Started interviewing pool builders in September. Full warning, my wife and I are Engineers and project managers, but have no pool building experience. After some financial set backs with rent houses we finalized on our pool builder in December. We selected Stone Ridge Pools out of Hockley Texas, because Bill Barker the owner, is the salesman and the foreman. He has also been very flexible with changes with an upfront costing strategy so that I do not feel like I am being taken for a ride. Everyone deserves to make a profit,.....I just don't want them to make their years worth of profit on me. So specs: started as a 38' x 18' rectangle pool with a 7' x 9' spa on the end. This has now changed to a 41' x 17' rectangle with a 7' x 8' spa on the end. There is a 6' x 6' sun deck/splash pad. The pool starts at 3'6" and goes to a depth of 6'6". On the deep end there is a stepped raised wall that starts at 12" and steps up to 24" in the corner. I am attempting to hid the lovely green transformer box in that corner of the yard. There will be 4 qty 18" scuppers in the stepped raised walls. Due to the high cost of copper scuppers, my dad and I are planning to build these in his radiator shop (Liberty Radiator and Muffler on the NW side of Houston) due to the high cost. Building custom radiators has got to be far more complicated. I am planning on a in-floor cleaning system, due to the resistance my PB ran into signing up to be a PV3 representative, I stumbled across the Blue Square guys on TFP post about a South Texas Pool build (very nice pool BTW). I was hooked. Loved the "Eclipse" main drain that blends in with the floor, especially for use in the spa where there would be a flat surface to stand on. The leaf canisters are back at the pool equipment and we have decided to put two in parallel so when the oak trees drop acorns and leaves, it will have some capacity for me to get home from work to get the baskets cleaned out. And the 6 way Q360 cleaning valve has a cool looking blue impeller that spins based on flow rate so it works even with really low flow rates. Bill was able to get signed up with Blue Square within a day and get the equipment on order. Mike Long at Blue Square has been very helpful and answered all of my "engineer" questions, even though I'm the pool owner, unlike other companies. I want a salt system because I want to be able to open my eyes underwater. We are also going to add in tablet chlorination for during the Houston July - September hot season. I want to put in an Ozone system to reduce the required chlorine generation. My plumber is recommending the Ozone to go on the suction side due to many failures he has witnessed on the ozone components when placed on the pressure side. I have no real opinion on this but like the idea of the longer residence time of the ozone going through the pump-filter-heater-salt cell-cleaner before disbursing into the pool. Pumps: I am planning on 3 qty Hayward Ecostar VS pumps. 1st pump will be for the main drain, skimmers, filter, heater, salt cell, in floor cleaning can be selected to go from pool, to swim jet. or spa. 2nd pump is for the scuppers and swim jet. 3rd pump will supply deck jets and/or LED gushers or swim jet. The swim jet design is the Waterway Old Faithful 4 jet system from 3 pumps. My pump distance is a little longer than they recommend, but i'm not going to add dedicated pumps next to the pool just for the swim jet. I'll be lucky if I use it 20 min a day. The deck jets are the Crystal Fountain units, 2 sets of 4. We are on the wait list for the Hayward Omni Logic control system. Coping is a 5cm Silver Travertine with an eased edge. Waterline tile is an 8"x8" Glass tile called Metallic in color Atlantic. The spa will have a similar glass tile in a 1"x2" mosaic for the waterline down the back to the seat. The waterfall from the spa to the pool will also have the glass metallic mosaic tile. The spa is 18" raised with silver travertine ledge stone. The raised wall uses the same silver travertine ledge stone. The lights are the Savi multi colored LED lights that my PB has raved about, there are 1 in the spa and 4 in the pool. pool finish has not been picked out at this time.
Timeline:
October 2013 - Centerpoint moved the gas line house drop. It ran through the middle of my planned pool build.
March 27, 2014: First Stakeout with PB
April 1, 2014 Moved all plants and landscaping
April 11, 2014 Moved a 34 ft tall Red Oak
April 29 2014 Pool Permit goes to City of Houston
May 15, 2014: Permit approved by Storm (I have to add a 1,600 gal rain barrel to my project!!!)
May 17, 2014: Red Oak is dead (should have pruned it more!)
May 18, 2014: Final pool stake out, pool width is reduced from 18 to 17
May 19, 2014: CoH Stake out Inspection
May 20, 2014: Excavation day
May 21, 2014: In floor stub out is plumbed
Will Post pics and time lapse video when I figure out where the upload button is.
There is also a bathroom addition to the house that I will discuss in the future.
Timeline:
October 2013 - Centerpoint moved the gas line house drop. It ran through the middle of my planned pool build.
March 27, 2014: First Stakeout with PB
April 1, 2014 Moved all plants and landscaping
April 11, 2014 Moved a 34 ft tall Red Oak
April 29 2014 Pool Permit goes to City of Houston
May 15, 2014: Permit approved by Storm (I have to add a 1,600 gal rain barrel to my project!!!)
May 17, 2014: Red Oak is dead (should have pruned it more!)
May 18, 2014: Final pool stake out, pool width is reduced from 18 to 17
May 19, 2014: CoH Stake out Inspection
May 20, 2014: Excavation day
May 21, 2014: In floor stub out is plumbed
Will Post pics and time lapse video when I figure out where the upload button is.
There is also a bathroom addition to the house that I will discuss in the future.
