Installing a pool in a hillside

8192 Views 8 Replies 5 Participants Last post by carpdad, Dec 5, 2012

jbravo8212

Discussion Starter · Dec 1, 2012 (Edited)

Hello,

I am in the process of installing a 30ft above ground pool. The topography of our yard is very hilly. We excavated a site which required us to cut into a hill and now we need to retain it. I am trying to figure out the most cost effective way to retain the hill since where it will be retained will be covered by a deck we are going to install around the pool.

The wall will be 65 ft and at its highest point will be 3.5 ft. It tapers from the middle at 3.5ft down to 1ft on the end of each side and is a half oval shape that sits back 2.5-3 ft from where the pool is going to sit.

We are looking for the cheapest way. Even considering railroad ties or using rock from our yard which is piled up from various projects. Any insight here would be great

Here are some pictures:

Thanks! John

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Daniel Holzman

· #2 · Dec 1, 2012

Try those photos again, I could not see them.

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jbravo8212

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 1, 2012

I re-sized them. The originals were WAY too big

Thanks!

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joecaption

· #4 · Dec 1, 2012

I'm missing the logic of trying to do it that way.
For one it's way away from the house, now your going to be dealing with all the cut grass being dragged into the house. How is a truck going to get to it to fill it with water, if the plan is to just use a garden hose plan on at least a week with it running 24/7. To maintain the water level your going to have to be running a hose across the yard.
All the rain run off in the yards going to be heading right where you do not want it.
I'm guessing it would have been better to have built a retaining wall, back filled and set the pool on top of the level area.

Think about it, railroad ties are ties that were removed because they had reached there expected life span.

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jbravo8212

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 1, 2012

Hello - unfortunately this was the only place we could put it because of the septic tank which sits exactly 10ft from the top lip of where we dug out the hill. Believe me we didn't want it that far from the house.

Really what I am after is the most economical way to retain the wall. We are already over budget and I was looking for recommendations maybe on material. We have a large pile of rocks (large rocks). I was thinking about laying them on the hill and driving re-bar stakes at their bottom to keep them in place. Would this work to hold the hill back or am I crazy?

The entire wall will be covered by a deck that will be flush with the yard coming down so it wont matter how it was retained.

Also I already have began excavating a trench around the pool area to carry all the water away from the base of the pool. NOT FUN!

Thanks - John

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TheCamper

· #6 · Dec 3, 2012

You will want to ask your Building Dept. if they require a permit for the retaining wall and if so, at what height do they require it to be engineered. Landscape ties that are treated and rated for ground contact are economical and when installed properly should be able to retain 42" of earth. You might want to consult with a local landscape architect about the stone walls. When the ground is saturated there is a lot of hydrostatic pressure. A landscape architect or engineer will be familiar with your local soil conditions.

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carpdad

· #7 · Dec 3, 2012

Instead of rebar, I would use 1" black pipe and drive it in min. 18", just around the pool, maybe every 2-3'. Rust around the pipe tends to keep it locked to the earth. Still just around the pool where slope faces the pool wall, start building a wall with synthetic decking, bending it along the radius. Synthetic would give you best ground contact protection, then build up with synthetic or PT up to about 2/3 of the height of the grass. Fill the void with your rocks, gravel. I think you dug out more than necessary, so rest of the area can be regraded and retaining not necessary.
We are talking about above ground pool. I would just make sure the foundation ground is well tamped.
Inspector's primary concern would be there is a fence around the pool from the deck and security door closes by itself. The usual height of the pool is high enough where there is no way to climb over the pool wall.
You could remove that tree shadowing the area just in case and also one less tree that'll dump the leaves into the pool.

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jbravo8212

Discussion Starter · #8 · Dec 4, 2012

That's a great idea!!!! I did have a question though. Since ill be driving the stakes in the ground I'm assuming that I will secure the scenthetic deck boards to those stakes which will be curved to wrap around the front of the pool just where it faces the wall right?

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carpdad

· #9 · Dec 5, 2012

Yes. Idea is to stop the erosion towards the house and to keep the mud collecting around the pool.

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