debating on how to level ground

[jimmyzshack]

my back yard slopes probably 6-12" can i just rent a sod cutter and dig it level, are to i need to rent some kind of machine to dig it out with.

another thing i just thought about can i just run over the high side twice with the sod cutter? I cuts up to 3" deep and a width of 18".
thanks,

[robot9000]

I am in the same boat. I used a sod cutter to get the sod out, but the blade follows the front wheels. So, as the ground raises, so did the blade.

I have resigned myself to the old shovel methond. It sucks as there is no shade and my ground is kinda hard clay.

Is there a better way? I was thinking of getting the sod cutter again, and setting the blade to a deeper depth, and just raising the handle to 'manually' set the depth. But this would be tricky and once you dig out too deep, that spot is messed up.

So to add to Jimmyz queston:

Is there an easier way to level a site (I personally have to remove about 4 inch on one end to be level with the other. Pool is 15x18 butress free oval)

How smooth do you guys make your final site. How do you get the shovel gouges out? Just keep detailing it with the shovel?

I know you aren't supposed to build up ground. If I have an area I dug a inch or two too deep (Just an area, say 6x8 inch) can I hand tamp some soil back, or is that against the rules :-)

Man, I hope everyone is right and this is the hardest part of the build :D

Thanks !

[ShelleyAnn]

Well, just been there done that and...there is no magic way to get the ground level other than...hiring someone else with experience to do it. This is the most labor intensive part of the whole project, and half way through you'll want to pick up the pace and get sloppy, but don't give in. I helped our neighbor, who has worked for the water company for 16 years, level our site and he was a human machine, boy has he leveled some soil in his day. After using his transum to get the overall feel for how much leveling we had to do (take 6" from here and put 6" there--used a commercial grade compactor to compact the moved dirt...can land a 747 on it) He used a 6", flat edged shovel, and a lazer level to do the initial grade. Then he did the 2x4 nailed to a wood spike trick and went around with his shovel and removed the high spots just like the instructions said to. We could not have done it without him, we would have had to pay a pool installer $2,500 for not as good a job.

Setting up the sides and installing the liner was more "stressful" but less work and required a serious cocktail after while the pool filled.

Shelley

[ShelleyAnn]

While is it nice to get the soil perfectly smooth...you will be digging trenches for the straps in a buttress free system and adding breeze and at least 2" of sand on top of that that needs to be smooth. Ours isn't smooth at all and while I don't think it hurts anything other than the effectiveness of the auto cleaner, it's just an asthetic thing. When we replace the liner in 15 years, I'll probably either smooth it much much better or put down a bottom liner.

[day1]

Just make sure it's level and dig down only .....don't backfill as it will result in unlevel pool.

[matt4x4]

Bobcat is the only non labor intensive way, even then, the final inch or so will have to be done by hand.
And yes, as Shellyann stated above, you CAN fill holes back in or move dirt from high to low and compact so it's hard.

[robot9000]

Well, I guess the good news is I am doing it right. The bad news, of course, is that this is hard work !!

I broke down and rented a Transit yesterday. Man, can the eye decieve you. I could have sworn on a stack of bibles where the low spot was. And I would have been wrong. The good news is that I'm getting it w/in an inch all around. Just sweaty back breaking work.

Luckly my neighbor is putting in a paver patio and will have a compactor on friday. I am going to borrow that and give the whole are a once over. That will also help if I have to fill in a few divots.

Thanks everyone for the info !

[jimmyzshack]

still don't know what i'm going to do yet. An excavator rental is 185 a day. I'm going to put the side up and see just how far they are off this afternoon.

[sevver]

An excavator is not the way to dig a pool, a bobcat it the only way, the excavator has a smaller bucket and is made to dig holes and trenches. I use a bobcat, a rotating laser, and a shovel. I see no reason to get the pad within an inch, just get it close, the perimeter should be right on where the pavers go, the purpose of the sand is to fill in any inconsitencies and provide a "cushy" bottom for the liner. For my pool, I used the pad that goes under the liner, and I really like it. My first pool did not have one and there were footprints under it.

[hrsdennis]

I do all of my grass removal and leveling with a sod cutter. I use dirt on a regular basis to fill in low areas. I then drive the sod cutter over the fill several times. I use the cutter with the blade up and blade gear disengaged. It makes a great packer.

Perfectly level and very smooth is a good way to start. The sand should be a very even cushion for the liner. The dirt needs to be flat, level and smooth. It is well worth the extra time.

Best of luck, Dennis

[bparks]

I had decent luck using our little roto-tiller to loosen the top clay (no soil, lol). it made for much easier removal of large amounts of soil, still hand to do a ton of hand work. Many bags of sand and the 2x4 pivoting from the center helped het a smooth bottom. This was for our old sofpool, so traditional AG's may need something different.

[jimmyzshack]

ok i bit the bullet and rented one of the small bobcats for sat. also found out that the pools here have to be 10ft from the back property line and 5ft from the side.