Natural Swimming Pool - Phase 3 | Final Product

[@bentoby-gs5oy]

Beautiful job Chris! Your build is inspiring! Excavation starts on our NSP in CT in 2 weeks! Can’t wait!

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Keep me posted!!

[@sheilahenry7279]

We plan to do a much smaller nsp more of a dipping pool. Loved the detail on graph paper & use of pallets. I’m just wondering how many of your friends & neighbors have put one in or are planning to since seeing yours. It’s perfect for any area but especially practical in yours.

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Have had a lot of interest, but yet to see anyone around me put one in. Takes courage and some elbow grease. Good luck! I will give you a tip, the bigger the planted zone the better!

[@BELLA-lt2ws]

This is beautiful and deserves way more likes ❤

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Hey, thanks! We sure enjoy the final product. Take care.

[@AaronF9]

Looks amazing should put another 10 air stones on the bottom have streams of air everywhere

[@CYBuilds4fun]

I like that idea!

[@brucec2635]

Beautiful. My question is how warm it will get with a dark liner in the summer. Love that it is a back yard pond, not just a pool. Enjoy, I know the family will.

[@CYBuilds4fun]

From what I’ve noticed the water temperature appears to be consistent with the 24 hour daily average ambient (I.e. If it’s 100 degrees in the day and 50 degrees at night the pond is 75). Originally, I too, thought the liner would be a bigger driver than it has turned out to be. My opinion now is it’s the amount of air that gets pumped into the water column. All that said I haven’t actually checked, so this is predominately conjecture. That would be a good study to do! I’ll do that and post it. Thanks!

[@antitheist9976]

Absolutely beautiful build, well done 🙂

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Thank you!

[@travelthis]

Wow it’s beautiful! You did a great job!

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Thank you!

[@elmerkilred159]

Looks awesome. Don't like the chain link fence at the end, but maybe that's temporary home/business owner liability thing.

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Thanks! Ya, not pumped on the fence either, but have a 2 year old. Better safe than sorry. I got a removable one so once he learns to swim we can re-evaluate.

[@sheilahenry7279]

Same

[@SNeal5966]

Are there any other liner colors available besides black? I suppose you could also just line the bottom and sides with some kind of other material on top of the liner. I want to be able to clearly see bottom b/c i wouldn't want any critters in my pool lol

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Hello, I’m not aware of other colors. You could put rocks on top of the liner to give it a different color. Regarding the critters, don’t forget it is a natural habitat so you want life, it’s part of an ecosystem. However, even with the black liner I can see to the bottom without any issues.

[@jackie6343]

Great job ❤

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Thanks!

[@francus7227]

This pool is awesome. I going to make one SOOO much smaller. 1 meter deep (0.5 meter below the ground and 0.5 meter built up above the ground) X 2 meters wide X 3.75 meters long.... with 4 industrial plastic barrels filled with rocks (one in each corner) with a bubbler in each for filtering and circulating water. Tie a waist rope for stationary swimming for exercise. Otherwise a nice plunge pool to cool off that is also a very nice water garden. I live in the tropics.... I have multiple year round water plants to chose from. Floating water lettuce will probably be my main nutrient eater. An elephant ear in each barrel. I'm about 1 month from breaking ground.

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Nice! Please keep me posted!

[@francus7227]

​@@CYBuilds4fun Chris.... I finished my "soaking" pond. I made some very RUFF clips of the process, setbacks and end product. I have enjoyed the pond but haven't swam with a tether yet. It's a week old and no string alge. Fingers crossed.... I've added more water plants since my final clip. The floating plants are THRIVING. Thailand as been 39°-40° C or 99°- 101° F for the last 10 days.... So I finished just in time.

[@coulsonrobert]

Really nice project Chris. Quick question: what are the large diameter pipes coming up at odd angles below the platform? Also did you make a filter/skimmer using the blue barrel?

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Thanks! Simply put they were a contingency plan. I put those in on both sides of the pond (if you look close you will see a set on the other side too). I switched from the perf pipe and used solid for them. They connect to the perforated loops that are running below the crushed rock. Essentially as a fail safe. Originally, I wasn’t completely confident the airlift approach would move enough water so I wanted a means to be able to install a pump just in case without having to drain and dig.

[@kenbridgeman8590]

@@CYBuilds4funhuh. I am planning the exact same thing. Putting in perforated pipe as a fallback if I absolutely need a filter. This adds confidence in my plan.

[@gregorysatcher4366]

Hey Chris! Where did you get your sandbags? And what did you use to bind your retaining wall for your sand?

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Hi Gregory, Got the bags from Home Depot. I filled them with part cement part DG (decomposed granite). For the pavers I used a standard block adhesive. I’ll see if I can’t find the actual Mfg.

[@CYBuilds4fun]

I found the adhesive. SEK SB-10 Paver Bond Adhesive

[@gregorysatcher4366]

@@CYBuilds4fun awesome, and thank you so much!

[@gregorysatcher4366]

One other question: did you just sit the post for the dock/diving deck on those pavers, or did you screw them into the boards you used for the pallets?

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Just rested it on the pavers. The back part of the dock is anchored into a concrete slab to provide the stability.

[@rowdymoore007]

Thanks again looks great

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Thanks!

[@asherthomson8007]

Great effort Chris. Lots of time in all of that. Did you have a final cost for the project? And also do you add anything to the pool to keep it clear?

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Hi Asher, Budget was $20k. We landed right around that maybe $22k to be conservative. BUT that was pre COVID. Everything is more expensive now so if you are targeting a similar size and planning to build it yourself I would budget $30-35K. Still a considerable savings over a conventional pool. Going the conventional “pool” approach for the size of ours you would be 2x that. Regarding keeping it clear, just time. As the plants get established it gets clearer and clearer. I did add some beneficial bacteria the first year to help speed up the process. I’m approaching 2 years now and I spent 15-20 minutes every other week netting up a little bit of algae that floats up around the perimeter.

[@NewEnglandPatriotsfan]

Excellent guys

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Thank you!

[@kenbridgeman8590]

Can you provide an update on whether your natural filtering with plants and the aerators worked as expected/hoped?

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Yes I will get a video shot and posted

[@tonys5.321]

Hey man am getting ready to do a pond job but need help with the plumbing

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Hello, sounds fun! Let me know what questions you have and I’ll see if I can’t help.

[@Wanicalelydorp_sr]

How much do the liners cost,and were can i find them

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Hi! I went with the Firestone product and I got mine from Pondliner.com where it ran roughly $1 per sqft. That was a few years ago, so I would expect prices have gone up since then. I will say the liner is very important. It’s the place the invest in good product. Best of luck!

[@Wanicalelydorp_sr]

@@CYBuilds4fun thank you for the advice

[@tondenockay1296]

Also is there anything you would do different if you where to do this again?

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Couple things 1.) Don’t need as much rock as I have (could have saved some money there) 2.) Would have added a bog to begin with (more planted zone helps) 3.) White sand looks great to begin with but requires a little more upkeep. Would go with a more earth toned version. 4.) Get the big hiblow pump. 5.) Bigger or more skimmers at the top 6.) Devise a better way to agitate the bottom so you can reduce sediment from forming at the bottom. 7.) While it worked for me I would suggest a geotextile (mirafi) in place of the recycled carpet. Not worth the risk. 8.) Probably wouldn’t do the pallets again. They work just fine, but I think a stone wall would be better (certainly more work and cost tho). Keep me posted!

[@tondenockay1296]

@@CYBuilds4fun Wow great insight/infro, so thanks for that. May I ask why you say you would have added a bog to begin with? Is the down flow filer system not enough?

[@CYBuilds4fun]

The bog just creates more plant filtration which helps with water quality.

[@tondenockay1296]

Question How did you keep the plastic pallets from floating up?

[@CYBuilds4fun]

The rock that I put behind the pallets locked it in.

[@tondenockay1296]

@@CYBuilds4fun and they were far cheaper then would, I would guess.

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Bingo!

[@gregorysatcher4366]

Hey Chris! So the perforated pipe you got going around the regen area… so you have a few of them that has a T fitting on it and they are pointing straight up. Why is that?

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Originally, I had concern the air lift approach wouldn’t work so I put those in as a preventative measure in case I needed to install a pump.

[@gregorysatcher4366]

@@CYBuilds4fun oh okay, so they aren’t needed?

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Correct.

[@gregorysatcher4366]

@@CYBuilds4fun last question: do you have an exit drain, or overflow drain?

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Feel free to keep the questions coming! Yes, I have a section of the pond that is slightly lower at the run to allow run off if it overfills.

[@user-MRG1130]

Turned out beautiful man, not sure what you spent, but my brother did something comparable for $65k, in concrete.

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Thanks! Like to see it. Share a link if you have one.

[@fadret]

David pagan butler is the best engineer for these

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Completely agree. I read his book and watched all his videos.

[@Becauseimme]

Looks like Norco.

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Sure does

[@mgsharnhorst]

Put some mosquito fish in there.

[@CYBuilds4fun]

Yup, have them. Haven’t had any issues with the Mosquitos. Great tip!