12 DIY Pool Ideas Homemade for a Backyard You Will Love
A backyard pool does not have to cost a fortune. Homemade pools built from stock tanks, pallets, lumber and pond liners give you real swimming for a fraction of the price. These 12 DIY pool ideas homemade are projects real people have built. Pick the one that fits your space and budget.
1. The Classic Galvanized Stock Tank Pool
A large galvanized steel stock tank, usually 8 feet across, becomes an instant round pool once you set it on level sand and fill it with the hose. Add a small filter pump and a chlorine floater and the water stays clean all summer.
The walls are about 2 feet high, so a step ladder helps everyone climb in. Find DIY pool ladder ideas that match the rustic metal look.
2. Pallet Wood Pool With a Pond Liner
Stand wooden shipping pallets on edge in a square, screw them together, and brace the corners with posts. Line the inside with a heavy duty pond liner, fold it over the top edge, and cap the rim with deck boards.
This build costs very little with free pallets, and the square shape fits neatly into a yard corner. Sand the pallets smooth and seal the wood against splashes.
3. A Natural Swimming Pond
Dig a freeform shape with a deep swim zone in the middle and a shallow planted shelf around the edge. Line it with EPDM pond liner, then fill the shelf with gravel and water plants that filter the water naturally.
Water lilies, rushes and cattails clean the water while a small pump keeps circulation. Browse pool landscaping ideas to plan the planting around it.
4. Shipping Container Plunge Pool
A used shipping container cut down to a shallow depth makes an incredibly tough plunge pool. Weld the seams and coat the inside with pool paint for waterproof steel walls. Most people cut a 20 foot container in half for a perfect backyard size.
Add a ladder, a small heater and a filter pump for a modern pool that lasts decades. Set it partly into the ground or build a wood deck around the rim.
5. Cinder Block Pool With Plaster Finish
Stack concrete blocks in your chosen footprint, fill the cores with concrete and rebar for strength, then coat the inside with pool plaster or drop in a vinyl liner. This is the closest a homemade pool gets to a real in ground pool.
It takes more weekends, but the result is permanent and fully customizable. A light blue plaster finish gives that classic pool look for far less than a contractor charges.
6. Dug Hole Pool With a Pond Liner
Excavate a rectangle about 4 feet deep, smooth the sides, and lay down thick sand. Drape a large EPDM pond liner over the excavation and let it settle into every curve before filling with the hose.
Edge the pool with flat coping stones to hold the liner. Plant tall grasses on two sides for privacy, and get ideas from backyard fence landscaping for the boundary.
7. Wood Fired Stock Tank Hot Tub
A smaller stock tank becomes a wonderful hot tub with added heat. Coil copper pipe inside a small wood stove and circulate the tank water through it with a tiny pump. The water reaches a steamy soak in an hour or two.
Keep a thermometer floating in the water and stir before getting in. A cedar plank lid keeps heat in between soaks and leaves out.
8. Cedar Plank Soaking Tub
Cedar boards screwed into a deep square box create a Japanese style soaking tub. Line the inside with a pond liner for a watertight seal, or seal the joints with marine grade sealant for an all wood interior.
Build it deep enough to soak to your shoulders on a low bench. Cedar resists rot naturally, so the tub lasts for years outdoors.
9. Lumber Frame Pool With a Tarp Liner
Bolt 2 by 6 lumber into a rectangle for strong pool walls in a single afternoon. Line it with a heavy duty tarp or billboard vinyl, fold the liner over the top rail, and staple it under a cap board.
This is one of the fastest homemade pools, and you can take it apart at season end. Brace the long sides with angled supports against water pressure.
10. Above Ground Pool With a Homemade Deck
Frame a simple wooden deck that meets the top rail of a store bought ring pool, with wide steps leading up to the water. Suddenly the humble inflatable pool looks like a built in feature.
Use pressure treated lumber with boards a finger width apart for drainage. Add a shade sail and potted plants. It costs far less than a contractor built deck.
11. Hay Bale Pool for a Party Weekend
Arrange hay bales in a tight rectangle and drape a heavy tarp inside, letting it puddle into every corner. Fill with the hose for a deep, soft walled pool that is perfect for a hot weekend party.
The bales insulate the water so it stays cool longer. Use two layers of tarp against punctures. It will not last all summer, but for a few glorious days nothing beats it.
12. IBC Tote Plunge Pool
A food grade IBC tote, the square plastic tank in a metal cage, makes a brilliant solo plunge pool. Cut the top off, clean it thoroughly, and add a small fountain pump to keep the water fresh.
Paint the cage a bright color or clad it in wood slats. For more compact water features, explore tiny pool ideas for small yards.
Homemade pools prove you do not need a big budget to enjoy water in your backyard. Whether you choose the classic stock tank, dig a natural pond, or stack hay bales for the weekend, the best pool is the one you actually build.
