Super Economical Concrete Pool! 2026

Super Economical Concrete Pool, could also be built in a hole and filled. Keeping plumbing simple also reduces costs.

We used a lintel block (typically used on doors and windows) to wrap rebar around the pool every 8 inches horizontally. When stacking blocks with centers aligned, place a rebar vertically every 8 inches.

We cut the sides of the row of foundation blocks to allow the rebar and concrete to connect to the pool wall and floor. The result was a pool that could stand solid in the 3 feet of fill rock behind our retaining wall.

We soaked and waterproofed the pool with white adhesive surface cement, and two years later we hired a professional team to do a final coat of prettier blue plaster.

Step 1: Design

This construction had to be very strong, since it is located in an earthquake area next to the Sea of Cortez. The filling was all rock. Block pools can have problems because they lack horizontal steel and can leak where the walls meet the floor.

Curved walls are much stronger than straight ones, so I chose an oval. I wanted #4 rebar every 8″, vertically and horizontally on the walls and continuous across the floor. This is impossible with the standard block, but the lintel block has notches that allow you to add horizontal bars every 8″. We kept the pool 30″ away from the retaining wall to allow access to the plumbing and pump.

To use a small 1/2 hp spa pump, we kept the 2″ return and 1.25″ supply lines close to the pump. A cartridge filter completed the plumbing.

Waterproofing comes from the cement plaster inside a pool. Any crack in the structure means a leak, as the crack will continue through the plaster. We use fiberglass reinforced plaster inside and out to keep the blocks solid until the concrete is poured. This only waterproofed the pool.

Step 2: Reinforced steel structures

Once the ground was flat, we poured a foot of surface for the block. This was to stabilize the walls until the floor/wall cores were poured. The load of the pool's weight is evenly distributed on the pool floor when filled with water, so the resistance to this foundation is not important later.

A row of blocks was placed in the mortar beneath the pool floor as a level base for the rest.

We ground the entire upper and lower flat block. We then glued (construction adhesive) a course of lintel with an internal cut level to the soon to be 6″ thick floor. A bent rebar is fed through each center, overlapping the 1' rebar in the floor, of block getting a rebar into the notch of the lintel blocks, creating a continuous circle of rebar every 8 inches. The result was a pool that would remain solid in the 3 feet of rock fill without wall/floor cracks.

Step 3: Stacking Wall and Plaster

We drilled holes in the blocks for all the PVC pressure and return pipes, and cemented them with expanding cement. Accessories are available to point the water flow in the direction you want it to flow. A floor drain pipe (2″ in our case) is placed at the lowest point of the pool. Installed the pvc return weir with expansive cement following your instructions. Normal cement shrinks and leaves a crack.

The blocks are stacked without overlap, so the centers coincide. Any truss is overlapped with a foot and tied with wire. The blocks are stacked on the waterline. The inside and outside of the block are coated with a minimum 1/16″ thick surface adhesive cement to hold the block while concrete is poured. A rubber float makes it easier to spread this way. It dries quickly, so mix only a little at a time, and clean the tools every 10 minutes.

Surface bonding cement (it has latex glue and glass fibers in it) holds the blocks better than mortar, and also waterproofs the wall. Our pool was waterproof with a second coat on the floor and wall after pouring.

A solid 12″ concrete tie beam is formed from 14″ plywood. We wanted a disappearing edge so that part would form an inch below the final water line to leave room for the tile. This edge should be angled (we did it down on the outside) so water doesn't sit on the tile. We built a large catch basin under the rim, but I won't go into that. It is not easy to design the size of the basin. Now you are ready to pour the wall and floor.

Step 4: Pour

We pump the prepared mixture over the house and first onto the floor, then into the centers and the connecting beam in a continuous pour. Without the pump, you need a dozen strong men to lift the concrete into buckets. It's a lot of concrete, and you have to do it non-stop. The concrete cannot be dripping, so you need a vibrator to consolidate the concrete in the centers and in the floor pour.

Concrete must be 6.5 bags/cubic yard and have both fibers and a water-reducing mixer. The pumper will want to add water for easy pumping, but should add more water reducer instead of water. Too much water and you will get shrinkage cracks.

Remove any rocks or bricks containing the rebar. The rebar should be in the middle of the 6″ floor. Too high or low, it will rust and crack the concrete. Leave the surface rough, as in a wooden broom finish. Plaster adheres much better to rough concrete.

Let the concrete dry for a full week. The floor is easy: flood it the next morning. Leave the bond beam forms for a week and keep the top moist. The plaster on the walls keeps them moist.

Step 5: Plumbing

It can be as simple as plugging in a pool pump.ima from the ground and filter with hoses over the edge.

We did our thing with conventional PVC and a 20 year old 3/4 hp spa filter pump, which was later replaced with the same size but with two speeds. You don't need a big pump. It simply uses more electricity.

Step 6: Steps

If you do the steps, add them after pouring and the area under them is waterproof. They can take a lot of concrete. Next time I would go for narrow steps and more space in the pool. We poured one layer (step) at a time and ended up adding a lot of rocks and bricks as filler into the concrete.

Step 7: Platform

Since our pool was freestanding, we added a terrace on two sides, all conventional concrete overlapping the edge of the pool, leaving us with a nice place to enjoy the sunsets. And it is obvious that doing it this way is much cheaper.

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