Digging Out the Old Swimming Pool

One of the items on our winter project list was to dig out the old swimming pool. We had no idea it was here when we bought the place. It was our next door neighbor who told us about it. He remembered swimming in it when he was a kid. It was filled in some years later and so overgrown that we really weren't sure where it was. I finally found it when I cleared back the overgrown brush behind the carport. That was almost ten years ago.

Photo from March 2010. It measures 11 feet by almost 24 feet.

We've pondered what to do about it from time to time. We definitely have no interest in using it for swimming. Dan's mentioned a cistern and we've also wondered if we could somehow convert it to a root cellar. But it was hard to make plans without knowing exactly what it looked like. And of course, there was no telling what kind of condition it's in. For that we'd have to dig it out, so Dan rented an excavator to do it.

The last of it was done by hand. Sam helped.

The shallow end is 3 feet, the deep end is 6 feet.

In the above photo, the board on the bottom marks the location of a possible wall for a root cellar. The slope would have to be dealt with, and it would need to be built up for a roof. The other question is what to do with the rest of the space.

Another option might be to use it as a cistern for rainwater. There are cracks in the walls so it would need to be lined, then need a cover and a pump.

We're still busy with the solar project, but at least we know what we're dealing with. Obviously, it can still hold some water, so we'll have to come up with a plan one of these days!

Digging Out the Old Swimming Pool © Dec 2019

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com