- Jun 26, 2011
- 22
My cabana and pool
- Thread starter Gigem
- Start date
KenGood
0
- Jul 12, 2013
- 290
Howdy Gig'em 
I'm fascinated by older pools. I can't help but imagine what a luxury they were back then? The technology had to be a *bit* more challenging, eh?
Lovely pool house! I wish I had something like that in my back yard. Well done!!
I'm fascinated by older pools. I can't help but imagine what a luxury they were back then? The technology had to be a *bit* more challenging, eh?
Lovely pool house! I wish I had something like that in my back yard. Well done!!
Can you post some pics of the pool? :-D
- Jun 26, 2011
- 22
YippeeSkippy said:
this comment got me thinking... there is a story behind this pool, I might as well share it...
Our house was bought new by my wife's maternal grandfather in the late 1940's, shortly after he returned home from being in the Pacific in WWII. My mother-in-law grew up there, and inherited the house from her parents. My wife grew up there, and 14 years ago we bought the house from my mother-in-law when she moved to the Texas Hill Country...
My wife's grandfather was a doctor. One of his sons contracted polio, and he saw his fair share of other polio cases. In the belief that polio could be contracted from public pools (perhaps true?), he commissioned this pool at some time in the mid 1950's...
I believe the builder was Paddock Pools, as the treads on the ladder have the word PADDOCK cast into them, and they are original to the pool.
Anyways, per my mother-in-law, the pool was originally painted. They would drain the pool every year or so and repaint it. One year, her father neglected to "pull the plug" in the bottom of the pool after he drained it, and it popped up out of the ground maybe 8-10 inches or so. Apparently the good doctor got so mad at himself for this error that he left the pool empty for some time. Eventually, he had the pool replumbed and terraced dirt up to the now-elevated pool. Fortunately, the pool popped pretty level. They ultimately plastered it to get out of the painting cycle.
The original pool equipment was put in a concrete walled bunker underground. When I met my wife they had already decommissioned it and put in a DE filter and pump above ground. But the old gear and bunker was still there. That sand filter was HUGE!!! I have since filled in the old bunker. The sand filter is still underground there, no chance in heck of moving it. We just cut the pipes and tipped it over. No way to tip over by hand, I ended up using a bottle jack against the bunker wall. When it fell over, it shook the earth.
When I had the pool replastered, the guy jackhammered some drainage holes. Took him a long time to get through - walls are like 10" thick at the bottom. He said he had never seen anything like it.
It was leaking, so I plugged the main drain and had some epoxy crack repair done.
It runs OK now, holds water well. You can see cracks in the flagstone I put in, I supposed it still moves a bit.
My goal is just to keep this pool running for the next few years... We are on two lots in a very desirable part of Houston. When I retire and we move out, the house will surely get torn down and replaced by two new homes... I pity the guy who has to demolish this pool!
Pictures to follow...
- Jun 26, 2011
- 22
Thanks for sharing that! It is fascinating, isn't it!? I think back then it was a very common fear that polio could be contracted in public pools. I've read that they were often shut down during polio outbreaks.
Was there originally a diving board where the two chaise loungers are now? How deep is it? I can imagine it was quite a gracious elegant thing to have a pool so long ago. How lucky for your wife to be able to live in her family home.
Gig'em
(little sister of an Aggie, class of 74)
Was there originally a diving board where the two chaise loungers are now? How deep is it? I can imagine it was quite a gracious elegant thing to have a pool so long ago. How lucky for your wife to be able to live in her family home.
Gig'em
(little sister of an Aggie, class of 74)
- Jun 26, 2011
- 22
Yes, there was a diving board there. Pool is 8' deep at the max. I actually bought a replacement diving board a while back. Nobody in town would sell me a board because the pool is not wide or deep enough, so I ended up getting it online.
My kids aren't daredevils, but my son had a big party two years ago and I took the board off because some of his friends are a little crazy. Never put it back up, kind of like it this way.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
My kids aren't daredevils, but my son had a big party two years ago and I took the board off because some of his friends are a little crazy. Never put it back up, kind of like it this way.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
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