A couple has gone viral, gaining over 20 million views after renovating their pool that was abandoned 20 years ago.
Andrew Pougnet and his wife Sabrina Pougnet, both 28 from Ontario, Canada, moved into their home in June 2020 and discovered the pool that hadn’t been used for around two decades.
It was covered with decking and during that time, it had slowly filled with debris and rainwater, causing it to develop its own ecosystem at the bottom, like a lake.
“We started renovations on the home the day we got the keys,” Sabrina told Jam Press.
“We finished almost the entire main floor before working up the courage to tackle the in-ground pool this past summer.
“We had learned from the original owner when we bought the home that it would take a lot of work to get the pool up and running and ultimately restore it to its previous glory days.”
The couple were told by neighbours that it had been around 20 years since the pool had last been in use, which made them consider getting some extra help.
Sabrina said: “Initially we had reached out to local pool companies to see if we could hire someone to restore it for us, as neither of us had any experience, but our emails went unanswered likely due to the high demand for pools due to covid.
“Andrew and I didn’t know if the pool structure would even be salvageable until the deck was removed – as it sat for so many years collecting rain water and debris with a damaged liner.
“Finally, we decided to try restoring it ourselves and share the process as a series on our TikTok account.”
After Andrew, who works as a carpenter, and Sabrina, who is a recreation therapist, removed the deck, the couple could immediately see the rust on the walls they had feared.
She added: “We were worried that the pool may be too damaged to try restoring, if that was the case, it was about to be the shortest TikTok series ever!
“Luckily for us, after draining the water and cleaning out the debris, we could see that the pool structure was salvageable, aside from minor surface rust which Andrew removed to prepare for a new liner.
“We knew it was going to be full of water and that there was a good chance of many dead critters and debris.
“However, we were surprised by the lack of smell, you would think that having a swamp of a pool for so many years, the smell would be unbearable, but it really didn’t smell at all!
“Even after draining the water to expose the ecosystem at the bottom of the pool, the smell was comparable to that of seaweed at a beach – a little fishy but not that bad.”
The couple completed the entire restoration in just over one month, starting in mid-July 2021 and finishing 3 September 2021.
The work cost a total of $20,020 (£14,846) to complete but they now have a safe pool to enjoy.
They shared the restoration on TikTok, creating a series that showed their work on the old pool.
The first post racked up more than 20 million likes on TikTok and was liked more than two million times.
Viewers were left divided by the outcome – with many saying they couldn’t step foot in there after seeing it filled with dirt and debris.
One person said: “I’d never step in that pool no matter how clean it is after.”
“Y’all brewing cov1d 21 in there,” another user joked.
Someone else commented: “I just know the smell coming out from under that deck was NASTY! So glad y’all made it awesome!!!,”
One user said: “IMAGINE FALLING INTO THAT IF THE DECK BROKE OMG.”
“What in the biohazard,” said someone else.
COST BREAKDOWN:
New plumbing skimmer jets: $1,000 (£741)
Pool coping: $700 (£519)
Form work and concrete: $7,400 (£5,489)
Liner: $1,800 (£1,335)
Pool equipment: $2,000 (£1,483)
Heater and gas line: $4,000 (£2,967)
Water: $800 (£593)
Salt: $120 (£89)
Fencing: $1,700 (£1,260)
Miscellaneous: $500 (£370)
Total: $20,020 (£14,846)
