at exactly 10cm height for level pouring
   pool ladder	1	already coming in handy

3. 3

   Step 3: Placing reinforcement and pouring the concrete foundation

   On a new day, I placed the liner in the pool and put reinforcement all around the bath so the sides and steel crate will bond well with the foundation plate. With the mold ready, I mixed and poured the concrete. After 24 hours, the concrete is hard enough to walk on, and I used a brick to smooth down a high spot and make it flat.

   Concrete takes 24 hours to let you walk on it, and 7 days to reach full strength, but we are not waiting that long to continue.

   What I used

   Item	Amount	Notes
   liner	1	placed in the pool
   reinforcement	around the bath	for good adhesion
   brick	1	used to smooth high spots on the concrete

4. 4

   Step 4: Assembling the pool frame and steel wall

   I measured the center of the hardened concrete and started laying out the blue bottom rails and brackets to build the frame. I am using a Bestway Hydrium 300cm steel wall pool. Working in the 1.20-meter deep pit presented a danger because climbing down between the wall and the earth to tighten the outer screws is extremely dangerous.

   My solution was to place the blue rail and brackets on stones, set the steel wall inside, screw the side poles on, and reach with my hand under the frame to tighten the screws from the outside.

   What I used

   Item	Amount	Notes
   Bestway Hydrium steel wall pool	1	300cm steel wall pool used as a formwork
   blue bottom rails and brackets	multiple	laid out to build the frame
   stones	multiple	to support rails during assembly

5. 5

   Step 5: Sealing gaps around the pool frame

   After screwing all the metal support pillars to the back, I sealed the gap under the edge between the concrete and the profiles at the bottom and top with sealant. I do this because we will use the pool as a formwork, placing insulation against the pool and pouring Styrocrete (fluid concrete) outside it. Sealing the openings prevents the liquid concrete from leaking inside and crawling under the liner.

   What I used

   Item	Amount	Notes
   sealant	multiple	used to seal gaps under the edge and profiles
   insulation	multiple	to be placed against the pool
   Styrocrete	fluid concrete	to be poured outside the insulation

6. 6

   Step 6: Planning underground pipes and pump shed

   With the frame installed, I removed the rubber tiles where the pump and filter shed will go 40cm into the ground. Before pouring Styrocrete, underground PVC pipes must be placed and connected to the pool so the pipe openings remain clear. Water pipes and cables will run through these protective pipes to prevent temperature loss in the ground and make it easy to pull new cables or replace leaking pipes later.

   What I used

   Item	Amount	Notes
   rubber tiles	multiple	removed for the pump shed location
   PVC pipes	multiple	run underground to protect water pipes and cables

7. 7

   Step 7: Call to action and upcoming episodes

   If you think this is a fun project, please leave a like and click the subscribe button so you do not miss any episodes. Eventually, I will also make a compilation episode where you can watch everything all at once, so stay tuned for that.

8. 8

   Step 8: Takeaways

   • Placing wooden planks over the pool edges prevents point loading and hole collapse.

   • Stakes set at 10cm height ensure the concrete foundation is completely level.

   • Concrete takes 24 hours to walk on and 7 days to reach full strength.

   • Assembling the steel wall on stones in the pit allows safe tightening of outer screws.

   • Sealing gaps around the frame prevents fluid Styrocrete from leaking under the pool liner.

   • Running underground PVC pipes protects lines from frost and allows future cable replacements.