Since its cold outside I cant work on my backyard anymore, I will relive the past and go thru from the time I started up to presesent.
I actually started sometime in the winter of 2003. I started by researching on the internet everything I could about building a pool.
How they are built, materials used, concepts, cost, manufactures....people that had built there own, and those that had them custome built.
Diffrent pool building companys. Diffrent ideas, thoughts, anything and everything I could get my mouse on.
I came up with a few ideas, thoughts, opinions of my own.
There are four basic pools built.
One is the above ground, vinyl liner pool.
I did not want an above ground pool for several reason.
1.they do not last longer than 5 to 7 years on average.
Yes they can last longer, but its rare.
2. you have to build a wood deck up off the ground plus steps.
3. To me it does not add to the asthetics of the yard/house. acutally takes away.
cost of an above ground pool, the size I wanted with deck approx. 3200.00 with me doing all the labor.
Second type is the Inground Fiberglass pool.
This is a huge fiberglass shell that you buy and then put in a hole in the ground.
The biggest reason I didnt do fiberglass was the cost.
about 20k with me doing what work I could.
the shell itself delived and craned into my backyard woulda been about 14k.
That would leave all the deck, plumbing, digging the hole, plus all the pumps etc for me to do.
They do last along time, but I have heard you have to re-gelcoat them after a period of time, how long im not sure.
Third type is the Gunite pool.
they are built using re-bar and spraying gunite over it, then plastering that.
the majority of pools built in texas by companys is guinte pools. (over 90%)
You can't mix your own gunite for a job as small as the one I was doing.
so you have to have someone spray it on.
The plastering is another tough job. Although you can do it yourself, from what I have read its alot harder than any part of the job that I did.
And the plaster has to be redone every 10 to 15 years. (although I have read of plaster lasting over 20 years, but its rare)
and the plaster "breaths" that is it leaks chemicals into the water, so you have to use chemicals to counter act those chemicals, then before you know it your having a chemical war with your pool and GW is bombing your neighbors looking for WMD.
some cost breakdowns.
1.Call pool "builder" and have them do turn key product. my pool with fence and deck. 28,000 bucks.
2. you subcontract out what you can and do what you can.
a. Dig hole myself....1200
b. Rebar and install myself....800
c. Guinte sprayed in by manufacture.....4500
d. plaster, installed by skilled labor, not me......4000 (min)
E. All the pumps plumbing installed by me..........1500
F. Deck installed by me...............2000
g. Fence done by me........800
Total estimate before you add in the 20% fudge factor=14,800
My old cube neighbor did his close to this way although he did very little of the physical work, he hired it out, but his cost him a little over 20,000.
By subcontracting it out you can see that you save alot of money. However...
the biggest draw back to a guinite pool is the plaster needing to be redone every 10 to 15 years.
Also the chemical war thing since 9-11 had me concerned.
This brings us to the vinyl liner inground pool.
(yes I ignored the concrete inground pool, since gunite is a sprayable concrete, the true concrete pool has gone away)
A vinyl liner inground pool is this.
A hole in the ground, with a vinyl liner layed in it.
thats the basic part.
now you need something behind the vinyl liner to suppor it so it will last but...
you could take some black plastic and drape it inside a hole in the ground, fill it with water and you would have a pool.
I have seen pictures of black plastic drapped inside the back of pickup trucks, and filled with water.
vinyl pool same concept.
I have seen the type I built, hard plastic sides, set in concret with braces, with concret bottom and the vinyl laid inside it.
I have also seen D.I.Y. guys that used cender blocks for the sides.
As long as its not going to move it does not really matter.
You could do a guinte pool and then instead of plastering it, you could lay vinyl liner in it.
what I was looking for was someting that I could do most if not all the work myself to save money and get the enjoyment of building something and would last a long time with the least amount of upkeep, both money and labor.
so I chose a vinyl pool, that uses plastic sides that are braced and set in concrete, with a concrete bottom.
Also the vinyl does not breath the same as plaster thus your chemical upkeep is much easier.
This was a type of pool I could do the majority of the work. (I ended up doing all of it!)
My cost estimate was 10,000 and my goal was 8,000
I ended up spending just over 9,000. however I originally did not plan on the fence, but after I had the pool and deck complete decided to do the fence.
that was another 700 in materials.
First day, friend takes a turn on the "terramite" 
