It is my dream to have an in-ground pool in my backyard–preferably with a pool boy who cleans it and brings me cold drinks with umbrellas. But living in the bay area, the yards can be small and permitting can be expensive.
I came up with the idea to add a 8 foot stock tank pool to our backyard. I did some research on how to build and design this to accommodate our backyard and the aesthetic we wanted. We found a farm store that carried several sizes of stock tanks. These stock tanks are usually used for cattle to drink from out on the farms, so farm and feed stores often carry them. Common sizes are 6, 8, 10, and 12 feet around and about 2 feet tall.
We found the one we wanted and had it delivered (and yes the neighbors were thinking what are they doing now). We made sure the ground was level in the space we wanted. It’s recommended you add a pool pump to it, so the water can be circulated by a water pump if you like. We got a small pool pump and drilled two holes in the side of the pool so the pump hoses could be hooked up. We simply filled it over a few hours from our garden hose and by evening we had a pool. We have four dogs who simply love to cool off in the summer, so we built a removable slatted wood cover to keep children and pets out. This pool has been a great addition to our backyard and is just what you’ll need on a hot summer day.
