We Got a Pool! Summer Backyard on a Budget

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of having a pool! Of course, I love inground pools with waterfall features, diving boards, water slides, and all the bells and whistles, but I would have been happy with anything I could swim in. This summer Nick and I decided to take the leap and get a pool for our family. We looked at different budget friendly options and decided on an above ground that we (okay Nick and his dad) could install ourselves.

We started by picking the perfect spot – the flat area right off the deck. Where we get full sun, and the most privacy.

We ended up finding out that the “flat” piece of yard we chose for the pool was actually sloped about 9 inches. I thought we could just pop the pool up and call it a day, but soon realized that the yard would need to be tilled and leveled, and sand would need to be put down. The project ened up being a bit more involved than I originally anticipated, but I knew it would all be worth it!

Once the ground was level, putting the pool together was fairly easy. We worked together and assembled it in about an hour.

Next, we filled the water about a couple of inches and Nick worked his way around getting the wrinkles out of the bottom.

Once it was filled, we were ready to kick our feet up and enjoy our new pool! One problem -shortly after being full, the ground sunk causing the pool to still be sloped, and therefore unsafe to swim in. I include this detail to say that not every DIY project goes according to plan, and that’s okay. Sometimes things are a learning curve. We accepted that the pool had to be drained, moved, releveled, and filled again. A detour that set us back a couple weeks, but thankfully we had a cool spell that meant we weren’t dying to get in the water.

Nick made some changes that ensured the sloping wouldn’t happen again. I may write a separate post about some things we learned the second time around. Now it was done right and ready to go!

The full sun heated the pool quickly meaning we were able to enjoy the water sooner. This is the year we figured out how to correctly install the pool and operate it, next year I will work on “beautifying” with stones, plants, etc.

Once the water had been filled and everything was ready to go it was time for the fun part – decorating! We didn’t need (or want) to purchase much, just a place for towels and some loungers that we could read, dry off, and relax on. Looking forward to creating a space we can enjoy with family and friends!

We hung some towel hooks on our garage at “kid height” so they would be easily accessible for guests. I wanted a convenient place to access a clean, dry towel, and somewhere to hang it when you were done.

Finding outdoor furniture can be a challenge – it tends to be poorly made or very expensive. After searching online for days, I found these great chairs from Walmart. They were a bit tough to put together but were the best deal I could find and are super comfortable. We have been very happy with them.

I love how this area is completely private, tucked between the pool and garage. Makes it a comfortable place to relax in the sun after a swim.

Having the pool right off the deck makes it easy to keep an eye on swimmers as our family grows.

Thank you for reading! I hope you are enjoying your summer!