We built our own Pool Oasis in 45 days and saved $120,000!

We built a pool oasis ourselves in under 7 weeks and saved 50% of cost. This was an Owner-Builder DIY Pool Build.

[@mattsapero1896]

Put a gate in front of that pool equipment. Embed noise-barrier material within it. Will make all the difference. Also, go to a nursery and surround yourself with plants. Place them all around the outer edge. Improves the view and air quality…

[@ThePatrickNolan]

Thanks Matt!

[@JoseValdez-ei9qx]

Can you make a video of the lessons you learned during the build and what you would recommend for DIY builders like yourself. Thank You

[@ThePatrickNolan]

Great idea!

[@amitshrestha3182]

Thank you for sharing your experience, I have been thinking about building a pool on our slope for a while now. It's encouraging to see your accomplishment.

[@ThePatrickNolan]

You can do it!

[@MetrosFinest]

Very nice!... I would be careful with the roots of those trees. They can crack your pool right up. Keep on keeping on my friend 💯

[@ThePatrickNolan]

Thank you!

[@isaacgoocher4208]

you could be in the pool business now,lol. amazing work

[@ThePatrickNolan]

Thanks!! Fun process. And fun to save money:)

[@ryanstewart6121]

Looks awesome! Great video and super helpful, thanks for making this and sharing with everyone!

[@ThePatrickNolan]

Glad this was helpful got you Ryan!

[@beachbum1808]

Wish i had that much free time. Looks good!

[@ThePatrickNolan]

Thanks! It was a time investment, but a small one in consideration of the $$$ we saved in the process.

[@chintanjpatel]

DIY? just curious so like you are complete newbie to construction, no background in any sort of real estate construction?

[@ThePatrickNolan]

Yes, built as an owner-builder. I am in the construction industry, but the process doesn’t require you being a construction professional. Just some organization and simple tools.

[@mariaburnette2163]

did you use DIY Pools and Spas to guide you through the process?

[@ThePatrickNolan]

Yes I did! Super helpful. Helps to build your own schedule and tracking system to do the build.

[@Justthemow]

Can you tell me what you lined your slide with I made my own pool with a slide too but I tried to epoxy my slide and it’s horrible

[@ThePatrickNolan]

It’s concrete mix, with high strength skim coat and sealer on the surface. Easy to re-coat sealer when necessary.

[@Justthemow]

@@ThePatrickNolan can you tell me what the skim coat is and sealer I did my slide with concrete and fiberglass but then epoxy coated it because that’s what everyone was saying was best but the saltwater pool etched the epoxy I let it dry for two weeks before turning on slide and then it just started to crack and flake off now it’s just an eye sore I’d like to redo it this winter after we shut the pool down for the season

[@bartosullivan8050]

All that BS with your county government. I would guess your property taxes are also ridiculous. Nice looking pool.

[@ThePatrickNolan]

Yep, there are some hoops to jump through for sure. Worth it in the end.

[@drnicholaspratt]

Where are you located? Do you experience cold temperatures?

[@ThePatrickNolan]

We are on the west coast, so we get into the low 40s or as low as high 30s once in a while. Hasn’t been an issue though.

[@mikelkeith2115]

Total Cost

[@neonpcmsplus]

1:30 into the video: "We ended up saving about 50% on our overall costs." Video title says they saved $120,000. So it sounds like $120k

[@ThePatrickNolan]

Yep, that’s about what we saved.

[@GatorsNest]

Curious about how the retaining wall holds up and how the rainwater drains off all that concrete. Pics make it look like it might end up in the pool? Beautiful property ❤

[@ThePatrickNolan]

Yeah! I installed an area drain and a trench drain to catch the water. The retaining walls hold up fine with the recent rains, most water ends up in drains, some water sheet flows the edge of the concrete, which is sloped away from the pool.

[@arresthillary9502]

too bad every piece of debri on the house and in the yard is going to wash into the pool....FOREVER did you size the drains for a multi-inch rain/hour x 2,000 sqft surface area x the pitch? oh yea, the boulders you placed in the concrete patio, they are now multiple crack points. after about a year you will understand

[@ThePatrickNolan]

So far so good. We put sawcuts at points around the boulders. It’s been good through the full weather cycle. No cracks. We initially had some slope issues with one part of the concrete during the super rainy season, but quickly solved it with a slot drain cut into the paving. Thankfully it was easy to add the drainage after the fact. But I agree, the drainage definitely needs to be considered. More drains are better. 👍🏻