I assume that you mean one of those free standing above ground circular pools and he is just not planning to use the frame. I have never paid attention to the quality or material, but my neighbor has had one for several years without leaks yet.

I suspect that it wouldn't last too long but I have a nice cowboy solution for the rocks. Actually, many of us do it. Find a carpet store and ask to remove some of their used/disposed carpet from their dumpster. They often have heaps of it after an old carpet is removed for a new install. It is win-win for everyone. Line the hole completely with carpet and lay the pool on top. It is a win-win for everyone. It will completely protect the liner.

I think the pump will probably work as long as a decent filter is put around the intake.

We went even more red-neck (redder-necked?) than that; we lined a leaky natural pond with a blue tarp. We lined it first with old carpet and padding.

It's still holding water 2 years later, but weeds are coming up through the tarp that's above ground, and parts of the tarp are bleached white and frayed. We're planning on having it redone with real pond liner.

Our "classier" pond--an above-ground pool we never used--is doing fine after 4 years of pond life, and is home to hundreds of fish and plants.

Other cheap thrills we've tried:
--used metal roofing bolted together, then lined with 6mil black plastic. That's housed tilapia for 3 years so far.
--hole in the ground lined with black plastic; we haven't kept it filled, so it's turned into a bog.
--plastic 150 gallon stock tank
--an actual manufactured 100 gallon plastic pond. Ooooh, classy!

Big Lots has a sale on swimming pools and he bought one. A 14' x 36" I think.
I'm also assuming above ground pool.

I checked Big Lot's web site and a 14'x3 pool is $150. The cost of a top of line EPDM pond liner that will hold the same amount of water is about $150. A PVC pond liner, about $75. Redneck isn't the same as being cheap, it'is about spending more to get less.

I don't totally understand it but here in Phoenix people who celebrate a redneck lifestyle seem to enjoy and seek out doing things that others would consider dumb. Great pride in doing dumb stuff. That's very different from actually being dumb. I think it has something to do with thumbing their noses at the world.

That's different from building a pond with as few resources as possible which is cheap or hippy. There you're using as much know how as possible.

So if your neighbor wants a redneck pond I wouldn't talk him out of it. It's his pond, he should get what he wants imo. It's win-win. He gets a pond that will hold some water long enough for him to claim it works and you get to enjoy the show.

The entertainment is going to start when he starts laying the liner. Pond liners are just flat pieces of liner. The pool liner has seams so it's in the shape of a cylinder. So when we dig a pond we lay in the flat liner and we get a bunch of wrinkles, but the liner conforms to whatever shape we dug (as long as the liner is large enough). It's almost impossible to mess up.

Laying a seamed liner means the shape of the hole has to be almost perfect, or undersized, maybe a lot undersized. In this case the walls have to be almost perfectly vertical, which is hard to do in most soils, impossible in sandy soil without using concrete. So in this case the top of the pond has to be an almost perfect circle and be less than 14' because soil will give. The top of this seamed liner can't be greater than 14' or it will split, unlike a flat liner.

The other choice, and what would be perfect for a redneck pond, is to set up the frame that came with the pool inside the dug hole and set up the pond like it was designed to be set up above ground. Then fill the pool with water and then back fill the pool which is where the hilarity really begins. You'll want a comfortable lawn chain, beverage and video camera to document why above ground pools are called "above ground". Post the video to YiouTube. Win-win.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions!

I'll call him and suggest the carpet thing. I know where we can get all of the used carpet that we would need.

"The cost of a top of line EPDM pond liner that will hold the same amount of water is about $150"

Do you know where to buy a liner at that price? I haven't checked out the prices, but he said it would be over $300 for a liner that size?

He also thinks it is cheaper because the pump comes with it. He said that sump pumps are $100+?

It's a good thing that we live way out in the country where building codes and stuff don't really apply. He has a lot of stuff that wouldn't go over in an incorporated area.

waterbug guy should know what he is talking about, But my old go to source for liner would be $250 plus shipping; and we are talking weight here. I was calculating on 20 X 20 ft.

Getting the pump included does change the cost thing. Be interesting to see how much electric the pump uses.

You see though here's the thing...a 14' diameter by 3' deep structure would require a 20x20 pond liner as chas045 said. But the pool liner is seamed, the sides would have to be perfectly vertical to be able to use the entire liner. In the pond world we call that a drop in liner. You can buy actual pond liners made to fit a certain hole. The hole has to be perfect, made with concrete so the sides are vertical.

Vertical sides in soil, especially in sandy soil, isn't going to work.

So if doing a normal type pond where you dig a hole and lay a liner means that pool liner is 14' max, so same as a 14x14 EPDM liner. Except the pool is also round so unless you had a perfectly round hole and were really good with folds you really come out about the same as a 12x12 liner.

You will find out when you try to lay the liner what I'm talking about.

The first place that came up on Google, pondliner.com has 12x15 EPDM for $113, or 15x15 for $141. I buy EPDM locally from a roofing supply and 12x12 would be about $100 last time I checked.

If we were comparing apples to apples I'm guessing a pool liner from Big Lots would be about the same quality as a billboard tarp, 22 mil reinforced, 16x16 for $40.

Well, I dug a hole for him this morning.

We stretched out the liner and dropped it in the hole.

He walked around it and said I think you are right, this ain't gonna work.

We dusted it off and folded it back up, he has gone to return it. He is heading to Northern Tool to see what he can come up with.

There is no telling what he will come back with!

To be continued. :)

Northern Tool has pond liners, kind of pricey. But if he wants redneck, a tarp or 9 mil plastic has to be the choice.