Q&A for How to Build a Concrete Pool

There are multiple steps involved. The first stage involves planning and design, and the second stage is engineering. Once the engineering is approved, your pool contractor will move on to permitting. When the permitting is also approved, your contractor will confirm the pool's "footprint" with you. Then, you'll move onto excavation and pool installation.

You have 3 different plaster options: basic rubber plaster, a pebble mix, and a quartz hybrid. Choose your color scheme carefully if you go with the pebble mix. For instance, if the bottom of your pool has gold pebbles, your pool water will look green. Try to avoid colors like orange, black, and brown as well.

The planning process takes 2.5 weeks, the permitting process takes 2 weeks, and the building process takes 12 weeks. Then, there's a chemical setup that takes approximately a week and a half to complete—this ensures that the pool's pH level matches the chlorine level.

Yes, but it would cost a lot of money since you would have to remove most everything in the pool. (You may get to keep the pump and filter though.)

Pouring concrete is also an option.

Have you considered a vinyl lining? This can be made-to-measure, and installed by someone your local pool shop/store can recommend. The cost to us in 2013 was approximately $3,000 USD. It really renovates the pool -- extending its life by at least 10 years. Two very big warnings: don't use pool-sticks in the skimmer (they continue to gas off, overnight when pump is off, and acid seeps out and attacks the vinyl, causing 'crocodiling'); use powder or liquid chlorine. Don't over-do a floating dispenser which uses tablets containing stabilizer. This can lead to over-shooting the stabilizer, or cyano-uric acid (CYA), which takes a lot of work to reduce.

Yes, it usually will; there's nothing much you can do about it.

Reducing the pool's depth is fairly easy with concrete. Pour in new concrete to create a new slab. Use a concrete float to adjust the pool's slope.

To ensure the concrete foundation stays strong, wait about 4 weeks. You may be able to attempt this sooner, but it isn't recommended.

Drain the pool first, then clean out the damaged areas with a chisel. Mix some concrete to fill the crack. Finish smoothing out the concrete with a trowel. Before filling the pool again, keep the concrete moist until it cures.

You will need a masonry bit to drill into the concrete. Fit the rails in the holes, then pour new concrete into the holes to fill them. If there are tiles or other material in place, you will need to pull them off and replace them when you're done.