New Pool build ... AUSTIN, TX

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Formulasun

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Feb 11, 2016
10
Austin, TX
Broke ground on custom pool build in January 2016. Used Pool Studio to create design and now we are bringing it to life. 43' x 23' freeform gunite pool with spa and waterfall. I've attached some pics. #4 rebar 9"OC. 84 yards of gunite. I have purchased all the tile & stone material for coping, beach entry, spa and decking. Now I need to finalize a few other details that are more art than science .. specifically the plaster finish. I have attempted to search and read about the different options on this forum .. PT, WetEdge, NPT etc. This, in my opinion, is the most difficult decision of the 100's due to all the (unknown) variables (i.e. Pebble size, Quartz, glass, installers, live water, depth etc). So here is my question .. Can anyone provide me some clarity on which plaster finish (not considering color) is best for my pool? My original budget (based off of best guess) back in Sept 2015 had $10,000 dedicated for plaster .. I would be willing to spend a little more if I believe the value (better looking, last longer, smoother feel etc...) was there or less (obviously) if I could find what I need. What are the rough estimates of cost for each of these options (954 sqft)?

Second question ... I have 4 large (water) dogs (no kids). What filter would you recommend for this type of usage? I heard sand multiple times from other pool builders .. but DE seems to be the best. Due to the fact I have dogs would this sway people to believe sand is better for my situation vs DE?

Thanks,
Formulasun
 

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Welcome to TFP! That looks like a nice project with a great country view. Kind of like my area. I can't speak for the plaster estimates, but for the filter.....I have dogs as well. By now you may have seen the Pool School - Pool Filter Comparison page. Regardless of which filter you use though, when it comes to dogs and dog hair, catching the dog hair in something like a skimmer sock works really well to prevent overloading your pump basket or filter media with hair. Each TFP member comes to the forum with their own personal preference and experience about sand, DE, or cartridge. Each with pros & cons as you will see. The biggest thing about any of them is to ensure you have one with the proper capacity to support your pool size and hopefully keep maintenance (cleaning) to a minimum.

I'm sure many others will reply. In the meantime, we're happy to have you with us. Enjoy this great weather. :sun:
 
Welcome to the forum. :wave: It will be difficult to pick the "best" plaster. Like "best" car, etc. There are just too many variables and your personal tastes should be paramount.

Sand filters are perhaps not the "best" filter but they are for dogs, IMO. DE filters finer but the upshoot of that is it clogs much easier. I only had one dog in my pool and wouldn't consider anything but sand. Four Dogs?.....no brainer
 
dogs = sand WITH skimmer socks! You can buy hair nets for cheap on amazon to do the same thing. I hope someone who has the link will be along soon to share the link to them.

I love the shape so far! What kind of dogs do you have?

kim
 
I use the paint skimming nets from HD's paint section. They slip-over my skimmer basket nicely. But many products work good and they do a tremendous job catching dog hair, small insects, pollen, etc. Saves a lot of time at the main filter. My cartridge filter has very little hair attached when I do my periodic cleaning.
 
Cool to see another Austinite. Are you doing an owner build or working with a pool builder? I just finished my owner build in Austin. Judging by the picture, Im guessing that you're actually outside of Austin?

For finish, as others have said, I think it's more personal preference. However, I will point out that most people seem to choose the PebbleSheen (and it seems to be what most pool builders are pushing). The PebbleTec is nice due to its longevity over plaster (supposedly lasting 25+ years), and PebbleSheen is smaller pebbles and therefore smoother. Some people add in shells, blue glass, or blue luminous to add more shimmer to it.

There are several different brands that offer it. The reason I went with PebbleSheen is that there's more quality control on the installers. This was the only contractor where I asked my consultant what I needed to watch out for to make sure they do it right, and he said, you don't really need to watch them at all. They will do a great job. If you're doing owner builder, I can PM you some rough pricing info. If with a PB, it's difficult to predict what extra they will charge for various upgrades.
 
Welcome new Austin folks! From your handle I'm guessing you're out near COTA...

My builder pushed Pebbletec too, and I trust their opinion on that since they put a 15 year warranty on it and it's one of the builders that I would expect will still be around in 15 years.
 
Thank you all for taking time to read my post and all your replies. I like the 'sock' concept to filter out all the dog hair (German Shepherd, 2 Labs and a mutt). Im just west of Austin in the country .. But very close. It appears I need to talk with one of the 2 Pebbletec installers in the area. All the other plaster contractors I've met with made it sound like its all the same. Since Im new Im not sure how to PM yet (response to AND5555 's offer)
 
Formulasun,

You can click on someones user name and one of the options is PM. When they or someone sends you a PM you will see it in your "notifications" on the right hand side.

Let me know if this does not help.

Kim
 
Formulasun said:
Thank you all for taking time to read my post and all your replies. I like the 'sock' concept to filter out all the dog hair (German Shepherd, 2 Labs and a mutt). Im just west of Austin in the country .. But very close. It appears I need to talk with one of the 2 Pebbletec installers in the area. All the other plaster contractors I've met with made it sound like its all the same. Since Im new Im not sure how to PM yet (response to AND5555 's offer)
Click to expand...

i sent you a PM. You should see it at the top of the page in notifications and it should alert you.
 

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Well .. there has been no new progress yet. Have met with 4 potential sub-contractors on for Masonry work (coping, tile, waterfall rock placement,) and cement decking work. Waiting for bid to come in .. As for Plaster it's still a mystery on how to determine best answer besides color ... Pebbletec, NPT, Wetedge or generic brand made to spec by contractor of choice. I guess it will just have to come down to price & color as all the other information seems to be similar from all the vendors.
 
Welcome from another central Texas pool owner (Burnet)! That is going to be a fantastic pool. I concur about the skimmer socks...I have a golden retriever and the amount of hair is ridiculous! I have a cartridge filter so I can't comment on the sand filter. I haven't had to clean the cartridge more than average though. My plaster is a CLI pebble product. It's probably my least favorite thing about my pool. I just didn't like H&H plaster (installers) and the choices were limited with CLI. I would really research the different products and who installs it locally. I wasn't given a choice of products and didn't take a stand to change that. In hind sight, I would probably insist on more choices if I had it to do over again. In the end though, I absolutely loved my pool so all of my anxiety over these choices was for nothing. Good luck on the build. I'm excited to watch it go in!
Andrea

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
Is there a 'Austin, TX' group on this site? I've attempted to search for groups with no luck so far. I want to see if anyone has a jewelscape or Beadcrete finish that I can look at (vs a 2" sample). If anyone knows the best way to search for someone with this type of finish in the Austin, TX area please let me know. Thanks!!
 
I did a search for you. I haven't seen a build on here with Beadcrete in Austin. This guy was on the fence and said he saw a few pools with it...
El Duderino's Austin Pool Build - FINISHED with PICS

Do you have a Beadcrete installer you are talking to? They probably would be the best source for finding pools where you can see their work.

With all that said my pool is pebble sheen but it has luminous in it which is the same glass Beadcrete beads as Beadcrete pools have. The difference is my pool is 20% glass/80% aggregate vs 100% glass for Beadcrete. You are welcome to come see my pool. I am pretty close to Dripping springs.
 
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