Digging by hand, what was I thinking?

[Kevin Marsh]

Started digging out the pool this weekend by hand. Yeah, with a shovel. I thought it'd be like a weekend project. Fast forward 3 blisters, one angry lower back, and I'm maybe halfway down.

Did anyone here actually finish a dig manually?? Or am I just being dumb lol.

 

[Jason Davis]

I actually did the whole thing by hand a few years back. It was brutal, took me almost two weeks working after work and weekends. Not gonna lie, I regretted it halfway through, but finishing felt pretty awesome. You’re not dumb, just ambitious. Pace yourself and stretch your back.

 

[Robinson David]

You’re not alone. I started mine with a shovel too and made it about three days before renting a small excavator. Best decision I made. Hand digging sounds noble, but unless you love pain, get a machine. Your back will thank you later.

 

[Harper Clark]

I tried it too, and thought I’d finish quickly. After a few days, though, my body was sore like crazy! I had to take a break and rethink the whole thing. If you can, using more efficient tools is definitely the way to go so you don’t wreck your body. But hey, that feeling of finishing it does feel pretty awesome!

 

[Benjamin Lewis]

Been there! I tried to dig my pool by hand too, and after a few hours, I realized the shovel was not my friend. I ended up getting a mini-excavator after a few days. The satisfaction of finishing by hand is great, but I definitely recommend going the machine route if you want to save your body!

 

[Ella Robinson]

Man, I feel you! If you want to save your back a bit, how about renting a mini-excavator for the tough spots? It’s a small investment but might save you from turning this into a month-long project. Plus, the satisfaction of finishing without wrecking your body is priceless!

 

[William Walker]

I tried digging the pool by hand too, and at first, I was really motivated thinking it would only take a short time. But after a few days, my body was totally sore! I eventually rented a mini excavator, and honestly, it was the best decision. Still, there’s something satisfying about finishing a task by hand. If you want to save your body, though, a machine is definitely the way to go!

 

[Henry Graham]

You’re definitely not dumb, you just fell into the classic “it doesn’t look that big” trap. Almost everyone who’s dug anything larger than a fire pit by hand has that same moment somewhere around blister number three.

I didn’t finish mine fully by hand, but I did enough to learn a lesson: the first foot feels productive, the second foot feels slow, and after that every shovel load somehow weighs twice as much. The ground always gets harder the deeper you go too, which no one warns you about.

If you decide to keep going, breaking it into short, timed chunks helps way more than trying to power through. An hour of digging, stop, walk away. Pride makes injuries, not progress. And there’s absolutely no shame in switching plans mid-project, plenty of people start by hand and finish with help.

Honestly, the only people who finish entirely by shovel are either extremely stubborn or weirdly enjoy suffering. Both deserve respect… but not at the cost of your back.

 

[Barbara Jones]

You’re not dumb, just optimistic honestly almost everyone who starts digging by hand either gives up or rents equipment, I’ve never seen anyone finish a full dig manually without regretting it, grabbing a mini excavator is usually the smartest move for your back and sanity.

 

[Ibrahim Mwangi]

I actually did the whole thing by hand a few years back. It was brutal, took me almost two weeks working after work and weekends. Not gonna lie, I regretted it halfway through, but finishing felt pretty awesome. You’re not dumb, just ambitious. Pace yourself and stretch your back.

From what I’ve seen myself, digging a pool by hand is possible, but you pay for it with your body. I remember feeling confident at first, then my back reminded me real fast, so you’re not dumb at all, you’re just pushing hard.
I’m with Jason Davis on taking it slow. From my side, if you keep going manually, you should really limit your daily time and listen to your body, because once you ignore that, you usually end up stopping completely.

 

[Vikram Ahmad]

You’re not alone. I started mine with a shovel too and made it about three days before renting a small excavator. Best decision I made. Hand digging sounds noble, but unless you love pain, get a machine. Your back will thank you later.

I tried digging the pool by hand too, and at first, I was really motivated thinking it would only take a short time. But after a few days, my body was totally sore! I eventually rented a mini excavator, and honestly, it was the best decision. Still, there’s something satisfying about finishing a task by hand. If you want to save your body, though, a machine is definitely the way to go!

From what Robinson David and William Walker mentioned about eventually renting equipment, I went through the same stubborn phase. The first two days felt productive, by day three my body strongly disagreed. I ended up using a small machine for the bulk of it and finishing by hand for cleaner edges. It’s not about being tough or not, it’s about being realistic with your time and your back. Do the detail work by hand if you want, but for moving serious dirt, a machine isn’t cheating, it’s efficient.

 

[Amber Chase]

You’re definitely not the first person to start that way. I tried digging part of mine by hand too and had the exact same realization about halfway through.

The thing that surprises people is how quickly the volume adds up. Even a small pool means moving a lot of dirt, and once you get past the first foot or so the soil usually gets heavier and more compacted. That’s when the progress slows way down and your back starts voting against the project.

What a lot of people end up doing is a hybrid approach. Use a small excavator or skid steer to move the bulk of the dirt, then finish the edges and final leveling by hand. That way you still get control over the shape but you’re not moving tons of soil one shovel at a time.

Another factor is soil type. If you hit clay or compacted layers, digging by hand becomes dramatically harder. It’s also where accuracy matters more because you want the base level before you start building or pouring anything.

Honestly, renting a small machine for even a single day can save an enormous amount of time and strain. You’ll probably get more done in a few hours than several full days with a shovel, and you can still handle the detail work yourself afterward.