New Pool construction- Woulda shoulda coulda

[marispel]

So, we're in the throws of designing a pool for our back yard and I'm curious to get people's woulda shoulda coulda's... I shoulda put in a larger pool, I woulda added a slide...kind of ideas. My hubby wants a larger pool (22x42), while I think a smaller one (16x36) would be fine. We have plenty of space, but I would hate to put in the smaller one only to come back and say we shoulda put in the larger one.

What would you have done differently?

 

[harleysilo]

What type of pool are you considering at the moment? Have you met with any pool builders (pb's) yet? Where are you located? Got kids?

 

[RobbieH]

Salt water chlorine generator was completely worth every penny.
Having my pool equipment enclosed is a big plus to me, but I don't see it very often.
Anything that would help keep the pool clean with less effort is very likely worth your consideration.
I wish my pool had a really long bench around the front to use as a bench for sitting in the pool. I have a friend who has this, and I love it. I ony have a small set of steps leading in from one corner.

 

[8corneflakes]

full width steps is a must. great place to drink a beer or read a book. the kids play on the steps and there is still room to get in and out of the pool. also, we would be sad without our super springy fiber dive diving board. so fun to watch adults act like kids on this board. my woulda...ran plumbing for a spa...just in case.

 

[elwood58]

Having built a pool, and later bought a house that included a pool, I can give you a few observations:

1. Cleaning system is a must. In floor popups seem to do a pretty good job, and many Robots do an excellent job as well.

2. Bigger is better if you have the room. We had ten people over yesterday, so speaking from experience.

3. SWG will save time and money, while allowing for a generally lower FCC level (3 ppm). Really helps when you are away from home.

4. Auto Water Level. I think most building codes require this now, but figured I would add it anyway.

 

[HouTex]

I would build the larger of the two pools.

I wish I had gotten a two speed pump.

I wish I had chosen a better pool builder--mine used my $$ to complete a neighbor's pool and he didn't have any more projects so I was left holding the bag. Be sure to reserve about 10-15% of the contract price for 30 days or so after the pool is filled.

I like my SWG, and I like my long step and my tanning ledge.

 

[jblizzle]

Think about the guts of the project:
- separate plumbing runs for the skimmers and floor drain to the pad
- larger plumbing pipe size
Both contribute to less head loss and higher flow rates

- multiple pool lights (especially if a long pool and using color LED ... reds do not travel far in water)

While my pool volume is not huge, I have a lot of surface area which is nice because we can have a LOT of adults hanging out in the shallow end while the kids are on the slide and "jumping" board in the deeper end without feeling crowded.

Wish the pool that was at our current house had a connected spa.

 

[mhosborn]

Given a choice between a larger pool and more decking, I'd have to recommend decking is where I'd spend my money.

Other considerations I wish I'd known before building our pool:

1. I'd have an engineering company out to recommend/design any necessary drainage systems. If your yard's on a slope, talk to them about a retaining wall system. (We love the looks of our boulder retaining wall, but an engineer I had out yesterday on a different issue looked at it and said we should have called him first, as, in his estimation, a boulder retaining wall is about the worst in terms of structural integrity).
2. If you want your pool to be as maintenance free as possible, consider an automation system like Pentair's Easytouch/Intellitouch...in addition to the SWG already recommended.
3. Consider a variable speed pump....made even better when tied into an automation system.
4. Don't forget outlets to plug various things like robot cleaners into.
5. Have your builder use as many unions as possible at the equipment pad....makes repairs/modifications/improvements much, much easier later on.
6. LED lights for the pool....we love our Intellibrite lights.
7. If it's in the budget, consider an automatic cover for your pool. (I wish I'd known how many leaves, grass clippings, pollen, seed pods, etc. would blow into our pool!).
8. We chose a sand filter system for our pool because of cost. I wish we'd spent just a bit more and gone with a cartridge filter, as the water would be clearer at night.
9. Lighting at the equipment pad will make nighttime maintenance much easier.
10. Consider long-term things when choosing your equipment. For example, we had our equipment pad poured large enough to add a heat pump later on if we decide we need one. It was for this reason we had our electrician install a 100-amp sub panel at the equipment pad.
11. We didn't know this when our pool was built...but equipment manufacturers will extend their warranty if multiple pieces come from them. For Pentair, for example, if three or more items (e.g. pump, filter, lights) come from them, the warranty on all three goes from one year to three.
12. Don't be too tempted by the low bidder. ( I won't say that's what we did....but I WILL say our pool took over 5 months to complete...LOL).
13. Interview multiple builders. In our case, the builders all had different designs. After evaluating all of them, we chose the one we liked best and had the others rebid.

That's all that come to mind right now....