STOCK TANK POOL || our backyard pool

We sure have been enjoying some beautiful summer weather (finally!!)  With the lovely weather comes a long list of outside projects we want to tackle!  One of those projects is the back yard. The last few weekends have been spent moving dirt, gravel, adding pathways and rock and I am so excited to finish this space up.  We have been spending so much time out back and it is a super fun space for entertaining too!

The girls are 4 and 6 now and we thought a little pool would be a fun addition to the back yard.  After a little research, we thought a stock tank would be the perfect fit.  No worrying about holes, rips and it's a lot cuter (to me anyways) than a bright blue pool!

We still have a couple of weekends left before we get the back yard finished.  But, I thought I would share a few pictures and some details on our pool in case you were interested in using a stock tank for a pool too ;)

We purchased a 2'deep x 8'diameter galvanized stock tank from Coastal Farm and Ranch.  Matt was able to tie it down and bring it home in the back of his truck, but it's a biggie!  I scoured the internet, so I will save you the trouble!  If you live in Oregon, your best bet is Coastal Farm and Ranch!

We purchased a sand filter pump from Amazon.  It's kept it super clean, it has a timer and it was easy for Matt to install.  We have also been using some pool chemicals from Lowes, but the filter has definitely been the major contributor to crystal clear water!  Matt plans to build a cover/step/deck area to cover the filter and give the girls an easy way to climb in and out.

We are adding borders and 1/4 minus gravel in the back yard, but around the pool we added river rock.  It's nice under bare feet and grass, dirt and leaves don't get tracked into the pool!  We bought a solar cover to keep pine needles out of the water and help trap some of the heat.  I made the mistake of buying a 8' diameter cover, only to find out that's the diameter at the bottom of a typical above ground pool.  Who knew they actually taper in?!?  I ended up buying a 12' round cover and we cut it down to fit, it works great!   

The girls have so enjoyed swimming in their new pool!  We had friends over Saturday night and their two girls swam in it too!  The four of them had so much fun in there together!  It's really the perfect size for littles, and fun for bigger kids and adults too!  I love the depth because the girls feel comfortable in it, it's not too deep but just deep enough that they can still float and swim.  They even had me laying on a floaty with them the other day ;).

It really was a fairly simple project, but I am more than happy to answer any questions!!  Hope you are enjoying your long summer days!

xoxo