Building your own pool isn't that hard if your mechanically inclined.
Whether your in an area which has building codes or not, your most well served by adhering to them. The last thing you'd want to do is, upon sale of the property, be forced to bring the improvement into compliance because the buyers inspector found things that didn't meet code.
I build lots of pools in unincorporated areas where there is no enforcement of building codes. These standard were adopted for your protection.

See Ya,
Kelly