Stock Tank Pool Deck Plans: Cowboy Pool and Cowboy Hot Tub Deck

Plans for a raised surround deck with steps, a built-in storage bench and a pump and filter access hatch, for an 8 ft round, a 10 ft round or a 2 x 8 ft oval galvanized stock tank (about 2 ft tall). Easy to follow and thorough, with dimensioned drawings, cut and shopping lists and CAD files. The PDF opens with a permit drawing set you can adapt for your permit application.

Easy to follow, nothing left out

Every cut has a letter (A, B, C), and every step shows which lettered parts and which screws go together, so you build it like flat-pack furniture, one step at a time.

You also get dimensioned drawings, a materials and shopping list, a cost spreadsheet and CAD files, so the plans answer the questions that come up while you build.

Permit drawing set included

Permit drawing set included, ready to adapt for your permit application; some building departments require stamped drawings. The PDF opens with a permit drawing set for each tank size: a site plan template, footing and pad plan, framing plan, elevations, section and details for each tank, a code reference table, the load and span basis and a materials and fasteners schedule. These are generic DIY plans with no engineer's or architect's stamp, and the code table is a reference, not a guarantee that your office will accept them. Have a licensed engineer or your local building department review the drawings for your site before you build or apply.

CAD files included

A SketchUp-ready 3D model (.dae, every board a named part) plus DXF drawings for AutoCAD, LibreCAD or FreeCAD, so you can change a size, add your lot lines or hand the drawings to a drafter.

What you build

Plans for a raised surround deck with steps, a built-in storage bench and a pump and filter access hatch, for an 8 ft round, a 10 ft round or a 2 x 8 ft oval galvanized stock tank (about 2 ft tall).

A freestanding deck, never attached to the tank, on concrete footings and precast pier blocks, with two-ply 2x10 beams, 2x8 joists and 5/4 deck boards. The tank stands on its own level gravel pad. The deck surface sits 2 in below the rim of a 24 in tank, about 22 in above the ground, so no guard rail is needed by the model code (check your local rules).

• 8 ft round tank: a deck about 13 ft 6 in x 15 ft 2 in with an octagon opening around the tank
• 10 ft round tank: a deck about 15 ft 5 in x 17 ft 1 in
• 2 x 8 ft oval tank: a deck about 13 ft 4 in x 9 ft with a long opening
• A 3-riser stair, a built-in storage bench with two hinged lids, a removable pump and filter hatch, and a cedar picket skirt
• An optional pergola over the bench, on its own footings
• A cowboy hot tub option: an inline electric heater, or a wood-fired or propane heater on a noncombustible paver pad with 3 ft of clearance from the deck, with heavy safety notes on scalds, GFCI protection, fire clearance, children and drowning, and pool barrier rules
• Materials from a farm supply store or home center: galvanized tanks, 2x lumber, deck blocks, pavers, cedar pickets

Measure your own tank

Tanks vary by maker, so measure your own before you cut. The plans cover an 8 ft round, a 10 ft round and a 2 x 8 ft oval tank about 2 ft tall.

What you get

• The plan PDF: dimensioned drawings, lettered parts and numbered steps with one drawing each, hardware and shopping lists
• The permit drawing set at the front of the PDF, ready to adapt for your permit application (some building departments require stamped drawings)
• CAD files: SketchUp-ready 3D model (.dae) and DXF drawings
• An editable materials cost spreadsheet (.xlsx) that works in Excel, Google Sheets and Apple Numbers, with a step-by-step guide to opening it in Google Sheets
• The worksheets again as printable web pages (ZIP), so you can reprint single pages any time

Related on BackyardGearCalc

• All build plans
• Gravel calculator for the tank pad
• Paver calculator
• Propane and heater safety