Do-it-Yourself Cement Pools

Designing and Digging

• 1

  Select a site for your pool, considering the proximity to your house. A natural swimming pool would go well in the garden area, for example.

• 2

  Mark the perimeter of the planned pool with stakes. Tie string between the stakes For this example, the pool is 12 feet by 12 feet by 4 feet. Make corners of the perimeter perfectly square. Use the carpenter's square to ensure that the corners are correct, adjusting the stakes if necessary.

• 3

  Mark under the string with the spray paint, to aid in digging the pool accurately. Dig out the pool using a shovel and wheelbarrow. Start from one corner of the pool, digging straight down to 4 feet. Dig diagonally across the pool, so there's a basic ramp to use to cart out dirt. Keep the sides as straight as possible. The sides don't have to be perfect. The poured concrete will compensate for minor flaws.

Concrete Liner

• 4

  Cut 2-by-4-inch wood boards with the circular saw. Cut 12 pieces to 11 feet, 11 inches long. Cut four pieces to 4 feet long. While standing in the pit, nail these together to create a four-sided frame. The sides will have an 11-foot, 11-inch piece at the top, middle and bottom, with a 4-foot post at either end. Drive nails through the 4-foot pieces, and into the 8-foot pieces.

• 5

  Cut plywood sheets to 11 feet, 11 inches by 4 feet. Nail them into the outer sides of the frame by hammering nails through the plywood, and into the 2-by-4 frame. Add a nail every 3 feet, along where the plywood meets the frame.

• 6

  Fasten the four sides together by putting nails through the side of the 4-foot vertical piece, into the ends another 4-foot vertical piece. Center the frame within the pool, with a 1-inch gap between the frame and the edges of the hole. Ensure the plywood seals tightly with the floor of the pool, by pushing the frame into the earth slightly.

• 7

  Pour concrete in the wheelbarrow and add water, following the instructions on the package. Stir with the shovel in a figure-eight pattern. Pour concrete into the gap between the frame and the pit. Allow the concrete to dry as instructed on the packaging, at least overnight.

• 8

  Remove the frame from the pit after the concrete has dried. Pour concrete 2 inches deep in the bottom of the pit. Standing outside the pool, use a concrete float on a pole to level the concrete. Allow it to dry overnight.

Water and Landscape

• 9

  Fill the pool with water from a hose.

• 10

  Add water plants appropriate to your climate, perhaps sedges, rushes, duckweed or cattails. Allow the plants to take up about 25 percent of the surface area of the pool.

• 11

  Allow frogs and other outdoor visitors to make a home at your pool, resulting in a natural-looking and eco-friendly place to cool off during the summer.