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Safe Pools for Children
If you have children, then safety issues are extremely important when designing your water lily pool. There are some main ways of ensuring that your pool remains safe for children.
The first method is a raised pool. With a raised water lily pool, you follow a similar method to the formed concrete pool, but build up the outer and inner wall forms more and tamp the stone harder so that the pool can rest closer to the top of the ground. If the ground and stone is tamped solidly place the pool right on top. This will ensure children cannot easily fall into the pool and injure themselves. With your child free to roam about, everyone can enjoy the beauty of your water lily garden.
While raised water lily pools are a great choice, the safest option for children is to construct a hidden screen. With three-quarter-inch pipe, construct a frame which will fit as a snug rim around the inside of the pool, and then cover this framework with strong wire fencing. Your water lilies and plants will grow freely around the fencing while preventing your children from coming to any danger when near the pool. The frame cannot be seen apart from directly above the pool, so the beauty of your water garden is preserved. Using the hidden screen in combination with a raised water lily pool would indeed be the best of all safety options.
The Summer Pool
If you want a quick and inexpensive pool, then the concrete summer pool is best. Work out your pool shape, and then cut a 30-inch deep trench around your pool, about 8 inches wide. As long as your earth is solid and can hold the concrete, this trench will act as the form for the walls of your pool. Fill the trench to about 6 inches with stones and metal reinforcement, and then fill it all in with concrete. Keep repeating this process until the wall forms are entirely filled. Once the walls are set a few days later, remove the inner earth and repeat the stones and concrete filling on the bottom. Cover that with a layer of waterproofing such as concrete mixed with water or asphalt. While this water lily pool is quick and cheap to construct, harsh winters are likely to crack the pool, requiring at least a new waterproof coating every year.