In-ground swimming pool construction

Claim 1

In an in-ground swimming pool construction which includes a swimming pool shell structure having substantially rigid, pre-formed plastic sides received in an excavation and spaced by backfill from the ground thereat, the sides of the shell structure comprising horizontally and vertically reinforced rigid individual wall sections connected end-to-end, a concrete pool bottom extending across the bottom of the excavation at the lower end of said pool shell structure, and reinforcing rods embedded in said concrete pool bottom and extending therein to locations close to its periphery, the improvement comprising: a plurality of ground anchors embedded in the ground at the sides of the pool shell structure in said excavation; said ground anchors comprising auger-type anchors each having an elongated, rod-like, rigid, central stem extending transversely outward from the adjacent side of the pool shell structure into the ground and a transverse anchor plate extending spirally around said stem; said reinforcing rods having hooking portions at said locations close to the periphery of the concrete pool bottom; said wall sections at their lower ends resting directly on said concrete bottom at its periphery and having connectors with hooking portions thereat which are hooked to said hooking portions of said reinforcing rods within and close to the periphery of said concrete pool bottom for anchoring the respective lower ends of said wall sections to the pool bottom; and a plurality of adjustable connector means operatively connecting the sides of the pool shell structure to the adjacent ends of the corresponding ground anchor stems for lateral adjustment of the respective sides while the hooking portions at their lower ends remain hooked to the corresponding hooking portions of the reinforcing rods in the concrete pool bottom.