Progression: From Pool To Patio – Julie Devereaux

When I bought my home a year ago, it came with a pool that I absolutely did not want. So the first thing I did was turn the filter off. It didn't take long before the water turned a lovely shade of green.

My friend Joe helped me cover the pool last year and my friend John helped me take the cover off in the spring. This is what it looked like. (say hi to John)

I spent this summer 'draining the swamp'. I used a small sump pump.

It took a long time because I could only use the pump on sunny, dry days and I had to be home when it ran. I ran three heavy duty extension cords across my lawn and dropped the pump into the deepest part of the pool. I wish I could have run the slowly draining water into my garden because as you can see, it was chocked full of plant nutrients.

Because the pump only worked when it was completely immersed, I had to finish draining it by hand. (Think 'Mickey Mouse' in "Fantasia")

This would get the remaining water out. (I borrowed this awesome shop vac!)

Someone told me there was a drain at the bottom of the pool but I had no idea where it would be until I drained the pool. It sure would have made it easier but likely would have drained too much water too quickly. So it's probably a good thing it took as long as it did (um...all summer!).

I was curious about what was under the liner so...I cut the liner. Sand. And something hard...something called 'gunite'.

I would need to puncture some holes through that thin layer of gunite. That will require a jackhammer. I rented one. And no, I'd never used one before but...here goes...

It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Now I can add: "knows how to use a jackhammer" to my resume.

I decided to take the liner out. These were my tools.

Got this part off!

No idea how I'm gonna get this off.

A few surprises under that liner!

The liner was too heavy for me to lift out of the pool by myself so I dragged it to a corner til I could get someone to help me.

Now I can fill the pool with dirt so I better remove a portion of the fence so it can be dumped close to the hole. No, I'd never dismantled a fence before but I figured "how hard can it be?"

Wow. Good thing I picked this up at a yard sale last year! Exactly the tool I needed to take the fence apart!

Whoa! I actually did it! (of course...putting it back together...that was another story...albiet a short one...basically, I paid Dan the construction man to do that.)

A nice, wide opening for the truck I imagined would deliver the dirt for me to somehow place in the now empty hole that was a pool. I was wrong. The construction guys ended up taking apart another section and going in that way. Thank goodness for professionals!

Just in case anyone wandered into my yard, I wanted to make SURE they didn't go near what was now an empty dirt hole.

When I went to the landscaping place down the street from me to ask how much dirt I would need, and what, exactly I would need to put that dirt in the pool, the nice young woman said, "ya know, that's a pretty big job....we have a guy who works with us..." I knew she knew what she was talking about so I hired Dan with the big machinery to finish the job and I couldn't be happier! This is one of the fantastic pieces of equipment he used to get the dirt in the pool.

And voila here it is!!

Soon to be "Daddy O's Patio"! I'll let it settle til next spring and then lay some pavers on top with a big fire pit in the center! (At least that's the plan!) To be continued....