How to Build a Natural Swimming Pool

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To finish the edges of your pool, run a plate compactor around the perimeter. This will help with soil erosion, but it's not enough to guarantee dirt won't fall into your pool. One option is to edge the perimeter with rocks, flagstone or wood planking. Better still, plant right next to the edge and let the plants stabilize the perimeter, says Martin Mosko, principal architect with Marpa and Associates, a Boulder, Colorado-based landscaping company. Plants work not only to anchor the soil, but create a natural setting for an old-fashioned, swimining-hole effect. Mosko says if you use plants instead of stone, choose plants that thrive in wet soil or make sure the water level is at least a foot below the pool's edge so the perimeter plants don't become waterlogged.

CONCRETE OPTIONS

If you prefer a more conventional pool shape, consider construction with cement or Rastra block, a material manufactured from cement and recycled foam plastic. Less ecofriendly than gravel and stone, these systems still can reduce chemical and energy usage by using plant-based filtration systems rather than mechanical filters and chlorine to clarify the pool water.

Pouring a concrete pool can be tricky. You have to have the right mix and the right density to prevent cracking. Because of the intricacies involved in concrete pouring, Zingaro advises against do-it-yourself concrete pool construction. If you're experienced in concrete work, he offers the following tips: Use an 4-1 ratio mix of portland cement and sand, and cover the compacted soil with fiber mesh, a rubber liner, old carpeting or newspaper, to provide a stable surface for the concrete to adhere. After the concrete is poured, trowel on a %inch coat of stucco to waterproof the pool, since concrete is porous.

An alternative to concrete is Rastra block. These blocks are 10 feet long, 15 or 30 inches high, and 10 or 14 inches thick. Made of recycled polystyrene and cement, they weigh a fraction of concrete: Two people easily can set 10-foot sections into place. Kenton Knowles of Global Homes in Baldwin City, Kansas, built a 16x32-foot pool out of Rastra for about $1,600 in materials.

To build a Rastra-block pool, excavate a hole just larger than the pool's dimensions to allow for ample workspace. Most people choose to construct a pool 5 feet deep. For the bottom, either pour a concrete slab or cover the bottom with a rubber liner. Then line the bottom with gravel. Make sure to install a drain and backflow preventer. Lay one section of Rastra block along the edges of the slab, securing the Rastra to the pad with rebar. Fill the Rastra blocks' cavities with concrete. As the concrete flows from block to block, the structure is tied together. An expanding foam sealant is used between courses and at all joints to hold the blocks in place. Knowles recommends waterproofing the blocks by troweling on two coats of stucco. Backfill the space between the sides of the pool and the Rastra block with soil. You can finish the perimeter with stones laid from the top of the blocks out into the surrounding area, or you can grow plants to the edge of the blocks.

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