Terrible Pool Constructions That Weren’t Worth the Investment

Materials Needed: Dozens of Heineken boxes, liner
Est. Cost to Build: $1,000+*

You know what they say – there are many ways to skin a cat. There are also many ways to build a pool, but that doesn’t mean that all of them should actually be looked into as distinct possibilities. These guys have bought dozens of crates of beer and used them as a structure before lining the inside and filling it with water. 

Beer Supply @joannie1967 / Pinterest.com

It certainly looks very neat, but we can’t get over the cost. If each crate of beer costs around $20 that’s an incredibly large amount of money to spend. It would actually have been cheaper to buy a hot tub from Amazon and spend the rest of the cash on beer that could actually be consumed instead of used as a construction material. 

Materials Needed: A trash can
Est. Cost to Build: Free (If you have a trash can)

We all know that Australia gets incredibly hot in the summertime. It’s part of the national identity, just like throwing shrimps on the barbie and saying g’day. A lot of Australian homes have pools in the yard for this exact reason, but if you don’t have one, what do you do? 

Trash Bin Pool @h_xhra / Twitter.com

This gent from the city of Glen Eira decided to (hopefully) give his trash can a thorough cleaning out before filling it with water and sitting in it. He doesn’t look like he regrets his decision, but we just can’t shake the feeling that it all still feels very unclean. 

Materials Needed: An old car, liner
Est. Cost to Build: $500+*

We’re going to go out on a limb here and say this wasn’t all that easy to make. Even if the old car was already owned, the top half would need to be sawn off, the insides would have been ripped out, and then the liner would have to go in. 

¿Quién quiere un coche-piscina?

Any odd, pointy bits lying around the bottom would have to have been safely removed. Call us crazy, but we just don’t look at an old Ford and think, “Gosh, that would make a perfect pool.” However, these ladies don’t seem to be mad at how their invention turned out. 

Materials Needed: Plastic sheeting, tape
Est. Cost to Build: $30*

There’s a lot of reasons why getting a giant piece of plastic sheeting, taping it around your living room, and filling it with water is a terrible idea. No matter how hot it is outside, it’s never worth jeopardizing the rest of your belongings just because you need to cool down. 

Indoor Pool @u/famousright / Reddit.com

That being said, we can’t help but wonder how these two geniuses managed to empty their makeshift pool. Did they have to crack open a window, buy some buckets from Walmart and just scoop it out over the course of a few hours? Either way, even though it may seem like a cheap and cheerful solution we’re putting this on the “Do Not Try This at Home” list.  

Materials Needed: An old dumpster, wooden steps, water system
Est. Cost to Build: $200+*

Whatever happened to buying a good old-fashioned paddling pool and letting the kids have fun in it until the dog eventually pops it with a misplaced paw? That might sound like a childhood rite of passage, but these kids got something else entirely. 

Dumpster Diving @jk590 / Pinterest.com

All you need for this strangely inventive hack is an old dumpster, a rigged water system, and some wooden steps. It’s definitely not as cheap as picking up a pool at Target but you have to admire the ingenuity. At least the kids look happy.

Materials Needed: A boat, sheeting, wood
Est. Cost to Build: $100 (if the boat was already there)*

Boats are designed to go in the water and not be filled with water, but whoever came up with this clearly didn’t get the memo. There’s an awful lot going on in this picture, but it looks like the boat has been lined with sheeting and secured with wooden slats. A hose has supplied the water while the traffic light…well, there’s no explanation for that. 

A Reverse Boat? @winkgo / Pinterest.com

Clearly, this masterpiece was a labor of love for a patriot hoping to spend the 4th of July looking adoringly at the American flag while cracking open a can of Budweiser and taking a nice, refreshing dip.

Materials Needed: Two dozen hay bales, plastic sheeting 
Est. Cost to Build: $150 (excluding the hay)*

We’ve got to admit that this one is as close to summertime perfection as you can get without a professionally built pool. By stacking up hay bales into a large oval shape, lining it, and filling it with water, whoever made this has created the perfect family spot. 

Hay Bale Pool @jillvanderveen / Pinterest.com

Call us practical, but it looks safe and fun. No chance of a stray piece of wood poking you in the eye, the ground is soft, and the sides are soft too, making it kid-friendly. Hats off to this fantastical farmer, because this is one for the history books. Even the dog loves it. 

Materials Needed: Tent, string
Est. Cost to Build: $100*

No sheeting or pool liner in the garage? Don’t panic. Remember that tent you bought ten years ago with the intention of going camping every summer? It’s time to finally bust it out. All you need is some heavy-duty string or hope, a solid fence, and a hose. In no time at all, you’ll have your very own one-man pool. 

Tent-Pool @winkgo / Pinterest.com

The expression on this guy’s face says it all. He’s got everything he needs, from his glass of Walmart’s Great Value wine to his own photographer to capture this precious summer moment.

Materials Needed: Shovels, lots of muscle, liner, a hose, and a prayer
Est. Cost to Build: $100 (and an extra for medical bills)*

It could be argued that all pools start out as big holes in the ground, but most of them are properly lined, built, and have top-notch water filtration systems that keep everything germ-free. By the color of that water, there’s nothing in that pool but a bunch of bacteria ready and waiting to take root in digestive systems. 

Inground Pool @whiskeychick / Pinterest.com

These clever cookies clearly saw that shovels were on sale at Home Depot and decided to seize the opportunity on offer. Let’s hope that they’ve squirreled away a few hundred dollars to cover their medical bills when the inevitable E. Coli infections come knocking. 

Materials Needed: Old tractor tire, liner
Est. Cost to Build: $20 (if the tire was already owned)*

Sometimes, you just have to make your own fun. No pool? No problem. Just find a big ol’ tire lying around and buy some liner for around $20. A little bit of tape later and you’ve got yourself a makeshift kiddie pool that’s just big enough to turn one summer into something worthwhile. 

En-Tire Pool @no3l1ta18 / Pinterest.com

Sometimes, heat brings out the best in people. Who knows, whoever thought of this might be the next big thing in engineering and design. After all, it takes a special type of brain to put this kind of thing together.

Materials Needed: A cooler
Est. Cost to Build: Free

Kids aren’t big. Coolers aren’t big. Put them together and you’ve got an instant pool that will put a grin on one child’s face. The only downside? There’s absolutely no room for activities and instead of fighting over who gets the last ice pop, they’ll be fighting over who gets to take a dip. 

Cooler Pool @winkgo / Pinterest.com

If you go down this route be prepared to constantly fill up the cooler. You might also want to set up a handy little schedule and hand it out to all parties involved to put a stop to the fighting before it starts. Alternately, make up an excuse to go to Target and get the hell out of dodge. 

Materials Needed: Trash bags 
Est. Cost to Build: $1*

Have you ever felt so unbearably hot that you would willingly give anything a try if it just meant cooling off? On the flip side, have you ever had so many beers that it seemed like a good idea to just wrap yourself up in a trash bag, stick a hose inside, and become a human water balloon? 

Private Pools @guideastuces / Pinterest.com

Well, these guys have. We would love to know the backstory of this entire scenario, but since we don’t have it we’ll just have to take a flying leap to conclusions and assume it was the only viable option at the time. Top marks for ingenuity.

Materials Needed: An entire pool and terrible spacial awareness
Est. Cost to Build: Priceless

In theory, this idea should work on paper. Step one, buy a pool. Step two, put it in the garden. However, whoever decided that this would work forgot a whole bunch of steps, like digging a suitable hole in the garden before laying the pool in place. 

Above Ground Pool @TeamPoolWorks / Pinterest.com

It’s impossible to know exactly what went on here, but we do know that there is nothing aesthetically pleasing or even remotely safe about this monstrosity. Let’s hope it was remedied in one way or another, even if it meant bulldozing the entire thing.

Materials Needed: Wagon, liner
Est. Cost to Build: $30*

Anyone that has kids will know that it’s difficult to keep them pleased as punch in the summer months. Anyone who has adult friends that complain about being hot all the time will know that particular pain as well, so what’s the solution? 

Pool Wagon @ffotosrus / Pinterest.com

While most of us are still trying to figure that out, one family decided enough was enough. The answer to their prayers was to line a disused wagon and fill it with water. They don’t exactly look thrilled about it, but it’s cheaper than installing AC and that’s all that really matters right?