Rob Piller wrote to tell us about the novel way his father, Henk, has covered his inground pool to provide more usable space in the backyard. Rob, the youngest of Henk and Wilma Piller's children, left home in 1985. Henk has been maintaining the pool ever since, even though he and Wilma much prefer to swim in the local heated pool.

The pool was installed 20 years ago via a vacant lot at the back of the Piller's property. Henk considered filling in the pool, but his home is now completely surrounded by buildings and there is no longer access for machinery. He emptied out the water, but worried about safety and about the possibility of the concrete cracking. He was also fed up with having to constantly empty out rainwater.

Convertible pool!

Henk decided to cover the pool instead of filling it in. A steel structure in the pool supports a thick timber platform. The timber is covered with a layer of heavy plastic to keep rain out, and a layer of grass carpet on top. There is a suction line to the pool pump so if any water does get into the bottom, it can easily be pumped out.

Henk and Wilma now have extra space for entertaining and for the grandchildren to play. Visitors enjoying a game of bowls on the lawn don't even realise that there's a swimming pool underneath! If the house is sold and the new owners want a pool, it will only take 3 to 4 hours to remove the pool cover.

Note: Don pointed out that if you empty an in-ground pool in an area with heavy soils and poor drainage, the whole pool shell is likely to 'pop' and float up out of the ground like a ship.

Copyright CTC Productions 2002