Hi everybody. I have been reading the forum for a while and finally signup with PB to build the pool. In order to build the pool we need to put a couple retaining walls which would eat probably 50% of the budget but this is something we have to do.
Here are pool specs.
1. Vinyl double roman 48x20(main area 40x20 and each end adds extra 4'). One end to have steps and other diving board.
2. Shallow end PB is going to put 4' wall instead of 3'6" and deep end gets 9'.
3. Three returns, one on each side to generate water movement around the pool and one of the deep end.
4. No main drains. Two skimmers. 6' Diving board.
5. 2" Plumbing.
6. All pentair equipment. VF pump, 400K heater, easytouch 4 + IC60, two LED lights, 520Sqft cartridge filter, wireless remote.
7. Stone coping and pavers around the pool area.
8. LoopLoc safety cover.

Photo album: http://slava.no-ip.org/~poolpic/photo/

Cool, I never personally seen a pool deeper than 8' in the deep end,other than an inch or so.

Don't forget to ask if he is including a safety cover after it's all done. You don't want to be stuck with a tarp with a brand new pool

Slavka - fellow PA'er here. In Williamsport PA. Pool dig starts this Monday for me. 18x36 Mountain pond in-ground, salt water and all Hayward. What made you jump at the gas vs heat pump. Please advise. I had asked my wife several key questions to our decision to go heat pump, but as usual, she has shifted and is asking me why I did what I did.... Please let me know. Thanks, Ted.

Thank you. I forgot to include it in the initial list. Added now.

From what I can tell Gas heater will heat the water much faster than heat pump, especially with large pool. So I will not have to wait days for temp to recover. I am not sure though if you will keep maintaining pool temperature.

Basically Heat Pump vs. Heater

Initial cost, Heat Pump costs more
Running cost, Heater costs more
BTU, Heater has more.
Heater can be installed indoors with a vent kit. Heat pump can not.
Heat pump may be more durable in terms of heater exchanger
Heat pump is a bit more noisy.

I really can't think of any other ways to compare them.

Rain and bad weather slow down the build but retaining walls are almost complete and dig date for the pool is tomorrow.
http://slava.no-ip.org/~poolpic/photo/

Dig is done. Walls are going up.

Looks fantastic keep the pics coming. The retaining walls while expensive add a lot of character to the sight. I love walkout sites. They are beautiful with pools

Some progress. Second wall is coming up. Pool walls are bolted together.

That is awesome! I love the terraced feel the walls give to the yard.

Looks great. Those walls must've cost you a fortune.

Yes. walls look great but were the necessaty, otherwise we could not fit the pool in our original grade.
Walls are about 24$K.Crazy

I have a severely sloped yard as well and have looked into building a wall similar to yours. The cost of having it professionally done is outrageous. The end product looks awesome, but that's a hit to the pocketbook I just can't take.

I did something pretty similar. I had 20 foot grade difference front to back, and about 15 feet side to side. I had right at 1000 sq feet of Vers Loc put in. $27,000 just for the walls! Yes, crazy expensive.

Your pool with those walls is going to look really nice.

Some progress again. Pool floor got some concrete and vermiculite is next. Backfill is going on today and desc will be poured tomorrow. Getting stairs added to the deck.
On the weekend I have connected retaining wall lights and mounted junction boxes for equipment hookup.
Still struggling to connect the equipment since we do not have pavers yet. So i build the box around the pipes and the plan is to do the pavers in the equipment area, connect plumbing and then finish pavers where the pipes coming out out of the ground.

pictures

pictures

Looks like they are doing a good job!

I wanted to provide a picture of my walls in my back yard. We would have NEVER imagined that we had a requirement for this much wall material. For those following this thread, just know the wall is a major percentage of the construction. My wall material alone (all my labor) including PA Bluestone deck will run approximately $35K. To-date, I've spent $33K. If I had known how much it cost, I would have used a cheaper wall material. For those building pools, make sure you really pay attention to your elevations. We would have never believed we would be 8' below grade at the deep end.