You Know You Installed Your Own Pool With a Pool Kit If…

Installing your own pool isn’t just a project—it’s a saga. From the first shovel of dirt to the final cannonball, putting in a DIY pool kit turns you into a part-time contractor, part-time chemist, and full-time problem solver. If you’ve ever sat on your deck staring at a level, muttering "close enough," welcome. You’re one of us.

Haven't installed your own DIY pool kit yet? Check out our selection of above ground pool kits

Let’s talk about what it *really* means to take on your own pool install—wobbly laser levels, YouTube rabbit holes, and all.

DIY Pool Life: Sweat, Sand, and Sore Backs

If you went the kit route, you already know it doesn’t come with chill. It starts with a crate the size of a small car and ends with a trench that looks like you’re trying to build a moat. You spend days convincing friends to help, only to realize no one understands the instructions (including you). Your garage is still half-full of PVC fittings and bolts "just in case."

Leveling the ground becomes your personality. The backfill process tests your faith in gravity. And don’t even get us started on the liner. We're talking wrinkles, stress, and one horrifying moment where you’re not sure if you’re filling it or flooding it. But somehow, against all odds, you pull it off. Kinda. Mostly.

Those “I Built This” Pool Owner Moments

• You’ve said, “It’s not crooked, it’s charming,” while squinting at the deep end.
• Your phone history is 80% “how to install pool skimmer without crying.”
• You’ve patched something with Flex Tape and called it “temporary,” even though it's still there two summers later.
• You tell every guest the full story of the install whether they ask or not.
• You still wake up in a cold sweat thinking about the night the pool wall shifted mid-fill.

Your pool might have quirks. It might not be totally symmetrical. But it works. It holds water. People swim in it. And no one gets electrocuted when the lights come on. That’s a win.

Hard-Earned Pool Vibes Hit Different

There’s something about swimming in a pool you built yourself. It’s a weird mix of pride, exhaustion, and disbelief. You still glance at it like, “Did I really do that?” You throw pool parties with a little extra swagger. You know where every pipe runs and which screw holds it all together.

And when something breaks? You don’t panic. You grab a wrench and fix it like the seasoned backyard engineer you are. Respect.

Welcome to the Pool Kit Survivor Club

If you installed your pool with a kit and lived to tell the tale, you’re part of an elite club. You know the struggle. You know the satisfaction. And you’ve probably warned someone, “It’s doable… but start early.”

Got a legendary pool kit story? A trench collapse? A mid-install meltdown? We want to hear it. At AquaDoc, we raise our skimmers to every self-built pool warrior. Keep patching. Keep laughing. And keep making those DIY cannonball memories.