They Took This Empty Backyard And Turned It Into A Resort Quality Pool!

When it gets hot in the summertime, the first thing that crosses many people’s minds is about how they wish that they had a pool. But let’s face it, there are some pools that are nothing more than a hole in the ground with some water in it. It’s just a big bathtub at that point!

What would really do the trick for some people is if they had a swimming pool right in their backyard that they would be willing to pay to swim in! A pool that they would be willing to hop on a plane to find. A pool that requires a passport to get to!

Some people seem to think that they have to travel the world over to find a resort-quality pool. In reality, with the right planning and just enough space, you can build a pool in a backyard that you could put on a TV commercial for an expensive resort and nobody would even know the difference!

One man decided to make that dream a reality and build an amazing, majestic pool in his own backyard. He started with just a plot of dirt and turned it into one of the most beautiful swimming pools the land could fit. Let’s see how Rodolfo got his resort-quality pool…

Like most great backyard projects, Rodolfo started with an undisturbed piece of land. There wasn’t a whole lot going on in Rodolfo’s backyard so it was the perfect place to put his pool.

Not a whole lot to look at at first glance right? Doesn’t even seem like a whole lot of room does it? Well, when you see what they ended up with, you’ll be amazed.

You can see that this humble little plot of land has been transformed into something that anyone would be proud to call their pool. Just looking at it now, I wish that Rodolfo would invite my family and me over to swim in this amazing pool.

That being said, we don’t have an end, or a beginning for that matter, without a good bit of in-between. Let’s join Rodolfo and the crew at square one!

Anyone worth their salt will tell you that the best way to build your own resort-quality swimming pool would be to dig a hole. I know that seems obvious, but to start, digging a hole requires the right equipment to do it with.

Sure, Rodolfo and his crew could have gotten out shovels and made the hole by hand, but that would have taken forever. For a project like this, they had to bring in the heavy machinery.

As you can see, the area for the pool had to be marked off and they had to dig within those boundaries. Hats off to the guy operating that machine, it takes some skill to be that accurate with something that bulky.

Most cities don’t allow you to dig within a certain distance from your property line, so it is important with something like this that you are right on the nose. Otherwise, your pool would also become your neighbor’s pool!

The dirt will begin to pile up very quickly, which is why there is more than one machine on hand to help Rodolfo dig the hole. As soon as the dirt gets pulled out it has to be taken away!

By the way, this shot from the air should give you a good indication of what the crew is dealing with here. It’s not exactly a whole lot of room, but they are turning that plot of dirt into something everyone will want to swim in!

Now the crew is getting deeper and it seems like the outline of the pool is starting to take shape. Just from the looks of what has been dug out of the ground, it seems that Rodolfo is opting for a simple rectangle shape.

This is done a lot in backyard pools for the fact that you can maximize what space you have in order to have the best pool possible. Some people go for the “amusement park” pool, but with a yard this size it is a good thing a simple rectangle was agreed upon.

The hole has been completed and it is looking like Rodolfo is going for a pool that will be somewhere in between four and five feet deep. That may not sound like much but for this relaxing pool, it’s plenty!

Plus, some cities don’t allow pools in a residential area to be more than a certain depth. That and the insurance company might be charging a bit more if you have something at Olympic diving depth. Besides, this pool is going to be for lounging so up to the chest is perfectly satisfactory!

Now the crew is starting to put together the frame for filling the pool. For those that think that a pool is just a hole in the ground there is so much more to it.

You have to look at it like you are building a house, but upside down. Like any construction project, you have to put in a good solid frame or you will have cement all over your backyard!

The wooden stakes are up and it is time to move onto another very important part of the project, putting the special sheeting up so that they can fill the hole in the ground with cement.

It might not seem like it now, but they are doing something of extreme importance to this project. Think of that special sheeting as a cookie-cutter of sorts. Cool huh?

Since this pool is designed to have places built in for people to sit and relax, the crew is putting the sheeting over every surface where they plan on pouring cement. It might seem like a lot of work but it is necessary and it will definitely pay off.

Just think of how happy everyone will be to see this pool when it is finished. Resort quality work takes time!

Aside from the hole in the ground to fill up with water, the plumbing system is probably the most important part of a pool. It’s literally a matter of life and death.

If you don’t have good plumbing, then you have no filtration. If you have no filtration, you stand to be swimming in water that is filled with who knows what kind of parasites!

It is time to reinforce this bad boy, so it’s time to bring out the big guns – the real heavy stuff… rebar! All that water is going to be heavy, so you need some heavy support beams so the above concrete doesn’t crack. If it does, your pool will empty itself all over your yard!

There’s no better way to keep a pool from collapsing into the hole you dug than using highway quality rebar! The crew is laying out a complicated set of steel rods that will act as almost a net of sorts for our pool!

The crew’s complicated system of steel mesh is now complete and the pool is coming together faster than even they anticipated! Even the drains at the bottom have been put in place.

After all, it would be a lot harder to pour all of the concrete and then place the drains now, wouldn’t it? As you can see the pool is dug at a slight slope so they found the perfect place to put the drains!

There was one surprise that everyone seemed too excited to keep a secret and that was the hot tub that the crew was putting in! If you are going to go for resort-style, you can’t leave out a hot tub!

Even in the warmest of places, there are days where it gets a little chilly and a dip in the pool won’t do. That’s why it’s always good if you can to install a hot tub to warm things up!

The concrete base of the pool is now being filled in by the crew and as you can see, the crew is going to be filling in the hot tub separately. It’ll have slightly different plumbing, too.

This whole thing is coming together quite nicely, isn’t it? Before they know it, Rodolfo and his family are going to be enjoying the nicest pool on the block!

Now comes what I consider to be the most fun part of any pool construction job, the shotcrete gun! Imagine you have a giant hose filled with concrete that you can spray anywhere. Everyone’s dream right?

Well, maybe not everyone, but it certainly is a good way to make sure that every surface gets covered so that there isn’t one space that water can leak into. It’ll be a lot easier than using a standard manual spreading tool.

Now the crew is pouring the shotcrete into the hot tub section and I would have to say that this is the part of the job where the guy with the hose has to be really careful.

Think about it, there are two people in there and you have a giant hose filled with cement. If that guy on the left isn’t careful, one of them will become a permanent fixture of the pool!

Boy, this resort-quality pool is starting to take shape isn’t it? That nice little staircase is definitely a stylish touch!

The hot tub is definitely turning into a decent work of art as well. It looks like it can hold about eight people in total.

It seems like these pipes are going to go on and on forever don’t they? I am waiting for Mario and Luigi to pop out of them at any minute!

Seriously though, each one of them plays a very important function either bringing water into or away from the filtration system. That way everyone has clean water to swim in!

Anytime the crew brings out the heavy machinery, it seems that they are getting ready to do something big! Well, the hole isn’t as big as the one they dug for the pool, of course.

Plus, we already have a hot tub built inside the pool itself. So what could this hole be for? A set of special hanging lights? Some kind of plant?

Yes! What Florida pool would be complete without a set of palm trees to decorate the area around the pool with.

They don’t need all that much watering and, let’s face it, palm trees are just beautiful to look at. If you are having a bad day, just stare at a palm tree for a few minutes and BAM, bad day over! Any kind of plant life is a good idea around a pool to begin with. Furthermore, they give great shade which is just what you need on a hot summer day in the pool.

There, isn’t that lovely? The crew has planted several palm trees along one side of the pool and once this project is finished it will look like something that people would spend money to swim in.

Shoot, there isn’t even water in the pool yet and I would want to just stand in the center and look at everything around me right now. If this is what it looks like now, imagine what it will look like completed!

It seems that anytime the crew gets to putting up any kind of wood bracketing together that we are going to be in for a wonderful surprise. I wonder what it is going to be this time?

Since it looks like it is going to be near the lip of the pool, you would think that we are going to be hit with another decorating masterpiece. Then again, you never know what they are going to be coming up with!

Nope, they are not in the middle of making batter for the world’s largest cookie. That being said, that would be pretty good, but not resort quality pool good.

It seems like the crew is mixing together something to help hold an important piece of the pool into place. Any time that I get to use one of these mixtures it’s always a lot of fun!

The crew has taken their “cookie batter” and spread it around the perimeter of the pool. It seems that they are going to be using it as an adhesive for holding something in place.

Given that this is a resort-quality pool, it is not just going to be some run-of-the-mill tile like you would see in a home kitchen. Nope, this is definitely going to be something good!

Just look at that beautiful stone tile! I mean, wow. You can see the crew carefully placing the tiles in one at a time.

This is another thing that is going to take them a long time to do because once these tiles are in, they are in and it would almost take a jackhammer to get them out. The white stone is also a great choice because it will reflect the heat of the blazing summer sun and keep the pool area nice and cool.

When the crew poured the shotcrete earlier in the build, there was one thing that was for certain. Even though the project was running smoothly, the shotcrete wasn’t going to dry smoothly.

That means that some of the spots needed to be smooth down a little bit so nobody got cut up while taking a dip in the pool. All that needed to be done is taking a little hand grinder and smoothing it out until it was as slick as an egg!

Wow, this is really something! This is what we were talking about when we said resort quality!

Look at these decorative tiles that are being installed. I would love to get a closer look at them…

Wow, this certainly was not disappointing at all. If you look at them closely you can see all of the different colors that are popping off of the tiles. 

When the lights get installed the effect that these colors are coming from a million different directions will definitely be something to behold. I cannot wait for this pool to be finished and filled!

Wait a minute, what is all of this sand doing here? Did the crew decide to turn this resort quality pool into a beach party?

Well, Rodolfo told me that there was this little trick that when they have to install deck tiles that the crew will place sand on the ground and smooth it out to help the tiles stay in place. Pretty good idea!

Like a jigsaw puzzle flipped the wrong way, the crew is putting together the tiles over that freshly smoothed out sand. These tiles are actually a pretty smart idea.

Say someone is at a party at your new pool and they drop something that puts a crack in one of the tiles. Fear not, all you have to do at that point is to pull one of the tiles up and put a new one in!

The tiles have been placed and you can almost see Rodolfo and his family putting on their swimsuits to take a dip. If I had something like this coming together in my backyard I would be trembling with excitement.

Just look at how far the crew came when installing everything you see. What’s that, not quite resort-quality yet? Well, we are almost there!

Right now the crew is smoothing out the sealant that they put in the pool. This is a very important part of the process because it allows an extra layer of protection against leaks.

Also, you can make the sealant just about any color that you want to achieve a fun decorative effect. It seems that Rodolfo has gone with plain white, again to help reflect heat.

The plain white seal is actually a very good idea for several reasons. One, you don’t have to worry about the pool getting hotter than would be comfortable to swim. Two, it’s pretty easy to find something you dropped in the pool if it is a white bottom!

Lastly, if you are using any kind of special lighting around the pool, especially at night, you will have a better effect. I once swam in a pool with a black bottom at night and it was like I was swimming at the top of a bottomless pit!

Now, the crew is starting to get the final touches and get everything in place, even adding a waterfall feature! Those kind of little touches really bring the pool up a level.

Imagine you have had a long day at work and you are just dog tired. Maybe your neck hurts. All you have to do is get under one of these little waterfalls and it is like a neck massage that will make you feel so much better!

Swimming at night in this pool must be so amazing! This is the great thing about having a pool like this is that you can go into it any time you want!

Rodolfo added some really comfortable looking patio furniture so you can sit and relax after your dip in the pool or hot tub before heading in for the night. With a pool like this, I can imagine that “heading in for the night” would take some convincing!

Here come some of the amazing lighting effects that they were able to get the crew to install. The deep blue water effect makes the pool seem endless and like a calm natural lagoon.

Remember what I said earlier about the white seal around the pool making it easier to do lighting effects? Well, here we see it in practice!

Even more lighting effects! When you have more than one section of your pool you can paint just about any picture you want.

I have to say, when I have stayed in resorts before I have seen pools that were nice, but never something as nice as this one. This must raise the property value of the house through the roof!

There’s nothing more to do at this point other than to put on a bathing suit and take a nice long relaxing dip in the pool. If I were Rodolfo, I would be spending every waking hour in this pool.

Spending money on a pool might seem like a big deal at the start, but when you think of how you’ll never have to fly anywhere again to get a resort-quality pool experience it is definitely worth it! See you poolside!