Trend Alert: DIY Cowboy Pools for Your Backyard

There wasn't any space among the hilly terrain of Victoria Smith's Los Angeles bungalow for a traditional swimming pool, so the SF Girl by Bay blogger designed a sweet little set-up that's both space- and budget-friendly. "This type of pool could sit easily on my deck without me having to do too much work, other than building the benches around the pool and adding outdoor string lights," says Smith. The pool and the filter cost about $700, and the built-in benches, upholstery, and globe light posts came to about $2,500. "It's also so very hot here in the summer, sometimes the air conditioning isn't even enough, so I can go out and cool off for a bit, or float on the weekends with a good book," Smith comments. For the finishing touches, she added a row of towel hooks and a chic striped inflatable lounge for floating.

At her former Palm Springs a-frame, designer Sarah Sherman Samuel carved an enviable niche among the rocky, cacti-rich landscape to help quell the region’s crushing heat. Thanks to a coat of white spray paint, the 2-by-8-foot galvanized stock tank blends seamlessly into the natural landscape. Placed atop a bed of white stone to help soak up the undeniable splashing, it’s also bound by a wood deck with low seating.

To beat the heat at her home in San Jose, California, Arrows and Bow blogger Ashley Petrone added an eight-foot galvanized tub to the backyard lawn (it cost them about $700). Now her kids, ages 6, 8, and 10, don their goggles to cool off and play pool games such as Marco Polo. "I painted the outside of our tank just to give it a little pop and also added steps around the tank so that it didn’t get all muddy in the grass when the kids got in and out," she says. They run an extension cord from an outlet outside the house to power a pump.

Artist and blogger Morgan Satterfield knew a real pool was out of the question at her Hemet, California home, but she was inspired to give a 10-foot stock tank a try after visiting a friend's compound in Joshua Tree. She simply painted the tub white—playing off the hue of her home—and popped in a pump to keep the pool clean. Then, to layer on some extra protection from the harsh heat, she installed a sleek black shade sail by Shade Industries. A pair of butterfly chairs placed atop the hardscaping is handy for dipping her toes into the pool.