There is no doubt that if you have a natural swimming pool near your home, you won’t like to swim in a harsh, chlorinated concrete hole. Similar to rivers and lakes, natural or organic swimming pools are completely chemical free and have a self-cleaning, ecosystem. They use aquatic plants and natural materials to filter the water, so they are often less expensive to use than traditional pools. In addition to being healthier and lower maintenance costs, natural swimming pools are much more beautiful to look at in your landscape since they are with natural looking, beautifully shaped and curved edges.

In this article, we will talk about a guide how to build a gorgeous natural pool in your very own backyard. We will also provide some tips for a natural swimming pool. Then we will give you 15 natural pool inspiration(PICTURES)!

#1. Choose The Location

Where to set up your natural pool is the first thing you need to decide. You’ll have to consider where you’ll be setting up the filtration system. The equipments and piping will take up your space. In addition, you will need to consider which plants will grow and thrive near your new oasis. Plants will be an important part of your landscaping.

Tips: Don’t make your design of pool too complex. While shallows, natural stone walls and water features look great, they cost you much money and add difficulty in construction.

#2. Time to Dig

Once your plan is in place, you’ll start the process of digging the land. You can excavate your pool as shallow or deep according to your desire. To prevent the soil of the sides from caving in, you need to make sure the sides slope. The right slope ratio is one foot of vertical drop per three feet horizontal.

Tips: Make sure there are no water, sewer, or gas lines in your digging area. Make sure the bottom of your natural pool as flat as possible. The flat bottomed natural pool is lots easier to clean.

#3. Divide Your Natural Pool

Because natural pools rely on the aquatic plants to filter the water, you ‘d better reserve at least 50% of your pool’s surface area for plants. In addition, you will need to separate the swimming area of your pool and the filtration area, or plant zone.

#4. Set Up Filtration

The aquatic plants need circulated water to keep the function of filtering. Just as a natural filter, bacteria on the plants’ roots break down toxins and remove excess nutrients in the water. You’ll need to keep water from becoming stagnant. The water needs to be flowing and aerated, otherwise it will bring many problems like bacteria growth and mosquitoes infestation. In order to make your pool’s natural filtration system work, it needs to circulate continuously through use of a pump and PVC piping. Underwater aerators are another important equipment that is used to insure that
the oxygen levels are met for your pool ecosystem.

Tips: It’s best to hire a professional when dealing with any electrical components – because many of these fittings will have to work in or near water.

#5. Waterproofing

Once digging is complete for your pool and filtration zones, it is time to the most important, and tricky, part of this entire project – sealing the pool. You can apply a layer of bentonite clay to get the waterproof purpose or lay a synthetic liner. Just as a glue, bentonite clay provides a pretty cheap way to prevent water from leaking out into the ground. If you decide to use clay, talk to a a local pond builder to see if the soil in your region will work with it. After the bentonite clay or a liner is installed, fill the bottom of the pool with 4-5 inches of clean gravel.

#6. Construct The body of the Pool

Made from cement and recycled foam plastic, Rastra Blocks may be your best option in constructing the main body of the pool, because you don’t consider the intricacies of concrete pouring. You’ll need to place gravel beneath the Rastra, then fill the spaces between the stone with an expanding foam sealant.

Tips: Black liners produce a high passive heat gain, so heating becomes far cheaper or even unnecessary.

#7. Plant Around Your Natural Pool

Be sure to choose plants suited to your climate. Select soil that’s free of organic matter for your plant zone. Place your plants into the soil, anchoring them, with plenty of gravel. Not only plants create an authentic, natural feel for your new backyard sanctuary, but they also hold the soil in
place effectively to stabilize the pool edges.