Just finishing my ICF pool

10 years ago

Just finishing my ICF pool.
Subcontracted it out, pulled the permits myself.

It's turning out very nice: lap pool, 42 feet long, 9 feet wide.
Uniform 4.5 foot depth.

Better than anything I could have gotten from the local pool builders, but a huge pain in the ass.

Not so much from the technique or materials, but from the pain of having people not show up at critical times.
The finish guy got a DWI, the ICF guy got called out of town on a job, etc.
It was a constant battle getting subs to show up.

I learned a lot, and it's the first ICF pool anyone has heard of in this area of Florida (panhandle).
Kind of fun that it can be totally drained without fear of it popping out of the ground (the bottom/foundation is 8 inches thick of poured concrete and rebar/welded wire) with anchors deep into the soil beneath that.

Next phase is tiling the deck. How hard could that be? It's not like someone won't just show up for work.....

Garrett

Featured Answer

garrettp1
Original Author

10 years ago

ICF stands for insulated concrete forms.
They are those styrofoam/extruded polystyrene forms (commonly 4X4 feet square) which are hollow in the center where concrete is poured (like a styrofoam sandwich with concrete in the center).

Maybe they can pop out of the ground, but the engineers and manufacturers say they won't.

Part of the delay on my pool being finished was 35 straight days of rain that prevented the final (interior) finish from being supplied.
It didn't pop out of the ground then; I'm pretty sure it won't in the future.

Comments (13)

golfgeek
10 years ago
GarrettP1,
What does ICF stand for?
Keep in mind, it doesn't matter how thick or anchored a pool shell is, the physics are the same and any pool shell can float.
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Mark32439
10 years ago
Garrett, we also live in the panhandle, and just finished our ICF house. We are looking into pool kits, and thought about ICF. I would very much appreciate being able to speak with you about your pool. Thanks! Mark
Dolphin123
9 years ago
Also in the panhandle and looking at ICF construction for the house.....Mark & Garrett can you please tell me who your ICF contractor was?
Gary6958
9 years ago
I have ICF blocks. (Insulated Concrete Forms). Any amount for sale.
Shipped to any country worldwide.

Size: 50Ã¢ÂÂ long (127cm), 10Ã¢ÂÂ high (25.5cm) and 6Ã¢ÂÂ (15cm) wide
(with a nominal concrete core of 4Ã¢ÂÂ (10cm) ).

It is the exact equivalent of 4 CMUs (concrete masonry unit) in area and only weighs 1.25 pounds.
The forms are stacked without mortar and are interlocked like a Lego Set into which reinforced concrete is placed, creating a wall and foundation with a fraction of the labor of conventional CMU. Please email with details of quantity needed. Country to be delivered and target price to: garyjmcneish@gmail.com
angelinamike
9 years ago
I was also having the facility of the pool but for this purpose, I hire the services of http://swimrightpools.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: Swimrightpools
just-a-pb
9 years ago
My question is why?
What do you gain using ICF for a pool over conventional methods, other to then to say you have it.
ryseryse_2004
9 years ago
We built a basement and a garage with ICF and the reason we chose to use those is that we could do all the work ourselves other than the excavating and the concrete pour. I am fascinated by the idea of building an in-ground pool with these.

Seems like a much less expensive way to have a pool!
msmith8441
7 years ago
for just-a-pb: Huge benefits w/ ICF- I can erect the formwork myself, saving $$$, and for in-ground pool, the entire pool is insulated from lower (60-ish) ground temps which will steal heat (heat will flow into the ground thru walls/floor of pool) year round. In CO where I hope to get mine going shortly I can probably extend my pool season by a few weeks both sides of summer, or even put an enclosure over it & use it in winter w/ far-reduced heat loss. Structurally, the integrated concrete/rebar shell will withstand cracking better, hold tile finishes better, and give me nice flat/square areas to tile.
PRO
IPC Team
7 years ago
To save on heating and chemicals, you can also put a pool enclosure on top of it, check these examples:
Retractable pool enclosures - low · More Info

Recent Pool and Patio Enclosures Installations · More Info

Call Alex https://www.sunrooms-enclosures.com/ if you find this post helpful :-)

Jiri
HU-427984292
3 years ago
Hi Garret. I know this post is incredibly old but I am looking to build an ICF pool in Nirth Central Florida and cannot find a draftsman or structural engineer who will take on the work. Any recommendations?
Richard Evans
3 years ago
HU-427984292: I am and ICF distributor and builder in Texas and have several ICF pools underway. You should check out the www.buildblock.com website as they have allot of information, including engineering, on their website that you can download. I'm fairly certain they should have an ICF distributor/builder in your area. Good luck!
kleynes
2 years ago
Just out of curiosity, how much per square food did it cost?