Over my head in Wisconsin

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How many coats did you end up putting on? That LOOKS wonderful! How does it feel? Is it as smooth as it looks?

What did you decide about the water? How long does it take to cure as in when will it be goat hoof safe? LOL

Kim
 
Here is the complete Album for those interested in all the pictures!

Pool Renovation - Album on Imgur

- - - Updated - - -

kimkats said:
How many coats did you end up putting on? That LOOKS wonderful! How does it feel? Is it as smooth as it looks?

What did you decide about the water? How long does it take to cure as in when will it be goat hoof safe? LOL

Kim
Click to expand...

Nearly 3 - the last 2 were applied pretty thick.
It is pretty smooth - 1000% smoother than it was for sure!

It's already hoof safe but we dont need goat droppings in there.
It needs a good 7 days (in this weather) to fully cure before we can add the water.
 
Not sure about skill but hard work is accurate. There are so many things I would have done better had I to do it over.
I've learned a lot from this project. I knew it was a big effort but not the extent of it - Most of my time went into research and planning and I still didnt get everything right.
Hopefully others will learn from it.

We still have lots to do - lighting, furniture, landscaping, getting the pool started next season. All fun stuff!

Thanks for following - I will still post progress.
 
Tredge, What would you have done different and why? THIS is what can help others that are thinking about doing something like this on their own OR even if they hire it out. It will tell them what works or does not work.

Will you be putting water in it? Do you have a test kit yet?

Kim
 
Taylor test kit dusted off and ready to go.

I am told my water table is well below my pool since it is built on top of a gravel hill next to a giant marsh. Pretty much 0 chance I would have it pop out of the ground on me - its been empty all summer for this renovation. So I will probably wait till spring to fill.

Some after thoughts:
  • I wish I had thought about under coping LED or fiber optic lights before I had the concrete placed. It would have been nice to have that wired up - now my only choice would be to go over the deck I think.
  • I would have installed the polycarb panels over the greenhouse differently. Same result but it took much more time and was far more stressful than it probably needed to be. We didnt follow the directions exactly and thought we could do it an easier way - which turned out to be much more difficult.
  • I should have had a professional square the building up for me. I was able to do it in the end but my inexperience really showed here. A pro would have squared things up quickly.
  • I allowed the excavator to dig WAY bigger trenches than I needed. It might have made it easier to work the plumbing but it made my groundwork far more challenging. I needed to pay him twice as the backfill was as big of a job as the excavation. Big mess.
  • If I had it to do all over I might have gone with black flexible poly pipe instead of rigid PVC. There are pros and cons here but if I knew how much gluing and bending there would be involved I don't think I would try it again. Instead of trying to drain it all back to a single point as I did - having an access port to blow the lines out might have been sufficient.
  • I overestimated how much patching epoxy I would need. I spent a couple of hundred extra - this was tough to estimate so I am happier I over rather than under estimated.
  • I didnt need the fumed silica I ordered with the epoxy - it was plenty thick enough.
  • I should have planned to do something about the mud around the pool shortly after the concrete pour. Dealing with muddy shoes constantly and trying to clean the pool was infuriating.
  • I should have had a temporary tool shed next to the project instead of under the porch which was convenient but across the mud from the rest of the project.
  • They don't sell higher than 40 grit sandpaper for hook and loop orbital sanders. I would have purchased a 7 or 9 inch angle grinder if I had it to do over. I made it work with my 4.5 inch but it was a pain.
 
Wow that is a very well through out live and learn list! Thanks for the write up and thinking out of what and why.

Kim (I am proud of what you and your wife did! The pride you should feel is HUGE! You have done what many others would not even think about!)
 
We will know for sure next spring what went right but I really like the idea of the greenhouse - it just feels inviting to us.
The concrete guys were really pro - I would not hesitate to use them again. Really happy with the coping and concrete work that was done. I expect it to outlive me.
 
Looks like it turned out really well, my only concern (if I bought a house with this pool/greenhouse) would be can't use it in the winter - too cold. In the summer it is going to be like a greenhouse in there
 

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Remains to be seen - IMO pools in WI are difficult to justify since most of the year they are too cold to swim in and the rest of the time they are covered with solar blankets.
There are warm weeks where the greenhouse could be really warm but at least we will be under UV protection and under water.

The positives outweigh the negatives in my mind - but again we shall see. One thing is for sure - I will never own/maintain another outdoor pool if I can help it.
 
So an update!

The snow was a challenge for us in Wisconsin. The structure held up well but there were a couple of very heavy snows that made me nervous and I had to push the snow off from inside. It came off in spectacular little avalanches.

We did a final clean up and I finished the plumbing connections to the filter and also the electrical to the light. We now enjoy a weatherproof outlet and switch right inside the building for things like the dolphin cleaner robot and maybe a mini fridge :)

I made a stupid mistake with the SWG cell connection and plumbed it backwards. The flow needs to go one way. Since I had already torn it out I had to either get a new assembly ($700), or figure something else out.
I found a method of removing glued pvc pieces. I didn't think that was possible.
Well it is. After some blow torches and hot metal pipes I managed to do it and it is all back together the right way like nothing happened.

I also had to adjust the doors to be a little more weather resistant at the edges.

We moved in some furniture. Really helps make the place feel like a real outdoor space and with the pool empty we would just sit and look up at the stars or even the rain. The temp inside is about 15 degrees above if we keep the doors shut. That has been welcome in WI this time of year.

Next post I will talk about the big fill!
 
On a warm Saturday we decided to fill!

40,000 gallons takes a while. We have a private well with decent water so I ran two hoses and let it run.

This takes a while. It ran 24/7 for 6 days before we got to the skimmers.

The water is crystal clear at this point. I used liquid bleach to keep it chlorinated while we fill. So clear I am so stoked. At night inside the green house it is so still and clear you can see the clouds but otherwise hardly tell there is even water there.

I bought 1000 lbs of salt and the kids enjoyed skipping salt pellets while it filled. They are just begging to jump in even though the water is very cold.

Moment of truth and I get the filter ready.
Backwash well first, never know what was in that filter from so many years ago. So far so good.

Then after a final rinse, I turn it to filter.
My wife is in the greenhouse watching and as I hit the filter I can see her cover her mouth seconds later. I run over and brown clouds pour into the pool.
Plumbing in the mud was hard and apparently there was more mud in the return pipes than I thought. Ugh.

My two girls appear minutes later ready to swim and looked at the brown pool. What happened! They shreeked.
Your sister put her muddy feet in the pool, I told them. They just glared at eachother.

Lots of filtering and cleaning to do.

A day later and my wife is crying. She says she is sorry when I get home from work.
I look at the pool and it has dropped almost 2 feet overnight. It leaks.

I let it drop as far as it would. Well below the skimmers and returns. It settled midway at the pool light.

I took out the light from the niche and during construction the conduit separated from the niche. The light still works but there is a big gap where I can see stone. It was the single thing I left alone because it didn't have a problem. Regret sinks in on that decision. Why didn't I replace it!

I am now in the process of fixing that.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/113888-Pool-Light-Niche-Conduit-Break-leak

This July we plan to have landscaping done around the pool.

More pics to come.
 
Here are some update pics.

Cleaning up last night - the pool light niche appears to be fixed! Hopefully it holds.

NDwij88.jpg


This morning - the greenhouse does mist up when it is cold outside before the sun hits it.
AQFNa5m.jpg
 
LOL "Your sister put her muddy feet in the water!" You are SO a Dad! LOVE IT!

That hammock? is hanging from the supports? NICE! I love the furniture you picked!

OH my on the leaky light! :( BUT at least you are able to fix it. I hope it IS fixed and you can start on the water heating part.

I love how it looks with the morning dew on it!

Kim:cat:
 

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