Thanks in advance, my main purpose is to double check ideas with experienced folks and make sure I don't make too many mistakes my first time around. I will be the pool builder, labor, plumber and electrician. This is a long post, figure I'll give you all the details and info I can.

We live in our dream home, I'll live here another 50 years. Besides me and my wife we have a 2.5yr old and one on the way. We have a couple of established trees near the future area that will stay. We tried an Intek 15' ABG for 6 months this year, leaf removal wasn't too bad.

Pool will be 16x24" Doughboy, 48" walls buried 28" with a 6'-7' deep end. I'll reinforce and pour concrete footings around the perimeter. Pool walls will be insulated with blue rigid insulation board. Vinyl liner will be dark. Once the pool is filled I plan to surround it with a cinderblock wall with 2 courses and 1 layer of 4" paver exposed. Final finish on the block wall will be terracotta tile. Pumping and filtration, hayward sand, 1.5 hp 2 speed flowtec with 2 skimmers 1 on each oval, returns, multiple, undecided. I have a couple of pumps from different spas, all single speed, 1 hp, 1.5 hp and a intek 4 amp "wet set" with cartrigde filter, I might use for water features. Additionally I have a stand alone spa I would like to tie in, married to one end, abillity to share water, overflow from spa plumbed out to spa wall/water fall to pool. Spa walls will be tiled except the maintenance side. Might add solar heat if my Airstream pool house can handle the weight.

gtojohn, welcome to TFP! (and nice car, I assume!)
Honestly, that sounds like an awful lot of work and expense to put into an above-ground pool. I'm not even sure that a standalone spa could be tied into any existing pool. I don't mean to be a party pooper, but have you gotten some quotes for an inground pool? Depending on where you're located, the price may not be all that different all things considered.

Inground pools start around 25k in Austin TX. Its a bit rocky below a couple of feet, hence semi ground, and I'm negotiable on the deep end. It will be a lot of work for an above ground, I'm hoping the finish detail will conceal the fact its an agp and create more of a villa fountain look when complete. I'm an hvac contractor and my season is finally over. I should be slow for about 4 months, this will be my winter project this year. Attaching pool to spa, supply line from pool pump tee'd to 1 or more extra jets added to jacuzzi, add ball valve and check valve. Plumb a spa drain at the water line to send excess to pool. I'm not trying to heat the pool with it, really just aid filling and balancing the chemicals, plus water fall.

Welcome to TFP! I lived in Austin for 20 years and know exactly what you are talking about as far as digging into that soil.

Have you ever installed an ABG pool before? This is a significant undertaking and is much more involved than putting up an Intex pool.

I have not installed an agp before. I have watched all the doughboy installation videos. Something I didn't mention, this pool is currently installed above ground elsewhere so I have the slight benefit of seeing the finished product, tearing it apart, and hopefully reinstalling correctly. I will replace all hardware with new stainless, paint all the coping to match my block wall finish and replace the liner. The metal walls are in good shape but I might paint with bedliner to lengthen underground lifespan. $5600 for the same pool new vs. $500 for used including new pump and sand filter, I'm a gambler, and hope to put the savings into installation. I've found 1 thread here following 1 guy's saga reinstalling a used doughboy, good info there.

I've seen a couple of raised block semi inground pools at a few of my a/c customer's homes but wasn't able get details, they weren't home. I've found just a few examples in 4 pool design books and haven't had much luck finding pictures on the internet. Is there a specific name to the style which I describe?

could do something like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elkndr8QXhs

I'm thinking like this one, less contemporary more rustic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gipbCv6y ... re=related
or these
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWqJaGWt ... re=related
hmm, youtube is awsome, I wonder if I combine all my pumps if I can "engineer" a poor man's swim jet...

There have been several threads on this forum of people semi-burying their AGP - one was pretty extensive too; essentially was beneath surface level - search around if you haven't already.