How to Build a Swim-Up Bar

Drain

• 1

  Drain the pool using a water pump. The pool must be dry before work begins. Typically, water is drained to the street, but some cities may require permits beforehand. Make sure to do the proper research to discover the best way to dispose of the water.

• 2

  Allow the pool to dry for at least two days. If there is some water in the deep end it does not matter because the bar placement is in the shallow end.

• 3

  Find the best spot in the shallow end to start building the bar. The surface outside the pool must be concrete to attach the tabletop.

Bar

• 4

  In the shallow end of the dry pool, set up concrete blocks 3 1/2 feet from the edge of the pool. Construct the blocks to be about 2-by-2-feet wide and deep and 3 feet high from the bottom of the pool. Ideally, the top of the stool should be a foot below the water level in the shallow end. For a 4-by-6-foot tabletop, three stools fit comfortably, but the number of stools is up to the builder.

• 5

  Secure the concrete blocks to the bottom of the pool and to each other by using concrete. Smooth it out using a trowel so that edges are rounded and surface is smooth.

• 6

  Apply plaster with the trowel, when the concrete has dried, coating all the concrete surface with plaster. It is important to use seven to 10 layers of plaster, allowing each level to dry before adding another. As with the concrete, make sure edges are rounded and the surface is smooth, especially for the last layer.

• 7

  Attach a 4-by-8-foot concrete tabletop to the edge of the pool, using concrete, so that it protrudes 2 1/2 feet out, leaving 1 1/2 feet on dry land for stability. After it dries, decorate it flower pots to give it atmosphere.