We have rock salt finished concrete with a color hardener. The color is sand. It is definitely a lot cooler than the flagstone coping, flagstone paths and other rocks we have around our pool. It has held up well and no maintenance.
Hello from an excited Newbie in Bixby Oklahoma!!
- Thread starter Nursenini
- Start date
We have rock salt finished concrete with a color hardener. The color is sand. It is definitely a lot cooler than the flagstone coping, flagstone paths and other rocks we have around our pool. It has held up well and no maintenance.
- Jun 12, 2011
- 3,767
- Pool Size
- 19500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pureline Crystal Pure 60,000
If you want a nice mottled stain the color should be applied as they are laying the concrete.
We love our salt finished concrete deck. It's very cool. We did not add color and really like the look. It saved us money, too.
I want to weigh in on depth and size. My husband and I were talked into the 3.5 foot depth. The PB convinced us that it would be good and it helps with them putting in fewer steps. My sun shelf is one foot down from the coping. This makes it 6 "
under water. We finally opted for a 5ft deep end. The middle is 4-4.5.
It is very nicely sloped. It is 31.5 long. If I had it to do over, I would not have 3.5. I would have 4, 5 &6. But it would rule out volleyball. So, I would have added a few more feet to the length. All in all I LOVE my pool, but I might have gone deeper and longer.
I don't think you can have too much decking. Get a portable fire pit. They are great and you can put it on the pavers with four chairs. It's great for letting kids roast marshmallows. In any case, once you decide, just go with it. It does become confusing and it's hard to know until you've done it. I love the VS pump. We are using the trouble free method. We do have a UV. We have had zero issues with our water. It's sparkly. It really is trouble free.
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I want to weigh in on depth and size. My husband and I were talked into the 3.5 foot depth. The PB convinced us that it would be good and it helps with them putting in fewer steps. My sun shelf is one foot down from the coping. This makes it 6 "
under water. We finally opted for a 5ft deep end. The middle is 4-4.5.
It is very nicely sloped. It is 31.5 long. If I had it to do over, I would not have 3.5. I would have 4, 5 &6. But it would rule out volleyball. So, I would have added a few more feet to the length. All in all I LOVE my pool, but I might have gone deeper and longer.
I don't think you can have too much decking. Get a portable fire pit. They are great and you can put it on the pavers with four chairs. It's great for letting kids roast marshmallows. In any case, once you decide, just go with it. It does become confusing and it's hard to know until you've done it. I love the VS pump. We are using the trouble free method. We do have a UV. We have had zero issues with our water. It's sparkly. It really is trouble free.
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Nini,
I meant to advise you about the actual steps. Be sure the rise is not too high. Ours is one foot. That is way too much when you have any mobility issues at all (knees, or hip or anything). You will live with your pool a long time. This to me is the one thing I would absolutely change!
But it's too late of course. [emoji3]
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I meant to advise you about the actual steps. Be sure the rise is not too high. Ours is one foot. That is way too much when you have any mobility issues at all (knees, or hip or anything). You will live with your pool a long time. This to me is the one thing I would absolutely change!
But it's too late of course. [emoji3]
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I've got to chime in here! Steps were one of my first concerns because of mobility issues. The first few builders I interviewed agreed to do my steps at 9 inches rather than the usual 12 inches. Then one day I was trying to get up a step at a gas station, and I had to have help. It was 9 inches!!! So I had the final PB put in steps that have 5.5 - 6 inch high risers.
I know not everyone has the same mobility difficulties, but I've been pleasantly surprised how EVERYONE who comes to our pool, no matter what their age, say they LOVE the steps. Some people have even said the steps are their favorite feature. That really surprises me. Even my granddog, Willie, found it much easier to get in and out with the steps he could easily use!!!!!
Now, there are other things about our pool I wish I had done differently, but for me, I'm so glad I did the low rise steps. Somewhere on my pool build I show some different samples of how to fit in more steps than most PB's use. I think I have 7 steps in my pool. And Helen came up with another great way to get in more of the lower rise steps in her pool build. My builder said it couldn't be done until I showed him the pictures I had found online. Then he was all for it.
Jannylee: I've missed hearing from you! Good to 'see' you!
Suz.
Yes, they do have a tendency to drag their feet sometimes, which I'm sure is very annoying on your part during the waiting. Just continue to light a fire under them as often as possible to try to speed them up if you can. Great to hear you're gaining so much knowledge while waiting, and you are correct there are some very beautiful builds on here for sure. It won't be long before you can start your own beautiful build, and giving everyone yet one more beautiful pool to drool over.Have a wonderful day, and good luck on getting everything resolved quickly.
Been sick all this week and called off work yesterday and today, so no lighting fires. I'm on them first thing Monday AM!
Have been reading through pool school..still so much to read, but enjoying the knowledge!
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Yes, ma'am!!
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Thanks for taking the time to come over to the Okie-side! Not much happening here YET! I remain ever positive and hopeful! And you are SO RIGHT about the bright side. Could be a much worse situation!
Have they finished your pool yet?? I need to get back to your thread and find out!
Thanks for the info! That's very helpful. I see so many pools with beautiful pavers and coping! I'm afraid ours will be plain. Hubs is a plain "no frills" guy, and I'm decorative, color-loving, detail person. The color/staining will depend on $$- the one thing that always messes up my fun!
Hi Jannylee! Your thread is next up on my reading. Currently working my way through Suz's!
Good news on the deck temp! We have 5 little grandbabies and hubs is VERY tenderfooted. I grew up going barefoot, so it doesn't bother me.
Do you find it slick at all when it's wet? I was wondering about that because I can loose my balance pretty easy. I get vertigo periodically and tend to roll my ankles alot due to previous injuries.
Depth- it really is my struggle right now. I like the idea of going deeper, but I know we want to play volleyball and basketball, keepaway, etc. I want a safe depth for people to jump into (not dive), but not so deep that the area doesn't get used. I think the max we can go (without using all our available deck space) is about 32-33'. Right now our quote is for 30'. Hubs will be easily convinced to get as much pool as possible since we all want to be able to swim laps.
I'm trying to draw things out. Really need to pull out the graph paper and do it with measurements so I know what we have exactly. A portable fire pit may work, I'll need to look around. I won't know what we can do until we see what we can finance. Goes back to that pesky $$! I really need to dial back my dreaming!
Hi Suz! Thanks for weighing in! I'm almost done reading your thread. What an amazing pool!!! Just stunning!
Steps!!! Yes! I have been working out how to do our steps so they aren't super high risers but also aren't taking up a lot of real estate..... I have had LOTS of knee and ankle injuries over the years (starting with a broken ankle at 4 yrs old thanks to a loose cinder block wall and a game of follow the leader), so mobility can definitely be an issue for me. Plus, I'm short (4'10 1/2"), so 12" is quite the step. I use 12" block at the gym for step ups with weights and it's not super easy. I don't imagine it getting easier as we age, either (I turn 50 this month
).I'll look back on your thread for your steps and I'll check out Helen's, too. We'll probably end up with 2 sets of steps (at least that's what I'm picturing), i'm ok with one being "workout" height, but the other needs to be "Nini-friendly" for sure.
Thanks for the input, Jannylee and Suz!
You're steps are beautiful. I wish I had gone shallower on my steps but oh well lol. I can see why they would be people's favorite.
Don't you wish we could go swim in all the TFPools? Just to really feel what we all helped make decisions on?
Amanda: Thank you! You have a great idea for newbies whose pools haven't been designed yet. I wish I could have swam in TFP pools BEFORE I planned mine.
Sadly, I've got only one friend with a pool.
Suz.
Sadly, I've got only one friend with a pool.
Suz.
So, I called our CU this morning to find out where we are on the whole title mess and was told they were "just going to email them this morning". How nice! I feel like it's the whole , "oh, I was JUST thinking about you..." kind of thing.
Anyway, I asked if it isn't more expedient to just call them and was told that you usually only get voice mail and you get a response quicker with emails. None of this has been quick, so I asked for the name and number of who they are waiting to hear from. I called and GUESS WHAT!?! I got right through to a LIVE PERSON. She tells me that "we were just discussing your title..." And that she was just getting ready to call them. I asked to please call them now and call me right back. She agreed. That was 30 minutes ago and I'm still waiting.
I think our CU would just wait and wait and wait. Frustrating.
Still hoping to close this week before our lock ends Friday but CU said there would be no problem getting an extension, although she never mentioned that last week when she told me we HAD to close by the 9th or we lose our rate. SMH
Anyway, I asked if it isn't more expedient to just call them and was told that you usually only get voice mail and you get a response quicker with emails. None of this has been quick, so I asked for the name and number of who they are waiting to hear from. I called and GUESS WHAT!?! I got right through to a LIVE PERSON. She tells me that "we were just discussing your title..." And that she was just getting ready to call them. I asked to please call them now and call me right back. She agreed. That was 30 minutes ago and I'm still waiting.
I think our CU would just wait and wait and wait. Frustrating.
Still hoping to close this week before our lock ends Friday but CU said there would be no problem getting an extension, although she never mentioned that last week when she told me we HAD to close by the 9th or we lose our rate. SMH
Hang in there Nini, and keep at it. We are all rooting for you to get everything done soon. I'm sorry to hear you were sick, and I hope you are feeling better now. Have a wonderful day.
Hi there, just came over to your thread to forget my current troubles. My husband was instrumental in designing "normal" steps for me, knowing that 12-inches would be too high, and making sure that I had something to hold because he doesn't want a hand rail. If you go to Houzz, you will find a few examples of steps like mine on very modern, small, and/or rectangular pools, always extending along one side from a corner. Tough one to figure our with a freeform pool, and we may live to regret it -- time will tell! I've never seen anything like Suz's except for here, its amazing! And one more thing to consider, an idea stolen from liners pools is to have steps that extend outside of your pool -- it looks like they are 7" rises.
My husband was instrumental in designing "normal" steps for me, knowing that 12-inches would be too high, and making sure that I had something to hold because he doesn't want a hand rail. If you go to Houzz, you will find a few examples of steps like mine on very modern, small, and/or rectangular pools, always extending along one side from a corner. Tough one to figure our with a freeform pool, and we may live to regret it -- time will tell! I've never seen anything like Suz's except for here, its amazing! And one more thing to consider, an idea stolen from liners pools is to have steps that extend outside of your pool -- it looks like they are 7" rises.That is a bummer about the credit union. I love my credit union but I have gotten to the point where I go through a mortgage broker for home loan stuff. They deal with lots of different banks, know what ones will not be a problem, and typically I get way better rates with him than I did with the credit union. The key is to find one that is good.
.
We actually got a GREAT rate from them. They are just slow as molasses in January.
Hi there, just came over to your thread to forget my current troubles.
Helen, I showed hubs your steps and Suz's steps, he loved them both! I've been looking at lots and lots of pictures and have gotten some great ideas. Thank you to both you and Suz for the stair suggestions. I appreciate the input!
Hang in there Nini, and keep at it. We are all rooting for you to get everything done soon. I'm sorry to hear you were sick, and I hope you are feeling better now. Have a wonderful day.
Thanks Crackerjacks4u! I'm better, still just have a wicked cough. Thought I had read you are a nurse educator... What's your specialty? I'm MICU. Spent all day in a CCRN review. I go back for day 2 tomorrow then work 4 12's in a row. Looking forward to Tuesday!
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Got a call from the title company today. They have some of what they need from our previous lender and should have the rest by Friday. Closing is tentatively set for the 15th. Hopefully we will have no more hiccups!
My brother in law is a plumber and he recommended we get a quote from a PB that he does work for. I set up an appt with him for Tuesday. Initially when told about our easement, his reaction was one we have encountered several times from other builders, "Can you even put a pool in there?" I told him that he would have to determine that since he is the builder and that another builder had already quoted one for us. Guess he took that as a challenge because he responded that if another builder could do it, so could he. We'll see... They are a small mom & pop company and I've never heard of them.
Hi Nini,
I think yours would be a very interesting, and rewarding specialty.
As far as me being a Nsg educator, I'm not anymore, but use to be.
I think yours would be a very interesting, and rewarding specialty.
As far as me being a Nsg educator, I'm not anymore, but use to be.
Nini, With the small company make sure to check some of their past pools to see how the people felt about how it was done in terms to time and subs and money.....
Some small companies take the money paid by pool A to pay for stuff for pool B. This is NOT a good way to do it and it might not even be legal.
Kim
Some small companies take the money paid by pool A to pay for stuff for pool B. This is NOT a good way to do it and it might not even be legal.
Kim