A detailed guide to building summer cottages

pool at the summer cottage Pools in the country have long ceased to be a rarity. Only the sizes of such structures and their shape vary. Pool can be either full-fledged, fully equipped with appropriate equipment, or small, designed only for bathing children.

Types of country pools and their features

First you need to decide which of the summer cottage pools you plan to place on your site. According to the installation methods, they are divided into:

stationary: made of frost-resistant materials and have a long service life; require the presence of a pit, pouring a bowl or concrete pad; equipped with filling, draining and cleaning systems;
collapsible: small or medium-sized containers without a complex cleaning system (maximum - a simple filter), filled with water only for the summer season;
inflatable made of multilayer polyvinyl chloride with or without a reinforced metal frame: easy to install and can be installed even in small areas.

According to the materials of manufacture, pools for summer cottages are divided into products from:

concrete: the pool bowl is completely made of reinforced concrete with additional waterproofing and finishing with tiles, mosaics or PVC film;
red ceramic brick: only the walls are finished with it, the base, as in the previous case, is poured with concrete; so that such a structure is as strong as possible, the walls are laid out in 2 bricks with a reinforcing mesh lining;
metal (steel): due to the fact that the welding places of such structures quickly rust, in recent years they are almost not used;
multilayer (composite) fiberglass, capable of withstanding even strong impacts; the bowl is laid in a pit with a concrete bottom or a strong ground frame made of concrete or wood;
polypropylene: although this material is inferior to composite in strength, it tolerates seasonal temperature changes well and is able to serve for a long time.

It is better to protect a stationary pool with at least a simple canopy. In this case, less debris and fallen leaves will accumulate in it.

Filtration system

Without a high-quality filtration system, stationary summer cottages will simply be overgrown with mud in a very short time. Depending on the way water circulates in them, you can choose any of the purification systems:

overflow: through funnels with filter screens located along the perimeter of the upper part of the pool, water enters the pipeline, where it is purified and returned back; when equipping the system with a pump, all layers are cleaned;
skimmer type: less costly method, more suitable for small reservoirs; water for cleaning is taken not using overflow trays, but by means of built-in or hinged skimmers - coarse filters, which are small hollow containers, to the bottom of which a water intake pipe is connected.

Monolithic concrete pool for summer cottages

From durable reinforced concrete, you can make both a small swimming pond and a full-fledged swimming pool, equipped with modern equipment. But in both cases, the process of its arrangement is largely similar. We will describe in detail how to build a pool in the country with our own hands from concrete.

Location selection and site preparation

In order for the water in the pool to warm up as quickly as possible, it is placed in an open space, away from tall buildings and trees that block the sun. The close location of vegetation is also undesirable because in the fall, crumbling foliage will clog the pool, and it will take much longer to clean it. The growing roots of such powerful plants as poplar, willow or birch can easily destroy even concrete.

The direction of prevailing winds should also be taken into account so that most of the debris is nailed to a place convenient for cleaning. In the selected area, shrubs are cleaned and sod is cut. It is also necessary to remove the large branches of trees hanging over the pool.

If there is a place on the site with a close passage of clay, it is better to build a pool for a summer residence there. After all, this sedimentary rock is able to retain water and act as an additional layer of waterproofing.

Preparation of the pit

The simplest pool looks like a rectangular or oval-shaped container, on one of the sides of which a small pit (drainage well) is made, but deeper than the main bowl. It should be located 0.7 m below the bottom level. A pump for pumping and drain pipes will be placed in it.

Let's describe the process of preparing a pit in stages:

For the installation of spacers under the formwork and the convenience of the approach, the width and length of the pit should be 60-80 cm larger than the planned dimensions.
To protect it from shedding the soil, its walls are made with a slight slope.
If adults are going to swim in the pond, the most comfortable depth is 1.5 m with a length of 5.5 m. A separate area must be fenced off for children. Taking into account the bottom slab, crushed stone and sand cushions and finishing tiles, this dimension should be increased by 40-50 cm.
Water supply, drainage pipes and drain pipes are laid at the stage of preparing the pit. The pipes for supplying water are led into the pit in such a way that they have a slight slope.
For a large pool, 2-3 drain holes are prepared, pipes for draining the waste should also be located at a slight angle.
The bottom of the pool should also have a slight slope (by 1 m 2-3 cm).
Geotextiles are rolled along the bottom with an overlap of 10-20 cm. It protects against moisture from the soil and concrete cracking when it freezes, and also prevents soil and clay from mixing with the bedding. For small structures, you can replace geotextiles with roofing material or thick plastic wrap.
To protect concrete from the destructive effects of groundwater, a cushion of sand from crushed stone of 30-35 cm is first poured. It should be carefully tamped.

It is advisable to insulate the bottom of the pool for the summer cottage. In this case, it will warm up much faster, and cool down much more slowly at night. To do this, use penoplex or expanded polystyrene. Foam plastic should not be used - it will flatten under the weight of water, and the effect of the insulation will become zero.

Pouring a concrete bowl

The concrete used to fill the pool has special requirements. It must be frost-resistant and not crack under the influence of temperature and pressure drops. Therefore, for arranging its bowl, a concrete mixture of high-strength cement M400-500 is used with the proportions of sand-cement-crushed stone 1: 3: 5:

It is desirable to use hydro-technical concrete with special waterproof additives, but it costs a lot. To reduce the cost of the solution, such additives can be purchased separately.
To obtain a solid foundation, first a thin pouring of the bottom is made with a cement mortar of "lean" concrete from inexpensive cement M100-200.
The sand is selected clean, not silted, with an average size of granules.
Mixing concrete by hand for a large structure is problematic - it is better to order a ready-made one or rent a concrete mixer.
Excess water in the solution, as well as its lack, can deteriorate the quality of concrete - a not too thick creamy mixture is prepared for it, which will not drain from a trowel or wooden stick.
First, dry components are mixed, and only then liquid is gradually added to the solution.
For a concrete bowl, formwork is made from wooden panels or moisture-resistant plywood, which is fastened together with metal studs.
To avoid deformation of the formwork under the weight of a heavy mortar, spacers from a bar are installed every 0.5 m.
The bottom of the pool is reinforced with a rod of 8-14 mm in two tiers with a step of 20-25 cm and wire strapping. It is undesirable to use soldering - when the soil moves, such a bundle will simply burst. On non-porous soils with a shallow depth of the reservoir, the use of 10 mm rods is allowed.
The first layer of reinforcement is located 5 cm above the bottom of the slab (the rods are placed on supports made of brick fragments). The second is at the same distance from its top. Since the standard thickness of the slab is 20 cm, there should be about 10 cm between the layers of reinforcement.
The rods are bent to the edges of the slab (in the area of future walls) in the shape of the letter "G".
To remove air voids when laying concrete, it must be bayonetted with a shovel as it is filled or pressed with a vibration compactor.
When pouring the side parts of the bowl, embedded elements are mounted in them - water supply and intake nozzles. They are carefully sealed with cords with additional waterproofing with a sealant.
It is advisable to fill the bottom and walls of the pool at the same time, by the method of continuous supply of concrete, not allowing it to harden. Otherwise, a so-called "cold" seam is formed at the joints, which is a problem area - when the soil moves, the concrete bowl in this place may simply burst. However, in this case, you will need special formwork and the presence of special equipment for casting.
For uniform drying and hardening of concrete, it is covered with plastic wrap. In the hot season, the surface is periodically moistened with water.
Further work on finishing the pool for the summer cottage is carried out only a month later - this time will be enough for the concrete to fully strengthen.
The formwork for the steps is also installed after the bowl has completely solidified. Curved steps can be obtained when using plywood as formwork.

If continuous pouring of concrete is impossible, and it is impossible to do without a "cold seam" at the junction of the bottom and walls, it is better to lay a masonry mesh and a special cord at the junction - it, upon contact with liquid, is able to expand and completely fill the free space with itself. The joint is additionally treated with a waterproof sealant.

Selecting a filter unit

The simplest filtering equipment consists of a central pump and a set of pipes with nozzles, figings and valves for its connection. A container with sand or other filler for cleaning is supplied to it. For process monitoring, more expensive installations may include pressure gauges, timers and sensors.

Naturally, the most important parameter of such equipment is its power. For a small pool, it is enough to purchase a unit capable of pumping water at a rate of 1200-1500 l / h. It is worth paying attention to the time of continuous work - it can be from 2 to 12 hours.

According to the cleaning methods, the filtering equipment is subdivided into:

working on cartridges with a sorbing substance: the most inexpensive option, but they will have to be changed every 2 weeks;
with sand filler: very reliable and durable, the disadvantages include the lack of a cleaning system for the smallest dust particles;
diatoms: the most expensive and effective, water is filtered by passing it through several cartridges containing the smallest particles of silicon.

Finishing

Before starting finishing work, be sure to check the quality of waterproofing. To do this, fill the pool with water, measure its level and leave it for 10-12 days. It should be noted that in the warm season, it may slightly decrease due to liquid evaporation.

Plastering of walls is carried out using a metal reinforced mesh. To do this, use special waterproof solutions with additives. They must be put into the solution strictly according to the norm. It is not worth increasing the amount of added additives, otherwise the strength of the plaster may decrease. The approximate composition of the plastering solution is 1: 2 (cement M 500 and sand) with the addition of latex additives and microfiber.

The plastered and completely dried walls and the bottom are coated with liquid waterproofing using a fiberglass mesh. If the groundwater is located close to the soil, it is better to additionally treat them with a penetrating primer.

For finishing a concrete bowl, you can use:

frost-resistant ceramic tiles with anti-slip notches;
mosaic tiles for swimming pools;
PVC or butyl rubber: This is a more budget-friendly option.

Around the perimeter of the pool, to protect against pollution, is laid out paving slabs, paving stones, stone or pebbles. It is undesirable to use sand - it will fall into the reservoir.

Finishing a concrete pool with PVC film - video

Installation of a frame pool in the country

Its arrangement will require significantly less effort and free time. Such pools are installed slightly buried in the ground or directly on the surface. In winter, frame pools (with the exception of special frost-resistant ones) must be dismantled in order to avoid cracking of the plastic.

When digging a pit for such a pool, its bottom is covered with crushed stone of a large fraction by 30-40 cm to protect it from groundwater and carefully tamped. Then it is poured with a concrete screed 30 cm thick.If the structure is not planned to be buried in the ground, it is advisable to prepare a flat concrete platform that goes 20 centimeters into the ground, without a significant slope, and the structure itself is additionally reinforced with concrete or brick supports. So that the water in the pool does not cool down at night, a heater is placed under its base - polystyrene plates.

Regardless of the size and shape, in addition to the bowl itself, the set of frame pools necessarily includes a frame frame made of durable metal pipes. The industry also produces particularly durable, completely rigid structures. However, the weight of such a bowl will be significant, and professional help may be needed to install it.

To assemble a simple frame pool, you only need a screwdriver:

it is better to install it near communications so that the water supply does not become a constant problem;
since such a structure is not able to retain heat for a long time, it is better to insulate not only its bottom, but also the walls;
first, a metal frame is assembled, on which a plastic sheet is subsequently stretched or plastic sheets are attached;
it is better to install the pool on a warm day - the film will soften a little in the sun, and it will be easier to spread it;
in order to avoid leakage during the assembly process, it is imperative to control the tightness of the fit of each part;
the main power element of this design is the upper hoop resting on vertical posts; it is fastened using tees; holes for pins are located in the places of their connection.

The set of inexpensive Chinese models includes low-power filters for water purification, which quickly become clogged with dirt.If you do not plan to allocate a significant amount to purchase a high-quality frame pool for your summer cottage, it is better to limit yourself to a small children's model that can be cleaned by hand.

Inexpensive frame pool from an old ad banner

Banner fabric is similar in quality to durable tarpaulin, but it is not based on cotton, but waterproof polyester. For works, it is better to choose the thickest banner of high density. You can buy it for a symbolic price in any advertising agency. If the fabric seems thin to you, you can use two banners at once and lay them one on top of the other.

Since it will be problematic to install stationary cleaning devices in such a reservoir, it is better to make it in the form of a pond in which plants that purify water will be planted. To protect against algae that develop well in the absence of oxygen, the reservoir can be equipped with a compressor to saturate it.

So, how to make a pool in the country from an old banner:

the pit for such a reservoir is prepared in such a way that the banner significantly goes beyond its limits:
canvases overlap;
gluing of seams is carried out without glue using a construction hair dryer; to make them durable, you need to do this on a flat surface; after unfolding the fabric, the seams are heated and then rolled with a roller;
small sides are poured around the bowl, which are lined with bricks over the banner;
around such an impromptu pool, you can make a flooring of wood or overlay it with stone.

The pool from the banner does not need to be buried in the ground. In this case, a solid frame is prepared for him from pine boards (they are less susceptible to decay), metal or thick-walled plastic sheets:

first, a sand cushion 10 cm thick is poured;
support pillars are attached in the corners of the structure;
every 0.5 m, a timber is dug in to the same depth along the perimeter;
it is connected by a horizontally located edged board, which is attached about 20-30 cm from the ground;
you can strengthen the structure with additional strapping at the top and bottom of the structure.

The glued bowl is secured with 35 mm washers. The top is fixed with self-tapping screws with a pitch of 30 cm. Just like a regular stationary pool, the banner structure can be equipped with streamers for water purification.

Production of composite pools - video

So, we have described in detail how to make a pool in the country with our own hands. If you still have any questions, you can familiarize yourself with the process of constructing a concrete structure in the following video:

Ten basic mistakes when building a pool in the country - video

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