You’ve pictured a pool in your backyard, but is your yard ready for it? Before ordering a DIY pool, check the proposed location, installation space, ground conditions, drainage, and local requirements. These checks help you choose a pool that suits your yard and understand the work ahead.
Our DIY kits let you build a Wooden Above-Ground pool for your family to enjoy in your own backyard. Preparing the site is a separate part of the project. Have questions about which pool suits your yard? Talk to us before ordering so we can explain the requirements for the models you’re considering.
Where Can You Put a DIY Pool in Your Yard?
Choose a location after checking property boundaries, utilities, and local requirements. An open patch of lawn is a starting point, but it does not tell you whether the spot suits a pool.
Before settling on a location:
- Check property boundaries. Ask your local building department how far the pool must sit from property lines and structures.
- Identify utilities and septic systems. Contact your local Underground Utilities Locating Service to locate your underground services, and also consider your septic tanks, lines & leach fields and overhead power lines.
- Ask about approvals. Confirm permit, pool barrier, and electrical requirements. Check homeowners association restrictions if they apply.
- Arrange utility locating before digging. Do this even when you expect only shallow ground preparation.
Plan the pool location before adding a deck or other DIY outdoor living products. The pool’s installation and access requirements will affect the space you have left for other features.
How Much Space Do You Need Beyond the Pool Itself?
Allow for the installation area, pool entry, equipment, and access around the finished pool. The listed pool size alone does not cover the whole layout.
Measure the Installation Area
Use the layout instructions for your chosen model. Mark the proposed area and measure its distance from fences, buildings, and existing decks.
A simple yard sketch can help you compare DIY pool kits. Draw the full installation area for each size you’re considering. A pool may fit within your property boundaries while leaving too little usable space around it.
Plan Entry and Equipment Access
Decide where you want the ladder or stairs and where the pump and filter will go. Leave room to reach the equipment for routine care.
Add these features to your sketch. Consider how people will enter the pool, reach the equipment, and move through the rest of the yard. Check electrical requirements before settling on the equipment location.
Can You Install a DIY Pool on Uneven Ground?
Uneven ground needs preparation before pool installation. A slope does not automatically rule out a pool, but it can change the work and cost involved.
Check the Ground Instead of Judging by Eye
A lawn can look flat while dropping noticeably across the proposed pool area. Measure the change in height before deciding how much preparation you need.
Also look for rocks, roots, and disturbed ground. These conditions can affect the work required. If you cannot assess them confidently, ask a qualified site-preparation contractor to inspect the location.
Follow the Ground-Preparation Instructions
Our installation instructions call for removing sod and roots and preparing solid, undisturbed ground. Do not raise low areas with loose soil to make the site appear level.
Follow the manual for your particular pool. Avoid borrowing measurements or base instructions from a different model.
Decide separately whether you want to handle the ground preparation and assemble the kit. You may feel comfortable building the pool while preferring to hire someone for the site work.
How Should You Check Drainage Around the Pool Site?
Look for standing water and rainwater flowing toward the proposed location. Resolve drainage concerns before installation.
Walk the area after rainfall. Note where water collects and whether runoff from nearby ground or structures crosses the site. If you hire someone to prepare the site, show them where the water collects or flows after rain.
A level pool foundation and proper surrounding drainage serve different purposes. Keep the pool base level; address runoff around it separately.
Our pools must remain above ground. Do not pile soil against the walls or partially bury the pool to accommodate a slope. Burying any portion of the wall or other components voids the coverage described in our pool warranty requirements.
Do Round and Oval DIY Pools Need the Same Foundation?
No. Our oval pools require a perimeter concrete footing, while concrete is optional for our round pools. A perimeter footing is a concrete foundation around the pool’s outline.
Pool shape | Concrete requirement | What to plan |
Round | Concrete is optional | Follow the model’s ground, base, and support instructions |
Oval | Perimeter concrete footing required | Include footing materials and work in your budget and schedule |
Read the manual for your chosen model through our DIY pool installation guides before committing to a shape.
Our wooden above-ground pool is one alternative to a DIY In-Ground swimming pool kit. Before choosing, work out what preparation the above-ground option needs in your yard, including any concrete work.
What Should You Confirm Before Ordering Your DIY Pool Kit?
Before you order, check which pool suits your yard, what preparation it needs, and what you’ll need to budget beyond the kit price.
Work through these four checks:
- Record your measurements. Note the available area, preferred pool size, and nearby structures.
- Resolve location questions. Check requirements that could affect where you place the pool.
- Plan the preparation. Identify ground, drainage, and foundation work, including anything you will hire out.
- Confirm the order details. Ask about kit contents, additional materials, delivery, and current pricing.
To decide whether a DIY pool kit fits your budget, add site preparation, extra materials, and any hired work to the kit price. Compare that total with the amount you want to spend.
Have Questions About Your Yard? Talk to a Pool Expert
Checking your yard before ordering helps you choose a suitable pool and plan the work ahead. You do not need every detail settled before contacting us. Bring your measurements, preferred pool size, and questions about the installation requirements.
Rick A., one of our customers in Rochester, shares how we supported him with choosing his pool, installation, and questions afterward.
Talk to a Pool Expert about your preferred DIY pool kit. Ask us for current pricing and shipping options to Palm Coast, Florida, Fort Worth, Texas, or your location elsewhere in the U.S.
Frequently Asked Questions
Possibly, but check its dimensions, condition, and slope against your pool’s requirements. Have the patio assessed before planning the installation around it.
Check the site again. Your new pool may need a different installation area or foundation, and the ground may have changed since removal.
Yes. Give the contractor your pool’s installation manual and agree on the preparation work. Check the finished site against those requirements before assembly.
Measure the gate and access route. Ask us about package dimensions and unloading arrangements before ordering, and check access needs with your site-preparation contractor.
Our manuals list additional materials you may need to purchase. Check the package contents against your model’s installation instructions so you know what to buy separately.
Timing depends on ground conditions, foundation work, weather, and contractor availability. Plan preparation separately from assembly before choosing an installation date.
