How to DIY Your Own Above Ground Pool

Want an above ground swimming pool this summer? Did you know you can install it on your own? You can!

Check out how to DIY your own above ground pool.

With the proper tools and instructions you can install your Doughboy pool within just a few days! In order to learn more about how to install your pool please click on the installation videos below.

Pool Installation Videos

Round Pool Installation

Oval Pool Installation

Recessed Pool Installation

Google Rating

4.5

Arvidson Pools & Spas

4.5

Rich Royster

15:42 26 Feb 24

Not always do things get done right no matter how hard people try, but Arvidson's committed to fixing our issue! We were patient and persistent getting through the warranty process, and in the end, we are completely satisfied with the final results. We love our Caldera Hot Tub! Z the service manager along with Josh, Zach and Nick (technicians) exceeded my expectations executing the warranty repairs. Arvidsons will work with you until everything is right...which is why I purchased from a local company versus buying from a big box store.read more

Caren MacKenzie

14:26 18 Feb 24

Our swim spa blew a gasket last Saturday, and we had people coming Sunday for a Super Bowl party. Some were planning to use the swim spa, but turning it on sent water flying everywhere! Nadine made some calls, went back to the store to meet Josh for parts, and made a plan for Josh to be out Sunday morning. True to their word, Josh showed up at about nine o’clock on Sunday morning and fixed the swim spa, so we could enjoy it that evening. 😎We are so impressed and grateful! Thank you Nadine, Josh, and Arvidsons for your amazing customer service. 🕊❤️read more

Mike Franz

14:44 11 Jun 23

Arvidson's service department in Crystal Lake is very responsive. I have had a pool for 23 years and have used them when I needed repairs or maintenance whether it is fixing the heater or replacing a liner. I recently had the electric pool cover repaired and the team was on time and performed the work flawlessly. Just yesterday I had another issue with the cover and they were ready to come out and fix it the same day except we needed a part. It is scheduled for repair as soon as the part is received. A shout out to Sheryl in the service department who is friendly, understanding and works hard to solve issues as soon as possible.read more

Steve Swiderski

22:01 17 May 23

This store is staffed by an awesome team that is friendly, knowledgeable and always helpful, providing consistently excellent water chemistry and/or mechanical guidance. Rob is my typical go-to, however all members at the Palatine site have successfully assisted me with a variety of pool related challenges over the past seven years which is a tribute to the overarching organizational guidance and continuing professional education training regimen. My experience with Arvidson's is premium service, no over selling and genuine interest in keeping my pool properly maintained at an affordable price.read more

Vida Krug

19:03 08 Feb 23

I normally do not handle the pool details and let my wife do it, so this is from me the wife's hubby, Jim. I had no idea what was going on and my wife sent me in to talk to Sheryl Trammel, who my wife works with all the time and to be honest I can understand why my wife speaks so highly of Sheryl and their dealings together. Sheryl was very professional, answered all my questions or should I say concerns, was very patient with me. Her knowledge supersedes the experience of working with her. So, I am coming up here and using my wife's name since I do not have one to let you know Sheryl is a gem and should be praised for her work ethics and ensuring the customer is always taken care of a promptly. Thank you, Sheryl, for all your help with picking out the new liner! I know now why my wife keeps coming back to Arvidson, your service team member, Sheryl has remarkable customer satisfaction skills!!! Sincerely, Jimread more

Kathryn Powles

00:45 12 Dec 22

We just bought our 2nd hot tub, I never thought it could be better than our old one. It is, we looked at a couple other hot tub seller's, but truly no other company compares, with install, communication and selling quality hot tubs. You can't go wrong with Arvidson.read more

John Koss

16:31 19 Sep 22

I usually do not rate retail places. However, I think think the service after the sale is so worth mentioning I decided to rate it. I bought the biggest hot tub they had. They installed it and and helped get it up and running. We got a personal visit from Nadine to help us Add the appropriate chemicals and get the chemical levels correct. We had a minor problem with one of the speakers in the sound system and they promptly replaced it. We take water samples to them typically about once a week and they run a detailed chemical analysis and then advise us on what we need to do to correct any deviations from Normal. Service after the sale. A lot of retail locations could learn from them!read more

Rollie Pollie

11:49 09 Jul 22

I like this place, but i feel like they're always trying to sell us more than what we go there for.read more

William Muir

13:40 26 May 22

I��ve been having a few issues with my hot tub. I called the service department and left a message shortly after the service manager called me. He asked me to take a photo of the control box and email it to him. Unfortunately I got real busy at work and wasn’t able to send a picture right away. Two days later I received a call from the service manager just following up to see if I sent the photo. I own a company in the service business. And I must say that the service manager that did the follow up taught me something. I will now have my employees follow up with the clients they’ve been working with. I have been looking into a much bigger hot tub the service manager act of kindness is certainly made me want to buy another hot tub from themread more

Steven McGinley

02:07 19 Mar 22

They have QUALITY PRODUCTS here! They sell the best in their field of business. They are extremely knowledgeable and have what I need to keep my pool in perfect condition during the summer months, it's the only place I shop for my pool needs!!read more

Ladycherry “Jojo”

22:06 08 Sep 21

Always helpful & almost always have what I'm looking forread more

Will Seib

20:43 09 Apr 21

Outstanding value with great service.read more

Lucie Zalejsky

12:17 11 Nov 20

Best costumer service ever!! I have very high high standards in CS and Nadine meets all of those. She has a lot of experience, she is knowledgable, and has a lot of patience with a million newbie questions. 2020 was a tough year for all businesses and Nadine makes sure that her customers are satisfied despite obvious hardship. I really appreciate her hard work and also her being personal, and kind. We purchase a hot tub, had to wait 5 months for it due to Covid. Delivery was very professional. And Nadine topped the deal with her personal visit to our home to give us all instructions. We highly recommend her store to everyone. Thank you Lucie Z.read more

Brian Miller

00:54 28 Jul 20

Great pool and hot tub supplier. Helpful staff and stocks everything you need.read more

James Tooke

02:34 12 Jul 20

They are experts at solving your water issues. Got mine fixed up a few times. They know their pool waterread more

Chris Roddick

21:51 03 Jul 20

Always great friendly service.read more

Julie Mitchell

15:59 15 Jun 20

Fantastic professional service! A little difficult to get an appointment but it's the time of year & the fact they are so knowledgeable. 2 guys came out & were very efficient & polite. Even went above and beyond to save a turtle that was enjoying my pool a little too much.read more

John Berkowitz

19:27 09 Mar 20

I wouldn't buy a hot tub anywhere else. Everything they sell is quality and most importantly they back it up with prompt expert service. When you buy a spa you need to consider service...because you will need it eventually. Arvidson's excels at service and maintenance.read more

N Todaro

22:01 26 Feb 20

Easy Handicapped access. Ease of moving around is also well planned out.read more

Kim Schultz

17:51 09 Nov 19

We had Arvidson's install our hot tub 5 yrs ago and have had great service since! I wanted to thank Peter for getting our remote controller serviced so quickly!! Really appreciate his help!read more

Joe McAvoy

20:06 23 Jul 19

Have been using Arvidson Pool in Crystal Lake for several years, extremely professional and helpful both on the phone and in person. Have needed them in a couple of emergency situations and they have been able to accommodate in a timely fashion. Keep up the good workread more

Julie R

19:57 01 Jul 19

We got an above ground pool from a friend and it was the first time for us to ever have one. We set it up as a Salt Pool - so a lot more involved in the learning process. Arvidson's made it easy for us to bring a sample and they tell us exactly what to do. Its our second year and our pool is clear and clean! As a small business owner of Remke's Garage, we know reviews and word of mouth is important. We hope that you will consider using Arvidson's for your spa and pool needs!read more

Catherine Incapreo

14:43 03 Jun 19

We had amazing customer service when our hot tub broke. The part was difficult to get at and almost needed to be sent to the shop and taken apart for hundreds of dollars but Jim creatively found a solution to fix it it the freezing cold rain. It works great!! I cannot say enough about this young man. He provided excellent customer service by fixing the hot tub and recommended other services that would be helpful for my son who has mobility issues. Great service!! Great company!!read more

Jorge Jimenez

17:26 04 Apr 19

Great, great service. I highly recommend it. Helpful before, during, and after my hot tub purchase.read more

Mark Wilk

20:25 20 Mar 19

We are very happy with our new tub! This is my fist tub of this kind and thanks to Jimmy I quickly learned how to maintain it, what/how to use chemicals etc.read more

Becky Aiello

06:16 28 Jan 19

Great service at Arvidsons for all our pool services. And at the Palatine store Jimmy is always helpful.read more

Maria Wittkopf

20:23 06 Jan 19

We have had our house Christmas lights put up by Arvidson for the past few years and absolutely love the lights as well as the service they provide. They do a great job and are great so work with.read more

Yvonne Bailey

12:38 20 Dec 18

It’s been just over a year that we brought our Calderra Niagara Spa. We don’t like it, we LOVE it. It has been one of the best purchases we ever made. We put it on our upper deck so that we could use it without going too far from our back door in the winter. We use it all the time. The buying process was wonderful. We had gone to other places that sell hot tubs and we always felt pressured to buy now. Not so with Arvidson. When we walked in the front door we were shown the models on the floor and never pressured to buy one. All our questions were answered and then we were left to wander the store and discuss our options. Arvidson came by the house to check out our space to ensure we could put a hot tub where we wanted to and after a few more visits to the store we made our purchase. Everyone at Arvidson has been terrific. They don’t just sell you a unit then forget about you. They helped me understand the chemisty of the spa water and also they offer free on-going water testing. We would recommend Arvidson Pools & Spas to anyone that wants to purchase a Hot Tub. Thank you Arvidson! Yvonne & Bud B.read more

Mark Frank

17:47 19 Nov 18

I can say that Arvidsons cares for there Clients. When it comes to pool water maintenance they are the best. Since I started with them I have never had a problem. The go to chemist, Nadene made my life a lot Easier!!!read more

Eve Perry

01:00 16 Nov 18

Arvidson Pools and Spas are my go to for my pool needs. They are experienced, friendly and always so helpful for any of my needs, large or small. They have top, state of the art chemical analysis to always keep my pool in balance. They have pool school to teach you how to maintain your pool yourself, or offer great service to help take that burden off to keep your pool sparkling clean and running perfectly. I am so grateful to them!read more

Dan Buonopane

20:46 12 Nov 18

Great service! Typically we go to the one in the St. Charles area and they are always very helpful. Also very responsive if you send an online request which is great! Great customer service.read more

Sharon Szeszycki DDS

00:34 12 Nov 18

I would highly recommend this company even though another company they recommended for deck work did sub standard work at my home. When made aware of the problem, Arvidson Pools stepped up and helped me as much as they could to correct the problem. It took awhile to deal with all the issues as they had to pull their own quality workers (thank you Kelly!) off other jobs to address mine. In short, it is not what companies do when things go well, it is what they do when things do not.read more

Linda Moreno

20:42 22 Oct 18

Have been dealing with them for 5 years and they are the best, especially Jimmy. Very supportive and always prompt to answer questions.read more

Rich Altenhoff

04:34 06 Oct 18

That do a great job on my Christmas lights every year!read more

Polly Nash

18:36 01 Oct 18

We've had our spa for almost a year and have been so pleased with it and the service we have received from Arvidson. Can't say enough good things about the folks who work at this fine business. A family-owned business that takes excellent care of its customers.read more

Bret Matthews

17:42 28 Aug 18

We bought our hot tub from and that was a good experience, but their on going service is what separates them. It is so rare to find a service company that is always on time, they do what they say they will do, are always doing the right thing by you - they are just great to deal with.read more

M Lee

21:00 05 Aug 18

Arvidson did a great job installing my pool. They insisted that everything be perfect and we are very happy with the pool. The stores are great too. Friendly and helpful. I highly recommend them for anything pool related. They know what they are doing.read more

Cassandra Lewis

18:16 25 Jul 18

Tried other places for a hot tub, this had the best deal, best hottub for what we wanted and great serviceread more

Marcus Lamp

17:48 25 Jul 18

The guys at arvidson are always very helpful with all of our pool and hot tub needs.read more

Beth Kreutziger

00:01 07 Jul 18

Twenty years ago we had a new pool put in and chose Ardvison at the time and enjoyed that pool & process. Anytime we needed work or advice they were our go to people. Four years ago we moved up to Lake Geneva and bought a home with an existing older pool. This pool needed a new liner right away and new pool filter equipment. Once again we turned to Ardvisons to do this work which they did so efficiently we were up and running the first summer. Now this year we decided to do an entire decking/ coping upgrade! This being s bigger financial investment we had Ardvisons up once again and Doug Marunde helped design and advised us on our new decking! This totally changed the look of our old pool and we love the curvy design the Doug helped us plan. Because I am never happy until the pool is up and running each spring Doug got many messages from me ( we actually had snow delays during this spring). Doug and his team patiently field my questions. When it was finally start up the equipment day and we couldn’t get it going Doug showed up at 7 am on a Sunday to figure it out. Perhaps a long review but we have a long history with Ardvisons and would give them more than a 5 star if we could. Even have my new neighbors using them for there liners. Integrity and efficiency have earned them our trust!read more

h curneen

23:44 28 Jun 18

I am new to Illinois and moved into a house recently with a defective pool pump and filter and obviously had trouble trying to get the pool opened. Arvidson Pools & Spas responded quickly to my inquiries with a quote. I want to thank Arvidson for getting Carlos out to install my new pump and filter. I must say that Carlos did a great job and did it neat and tidy. I can now get my pool up and running properly and hope to have it fully clear by the time my guests arrive tomorrow afternoon. I will be in touch with you at the end of the season to have the pool closed properly. Thank you again.read more

xx yy

20:59 03 Jun 18

Great Staff and products. That's why they have been in business for 60 years. Been going there for 15+ years. A lot of wannabes out there but they don't compare to this company A+++.read more

Kevin B

18:02 23 May 18

Everybody is freindly in here, and they test your water for you to tell you exactly what you need to do, Stephanie is always very helpful, thanks for helping me keep my pool enjoyable! -Kread more

Linda Johnson

19:49 03 May 18

Tim and Jim installed my pool cover perfectly!! The nicest service guys I have dealt with in a long time! Thanks to Peter the service manager to ordering and scheduling the job !! They will be getting my business from now on! Thank you so much!read more

Keith Sova

00:09 20 Apr 18

We bought a hot tub a little over a year ago. We haven't had any issues. Autum sold us ours and just recently sold one to my co-worker Chuck Fish. Thanks to Autum for her great service and for the referral credit.read more

Ray Phillips

02:45 11 Apr 18

We purchased a Caldera spa from Arvidsons and are very glad we did. Autum was the sales rep and did an outstanding job in guiding us to the correct spa for us. She was very knowledgeable and everything went very smooth. She followed up the sale with an orientation at our house once the spa was installed and powered. I would highly recommend them.read more

chuck fish

15:33 31 Mar 18

Bought ours last week. Delivery went smooth, Had an issue in the beginning called right away and a tech called us back and walked us through the process which fixed the problem right away. Autum came to the house and gave us a tutorial on chemicals and how to properly use the spa! Customer service has been great so far!read more

D R Elzinga

03:22 08 Mar 18

I had called about a leak in my spa. They spent a lot of time looking for the source. Once the jets were started they saw that the problem was a pump that had frozen up. replaced and running same day. Thanks.read more

Brian Kelly

17:15 05 Jan 18

Excellent service and expertise. All good with my hot tub as a result of listening to them and buying their suggested products.read more

Kate Samuels

20:25 08 Nov 17

We put our tub on reserve at the beginning of summer and had to hold off on delivery and installation until late October because we were rebuilding our deck - Autumn was very patient with us on that, and also very helpful figuring out installation and the proper way to get everything filled up. Love the spa, absolutely would recommend.read more

james 311

18:03 17 Jul 17

Real good pools read more

Kelli Munroe

23:40 30 Jun 17

I have had 2 experiences with Arvidson Pool & Spa's. First time purchasing a Hot Tub, Shelly was phenomenal, showed and explained all of the different types asked what we were looking for. The delivery was smooth and the guys were great. I ended up moving 3 years later and had to get rid of my hot tub. Arvidson's took my hot tub on consignment. Everything was explained in detail, they picked it up, cleaned it and before they could get it on their showroom floor they sold it. I have recommended them to others and would do business with them again. Wonderful company and very customer friendly.read more

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