New Pool Build in Central CA

[carter93230]

Hello all, been lurking here for several months soaking up all of the great knowledge and info, this is really an amazing forum!

Our pool journey started out with a leak in our 3yr old AG Intex Sequoia pool that had served us well. Started looking for the leak with no luck and then decided to replace it, wife dropped the "let's just build a pool" and I sarcastically said "sure get some quotes" thinking an IG pool would be out of our price range.

Well a few quotes later and some design wrangling we signed a contract on 5/30/2012!

Here are the basic specs:

15.5 x 30 free form gunite pool with depth of 3.5' to 8' (roughly 15,000 gals)
Stamped contrete coping and deck
White plaster finish
Pentair Whisperflo pump
Clean and Clear 420 filter
Polaris 280 pool sweep
Intellibrite LED light
Easy touch control system w/ remote
Guardian safety fence

Here is the design-

Goal was to utilize the smallest part of yard for the pool and deck areas while preserving a large area for the swingset and grass. We didn't want our backyard to just be all pool.

 

[Christian]

Looks good! Make sure to post plenty of pictures for us all to drool over!

 

[linen]

Welcome to tfp, carter93230

Looks like a nice design.

 

[carter93230]

The Dig

Our dig was scheduled for 6/8/2012

PB came out the day before and marked out the site

My 5yr old helping cap off the sprinklers heading into the pool area

Excavation day!

Here we go-

Son pulled up a chair to watch all the excitement

Breaking out the existing concrete

Excavation site laid out

Time to dig

All dug out, started at 8 am and were finished by 3

 

[carter93230]

Plumbing

Pool was plumbed the week of 6/11

 

[carter93230]

Steel and Gunite

Steel was done on 6/23

Gunite crew was backed up and ended up shooting the pool on 6/30

Sand and mortar trucks

Air compressor

Shooting the pool

All done, they knocked it out in about 3 hours

My 2yr old daughter approves

Spent the next week watering everyday while the gunite cured, thank goodness for good help

 

[Christian]

Yay pictures!

 

[cramar]

Those little ones are gonna love it!

 

[carter93230]

Waiting and Tile

Project slowed to a crawl waiting for tile and we went into pool construction purgatory! Our builder only subs out the Gunite and does everything else himself and their tile crew got hung up on another job, so we basically did nothing for 2 weeks.

In the meanwhile my son determined that there was indeed enough water to swim.......

Crew came out and filled in all the trenches and did light grading on 7/16 and the tile went in on 7/19 (Finally!) I was also able to get all the irrigation put back together along with new irrigation around the pool before the decking phase got underway.

 

[imrodee]

Very nice design, while keeping the play area! Good job!

Happy little guy you've got there.. LOL!

 

[carter93230]

We have a deck!

Things seem to be rolling along nicely again!

PB came out on Tues 7/24 and laid out the deck area and then called us on Thurs and said deck would be going in on Fri 7/27

Deck area lined out (we ended up expanding it a little further out than the original plan.

Didn't get many pics of the forming and pour, crew showed up with 12 guys at 7 to start forming and then started pouring at 9:30, I didn't want to get in the way!

First truck (it took a truck and half to do everything)

Working the concrete

Guys were done by 3, all of the decking has the release powder on it still so the final appearance will be different

Crew will be out today or tomorrow to pressure wash the deck and then equipment and electrical will be installed. We are shooting for plaster by the end of the week so there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

 

[linen]

What is the raised area (upper left of drawing)?

 

[imrodee]

Maybe the pics are too far away, but did they put steel in your decking?

 

[carter93230]

What is the raised area (upper left of drawing)?

It's a jumping platform, on the deep end side, also could be used as a sitting area

 

[carter93230]

Maybe the pics are too far away, but did they put steel in your decking?

No steel in the decking, soil around here is sandy and stable. Reenforced concrete decking, sidewalks, etc. is very uncommon. With proper compaction, expansion joint placement ,and fibermesh concrete cracking is not a problem.

 

[imrodee]

Lucky dawg... That's great tho!

 

[linen]

How are they electrically bonding it? Did they run a loop of copper underneath?

 

[carter93230]

How are they electrically bonding it? Did they run a loop of copper underneath?

Yes copper bond wire runs in a loop around the pool under the deck and it is tied to the pool shell bonding with lugs

 

[Bloomfield]

That's coming along nice. Great pictures. Thanks.

 

[imrodee]

I do like your tile...It goes really nice with your wall.