My First Swim In a Natural Swimming Pool

My Buddy built his own Natural Swimming Pool and I finally got to take a dip!
Affiliate Links for...
Air pump found here:
amzn.to/3yYDNad
Air Stones:
amzn.to/3k4mlwC
BLT Liner used:
www.btlliners....
He got the rest of the stuff at Lowes and Home Depot
-vinyl tubing for the air line
-corrugated drain tube/pipe
-PVC connections, elbow and fittings (this takes some thinking through to make sure all of the adapters and connections work with each other. No doubt the hardest part of the project to make sure everything fits together). He modeled the system from David Pagan Buttler, but with US components and sizes rather than the UK/metric system.

[@dairsensi]

Would love to see an update on this pool to see how the plant life as grown.

[@jmo2104]

David Pagan Butler's great!! He's the master. You can pay for his long step by step video about building a pond and it is not expensive and worth every penny. And you're right he does a lot that he shows right there on youtube! You have done an excellent job with yours! I am so impressed. I'm working on my own but on a much smaller scale but every time I see them so successful like this I feel inspired. Thank you very much for sharing this video.

[@realTCG2]

Can`t handle how real this is. Watching this video feels like being a kid visiting some of my parents' friend and hearing them talk

[@jessejuliano8056]

haha i know right

[@brittenyevans1101]

This looks nice, those kids are very lucky to have a dad that special 😀.

[@TC-kf9zw]

They are lucky to just have a dad....

[@healthfullivingify]

Very nice. The water looks very clear and clean. They will enjoy it for years to come. Worth the effort.

[@plugrules]

Great work. How does the pool look one year later? I would love to know what are the 'lessons learned', what you'd change, what you'd recommend for others based on your experience? I'm super impressed by how clean it looks, especially given the depth. Any suggestions for 'dos and do nots'?

[@Turkeychuk]

Sounds like an update video is in order this summer! Feel free to subscribe to see updates as they come up

[@plugrules]

@@Turkeychuk Indeed! Or just some pics and a description if time doesn't permit for something more elaborate.

[@chipsnotchunks2620]

🐸🐍🐢🦆🐊

[@jennslifeinhuntingtonwv2678]

@@chipsnotchunks2620 that's what went through my mind too. 😆

[@18Rhapsody]

@@Turkeychuk any chance of an update video soon?

[@ninamatthews8747]

That’s so nice looking, like a natural pond instead of a big blue pool.

[@arminius301]

wow, great results for a couple week's worth of work plus $10,000. Couldn't beat that, young lads enjoying the heck out of it too! Thanks for posting!

[@samanthab1923]

This is so cool. We have found some in PA. Must have been left over from an old estate. Spring fed, walled in & as refreshing as all get out

[@angelaburress8586]

Look like a huge koi pond

[@jmo2104]

Oh heck yes! I love the Rubbermaid bin idea. You've just solved a question I had in my mind.

[@Turkeychuk]

Awesome!

[@mpeasee9935]

Love that it’s so quiet! You can hear some of the more expensive one… like really hear them!!

[@TheShadowCamo]

you could fill the middle with burlap sand bags, theyll just dissolve over time or you can split with a shovel. I've rebuilt a couple cottage beaches using that method.

[@TanyaQueen182]

oh this looks so nice! I love how if you don't want to get a;; the way in the pool, you can hang on on the rocky beach and just dip your feet in.

[@steve-rr3nq]

that is awesome. where I live, the plant area would be full of water moccasin.

[@user-fd3wl1pr7s]

David Pagan Butler originated these - I just lvoe them.

[@Turkeychuk]

Yeah he's a boss!

[@valtoton2982]

NEVER LET THE KIDS OUT WITHOUT SUPERVISION!!! Otherwise... Awesome job and its naturally 😉 beautiful!

[@barristanselmy2758]

It's not even deep.

[@WN_Byers]

If you hit your head, you can drown in the bathtub. Definitely watch the youth. Have fun!

[@barristanselmy2758]

@@WN_Byers There's cars on the road too. And salmonella in uncooked chicken what's your point. There's too much of an emphasis on keeping the kids safe, when i was a kid we played with sticks in the forest unsupervised. The kids will have their fun.

[@stevesoukup3273]

Very nice work, doing it yourself, saved$$$$.. Ha swimming pool under $50k, my friend had a 12x24x4'deep quoted for $98k..., Thanks for sharing.

[@Turkeychuk]

Yeah most def! under 10k invested into something that's going to last and provide fun for years to come. I can't wait to put my own in once we build our house.

[@chrisdickey4534]

@@Turkeychuk got some questions for ya buddy

[@gabedelgado186]

I seen one of these it was built in the early 1900s all dried up now but was pretty cool dbl in to a ice rink

[@tericarter2019]

I love that you built this .. Absolutely beautiful idea

[@user-bp3pg7yy4y]

Man this is great inspiring work.. motivation acquired!. The natural pool m is looking awesome and neat..

[@dirtroadsandwoodstoves]

Love it. I'm building a 20' diameter x 6' deep on my Colorado land. 🇺🇸

[@dianehart3291]

I feel like with those rocks around the very outer edge, after a few storms, mixed with high winds, and with people going in and out, moving the water around etc. I feel like the rocks would just start to wash away, and deform the structure of the way the rocks sit now. It sure does look super fun to just hang out and float around in.

[@mrbodyrot]

If those plants are cattails those things are going to go crazy in there! Good luck! I had a 4000 gallon Koi pond, similar set up with a liner in it and I put one cattail in there and in maybe a year the whole pond was filled with them. Maintenance nightmare!

[@itswitzmoab]

I am curious, does the liner extend up under the recharge area?? If the swimming are is 15' wide & 5' deep;. That is 25' .....+ the recharge area??? I made my swimming pool into a pond but it gets 10gpm of SpringWater, which overflows the pool back into the creek.

[@ZE308AC]

The natural pool m is looking awesome and neat.

[@lunark2440]

I LOVE natural swimming pools and have wanted so long to build one -- Under $10,000 is super reasonably and it's beautiful. Do you have a VID of the build of it by chance? ALSO- I saw the pics-- did you put carpet underneath the liner? Or was it just clay and a liner over it?

[@Turkeychuk]

Unfortunately no video of the build. When I build mine, I'll film it. I think he put a felt underlayment under the liner.

[@lunark2440]

@@Turkeychuk would love a price breakdown, maybe some links of the larger items in the listing? Trying to see how much it would cost for us to build one

[@Turkeychuk]

When I build mine I'll make sure to provide those details

[@lunark2440]

@@Turkeychuk one last question -- what filtration system did he use? I'm going to use bubblers, but debating between a pool filter or "the pond guy" filter, since it is all natural and chemical free-- I'm going to build a waterfall and want the water coming back out from the pump to flow over the waterfall -- not sure if you have seen the VIDS about the natural swimming pool at the Eco Lodge in Bali, but if not, definitely check it out.. This is the look I am going for, as well as a similar filtration system. Ps- concerning the filtration question, I'm asking what he initially did.. I know he's working on his own DIY filter system -- but the pool in the VID at first looks so clear, wandering if it even needs extra filtration

[@Turkeychuk]

@@lunark2440 air stone that forces water through regeneration zone

[@TalLeGal]

Love the rock around the edges.❤

[@brendaeaves1079]

THIS IS SOOO NICE,WONDERFUL WAY TOO COOL OFF ON HOT DAYS,I CAN SEE LATER AROUND THIS NATURAL POOL,LOUNGING CHAIRS,FIRE PIT,COVERED BQ AREA,ETC;NO BUGS,ALLIGATORS OR SHARKS TO WORRY ABOUT :-) Thanks For Sharing

[@sawnasunder9261]

We’re on year 4 of a pool to pond conversion with fish. It’s a struggle for sure. I appreciate your labor of love. Peace with a gunshot, backatcha!

[@TalLeGal]

I love how honest Jake is!🤣

[@vanrosauch5659]

its abosolutely gorgeous .

[@Belbury101]

Great Pool. Like the big stones. They'd cost a lot here. We are building one right now. Just putting the gravel in over the pipework later this week. Made me laugh when you said not too warm at 86°. That would be considered a heat wave in the UK. 70° at most yesterday, and it was a "hot" day here!

[@Turkeychuk]

That's awesome! I hope to put one in next year once our house is built! Yeah, it was definitely not a bad swim at 86degrees.

[@travisyarbrough4033]

Build your own with concrete and a stone grinder / polisher to save tons of money

[@joshuaf1820]

Make a DIY pool solar heater. I’m gonna total steal this idea. Love this pool

[@sheilamore3261]

Wow I think that’s awesome that is awesome swimming pool we put a lot of hard work into it and it is beautiful I would love to have one that is just awesome good work🥰💕💕💕

[@TheSunIsMyDestroyer]

watched the video without audio because i'm listening to music, just putting this out there. please treat the water or keep it very cold, i live in florida and although it's highly unlikely to be able to come in contact with naegleri fowleri, you do not want to take that chance. that's why here, we only swim in the ocean or cold springs, never in warm bodies of freshwater because of naegleri fowleri but really more so because of the alligators, we prefer swimming with sharks

[@jesusiscomingsoon879]

Wow! Great job!! Lucky kiddos!

[@COEXIST-ny4db]

@Turkeychuk Thanks for the great video! I'd ABSOLUTELY LOVE an update on this natural pool! I'd love to see what it looks like today and if the owner would do anything different now that he's had it for a bit of time!!

[@Turkeychuk]

Check out the channel there's an update video. I also plan to film my build this summer

[@COEXIST-ny4db]

@@Turkeychuk Darn it!!! I thought about that AFTER I posted. I should have came back and deleted. But I got distracted! LOL!!! Thank you so much!!!

[@ponyrang]

My best friend, that's a great video. I will always cheer for you in Korea I'm looking forward to a great video. Have a nice day.

[@chrisdickey4534]

Looks awesome! I need to know a couple things. 1) what kind of gravel was used? 2) do you use chlorine? Or can you use chlorine? 3) how many pumps do I need? 4) you mentioned if the pool was deeper you'd put gravel in the bottom. Is there a reason for that?

[@Turkeychuk]

1. I believe it was a pea gravel that was used. 2. No on the Chlorine. It would kill all the life in the pool and defeat the purpose of having this kind of pool. 3. just 1 pump serviced this whole pool 4. I believe because when it's more shallow like this he can vacuum the sediment and if it were deeper, he would really have to worry about it.

[@chrisdickey4534]

@@Turkeychuk what about the full size dimensions? I know he mentioned 15x30 roughly for the swimming part, but what about the whole gravel area? Or maybe atleast know the liner size that he used?

[@Turkeychuk]

@@chrisdickey4534 I believe it was roughly another 10 ft around the outside

[@chrisdickey4534]

@@Turkeychuk alright sounds good. I appreciate it so much!

[@aguerra1381]

I saw a lot of those while traveling through rural Michigan.

[@TheStellarmanCo.]

Excellent!

[@CBEEBLE]

We call them swimming trunks or swim shorts in the U.K. too. If they are Speedos we call them ‘budgie smugglers’ 😬😬😬

[@Turkeychuk]

Haha! Love it!

[@nsashby]

@@Turkeychuk Bermuda shorts 🙂

[@billycrotty4102]

You'v been watching David Pagen Butler from the u.k!

[@Turkeychuk]

You know it!

[@billycrotty4102]

@@Turkeychuk I hadn't watched the entire clip at that point but picked up on the phrase's like "re generation zone" 😃. I live perhaps an hour and a half from the part of England he's from, I too have dug a natural pool in clay with no liner, it's almost Finnished, I might try contacting David when it is full and up and running.

[@Turkeychuk]

@@billycrotty4102 woah that would be so cool! Maybe he'll showcase it on his channel!

[@rutroe8892]

Love David, he's hilarious and smart 🤓

[@spacefightertzz]

Awesome. I would like to learn more about the plants. So the plants help reduce algae?

[@DavidMadeira29]

Can you even imagine the Pink Floyd without it?!

[@soteful9949]

6:02 lol, uuummmm the Grand Canyon, Mount Kilimanjaro, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Na Pali Coast.... to name a few location the are a tad bit better than a random tree line.

[@twodeepupyours508]

Great looking pool

[@JEL66]

This is awesome 😀 I love it! Thank you for sharing!! 🌺💫💫💫

[@ViKee010]

This is beautiful. Like swimming in the pond or creek. But safer. 🤟🏼🤍

[@weekendnomad5038]

When regular pools look this color everyone freaks out lol nice concept

[@anthonymartin9672]

Really nice work.

[@TalLeGal]

I want to convert my concrete inground pool into something like this. (Kids need to be supervised regardless of depth!)

[@RPGHouseFabricator]

Natural piranha would go great in your natural pool when the plants get big enough to host critters.

[@aldozilli1293]

Fyi Swimming trunks in England are called swimming trunks. Alternatives could be; swimmers, speedos (little snug ones), swimming shorts, swimming costume.....

[@lunark2440]

Hi- how long did ur water take to clear up? We just finished building our pool and are in the "cloudy" phase - did that happen at all with this one? hoping it won't last maybe more than a few weeks? Also- did you add any beneficial bacteria to your pool? Thanks!

[@kaycee363]

Looks refreshing.

[@SereneSoakingSounds]

Love this idea ❤🕊

[@Turkeychuk]

Yeah, I fell in love with this idea as soon as I saw it for the first time. Still a dream of mine to build my own. Once we get the house built, the Swimming pond is next so stay tuned!

[@SereneSoakingSounds]

@@Turkeychuk 🙂 will do it looks like a mini paradice wish I owned land so I could do the same

[@jimothyj2638]

You should add some mosquito fish! They pick on algae too

[@annemurphy9339]

I love these beautiful manmade swimming ponds - what scares me is how do you keep poisonous snakes from moving in?

[@annemurphy9339]

@@dockilljoy9017 This pool doesn’t have all the plantings around it I see with so many water features - large koi ponds surrounded by large boulders & manmade waterfalls, and also many swimming ponds I’ve seen that are just beautiful & heavily planted around the perimeter with plants, grasses, etc. I didn’t realize chlorine could be put in a koi pond & many I’ve seen online are combo koi & also swimming ponds. Our neighbor about 3 blocks away has 5 acres & a small natural pond (I guess it’s natural, but without all the stone) and he has to wear snake boots & kill water moccasins & an occasional cottonmouth every year. My apologies if it’s an ignorant fear, but i think about it all the time when I see the heavily planted perimeters on the manmade stone waterfall & pond features.

[@squatchwatch5237]

With a 12 gauge.. Lol but seriously these natural pools are beyond awesome but growing up having to take out cotton mouths in our tank that'd be a big concern for me

[@valtoton2982]

😲😲😲😲😳😳😳😳 Ok.... So now that's a nope for me....Snakes....just NOPE!!! I just shocked my pool a few hours ago and now I don't mind the maintenance!

[@jeanetteconway6058]

Awesome job, love it.!!

[@crit71]

Over in the UK we call them swimming trunks or swimming shorts....same thing to be fair.

[@jonblablabla1014]

Good video. Would love to see updates on this as the other commenter wrote

[@warriorBRYDE1990]

Love this! A true oasis ~

[@TODD-KOBELL]

Awesome. But all that work for 5 feet. I gotta have something to jump off of. 10 foot deep, in one spot at least.

[@aryanlong6344]

Man this is great inspiring work.. motivation acquired!

[@Turkeychuk]

Ain't it!?

[@crystalwilson3777]

Its been my dream to build one on my property in South Carolina. I've been researching it for years, and I've never seen one mention of SNAKES in a single video.. I live in a rural town and I'm surrounded by woods. we see several copperheads, and rattlesnakes in a summer season, and even had a huge female timber rattler under my house nesting(we got it before it gave birth!) Any stories, advice, or suggestions would be really helpful. I mean...I cant imagine they wouldn't want to take a dip too!😆🙄🙄

[@Turkeychuk]

Yeah, I'm not a snake guy. I hate them, actually. But I did find some decent answers in my online searching because I had the same question..... The best way to get rid of snakes in a pond is to make the area undesirable for habitation. 1. Cut the grass surrounding the pond with a lawn mower on a regular basis. Some people like to allow the grass around ponds to grow tall for a more natural appearance. Unfortunately, this provides ideal cover in which snakes live and hide. Keeping the grass cut low will make the snakes move elsewhere to live. 2. Use a weed trimmer to cut back tall shrubs and weeds. Snakes often hide in weeds, so cutting these back makes the area unattractive to them. 3. Move all wood piles, rock piles, compost piles, mulch and tarps far away from the pond area. These items provide a great place for snakes to nest, and removing comfortable nesting areas will drive them away. 4. Place enclosed mouse traps around the perimeter of the pond to kill off existing rodents, which are a food source for snakes. If you have snakes, there is a good chance you also have mice, even if you don’t see them. If you kill the mice, the snakes will move away. Use only enclosed mouse traps to prevent the snakes from eating the dead mice and to protect pets and children from the traps. 5. Install snake fencing around the pond area. This is specially designed smooth fencing that is slick and impossible for snakes to climb. Use a shovel to dig a 5-inch to 6-inch deep trench around the perimeter of the pond. Insert the bottom portion of the fence into the ground and then cover it up with dirt that is packed down firmly. Snake fencing is available at most home improvement stores

[@crystalwilson3777]

@@Turkeychuk Thanks!

[@louiseeckert1574]

David Pagan Butler has BRILLIANT guidelines and pointers for building these types of pools.

[@kenyonbissett3512]

I lived next to a large river with hundred of acres of marsh lands (swamp). We kayak frequently and see snakes in the marshlands and occasionally in the river, but not in the river channel. Before we built our neighbors warned us about the snake infestation on our one acre lot. Copperheads, Black snakes and the occasional copperhead/black snake cross. By keeping the grass mowed that helped a lot. The biggest difference came from our CAT 🐈. She was very territorial and killed or tormented anything on the ground (opossums, raccoons, moles/voles, rabbits, snakes, dogs). Never had trouble with my veggies garden either. She and I had a deal, I trained her to leave her dead animal catches on the corner of the sidewalk. She received her favorite treat as a reward. If when I got home from work the dead animal was cleaned up and gone, she got one more treat (ok maybe 2, clean up is important, yuck). I could show her an active mole hole and within 24-36hr she caught the moles. Cats are trainable and rarely dig holes like dogs. HTH

[@TalLeGal]

@@kenyonbissett3512I’ll just keep grass cut. No desire to kill all moles, rodents, etc. All wildlife has a place. Unfortunately, we continually displace them.

[@NathanHarrison7]

Add a quality volleyball net and your friends will have more fun, due to depth and shape, then in another's traditional pool.

[@pytheus]

Fantastic!! What general area of the world is this made? It's like to make a 25 yd lap pool in SW TX, and just learning and trying to figure it out. Some concerns here are the fresh water bacteria, algae, and brain eating amoeba!

[@Turkeychuk]

This is in Illinois. I wouldn't be concerned with harmful bacteria if you're using the David pagan butler method of building this pool

[@laine2735]

I think ole dude directing the video is funny af lol

[@KarasCyborg]

So what were you worried most about: #1 Maintenance #2 Cost #3 Toxicity #4 Aesthetics #5 Resale #6 Safety

[@wendygore2709]

You could have a pool company put in an in-ground pool around the same size for between $10-15k. Not a whole lot of people have the knowledge, time or money to do what you did. I think it looks amazing. I live in AZ and a lot of people have switched to natural or salt water pools, w/solar powered pumps, heaters & filters. I house sit for these people & love how clean the waters are, no harsh chemicals to harm skin or hair & you don't come out smelling like you just climbed out of a bleach bottle👍😎 I do however, like the looks of your manmade pond/pool. I originally hale from P.A. & grew up swimming in lakes, ponds & rivers, which I totally prefer to pools.

[@DaveE99]

One thing I was wondering about. I saw a KZbin video on how to build a water battery. Essentially pump water uphill. And have a resoviour down hill(ideally vertically think) essentially you could have solar and never have to truly replace batteries. Maybe a pump. Yes it would take a decent amount of water. I kinda figured either a 15000 gallon rainwater container or a sort of thing like this but much lower down. (It would just be covered some how.). Supposedly their are problems with putting this on a roof either due to weight or wind or what ever other factors. But I did wonder would it be possible to make something like this and just also make a lower pond deeper down to make a water battery. And have water go back and forth. With solar just charging the pump and the water powering a hydro generator on then way down at night. I figured it could be put in the ground. And even covered with like a foot or two of ground and had a metal plate underneath to walk on and then you have a yard even. Was just trying to figure out if these could be conbinded.

[@Turkeychuk]

That would be wild!

[@beckywilliams8468]

U did a beeaaauuttiiful job😍😍😍😍.. I love that😍 i give it 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@Turkeychuk]

Thanks! Can't wait to build my own next year!

[@TheSamSamShow]

Omg I want one so badly!!!!!!

[@beautyallaroundme724]

Nice.

[@edmundblackaddercoc8522]

Swimming trunks in the U.K are called Budgie smugglers.

[@chrisdooley1184]

Looks awesome 👏🏼

[@robertct06]

Alligators best hiding spot

[@lifewithlisa8grandkids789]

Cool pool

[@walkthroughvideos8916]

Great pool. Im wanting to build one next year in our New Zealand summer February so any advice would be really appreciated

[@Turkeychuk]

I'll be building my own in the future and will be posting videos of that progress. My advice is to do a lot of research and plan ahead as much as possible.

[@seandyament3313]

If I’m not mistaken? Your not mistaken. Ok .. Cool lol

[@christinegerard4974]

Perfect !

[@kimdeatherage6419]

how do you keep mosquitoes from breeding in that?

[@Turkeychuk]

The water is constantly moving due to the air stones!

[@user-rr4nl9yq1w]

I'd love to have a natural pool.

[@heinborp1]

I just built my pool with screen enclosure $70K. You saved a ton of money. Very nice but how do you keep it clean. Don’t you need chlorine?

[@ohwow6986]

Wow I wanna build ona these

[@northeasthardytropicals541]

Wow this is awesome

[@Turkeychuk]

Isn't it!

[@CelsoManatad]

Dark Blue

[@lizardhart3646]

What about mosquito larvae has that been a problem and if so how do you keep that under control or get rid of them entirely without using chlorine or something

[@gingerspain423]

As long as the water is moving it will make it harder for the mosquitoes to lay eggs. Therefore they find somewhere else. It's standing water that produces mosquitoes not water that's moving.

[@G1NZOU]

I live in England, we call them "swimming trunks".

[@wreckingrampage2576]

almost like a pond

[@dalenadwodny2915]

GET AN OUTOMATED POOL CLEANER IT WILL DO THE JOB ON THE LINER. KEEPS MY SPICK AND SPAN. I DON'T VACUUME MY POOL. THE "DUDE" RUNS A FEW HOUR A WEEK AND DOES IT FOR ME.

[@emailbenjie]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing your natural pool. Btw, was your $10,000 cost to build included labor expense?

[@adigitalgirl]

It would be cool to build a bridge of flat rocks out to the deep end.

[@robertfaulkner7152]

One question...Amoebae? Do you wear nose plugs??? "There is one very serious health concern that we have with the Natural Pool system when used in warmer climates". Naegleria fowleri infection, if you copy and paste "Naegleria fowleri" you will understand our concern. This was by a Natural Pool company. I'd definitely have concerns about something like this.

[@michaeldonato8837]

Are these drained just like normal pools during the winter months?

[@Turkeychuk]

You shouldn't have to drain them

[@contrabardus]

We can't do things like this where I live, or we'd end up getting eaten when a gator decided to move in.

[@CelsoManatad]

London Bridge is Falling Down

[@JoseBenitez2009]

Question. How they avoid wild animal, for example snakes, uses the pool ?.

[@twilightingX]

In England we call them swimming trunks. 😂😂