I simply do not understand the cost of having a pool ......i do get bored with them ....there is only so much water you can sit in for so long ......but if you have kids ............ i guess i do not have kids thank god i don't.......
These Pools Weren’t Worth the Investment
When summer rolls around pools can provide welcome relief from the harsh, unrelenting sun. We would all love to have one in the backyard that we could do a few laps in, but not everyone is blessed with having their own personal oasis. Instead, some people get inventive and come up with the next best thing.
Some of these pools should never have seen the light of day, while others are intriguing ideas that we just might copy. That being said, there’s just no beating the real, safely-constructed thing. If we’ve learned anything from this, it’s that you shouldn’t waste your money on something you saw on YouTube.
1. Pickup Truck Pool
Materials Needed: Pickup truck, liner
Est. Cost to Build: $30*
Pickup trucks are wonderful things that actually have a variety of uses. Not only can they transport furniture from A to B, haul concrete, bricks, sand, and all manner of other materials, but they can also be turned into mobile pools. Haven’t thought of it before? Don’t panic. There’s still time.
All you need is a big plastic liner, a hose, and a few beers to enjoy when you get in. Will your friends laugh at you when you put the pic on Facebook? probably, but they’re just jealous that they didn’t do the same thing before it became fashionable.
2. Bulldozer Pool
Materials Needed: N/A
Est. Cost to Build: N/A ($10,000* for the bulldozer)
Which came first, the bulldozer or the pool? One contractor is going to have a tough time explaining how exactly his bulldozer ended up at the bottom of a family’s pool. The bulldozer is probably completely trashed, as water will have flooded the engine.
Even the bulldozer looks confused at how it got in there. This one really doesn’t have a “cost to build,” but the cost of the bulldozer that got dunked is possibly around $10,000, depending on the brand. They’ll need a forklift or another piece of lifting equipment to get that 17,000-plus-pound contraption out of the swimming pool.
3. The Secret to Life
Materials Needed: Trash can, water
Est. Cost to Build: $50*
As the caption on the photo said, “This guy [has] figured out the secret to life: get[ting] way more out of [life] than you can fit into it.” That’s certainly true for this DIY pool, which was definitely a last-ditch attempt to get out of the summer heat.
All you need to do to make this pool is find a trash can you can semi-squeeze into. Fill it up with crisp, cold water, and voila! You have a pool that will keep you cool, no matter the temperature. This pool-goer, judging from the photo, looks happy with this pool, no matter how small.
4. Gather ‘Round The Campfire Pool
Materials Needed: Giant steel bowl, fire
Est. Cost to Build: $500+*
It might look like a strange idea, but surprisingly these funny giant steel bowls that make human stew are actually becoming more and more popular. The wood underneath heats the bowl so you’re nice and toasty – without becoming an entree, of course.
They aren’t cheap to make considering you need an enforced bowl and a very strong structure to hold it up, but there’s no denying that it’s fabulous either way. It makes a difference from the usual hot tub moment that you see posted on everyone’s social media pages.
5. Boat Pool
Materials Needed: Boat, hose
Est. Cost to Build: $1,000-$3,000*
One website called this the “most redneck thing you’ll ever see,” and we have to agree that it’s up there. We’ve all heard of putting a boat on the water, but turning the boat into the water is a little bit of a stretch.
That’s exactly what one pool owner did. He filled his boat, which apparently he wasn’t using for actual water travel, with water and turned it into a pool. Boats like that can cost a few thousand dollars, so he must have gotten no takers when he tried to sell it. Alas, the only option left was to turn it into a pool.
6. Grill and Chill
Materials Needed: Grill, truck, liner, tape
Est. Cost to Build: $100*
Let’s face it, this is not the best craftsmanship we have seen. The liner in the pickup truck isn’t going across the sides all that well, the tape is barely holding it in place, and having a grill that perilously close to the murky water seems like a recipe for disaster, not good hot dogs.
Regardless, each person taking a dip looks like they’re having a whale of a time, so maybe it was worth coming together for that one fateful summer’s day. Let’s just hope there were enough bathrooms nearby considering they all probably caught food poisoning.
7. No Pool? No Problem
Materials Needed: Tarp, hose
Est. Cost to Build: $10*
Another group looking for a pool decided to make their own using the magic of tarps. These boys put down a blue tarp into the back of a pickup and filled it with water, creating the perfect mobile pool to cool off in.
Is it legal? Probably not, but who says they’re going to drive around in it? Tarps are pretty cheap, and all they have to do is hook up a hose, so the cost of this innovative pool couldn’t have been more than $10 or so. Hats off to the innovation, we suppose. And it’s impressive it didn’t leak out, either.
8. Homemade Hot Tub
Materials Needed: A pool, a water system, a flaming trash can
Est. Cost to Build: $150 (and countless stupidity tokens)*
There’s nothing quite like kicking back in the hot tub at the end of a long day in the summer, beer in hand. The trouble is, hot tubs are expensive and not everyone can afford one. Does that mean you should deny yourself that taste of luxury? Absolutely not.
Does it mean you should rig your inflatable pool water system with a flaming trash can to heat the water? Also, absolutely not. That being said, someone obviously thought it was the next best thing since possum stew and decided to give it a whirl. Uncle Earl probably limped back to his trailer with third-degree burns, but at least Junior had a rootin’ tootin’ good time.
9. Ramen Noodle Bath
Materials Needed: Ramen, broth, hot water
Est. Cost to Build: $8,000-$25,000*
When you think of ramen noodles, you probably think of a cheap, inexpensive meal that is delicious (even if it’s not super nutritious). Well, prepare to have your mind blown, as ramen noodles aren’t just for eating—they’re also for bathing.
The Yunessun Spa House in Japan offers ramen noodle pols, where you can soak your limbs in a giant bowl of pepper-flavored and pork-flavored broth. According to Yunessun, the spa does wonders for the skin because of the collagen in the broth. Guests who aren’t partial to ramen can also soak in pools of green tea, sake, red wine, and coffee.
10. Back Ally Dumpster Dive
Materials Needed: Tarp, dumpster, ladder, hose
Est. Cost to Build: $30*
We’ve all heard of dumpster diving before, but this takes that concept to a whole new level. A few enterprising pool-goers wanted a cool place to relax on a hot day. There weren’t any pools around, so they decided to make their own.
They put down a giant tarp in a dumpster and then filled it up with a hose. They even remembered to add a ladder, so they could get in and out of the pool quicker. Sure, it’s not the most elegant solution or the prettiest, but it does the job well enough, dumpster or no dumpster.
11. Muddy Money Pit
Materials Needed: A disused swimming pool and plenty of bacteria
Est. Cost to Build: Reputation
We all know that the occasional kid pees in a swimming pool. In fact, swimming pools are gross breeding grounds for bacteria, which is why the water is so heavily treated with chlorine. No one wants to swallow a mouthful of that, even when it’s crystal blue.
So, when the water turns brown, you know you’re in for a bumpy ride. There’s no way anyone with any sense would step foot in this muddy oasis, so perhaps the locals were out of luck this summer. However, there’s always a truck bed and a redneck willing to step in to pick up the slack.
12. Summer in the City
Materials Needed: Boat, water
Est. Cost to Build: $500*
The city isn’t always the easiest place to put a pool, so people have to improvise. One neighborhood did just that, creating a miniature block party for its kids. An old, broken-down boat that probably would never be water-ready in a million years was converted into a pool.
The pool might not be as fancy as one of those million-dollar above-ground pools, but the kids still look like they’re having a lot of fun playing. It’s not really about having the most luxurious pool, so much as it is about making memories. Plus, the boat wasn’t being put to any other good use anyway.
13. Above/Below Ground Pool
Materials Needed: A broken above-ground pool
Est. Cost to Build: $1,500-$1,800*
Exactly how this happened is unclear, but there’s some fun in speculating. One homeowner decided they wanted an in-ground pool, so they dug a giant hole in the ground and placed an above-ground pool in it.
The cost of an above-ground pool can hit the thousands, so it would have made way more sense to just put in the above-ground and avoid digging holes. Something obviously went horribly wrong at some point during installation, so it’s not really about how much it cost to put in; it’s about how expensive it will be to fix. We’re betting cleanup costs will be in the thousands.
14. Lounging in Luxury
Materials Needed: Pool, two couches, sturdy float
Est. Cost to Build: $10,000*
This in-ground pool actually looks really nice, and it probably cost thousands to put in. The crystal-blue water is the perfect swimming destination for anyone, but one pool owner decided to up the ante with this daring float.
Two sofas are attached to a hopefully sturdy pool float, giving the float-user a place to lounge. We’re amazed that this contraption held up long enough for someone to snap a picture. All it will take is one strong breeze, and they’ll be fishing two sofas out of the pool water. Hopefully, those sofas aren’t expensive, because water damage will be the end of them.
15. Deep Drive
Materials Needed: A perfectly good car and a terrible driver
Est. Cost to Build: Priceless
We all know how awful it is to be stuck in a car in the middle of summer that doesn’t have AC. It’s like languishing in satan’s stomach, but most of us just crack open a window and hope that we’ll catch a breeze.
In this case, someone wanted to be in the pool so badly that they didn’t even wait to get out of the car. Why do that when you can waste a perfectly good automobile? Maybe the car wanted in on the action, or maybe the driver wasn’t of sound mind. We may have to go with the latter.
16. Balcony Pool
Materials Needed: Balcony, tarp, water
Est. Cost to Build: $20*
As Buzzfeed put it, this picture is the type to make you stare “directly at your screen” and scream “WTF.” The person who owns this balcony has to be joking, as any amount of things could go horribly wrong.
One homeowner (we hope they’re not renting) filled up their balcony with water after laying a tarp down. This created a makeshift pool. One wrong move, and there’s a pretty high chance that all those hundreds of gallons of water will fall directly onto the balcony below. Not only will that be super-damaging, it will definitely cause a neighbor feud for life.
17. The Country Pool
Materials Needed: Hay bales, tarp, hose
Est. Cost to Build: $200*
According to LawnStarter.com, an above-ground pool costs anywhere from $1,698 to $5,969, if you get it professionally installed (which you probably should). One country homeowner decided to skip those thousands of dollars and create their own makeshift pool from stuff they had around the farm.
Using a bunch of hay bales, a giant tarp, and water from a hose, the above-ground farm pool rivaled anything fancy suburban homeowners could come up with. Hay bales really aren’t super expensive (at least, when compared to an above-ground pool), so the cost of this entire contraption couldn’t have been more than a couple hundred bucks.
18. How The Military Relaxes
Materials Needed: Dump truck
Est. Cost to Build: $30,000-$40,000*
These DIY pool-goers didn’t even need to put down a tarp for this summer beat-the-heat station. Judging from the heavy-duty trucks behind them, these pool attendees are in the military. They managed to find an industrial dump truck without any holes or leaks.
They did what anyone needing to cool down would do and filled it up with water. Judging from the brown stains, the truck wasn’t exactly clean when they decided to fill it up. Still, when you need to cool down, you need to cool down. A dump truck like that costs around $30,000-$40,000, so it’s way more expensive than the fanciest above-ground pool.
19. The Kiddy Pool
Materials Needed: Cooler
Est. Cost to Build: $20-$60*
This one has made the rounds of DIY swimming pools, and this little kiddie pool definitely counts as a unique improvisation. All you need to make this pool is a cooler, and, technically, if the kid’s small enough, it can count as a kiddie pool.
The kid doesn’t seem to care, as he or she gets to relax in a pool during the summer. A cooler like that is probably around $20-$60 at Walmart. In fact, you can get a 60-quart Igloo chest cooler for $26.88 from Walmart that looks exactly the same as this kiddie pool cooler. It’ll definitely fit in your budget.
20. Back Alley Hot Tub
Materials Needed: Tarp, water, hose
Est. Cost to Build: $100*
The phrase “back-alley” automatically connotes something sleazy and, looking at this pool, the description appears to fit. One DIY summer getaway took place right in the back alley of some random business. Not only is the pool hooked up with a tarp and water, it also has a cooling system.
The multiple fans allow for a nice breeze while the pool-goers sun themselves in the makeshift back-alley pool. While it’s not exactly a high-priced resort, it probably gets the job done of cooling off guests. Let’s just hope all 5,000 of those electrical cords are kept as far away from the water as possible.
21. Trampoline Pool Hack
Materials Needed: Trampoline frame, giant tarp, cling film, shrink wrap, water
Est. Cost to Build: $45*
This “pool hack” went viral on TikTok, as people praised one family’s ingenuity in changing their old trampoline into a nice pool. The creators of this pool used the frame of the trampoline, along with a tarp, to create the perfect summer cool-off spot.
The creator first got rid of the trampoline’s springs, leaving only the frame. Then, she filled the frame with a giant tarp that she’d bought from the Sam Trade Centre. She secured the entire pool with cling film and shrink wrap. Then, she filled it with water. According to her TikTok, the entire project cost just $45.
22. Poorly Designed Pool
Materials Needed: N/A
Est. Cost to Build: $28,000-$55,000*
Whether the architect of this pool did this on purpose or not is a mystery, but what isn’t a mystery is what it looks like. This unfortunately designed pool, which looks like what we all know it looks like, even though we can’t say it on here, is located at a motel.
To be fair, the pool certainly looks clean and like it can fit a lot of guests, so that’s not really the issue. One section appears to be a shallow end, while the rest is the deep end of the pool, which could have cost anywhere from $28,000 to $55,000.
23. Wrong Side Pool
Materials Needed: N/A
Est. Cost to Build: N/A ($9,000-$11,000* to fix)
As the poster put it, this homeowner had just “one job” and completely blew it. Draining a pool is a lengthy process, and it can cost a couple hundred dollars. Though that’s expensive, it’s not something you should DIY unless you know what you’re doing.
This man’s experience is why you should hire a professional. He accidentally drained his pool into his backyard, flooding the yard and causing some serious water damage to the home. The cost of fixing this will be in the tens of thousands, including draining the yard and fixing the flooded house. We’re sure his family isn’t too pleased with him.
24. Trailer Pool
Materials Needed: Tipping trailer, water, pool floaties
Est. Cost to Build: $60,000-$110,000*
Joskin, a Belgian shipping company, created this DIY pool, complete with cute and colorful pool floaties. The caption on the photo, which was taken one hot day in late June of 2019, said “Homemade swimming pool” made from a “versatile…tipping trailer.”
The water in the trailer looks way cleaner and bluer than the water we’ve seen on other, similar photos on this list, making this pool something that most people would actually give a try. Some of those pickup truck pool owners could take a note from Joskin and its giant pink flamingo pool floatie on how to DIY a pool.
25. Driveway Hay Bale Pool
Materials Needed: Hay bales, tarp, water
Est. Cost to Build: $200*
Another DIY above-ground pool once again features hay bales, and it’s way cheaper than any above-ground pool of that size that you can get on the market. We can tell that the homeowner wanted to save money (yet still create a nice pool).
If you have the stuff, you can DIY it too. You’ll need a lot of hay bales, with which to create the pool’s structure. You’ll also need a tarp and water, and you’ll have to make sure there are no leaks; otherwise, all you’ll have is a flooded driveway (which could be expensive to fix).
26. Cramped Pool
Materials Needed: In-ground pool, tons of people
Est. Cost to Build: $18,000-$20,000*
Talk about a cramped pool. One summer vacation got a little too full of people with this pool, which has about fifteen people in a pool designed to hold one-fifth of that capacity. Though the in-ground pool looks nice and probably cost quite a bit of money, it definitely wasn’t meant to hold that many people.
Claustrophobics need not even look at this photo, as it’ll probably trigger some anxiety. Still, the girls in the pool look like they’re having a nice time, despite the close quarters, and the grill is going in the background, making this a cramped-yet-fun BBQ pool party.
27. Heating Hack
Materials Needed: Hula hoops, trash bags
Est. Cost to Build: $15*
What do you do when the pool is just too cold to jump in and you don’t have fancy heated water? The answer isn’t just put up and shut up. In fact, you could have gorgeously warm water in just a matter of hours thanks to hula hoops and trash bags.
All you have to do is stretch the trash bags around the hula hoops and let them float in the water. The sun heats up the bags and in turn, the bags heat up the water. It’s a gentle little hack that doesn’t cost the Earth – unless you count the single-use plastic.
28. Inground Pool
Materials Needed: Shovels, lots of muscle, liner, a hose, and a prayer
Est. Cost to Build: $100 (and an extra for medical bills)*
It could be argued that all pools start out as big holes in the ground, but most of them are properly lined, built, and have top-notch water filtration systems that keep everything germ-free. By the color of that water, there’s nothing in that pool but a bunch of bacteria ready and waiting to take root in digestive systems.
These clever cookies clearly saw that shovels were on sale at Home Depot and decided to seize the opportunity on offer. Let’s hope that they’ve squirreled away a few hundred dollars to cover their medical bills when the inevitable E. Coli infections come knocking.
29. En-Tire Pool
Materials Needed: Old tractor tire, liner
Est. Cost to Build: $20 (if the tire was already owned)*
Sometimes, you just have to make your own fun. No pool? No problem. Just find a big ol’ tire lying around and buy some liner for around $20. A little bit of tape later and you’ve got yourself a makeshift kiddie pool that’s just big enough to turn one summer into something worthwhile.
Sometimes, heat brings out the best in people. Who knows, whoever thought of this might be the next big thing in engineering and design. After all, it takes a special type of brain to put this kind of thing together.
30. Pallet Cleanser
Materials Needed: A lot of wooden pallets, chainsaw, pool
Est. Cost to Build: $500-$1,000*
We have to applaud the amount of work it must have taken to build this strange pool, the deck of which appears to have been made by a collection of wooden pallets. The pool itself looks carved into the wooden box, and the entire backyard is surrounded by a thick, concrete wall.
The deck must have cost quite a bit to build, unless the owner was able to find cheap lumber somewhere. It seems well-constructed, so they get credit for that, and the water of the pool looks clean. As far as DIY pools go, this one isn’t bad.
31. Wee Pool
Materials Needed: Toilet
Est. Cost to Build: $380-$620*
Ah, kids. Can’t live with them, and they can’t live without you. One baby decided that he’d had enough of not being able to use the pool, and if his mom wasn’t going to let him soak up the sun outside, he would make his own pool inside.
And so, he climbed into the toilet before realizing that he made a horrible mistake. Toilet water is freezing cold and gross, and the result was a toddler stuck in the toilet. Luckily, his mom happened to snap a few pics for the internet before helping him out. That’ll be a fun photo to show on his graduation or wedding day.
32. Cooler Pool
Materials Needed: A cooler
Est. Cost to Build: Free
Kids aren’t big. Coolers aren’t big. Put them together and you’ve got an instant pool that will put a grin on one child’s face. The only downside? There’s absolutely no room for activities and instead of fighting over who gets the last ice pop, they’ll be fighting over who gets to take a dip.
If you go down this route be prepared to constantly fill up the cooler. You might also want to set up a handy little schedule and hand it out to all parties involved to put a stop to the fighting before it starts. Alternately, make up an excuse to go to Target and get the hell out of dodge.
33. Private Pools
Materials Needed: Trash bags
Est. Cost to Build: $1*
Have you ever felt so unbearably hot that you would willingly give anything a try if it just meant cooling off? On the flip side, have you ever had so many beers that it seemed like a good idea to just wrap yourself up in a trash bag, stick a hose inside, and become a human water balloon?
Well, these guys have. We would love to know the backstory of this entire scenario, but since we don’t have it we’ll just have to take a flying leap to conclusions and assume it was the only viable option at the time. Top marks for ingenuity.
34. Above Ground Pool
Materials Needed: An entire pool and terrible spacial awareness
Est. Cost to Build: Priceless
In theory, this idea should work on paper. Step one, buy a pool. Step two, put it in the garden. However, whoever decided that this would work forgot a whole bunch of steps, like digging a suitable hole in the garden before laying the pool in place.
It’s impossible to know exactly what went on here, but we do know that there is nothing aesthetically pleasing or even remotely safe about this monstrosity. Let’s hope it was remedied in one way or another, even if it meant bulldozing the entire thing.
35. Pool Wagon
Materials Needed: Wagon, liner
Est. Cost to Build: $30*
Anyone that has kids will know that it’s difficult to keep them pleased as punch in the summer months. Anyone who has adult friends that complain about being hot all the time will know that particular pain as well, so what’s the solution?
While most of us are still trying to figure that out, one family decided enough was enough. The answer to their prayers was to line a disused wagon and fill it with water. They don’t exactly look thrilled about it, but it’s cheaper than installing AC and that’s all that really matters right?
36. Pool-Within-A-Pool
Materials Needed: A swimming pool and another swimming pool
Est. Cost to Build: $500*
There’s a lot of sadness in this photo. For a start, this pool looks like it was really loved and was quite a nice setup at one point in history. However, for reasons unknown, it fell into a complete state of disrepair, and instead of replacing it, the homeowners thought they would just botch it.
Sticking a pool inside a broken pool is the equivalent of sticking a BandAid on a severed finger. And yet, here we are, with this photo staining the internet forevermore. On the plus side, at least the water in the pool within a pool looks clean, so there’s that.
37. That’s One Way To Do It
Materials Needed: Gutter, pool
Est. Cost to Build: $1,500*
Well, that’s one way to get the pool filled, and it’s pretty eco-friendly. One homeowner decided to cut out the middleman when it came to filling up his pool, choosing instead to point his gutter at the pool and let the rainwater do the trick.
Is rainwater clean enough to swim in? If it’s falling directly from the sky, it’s pretty clean, but if it touches buildings or dirty gutters, it probably isn’t something you want to be swimming in or ingesting. Also, this DIY hack will take a lot of time, as there’s no way it’ll rain enough to fill that pool by summer.
38. Beer Supply
Materials Needed: Dozens of Heineken boxes, liner
Est. Cost to Build: $1,000+*
You know what they say – there are many ways to skin a cat. There are also many ways to build a pool, but that doesn’t mean that all of them should actually be looked into as distinct possibilities. These guys have bought dozens of crates of beer and used them as a structure before lining the inside and filling it with water.
It certainly looks very neat, but we can’t get over the cost. If each crate of beer costs around $20 that’s an incredibly large amount of money to spend. It would actually have been cheaper to buy a hot tub from Amazon and spend the rest of the cash on beer that could actually be consumed instead of used as a construction material.
39. Trash Bin Pool
Materials Needed: A trash can
Est. Cost to Build: Free (If you have a trash can)
We all know that Australia gets incredibly hot in the summertime. It’s part of the national identity, just like throwing shrimps on the barbie and saying g’day. A lot of Australian homes have pools in the yard for this exact reason, but if you don’t have one, what do you do?
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