How to Estimate How Much Material Is Needed to Level a Swimming Pool

Construct a 2-by-4 that is a foot longer than the length of the pool. For example, the board for an 18-foot pool should be 19-feet long. Nail two smaller boards together to form one long board if you can't find a board long enough. For an 18-foot pool, nail two 10-foot boards together. Overlap the boards approximately a foot to get a 19-foot board.

Put one end of the board on the highest level of soil. Place a level on the end of the other side of the board and have someone else lift the board until it is level.

Measure how far you must raise the board for the ground to be level by holding the level on the ground and measuring up to the base of the board. If you must raise the ground more than two inches you should use a shovel or a backhoe to remove soil from the high side and put it to the low side. Tamp down the soil with a tamp to compact it and prevent it from shifting.

Calculate the area of the swimming pool. For a round pool, multiply the square of the radius by 3.14. The radius is the distance from the center of the pool to the side. For a square pool multiply the length of the pool times the width.

Divide the area by 12 to get the number of square feet of soil you must cover.

Multiple the number of square feet by the depth of sand needed to level the ground. You should need no more than 2 inches of sand per square feet. For an 18- foot round pool, multiply the square of nine, which is 81 by 3.14 to get 254.34. Divide this by 12 to get 21.2 square feet. Multiply this by two and you need approximately 43 square feet of sand to level the pool.