New build in DFW

[duylinh]

Hi Everyone. We finally received three bids and unsure about the equipment and steel/gunite structure as this is our first pool build. I was wondering if everyone could please take a look and provide your recommendation? One builder has all these fancy A&A parts to improve circulation and energy saving and sounds really great. We are just unsure if that is worth it for the premium.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!



Builder 1.
Size - 34 x 17, 102 perimeter
Steel - 1/2" on 12" x 6" reinforcement centers 1/2" 4-bar box beam
Gunite - 12" x 12" beam, 6" walls, 6" floors, 8" coves
Hayward VS HP Tristar Pump
Hayward 525 Cartridge filter
5 returns, 2 skimmers, dual drains
Lueders Coping, Travertine Deck
Wet Edge Satin Matrix level 1
1 Colorlogic
Hayward On Command Base (no actuators)
Inline Chlorinator
$56,500

Builder 2
Size – 35 x 17.5, 105 perimeter
Steel - 1/2" set on 10” centers with 5”x10” stress & coves
Gunite – 1/2” 4 bars 12” x 12” continuous beam, 6”-8” 6 sack mix
Jandy 2HP E-pump with controller
Jandy 460 Cartridge filter
5 returns, 2 skimmers, 2 drains
Lueders Coping, Travertine Deck
Wet Edge Satin Matrix level 1
1 Jandy Watercolor LED
Iaqualink smart phone controller
Inline Chlorinator
$56,162

Builder 3
Size – 33 x 17, 101 perimeter
Soil Injection (refuse to build pool without)
Steel - 1/2" set on 10” centers, box beam 4 continuous 1/2”
Gunite – 1/2” 4 bars 12” x 16” continuous beam, 6 sack mix
Jandy VSPlusHP
Jandy 460 Cartridge filter
A&A quikfresh circulation plus
A&A Channel Drain
A&A LeafVac
2 A&A Quikskim – venturi skimmer
Lueders Coping, Travertine Deck
Pebble Sheen
2 Jandy Watercolor LED 30watts
Jandy PDA-P4
Rainbow Inline Chlorinator
$61,500

 

[bmoreswim]

My quick comments:

The channel drain from PB 3 is a nice thing to get. They look nicer than round drains and are more efficient at capturing debris that is swept towards them. Should be very little premium thought - hundreds maybe. The other circulation stuff is not a big deal. A properly designed pool will circulate water well.

One Hayward Colorlogic or Jandy Watercolors LED on a pool that size is insufficient. Don't let them talk you into getting just one. It will be too dim and there is no easy fix. Ante up and pay $500-750 for a second light.

How do you plan to chlorinate? Bleach, SWCG? HIGHLY recommend a SWCG.

Automation - How much do you want?

 

[duylinh]

My quick comments:

The channel drain from PB 3 is a nice thing to get. They look nicer than round drains and are more efficient at capturing debris that is swept towards them. Should be very little premium thought - hundreds maybe. The other circulation stuff is not a big deal. A properly designed pool will circulate water well.

One Hayward Colorlogic or Jandy Watercolors LED on a pool that size is insufficient. Don't let them talk you into getting just one. It will be too dim and there is no easy fix. Ante up and pay $500-750 for a second light.

How do you plan to chlorinate? Bleach, SWCG? HIGHLY recommend a SWCG.

Automation - How much do you want?

Thanks for the comments. I didn't think all those parts would be $5000 more but the builder is very reputable here in the area so we are still unsure. Builder 3 has no bench in the bid and the deck is much smaller compare to the other two builders, 333 sq ft vs 450 sq ft.

I was going to upgrade the lights, maybe 3 or 4 nicheless led. We will be using bleach or SWCG, still undecided at the moment since we do have a lot of stones for coping and deck and don't want to seal every year.

The equipment pad will be behind our A/C units and there is no gate from our house directly there, we have to go outside and walk around the house to the equipment pad so we are looking for a remote or using our cell phone. There is no spa so we don't really need much automation.

 

[mgmoore7]

Agree on getting more than one light.

Pass on the inline chlorinator (retail is less than $100) and get a SWG. It will cost more but well worth it.

Be sure to get a suction line installed. Even if you get a robot for a vacuum (most will recommend that), the suction line is handle to manually be able to clean the pool.

 

[defasum]

Specs are very similar to my build and in the same town. I'm on decking stage. it's been postponed for a week now because of the rain. Likely bid with the same builders. Happy to share my experience so far about pool builders in private message you would like.

My build is here

 

[gocubs418]

#3, is Claffey right?

 

[duylinh]

#3, is Claffey right?

Good guess.

 

[duylinh]

Thanks Matt. Can you explain the suction line, how do we manually clean the pool?