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A DIY DAD has doubled the value of his home by installing his own swimming pool in the back garden.

Alex Dodman, 36, used YouTube tutorials to help him build the pool at his home in Essex.

Alex Dodman, 36, built the back garden pool using YouTube tutorials
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Alex Dodman, 36, built the back garden pool using YouTube tutorialsCredit: Caters
By building the pool himself, Alex saved around £2k and doubled the value of his Essex Home
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By building the pool himself, Alex saved around £2k and doubled the value of his Essex HomeCredit: Caters
The DIY dad built the pool all by himself
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The DIY dad built the pool all by himselfCredit: Caters

Despite the £10k price tag, Alex says it was worth doing the job himself as a professional installation could cost £12k.

The ambulance worker from explained that the pool was a dream project, saying: "I had dreamt of having pool once the house was renovated, and I'd even earmarked a little patch to hopefully build it on one day."

However, the decision to begin the massive DIY job was spare of the moment: "I watched a video on YouTube on my lunch break of someone building a pool and that same day I was on the phone hiring a mini digger."

"I started building it in January 2020 and had dug the hole but then Covid hit and couldn't get anything materials for ages."

Alex described the pandemic break as "a bit of a blessing" as it meant he "started buying the things [he] needed from Facebook market place which was a lot cheaper."

The dad of two has found some fame before for his large scale DIY jobs and the value they add to his home.

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He previously saved £75k by installing a gym and home cinema by himself.

The project was hard work for a lone worker as Alex had to move six tonnes of sub-base and add Astro turf around the pool and hand dig and rip out bushes by himself.

The full process took over a year.

The DIY mad Alex said: "I document a lot of my DIY around the house, from the kitchen, to the home office, outdoor gym, pizza oven and the building of the pergola."

The pool build is the subject of an ongoing series on his TikTok channel, currently in 36 parts.

The work was delayed by the pandemic, leaving the total build time at more than a year
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The work was delayed by the pandemic, leaving the total build time at more than a yearCredit: Caters
The dad of two has documented his DIY adventures on his TikTok channel
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The dad of two has documented his DIY adventures on his TikTok channelCredit: Caters
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