What would you do with an inground pool?

PrettyPaisley · #1 02/26/11, 10:26 AM

It was here before I moved in and trust me, been a thorn in my side every minute for ten years.

Last year we didn't even "open" it. No time for the pool, too many other things to work on and honestly, didn't want to spend the money to keep it up. This event is serving me well with SO-as I am adamant to make it something that helps survive as the economy continues to tank.

I'm hesitant to make it a mini-pond as we have two little ones; 4 and 1. I would prefer it be either a place for storage (like a root cellar-but it's only 5ft deep) or more garden, which would entail filling it with outside dirt. While I'd love to grow fish in the backyard, my nerves couldn't take the risk having the babies.

What would you do with it?

deaconjim · #2 02/26/11, 10:29 AM

Catfish and a fence.

anniew · #3 02/26/11, 10:30 AM

Great water storage device...in SHTF, you will need loads of water...and a filter.

shanzone2001 · #4 02/26/11, 10:34 AM

I hate the pool at this house! I am so glad the new house doesn't have one. Sounds crazy, but we hardly used it and it cost us more in upkeep and repairs than it was worth.

I seriously considered draining it and making it into a rabbit colony. I wanted to put a foot or two of dirt in the deep end and leave the rest cement.

My son wanted to skateboard in it, but luckily the skateboard phase lasted about 2 minutes and he stopped bugging me.

Forerunner · #5 02/26/11, 10:37 AM

It certainly would make a good ready-made fishery.
I'd likely fill it with sawdust and used animal bedding, though.

PrettyPaisley · #6 02/26/11, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deaconjim

Catfish and a fence.

I LOOOOVE catfish. Love it. Nothing like the kind I get at the gas station back home in Mississippi. So I shouldn't worry about the babies? Just a fence and get on with it, huh?

deaconjim · #7 02/26/11, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrettyPaisley

I LOOOOVE catfish. Love it. Nothing like the kind I get at the gas station back home in Mississippi. So I shouldn't worry about the babies? Just a fence and get on with it, huh?

Install a 4 ft chain link fence around the pool, leaving yourself about a 4 ft walkway all the way around. Keep a lock on the gate, and you should be okay.

shanzone2001 · #8 02/26/11, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forerunner

It certainly would make a good ready-made fishery.
I'd likely fill it with sawdust and used animal bedding, though.

Compost pool?

Wolf mom · #9 02/26/11, 10:41 AM

Here in AZ you'd better have it fenced. It's a law due to drowndings.

I had a 42 ft. inground pool for years. Loved it for the children/teens/family. You can have your kids take a "pool safety" class for tots. Teaches them what/how to be safe in case of a fall in. Get your pool safe, figure how to keep it clean without much work. I think it'd be a lot of enjoyment then.

If you want to fill it in, check first with a Realtor to see how much it'd devalue your property.

You speak of a pond - remember, a tot can drownd in 3" of water....

geo in mi · #10 02/26/11, 10:45 AM

Five feet deep? Rent a backhoe, fill one half, make the other half ten feet deep for that rootcellar. Problem solved. And a tornado shelter, and a food storage bunker.....SHTF? You're good to go...(Just learn how to mix mortar and lay concrete blocks....)

geo

Rockytopsis · #11 02/26/11, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shanzone2001

I seriously considered draining it and making it into a rabbit colony. I wanted to put a foot or two of dirt in the deep end and leave the rest cement.

.

That sounds doable to me. Good idea, only I don't have a pool, but still a good idea.

Our Little Farm · #12 02/26/11, 10:49 AM

If u dont want it, fill it with compost, soil and top soil and make a vegetable garden out of it.

I happen to LOVE swimming and would enjoy every moment of it, early morning and late evening.

I like Geo's idea!

Beeman · #13 02/26/11, 10:59 AM

I would use it as a pool. There is no better way to relax and get exercise. It also is a great water source if you have a fire in an area with no hydrants. Our pool doesn't cost much to operate and it's the greatest way to cool down so you can get recharged for the rest of the work that needs doing.

houndlover · #14 02/26/11, 11:02 AM

Hoop cover it and make a greenhouse. You'd have plenty of room to sick a root celler/canning room in one corner.

kmam10 · #15 02/26/11, 11:17 AM

We also have an inground pool, and I consider it my emergency water source (we did use it to flush when water and electric went out for 30 hrs one time), and also my emergency and not so emergency cooling down source. If you are without electric in the summer, even if the water is warm dipping in and out still cools you down.

That being said, if you truly dislike it and it is that much work for you, have it removed and create a garden or something similar. It will affect your house resale value, especially where you live, but if you are not planning to move, so what?

SpaceCadet12364 · #16 02/26/11, 11:25 AM

I dont remember where on the web that I saw it, but there was a guy that had a backyard pool that wasnt being used for some reason......so they made the deep end a fish-farm (tilapia maybe?) and I think there was a greenhouse type structure installed over the entire pool area. Above the fish part, I think there was chickens or something, so the chicken poo would help feed the fish. And plants in containers everywhere, think there was also a system where the fish water was being used to water the plants, which by the plants filtered the water and it went back to the fish pool as clean (well clean enough for the fish) water. I will check and see if I bookmarked it somewhere.....

aha....found it! http://gardenpool.org/

Explorer · #17 02/26/11, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by houndlover

Hoop cover it and make a greenhouse. You'd have plenty of room to sick a root celler/canning room in one corner.

Yup, good idea. Turn it into a greenhouse.

MushCreek · #18 02/26/11, 12:22 PM

Lots of things are dangerous to small children- it's the parents job to protect them. My son was small when we moved here, and there is a 1 acre pond behind the house....with alligators! We also had a 'pool problem', and turned it into a water garden, after my son outgrew wanting to swim in it. Even here in FL, pools are a marginal investment, and turn away as many buyers as they attract, so I wouldn't worry about impacting your home's value much.

If you have a use for a water feature, use it, whether to raise catfish, or just admire the plants and critters that live in it. A root cellar or greenhouse isn't a bad idea, either. When we build our place in SC, I'm going to dig a pond for aesthetic purposes, but it's also going to be a reservoir for rainwater for the gardens. No matter what, you need to make sure your kids can't get to it- a fall into a 5' concrete hole could do a lot of damage!

chickenista · #19 02/26/11, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by houndlover

Hoop cover it and make a greenhouse. You'd have plenty of room to sick a root celler/canning room in one corner.

YEP!!!
I would make that into a greenhouse in a heartbeat.
And a root cellar and part of it a a brooder for chicks etc...

MOgal · #20 02/26/11, 12:45 PM

We haven't opened ours since '04. It was here when we bought the place and it's a lot of work to maintain so you want to swim in it. While we don't have alligators in it, there have been plenty of snakes and turtles including one snapping turtle. I wouldn't mind doing a tilapia pool in it but I don't think they grow quickly enough in one season--besides, DH doesn't care for fish. At 24' x 48' and 4' at the shallow end, 8' at the deep end, it would be a bit much for a garden pool. We have it fenced to keep the dogs away from it as we have no little folk around. I thought mosquitoes would be a problem but all the frogs and tadpoles in the spring take care of them. The frog songs can be irritating when you're trying to sleep.

However, I see it as 43,000 gal of fire fighting equipment for us and our neighbors. We usually have enough rain to keep it full enough and actually have to siphon off a good bit each fall to protect the intakes.