it’s hardly a good thing that the world is experiencing not only flooding, and strange weather patterns, but a definite rise in temperatures throughout areas previously never reaching over 100 degrees (hello, Portland, Oregon — we feel your pain at a record-breaking 115 degrees). it makes me angry, and it makes me sad but that’s a whole other story. for the moment i thought i’d re-share a helpful way to stay cool in these crazy heatwaves. a lot of people have been asking me about how i put together my ‘cowboy pool’ in my old home back in los angeles so i thought i’d share a recap. it truly was a lifesaver for me when L.A. temperatures soared all summer long and a relatively inexpensive way to cool off. so without further ado, here is how i did it. meet what some seem to call the cowboy pool — a galvanized stock tank for watering livestock, repurposed as an affordable alternative for those of us who can’t swing the cost of a built-in swimming pool! and this was not my genius idea — i got it from morgan at and who inspired me to make my own.
so, to begin i did some research and discovered that a company called distributes these (for just $400!) and blog has a really easy-to-follow and there’s also which are both really helpful in accomplishing your own cowboy pool. if you’re not close enough to rural king, distributes these stock tanks all over the country and you can find a . For those of you in the los angeles area, i found mine at and they delivered it to me within the same day for a very affordable fee (I think it was like $150, which for a 2-hour roundtrip drive i thought was quite fair). the next trick was getting it up my hill and into my backyard! these babies are big, awkward and not ridiculously heavy but it did take four guys to bring it up. so have some heavy lifters to help you.
the pool holds 700 gallons of water so be sure your pool area can support that weight and you may want to add a base of gravel or sand for support. i had built a deck that wasn’t getting much use so that was the perfect spot for my pool. you’ll need to get and (i got this cute ), as well as a to keep the water fresh, clean and mosquito-free which can be found on or your local pool supply store. this is also a for making a salt water stock tank pool.
and most importantly, you’ll need the for above ground pools and , which i also found on . the (and there are many other diy videos on youtube) shows you exactly how to install it – but my handyman did secure the holes with extra washers and clamps to get really tight, waterproof hoses. i hired a handyman who specialized in pools and found him by calling pool supply stores for recommendations and researching on . i also picked up an for skimming leaves and debris from the pool, which i actually find quite a zen experience — i love getting every last leaf! and there are also pool covers available, too.
the pool is 8 feet in diameter and about 3 feet tall, so while you definitely can’t do laps, it’s the best floating pool around and i’ve found hours of pleasure hanging out there with a hat and a good book. i got a in black and white stripe (another tip I stole from !) and for easy inflation, an (save your breath!). if you want something smaller, this is pretty great, too and keeps you extra cool because the mesh keeps you partially submerged in the water — plus: drink cozy! oh, i also added a few of these cute to the fence and added a couple of for guests.
and lastly, i had some wood planters around the deck, but as you can see i have so much green space in my backyard i thought they’d be better put to use as benches around the pool, so my carpenter built them over the planters. i then had him add poles so i could string my to create mood lighting at night, for hanging poolside, or evening floats. i then enlisted my favorite L.A. upholsterer to make custom cushions in light gray sunbrella waterproof fabric (with zippers so they can be washed) for the built-in benches — making it an extra cosy spot to read and catch some rays. i also added a few cacti and for a little extra ambiance, and voilá — my cowboy pool is complete! if you have any questions at all please let me know and i’ll do my best to answer them!
• photography by victoria smith for sfgirlbybay.
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