One more question.. I had an excavator come look at the job, because it'll only cost me about $50 more to pay someone to do it than it would for me to go rent a plate compactor...

He said my soil is very loamy, and might not compact well... he suggested bringing in sand to level and compact... However, I'm worried that sand will wash out too easily, particularly if it's under the frame of the pool, causing problems down the road...

Am I right?

Our other alternatives are to bring in road base or something similar to compact for a base, or to scrape down 5-6" to hard packed soil.

Which is my best bet?