What would you do with an inground pool?

I'd probably set up an aquaculture system .

I've seen fences that stretch over a pool and then you padlock. When you want access, you unlock and then hit a remote control. The whole thing rolls up to one end like a big window shade. I'd love a pool, but I'm with you...gotta watch out for the little ones.

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I'd raise shrimp. But the pit greenhouse idea works for me too.

Mud wrestling parties.

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I'd raise geese and ducks. Maybe fish too if you could manage to combine them. That's mostly because the missus likes duck...a LOT...lol

One problem (among many) with inground pools is that if you remove the water, they don't have a balanced pressure and can pop out of the ground or crack. That eliminates some possibilities. If you empty one, it will eventually refill with water anyway.

We had an inground pool in Florida. We used it for the first three or four years, but it ended up being more of a decoration than a functional item. I found that I invariably spent over $600 per year on that hole in the ground.

My advice would be to seal the bottom drain with neoprene and put a cheap trash pump in a section of culvert at the bottom of the pool (leave a vertical section of 2" PVC sticking into the area in case that pump fails and you need to suction it), then surround all that with crushed stone and a filter fabric like landscape fabric, then fill the pool with sand. You can run the pump as needed to remove the water, and if someone really wants the pool they can resurrect it easily. Otherwise it all remains safe but undamaged. Sealing the drain prevents it from becoming clogged with sand and junk.

If you want to use it for anything but a pool or pond you need to take the proper steps to make it safe. As Harry says, the water in the pool counteracts the pressure on the walls caused by the weight of the dirt on the other side. If you want to make it into a greenhouse you need to brace the sides so it doesn't cave in on you.

We have a customer right now whose pool is leaking but due to the fact it is winter they can't replace the liner. We go there every couple of weeks and put a load of water in to keep it up to a level that will brace the walls. This is especially important if you're in an area that gets a winter and has to deal with the ground heaving due to frost.

If someone wants to fill in a pool so they can return it to a grassy backyard, the bottom has to be broken up so water doesn't pool in the bottom of it, then it is filled with dirt. Apparently this can cost as much as actually building the pool by the time the machinery is brought in to break up the concrete and the dirt is trucked in.

It might be just as well to use it as a water reservoir or a pond. You can buy mesh pool covers now that you can walk on but the water can go through. Just get one of those and leave it on all year round. Of course, if you don't run the pump, filter and chlorination system it's going to go green and scummy .

if it is solid use it for a crawl space for a building..build right over it.

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I'd use it for fish, poly culture catfish and talipia. if legal i would look at doing some red claw crayfish (illegal here) in there too or freshwater prawns.

I would put a green house next to it, or over it. and do a aquaponics setup also.

fish feed the plants,plants clean the water, more bang for your buck and less you need to do to maintain a suitable environment.

If what you decide is anything other than making it fairly level with the ground I would say you need to worry about what if with your little ones. A five foot fall because they are running and fall in could be just as disastrous as it filled with water.

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I would make it into an earth bermed greenhouse with a rootceller where the deep end used to be. That way you pick up some geothermal heat to suppliment he heat you need to add.

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I would make a fish pond. Fence it off so the kiddies can't get in and put in some fish (or shrimp, mmmmm, shrimp). You could still swim in it if you wish, not much different than a small pond.

break up the concrete to a foot below grade, and fill it in with fill dirt.

Personally I love mine.. Nothing better after working my arse off at 100+ degrees outside than flopping into it.

And I've figured out how to keep it nice pretty cheaply.

I agree with Mushcreek, a pool will turn off just as many buyers as attract them. We had a house in Kansas City years ago with a small pool like yours and we busted the bottom out of it and filled it with dirt for the same reasons you are concerned about; cost of maintaining it and safety of the kids. It made a dandy garden that we got much more enjoyment out of.

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If you didn't open it last year, but opened it the year before, wouldn't it already be fenced to keep the older baby out? I think home owners insurance requires an inground pool be fenced, doesnt it?

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Any 4 year old I know of could climb a 4 ft. chain link fence in just a few seconds. Even if you told them not to.....

The safety of your little ones is the most important thing to consider here.

If the pool is functional, I think there are ways that you can either convert it to a salt water pool, or there are some that I think you can convert to a natural pond (where there is a section of water plants and such) for water filtration

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Prawns!


maybe with mesh netting layers?

omygosh yall are breaking my heart! I would LOVE to have an in ground pool and all I can afford is my above ground! Swim in it! Nothing feels better after a day of hard work than a dip in the pool and an ice cold beer. Summer only of course

What would you do with an inground pool?

Swim in it -- wish we had one at this house had one at the last house, it make Texas summers more bearable.