$600 Earthbag Swimming Pool


This project goes to show how low cost materials and some hard work can create something very valuable and desirable. Contractor built swimming pools are very expensive – beyond the budget of most people.

Hello, my name is Everton and I live in Brazil. This job took 3 weeks and I filled 350 bags with the sand of the place with the help of 2 friends. We did not have any experience with the technique and it cost approximately R $2000,00 (US$600). The pool is 6m in diameter at the top and 5m at the bottom and 1.4m deep.

The impermeability does not appear in the video but at this stage I used a polyester mesh with polymer mortar. I did not use a chicken mesh and applied the plaster directly to the bags by sticking easily. I have tested the pool for several days and it is perfectly watertight. Everything seems to be extraordinarily strong.

YouTube
Compare to a pool with pond liner.

11 thoughts on “$600 Earthbag Swimming Pool”

  1. Hello
    I am not a native english speaker.
    I want to make my swimming pool with this technique and i would really appreciate if you could post an update (how has it evolved 2 years later ?) and a step by step way to do the impermeability.
    Please.
    Thank you
    Cyril from Reunion Island

    Reply
  2. sorry, but unrealistic. three weeks labour, 3 quintales of rebar. cement, cost of bags, tile, plumbing. i would say closer to $3500 or a bit more even with free labour. i like the concept and i know that using this approach for dams works very well. just not sure why they opted to use earthbgas instead of going super adobe. i am also putting in a pool and have built numerous superadobe houses. great concept and a positive is more earthquake resistant over conventional in zones like here in nicaragua. curious as to the success they have had after a couple of years. interesting post. thanks

    Reply
    • There was a small error in the email. The cost was USD 2000.00 which approximately R$ 6600 – 7000. The working day cost Usd 15.00 then 2 workers x 20 days = USD 600. The cement USD 6.00 x 40 = USD 120, The 5 iron screens USD 75, 350 bags USD 70, waterproofing and ceramic coating USD 714.This is what I remember now plus other small things total USD 1579.00 I used sandbags because they were what I had available. And I also have doubts about the durability of the project. But only time will tell.

      Reply
    • Hey Kevin,

      I would like to ask you a few questions, Im interested in building a pool with superadobe, I’ve seen the concept, never done it, you got any tips, thanks in advance.

      Reply
  3. Everton,Vila Lobos com “Brasileirinho” deve ter te ajudado porque, a piscina ficou simplesmente: LINDA!Parabens!
    Um abraço fraternal para você e amigos que te ajudaram.

    Reply

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