Independently published Complete Beginner Guide To Inground Swimming Pool Construction: Basic Manual for Building an Inground Swimming Pool from Scratch: Site Preparation to Finishing

What this guide promises

I picked up this guide with the hope of getting a step-by-step roadmap for building an inground pool from scratch. At 250 pages and recently published, I expected a thorough walk-through of site prep, excavation, structure, plumbing, electrical, finishes, and commissioning—enough to take a confident DIY swing at a modest concrete or vinyl-liner pool, or at least supervise subs with clarity.

My experience using it on a real project

I used the guide while planning a 12-by-24-foot inground pool for a compact backyard. My goals were simple: understand the full sequence, build a realistic schedule, identify materials and tools, and get baseline specs for sizing rebar, plumbing, equipment, and electrical. I also wanted practical checklists I could hand to subcontractors and a way to sanity-check bids.

The guide helped me frame the overall process and keep the big picture in view. It’s written plainly and is approachable if you’re starting from zero. I marked up several sections while drafting a rough scope and a list of inspection milestones. It made the planning conversations smoother with my excavation contact and my concrete sub, and it did reduce the “what comes next?” anxiety in the early stages.

Where it didn’t help was in the places where numbers, drawings, and standards matter. Once I reached decisions about wall thickness, rebar spacing, plumbing layouts, pipe diameter, pump sizing, bonding and grounding, drain compliance, tile and coping details, and waterproofing options, I consistently found myself looking elsewhere. The book’s advice often stops at “do the right thing,” without showing you how to determine what “the right thing” is.

What it covers well

• The overall build sequence. From site selection and excavation through shell, plumbing, equipment pad, and finishes, the phases are laid out in logical order so you can anticipate dependencies.
• Common pool types and components. You’ll come away knowing the basic vocabulary—skimmers, returns, main drains, pumps, filters, heaters, lights, coping, decking, and interior finishes—and how they relate.
• Planning mindset. Repeated nudges to plan access for heavy equipment, think about drainage, allow for inspections, and consider long-term maintenance are valuable, especially if this is your first large outdoor project.
• Safety and “don’t forget” reminders. There are helpful notes to fence the site, maintain safe slopes during excavation, consider utility locates, and plan for electrical and bonding early rather than late.

If your primary goal is to understand the lifecycle of a pool build and talk to contractors in a more informed way, the guide is a comfortable read.

Where it falls short

This is where my experience diverged from what I needed to actually build or GC a pool:

• Structural specifics

  • No rebar schedules, spacing tables, or coverage requirements for shotcrete/gunite or poured walls.
  • No guidance on shell thickness by soil class, hydrostatic pressure considerations, or dewatering strategies.
  • No typical details for steps, benches, or bond beams.

• Hydraulics and plumbing

  • Lacks head-loss calculations, pipe sizing charts, or example plumbing schematics.
  • No guidance on skimmer quantity/placement relative to prevailing winds or return jet layout for circulation patterns.
  • No discussion of valve arrangements, equipment pad layout, or service clearances.

• Electrical and bonding

  • Minimal detail on NEC Article 680 requirements, equipotential bonding grids, or GFCI placement.
  • No diagrams for light niches, wet-niche bonding, or safe conduit routing.

• Safety and compliance

  • Light treatment of dual main drain requirements and suction entrapment protections (e.g., VGB compliance).
  • Insufficient coverage of barrier codes, alarms, and gate hardware details.

• Finishes and waterproofing

  • General overviews without substrate prep details, expansion joints, or material-specific specs for tile, plaster, or aggregate finishes.

• Project control

  • No sample schedules, inspection checklists, punch lists, or procurement lists with quantities.
  • Budget ranges are broad to the point of being non-actionable.

At nearly every “decision point” that carries real risk or cost, I needed to supplement with standards (PHTA/ICC), manufacturer manuals, or experienced trades.

Organization and readability

The book is easy to read. The language is plain, the sections are short, and the layout is airy with generous spacing. That makes for low-friction page turns, but it also means the information density is thin. I would have preferred fewer platitudes (“plan carefully,” “ensure proper connections”) and more evidence-based guidance: even basic tables, example layouts, or annotated diagrams would go a long way.

On the positive side, the linear organization mirrors a real build: it’s simple to drop bookmarks at each phase and keep your head in the right task order. I appreciated the consistent reminders to coordinate inspections and think about access and drainage before you dig.

Who will benefit from this guide

• Homeowners exploring whether an inground pool is feasible on their lot, wanting to understand the steps, moving parts, and rough sequencing before calling contractors.
• First-time GCs who plan to hire licensed subs for structural, plumbing, and electrical but want a single, approachable primer to build a shared vocabulary and a scope outline.
• Anyone who learns best from a gentle overview before diving into technical standards and manufacturer literature.

What you’ll still need if you plan to build

If you intend to DIY (or manage subs with minimal oversight), budget time to gather these resources:

• Local code and permitting requirements: talk to your building department early.
• PHTA/ICC pool standards for structure, hydraulics, safety, and barriers.
• Manufacturer manuals for pumps, filters, heaters, chlorination systems, lights, and automation.
• Engineering for soil conditions, shell design, and any retaining structures.
• Example details: rebar schedules, plumbing schematics, equipment pad layouts, bonding grid diagrams.
• Inspection checklists and a Gantt-style schedule with lead times for equipment and materials.

A practical approach I found useful:
- Use the guide to define scope and sequence.
- Draft a room-for-error budget and schedule.
- For each phase, create a one-page sheet with the actual details: dimensions, materials, standards references, and inspection criteria. That one-pager came entirely from outside sources.

Wish list for a future edition

• Sizing tables and example calculations (pipe diameters by flow, pump sizing by head, rebar spacing by span).
• Annotated diagrams for typical shell sections, skimmer/return layouts, equipment pad configurations, and bonding.
• Phase-by-phase checklists with pass/fail criteria for inspections.
• Templates: scope of work, request for quote, and punch lists.
• Expanded sections on dewatering, drainage, and soil risk.
• Clear coverage of VGB compliance and NEC Article 680 with practical examples.

Bottom line and recommendation

As a big-picture primer, this guide succeeds: it lays out the phases of building an inground pool in a friendly, non-intimidating way and helps you think through site logistics, major components, and sequencing. It’s a useful conversation starter and a confidence builder for planning.

However, if your goal is to actually build a pool—or even to GC the project with confidence—you’ll quickly run out of runway. The book stops where the hard decisions begin: structural details, hydraulics, electrical/bonding, and compliance. You’ll need to source those specifics elsewhere.

I don’t recommend this guide as a standalone “how to build a pool” manual. I do recommend it as an accessible orientation tool for homeowners at the planning stage or for anyone who wants a light, readable overview before moving on to technical standards and manufacturer documentation. Use it to get organized and to ask better questions—but don’t expect it to carry you from excavation to first swim on its own.