There are a number of reasons this post has taken a while to publish. The first reason is pure procrastination. But the second reason is that, in all truth, it’s taken me a little while to recover from the stress of the whole process. It really shouldn’t (and wouldn’t have been so painful) had we not set such time limitations on each stage of the build. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s start at the very beginning… a very good place to start.
You may recall that last year we went a little bit cray-cray and decided to buy a house, sell our home and move house within weeks of getting home from our travels around Australia. Looking back, I think “What was I ON????”. Clearly I was running on some kind of post-travel-don’t-want-to-be-at-home adrenalin rush. But on the very first weekend we were home, we went house-shopping. I’d been studying the real estate online and knew that finding the right house at the right price on the right street was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack.
But lo and behold, the very last house that we looked at seemed to be “the one”! With just one small problem. There was no pool. And a pool was on our list of must-haves. We wouldn’t even consider a house that didn’t already have a pool, or at least have the potential for a pool. But I loved the house, and I triple-loved the location, so I really wanted to make it work. While we there at the open house, I went a little bit photo crazy and snapped away at the back yard. I took rough measurements and I walked up and down the yard, trying to imagine just how the pool would fit.
The perfect area for a pool… we hoped.
There was plenty of space, but the trouble was that the property was kind of on the side of a bushy mountain. We knew that a fibreglass pool wouldn’t be possible and a concrete pool would require a huge amount of excavation, engineering, retaining and a huge amount of fill. It would have been WAY more than we would be able to afford, so our last option was to consider an above ground pool which could be semi-submerged into the ground. So the next day we headed to an above ground pool shop, armed only with our photos of the back yard. Based on what we could explain, it seemed that this might just work. So after a walk around the display yard, we picked out the size, shape and design of the pool that we liked – for no reason other than to be able to get an idea of cost.
I was pretty amazed when the quote came in well under what we’d anticipated, so based on the projected figures we made an offer on the house and after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, we signed on the dotted line and we were officially under contract. That very day, I rang the pool sales guy and put a deposit on the pool. The reason we were in such a rush was because we were due to settle at the end of November, and we REALLY wanted the pool in before Christmas. Otherwise we’d be looking at the middle of January at the earliest. The pool was delivered and we just crossed our fingers and waited for the call to let us know they were ready to begin.
Fred oversaw the delivery of our pool – in many, many boxes.
We were booked in for the excavation to happen on the 11th and the build on the 12th December. Which was pushed back to the 13th. And then the 15th. You see the excavator driver suddenly decided he didn’t really want to dig pools anymore so he was heading back to the mines. Oooooo-kayyyyy. Thanks to some frantic calls from the pool installer, he managed to find a young guy who was available and in 30degree heat, he carefully and skilfully began to dig a beautiful pad for our pool.
Taking the measurements before the digging begins.
The digging begins.
But then we hit a snag – well a rock actually. A big ginormous mother of a rock. And there was a moment when our excavator driver thought he wouldn’t be able to move it.
Our own version of Ayers Rock.
But he got it in the end – much to my huge relief. At the end of the day – we were ready for our pool (complete with the deep end!)
The area was excavated and backfilled to create the pad.
The deep end!
The next day, the installers came and worked on the bracing and the walls. I have heard that some people put up above ground walls themselves. Oh my goodness – I feel sick at the thought of it. These guys worked HARD and they were there for a full day.
The walls and bracing go up.
We arranged for a load of water to be delivered that afternoon as that helped to set the lining.
With the first load of water to help set the lining.
The next day was the final day of the install and by this time there was only a few days until Christmas so our builder started on the deck that same day!
Time to start the deck!
Over the next few days, the deck progressed quite quickly and we were still able to jump in for a quick swim and splash!!!
With only days to Christmas, we were cutting it fine.
The first swim!
Our incredible builder worked tirelessly to get the deck finished in time for Christmas for us, and I will never forget the kindness he showed us. When most tradies are downing tools to start spending time with their families, our builder was at our house at 7am each morning to lay the final boards.
Deck – almost finished!
And he did it. True to his word, our deck was finished and Christmas morning looked a little like this…
Merry Christmas – we did it! A pool for Christmas!
The temporary fencing was only supposed to be for a month, so hubby got cracking on the pool fence in early January and I was so relieved when we had the final inspection and both the pool deck and the fence passed with flying colours.
Last job was the permanent pool fence.
So we still have a few things left to do. We have a mound of dirt which is still to be spread out, and we plan to put in palings around the bottom of the deck to neaten it up a little bit. But like anything, it takes time and the main thing is that the pool is up and running!
99.99% finished – and we love it!!
It really was a stressful time and had we not been in such a rush, I think it would have been a much easier process. As it was, everyone was under the pump and it did lead to unnecessary errors and a few quality issues which have now been resolved. The pool and install came in on budget, however we hadn’t anticipated quite as much for the deck. But we wouldn’t have it any other way. We chose to have a large area of decking up one end and I love the feeling of space this gives us. I also love the semi-submerged feel as it really feels like a tropical oasis, nestled in amongst the trees.
It certainly doesn’t have the same feel as a concrete or fibreglass pool, and there are no built in steps or ledges which I think would make it a little more appealing. I’m also slightly paranoid about getting a hole in the lining, as it would be no small job to get the liner replaced. However, we are so happy with it, and I am thrilled that it actually all worked out in the end.
So if you’re on a tight budget, or if you’ve wondered if there are some alternative options when you have sloping land, then maybe an above ground pool could be a solution for you. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have about our own experience, and I’d love to hear about any above ground pool stories that you might have (hopefully more good than bad!!)
