Harnessing the power of social media, a DIY dad transformed his backyard into a tropical paradise.
Inspired by a YouTube video of a woman building a pool in her yard, the father of two decided to take the plunge himself.
With a desire to “give it a go,” Alex Dodman, who had “zero experience,” rented a mini digger and began excavating his yard for the pool that same day.
Keep reading to learn more about this man’s dream project and how he accomplished it on a budget!
In 2018, Alex Dodman, an ambulance worker from Essex, moved into a rundown home with his partner Sarah and their two young children, Allie and Eddie.
The house was a fixer-upper, and Dodman, now 38, was inspired by social media to transform it into a dream home for his family.
The renovations began with a YouTube video showing a tradesperson putting up a wall stud.
Over time, Dodman, who works for the National Health Service, added a gym in the back garden, a family-sized cinema space, and a fold-down bed in his sleek home office.
Eventually, he discovered that the home, purchased for £250,000 (about $322,000 US), had more than doubled in value to £525,000 ($675,000 US).
“We had the house valued and were told it was now worth £525,000, which I put down to the work I’ve done,” Dodman told The Sun in February 2022.
Realizing he had a natural talent for DIY, the father was ready for his next project.
Diving in
During a lunch break, Dodman explained that he “watched a YouTube video of a woman in Holland who built her own pool in her garden.”
He shared that he had “dreamt of having a pool” and had even “earmarked a little patch to hopefully build it on one day.” Inspired by the video, Dodman dove right into his new DIY project.
“As soon as I watched the video, I called up and hired a digger. I’d never driven a digger before, so I dug this massive hole, and there was no going back.”
‘A blessing’ Despite his enthusiasm, Dodman encountered a major obstacle.
He began building the pool in January 2020, but when COVID-19 hit, he couldn’t get any materials for ages.
Stuck with a giant hole in his yard, Dodman had to get creative.
Describing the pandemic closures as “a bit of a blessing,” the DIY dad “started buying the things [he] needed from Facebook Marketplace, which was a lot cheaper.”
‘Zero experience’
Dodman showcases to his 247,000 TikTok followers the 12 steps he followed to build “a fully functioning swimming pool in [his] backyard with zero experience.”
Each clip details various stages of the project, from learning to operate the digger and plumbing to laying bricks, tiling, and finally diving into his new blue pool.
And he did it all for less than £10,000 ($12,871 US).
@alexdodman Mud to Pool #swimmingpool #poolbuild #beforeandafter #fyp ♬ Chasing Highs – Sped Up Version – ALMA
Speaking about his dream build, Dodman says, “In general, the hardest thing to learn from a DIY perspective was plumbing – that’s quite annoying. If you do it wrong, you get drips and stuff.” He adds, “But it’s not as hard as I thought it was going to be. It really is kind of like water LEGO.”
Since completing the pool, Dodman has added a garden cabin, a pergola with a large projection screen for watching games while soaking in the hot tub, a barbecue house, and a playhouse for his two children.
Explaining that he wasn’t “confident in DIY” initially, the renovations hobbyist says he learned “just by giving it a go.”
“I’ve made mistakes, and stuff doesn’t always turn out how you think, but giving it a go is the best way.” Crediting YouTube for his successes, Dodman adds, “I learned almost everything from YouTube, and there are a lot of builders’ forums online where you can find help on loads of projects. Any problem you come across, it’s likely someone else has in the past and has written about it online.”
While Dodman’s projects are commendable, we do not recommend you start digging massive holes in your backyard without proper planning and expertise.
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