How to Level the Backyard for an Above-ground Pool

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Locating your pool close to the home allows you to keep an eye on activities.happy kids image by Marzanna Syncerz from Fotolia.com

Choose a pool site close enough to the home to allow you to keep a constant eye on children while they are in the pool. The site you choose must also be located in an area where no pipes or wires run underground. Ideally you should choose a nearly level location that receives sunlight through the day to warm the pool water.
2). Remove the sod from the pool site using a shovel; this means that you must dig a hole approximately 2 inches deep around the entire pool site area. Remember to dig out an area that measures at least 2 feet wider than the pool's diameter.
3). Construct a leveling device with the two 8-foot long boards by overlapping the pieces approximately 4 inches and attaching them with 3-inch wood screws and a power screwdriver. Place two screws at each overlapped end of the board, approximately 1 inch from the end of each board; leaving a 2-inch space between each pair of screws.
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The boards give you a larger picture of the levelness of the site instead of just the levelness in the length of the level tool.carpenters level image by Richard Seeney from Fotolia.com

Lay the boards across the dug-out area to find the high and low areas. Be sure to lay the boards with a straight edge against the ground and set the level on top of the boards to check the levelness of the pool site. Dig out the high areas to create an area as close to level as possible.
5). Remove all roots, rocks and plants protruding from the dug-out area; you do not want these objects to cut into your pool liner and result in a re-leveling and re-assembly project. Empty filtered sand into the dug-out area until you have a 2-inch layer of sand across the entire site; the amount of sand you need for this depends on the size of your pool.
6). Drill a hole down through the center of the two attached boards. Your drilled hole should sit between the screws used to assemble the pieces and should be approximately 1 inch in diameter.
7). Drive the metal stake into the exact center of the pool site and sit the assembled board into place on the stake, so that the stake goes through the drilled hole from the previous step. This creates a pivot point for you to push the boards around in a circle to level the sand in the site.
8). Remove the boards and stake and fill in the hole created by the stake. Apply water to the sand using a water hose. Once wet, tamp down the sand with a tamper tool to compact the sand and create a level and sturdy site for the above ground pool. The tamper tool is a flat block or rectangular-shaped piece attached to a pole; to operate you simply lift and drop the device, pounding the block into the ground to tamp down the soil. Allow the sand to dry and repeat this process several times until you have succeeded in creating a level site; you may have to add more sand in lower spots.