Part Two: DIY Stock Tank Pool — The Patio
Is a Patio Required?
Nope! If you already have an area in your yard that is level, feel free to skip this step. You can put your tank on pavement, grass, or dirt. It just needs to be level.
We decided to invest in a patio for the pool because 1) our lawn is not very level so the effort to even out space was necessary, 2) it creates an aesthetically pleasing area in the yard, and 3) it creates a space that people can mingle and enjoy each other's company in and outside of the pool.
Although the patio we created accommodates a stock tank pool, these steps and tips can be used to create a patio in general (although we highly recommend the pool part 😏).
For finding and transporting a stock tank, check out Part One: DIY Stock Tank Pool
Project Summary
- Hours to Complete: 36–48 hours. We worked on our patio after work during the week so it took us about 5 weekday nights. If you have a free weekend to solely work on this, it could be a 2-day project. We suggest at least 24 hours between digging up the dirt and leveling because the dirt you’ll expose day 1 needs time to dry and settle. This total time estimate assumes you have all the equipment ready and on hand.
- Cost: $400–$800. We spent roughly $500 (NOT including the tank). The pavers we purchased were $1.48/each. Depending on how expensive your pavers are and the area you need to fill, the cost will vary.
Pool Patio Shopping List
With a 13x13-foot area in mind, we purchased the following items for the stock tank pool patio:
- 16 Bags of Paver Sand: They recommend putting down “paver base” before “paver sand” but whatever… we took our chances without it. The bags will tell you how much you need based on the size of your area.
- 16 Bags of White Marble Chip Rock: This is the same rock we used in our front landscaping so we wanted to keep the same look. Other rock types will work fine. Keep in mind darker colors will absorb more heat from the sun! Again, the bags will tell you how much you need based on your area.
- Landscape Edging: We added edging around the perimeter to keep rocks from rolling into our grass. There are various options but we bought the basic kit that is more discrete. We also needed to buy extra spikes — the kit only comes with 18. We used about 35 in total. Our edging started to buckle after a day without the extra. If you want to avoid this, add more spikes than you think necessary or try metal landscape edging. We have metal edging in our front landscaping and along our gravel driveway. It is sturdier.
- Weed Control Fabric: Putting this down after leveling will help prevent weeds from poking up between pavers/rocks. 🌱 We purchased heavy-duty fabric which is pricier but it was nicer than the plastic alternatives.
- Fabric Staples: We bought 75 and used maybe 8 😅.
- Pavers: We went with 40 12x12-inch pavers. Remember, darker colors will absorb more heat from the sun! 🔥
- Spray Paint (optional): We measured the area and spray painted the boundaries of the 13x13-foot area so we had a visual reference while tilling and digging.
Tools Needed 🧰
- Gloves 🧤
- Tape Measure 📏
- Tiller: If your yard is dry and hard to shovel, like ours, rent a gas or electric tiller. It will save you so much time and energy. If you own one, even better.
- Shovels: I recommend the ones with a flat edge. They do better in lifting up large areas of grass and dirt. We actually didn’t use this much since we rented the tiller.
- Wheelbarrow: These trusty vessels are totally underrated.
- Leaf Rake: Since we had a lot of grass to remove in our space, this type of rake did a better job of collecting grassroots off the surface of the area. 🍂
- Bow Rake: This type of rake does great in moving dirt and sand around to help level.
- Tamper: To beat and level the ground.
- Level: There is one on your phone if you don’t own or want to buy one.
- Mallet/Hammer: To drive in spikes of landscape edging. 🔨
- A long piece of wood or other material to help smooth and level.
- A piece of wood (or several) to evenly space out the pavers. We did a “rip” cut, 3-inches wide with a table saw. What’s a rip cut? It means to cut along the long side of a piece of wood (with the grain) versus a “crosscut” which is perpendicular to the wood grain (Nathan— my husband— literally told me this as I was writing).
Steps to Dig, Till, & Level
1 — Use a tape measure and spray paint to mark off the area you want to dig up for your patio.
2 — Using a tiller, till up the area and focus on the areas you know are bumpy or higher to make leveling easier. With the tiller we rented, it took about 6–7 passes to get down to moveable dirt that could be raked easily. We focused more on the left side by the white fence because our lawn slopes upwards on the side. NOTE: we left the back corner of the patio area untilled because we will eventually build a small deck behind the pool.
3 — After each pass with the tiller, we went through and raked up grassroots and collected the debris in a wheelbarrow. By the 4th or 5th pass, we were able to see and move dirt.
4 — Once tilled, we raked and eyeballed the levelness of the area. After moving around dirt, we used a long piece of wood and a level to check for levelness. We did this about 3–4 times. Move dirt, level, move more dirt, level, and so on.
Note: We only went 1.5–2 inches deep so our pavers will sit taller than the lawn. If you want pavers level with the lawn, dig down 4–6 inches depending on the height of your paver.
5 — Once we got the area well leveled, we lightly watered the dirt to help settle everything. We forgot to tamper but this would have helped level and settle the dirt as well. DO NOT water the dirt and then try to tamper. Mud will collect at the bottom of the tamper.
6 — After the area dried (12–24 hours), we measured levelness (again) and made adjustments.
7 — Next, we added the landscape edging. We placed the edging along the two sides touching the grass. This provided a nice clean line around the patio and it will also keep rocks out of the grass. We did not place the edging along the fence, although you could.
8 — The next day we ended buying and adding more spikes to the edging since we noticed buckling in the heat as things settled. More spikes helped but it isn’t perfectly straight. Since the pavers sit higher than the edge and grass will eventually grow back up to the edge, we aren’t bothered too much by this. If you want to avoid this, consider metal landscape edgers.
9 — Next up, paver sand. Paver sand helps keep the area compact and level better than regular dirt.
IMPORTANT: We recommend waiting 24–48 hours after tilling before adding paver sand. Digging and tilling exposes dirt that contains moisture. Allowing a few days for it to dry out and settle will help ensure levelness when adding sand. Texas clay soil is known to move a lot so the more patience you have during these steps, the better outcome in the long run.
10 — Add sand, rake it out, add sand, rake it out.
11 — After all of the sand was distributed, we took the same long piece of wood to smoooooooth it out. This, again, is needed to help level.
12 — Once smooth, we measured levelness with the piece of wood (again). We did this until it was super level. Smooth out, level, smooth out, level.
13 — We then added weed control fabric. We measured and cut out 4 large pieces to fit the space and secured it down with a few staples. We put down maybe 5–8 staples. No need to go overboard.
14 — FINALLY, time to roll the tank over!
Placing the Tank, Rocks, and Pavers
1 — We placed the stock tank right in the middle of the area.
2 — We checked the tank itself by placing the same piece of wood across the tank’s diameter and using the level.
3 — Next, we placed the pavers down and situated them around the tank based on our initial sketch.
4 — We used a piece of wood cut 3-inches wide to evenly space the pavers.
5 — Then we added rock around the pavers and tank — the easiest and most satisfying part.
Fin!
Overall, this project worked out great. I’ll say it again, renting a tiller saved us from hours of manually digging up loads of grass and dirt. If you want to get this done in a weekend, a tiller is a must.
Also, the 3-inch block between pavers to help with placement was a key trick to make the patio look professional. Eyeballing paver placement (which I would have done if Nathan didn’t suggest the wood block) would have looked rough.
Next? Pool Pump Set Up!
With the patio finished, we were able to hook up the pool pump the next day. In Part Three, I’ll break down exactly what we bought and the steps to add a pump to a stock tank pool.
Eventually, we will create a deck behind the pool (see sketch above). Once we get to this step, I’ll write about the materials and tools we purchased and used. Until then, good luck with your house projects! 🏡
