Florida woman needs help...my head hurts looking at these quotes!

[kimkats]

I think it will end up being a hard line. It is hard to draw a straight line on the touch pad LOL

Yeah the girls are girly girls BUT they will being over BOYS!!! and THEY will feel the need to "show off" for the girls so........and yeah corners do become dirt catchers just like inside the house.

That line on the steps was a mistake on my part but I was too far along to start over. The steps are right where they need to be. I also like the bench where it is as that will be the most natural place they will want to get out. Now a bench on the other side as well would not hurt at all.

The shelf further out so you can see if from the patio..........are you talking about making the pool longer? I don't see why you can't do that or just moving it up some. You know your property lines and easements better than I do.

Now if you can move the pool up some.......................I have an idea I will play with when I get home this after noon!

Kim

 

[ckinchen]

Great idea @HermanTX ! Also not sure if this makes any difference but my husband said he does not think we will have any problems with cleaning the corners because where the pool is located gets a lot of sun. A long long time ago he was a YMCA Life guard so I think that is what he is basing his knowledge on . I assume more sun means less mold or whatever grows on the tiles.

 

[ckinchen]

@kimkats I didn't even think about dirt! This is how little I know about pools. Yes, I do want to push it out a little more. I don't think they pushed it out enough, but it is hard for me to tell.
Is there a program I can use to draw the dimensions and figure out what space I have? I even have graph paper but do not know how to draw on graph paper to scale. I definitely have 10.5 ft from the edge of my property. I think the issue is the 12ft easement affects the area that you walk around the pool and causes issues. I would love to see what your ideas are!!

 

[kimkats]

Here is one idea. Take a pic of your yard from the top of a ladder where you want the pool THEN use a paint program to draw where the easements are. OH WAIT!!! I just remembered something.......hold on a min..................I found it!!!!

NPT Backyard App - Apple - Make Your Backyard Dream a Reality | NPTpool.com

NPT Backyard for Apple phones places the pool of your dreams right into your own backyard. Picture a new pool or remodel your existing pool. Select your favorite tile, coping, finish, and decking, then see it in seconds with the NPT Backyard App.

www.nptbackyard.com

See if this works!

 

[ckinchen]

@kimkats This is great! I am going to get!

 

[ckinchen]

@kimkats So tried that app but it wasn that helpful, maybe I was doing wrong. I then saw a picture with multiple lines and decided I don’t like that at all( see pic.). So I am going to stick with the original design however another pool builder was able to make it bigger, which I want. I am a simple person, I like clean straight lines and it will drive me crazy if not straight . I attached the pictures of the pool I saw that made my decision and also the updated size. Pretty sure we are going with builder 3. Going to their office on Saturday and should be signing contract very soon! Let me know if you have any more design ideas and thank you so much!

 

[kimkats]

I hear ya! That looks nice! I would think about them rounding the point just a bit to cut down on bumped heads.

Now share their equipment ideas so we can go over that to make sure you are getting what is best for YOUR pool!

Kim

 

[ckinchen]

@kimkats So I think I will keep everything in the 3rd quote, pretty sure going with builder 3. Seems like that one was liked the most too. I just need to inquire about upgrading the filter to 320 as was suggested, adding a 2nd skimmer, confirm the anti vortex drains are not SVRS, make a decision on lights ( leaning towards standard ). The only other thing I am not sure how works is the robot. A pool builder said I will get a great coupon from Pinch a penny for a big discount on a robot and cheaper to get there. Apparently somehow the pool store gets a notification of permit and will get a coupon. But does that mean I need a valve/drain in pool to run robot? Not sure how that works. And I need to decide on quartz finish which is standard or upgrade to mini pebble for about 2k. They say mini pebble is lifetime so if that is the case that sounds like a good Investment. Do you know?

 

[kimkats]

Good on the equipment!

Robot=power outlet to plug it into. It has a LONG cord. The outlet needs to be ??feet?? (forgot how far) from the edge of the pool.

I will tell you that Pool Builders warranty is just like the bug man's warranty...........they will find a way to wiggle out of it

Kim

 

[ckinchen]

Great that you are venturing into pool ownership. You have 2 nice designs.
The 1 with multiple views - suggest you consider moving the bench (in deep end) to other wall as you already have a cutout for it. No sense in protruding a bench into the pool if you have a cutout.
I tend to lead to the other design (the single grayish photo) that has the bench on the deep end wall. it seems very spacious. Not sure if that is one that you have concerns on the size.
Hayward and Pentair are the better equipment manufacturers with decent warranties and allows you to source all equipment from 1 mfgr. i.e. pump, filter, salt chlorinator (if you go with that), heater (notice that was not included and maybe you do not want that),
I calculated about a 14,000 gal pool. Similar to what I have. I have 2 skimmers as wind does more to affect picking up surface matter (leaves, bugs) than circulation. You may want to discuss that with pool builder regarding 1 vs. 2 skimmer placements.
You may need to push the pool builders to requote once you refine your needs and the layout of the pool. They work on square area as a base model for pricing then increase based on upgrades to size or equipment. It is the only way you will be able to get some sense of equality. Now a big factor will be the attitude of builder. You need to feel confident that he is listening to your needs and not just pushing what equipment he may have handy or available. Good Luck. I am sure many others in the forum will chime in.

So I met with the pool builder yesterday. He said we really do not need a 2nd skimmer. I wonder if we should push for one. Our pool won't have a pool, open, good 60 or 70 feet to any tree. Everything is adding up so quickly and I don't have anything fancy besides a bubbler and pebble. It should be a 14x31 pool, I think sunshelf is 5 or 6 feet inside the 31. I am not even sure what the cost is of a 2nd skimmer. Do you feel having a 2nd skimmer made a big difference in keeping your pool clean? My hubby seems to want to get a service so not sure if that would take care of the work of a 2nd skimmer.

 

[kimkats]

If you don't have a big problem with leaves in your yard then one skimmer should be fine. We can/will work on the circulation of your water to make sure it is moving everything to your skimmer like it should be.

Caring for your pool once it is done.........a service is not the best way to go..........they do what is calling "splash and dash". This is where they pour in chemicals at a very high level in hopes some of them will still be in the pool by the time they come back the next week. THis means the levels are very high right after they leave and goes down afterwards. This is not good for your pool surface, equipment, or your body/skin/eyes.

We can teach you how to care for your own pool. It is VERY easy and MUCH cheaper than using a service. We use out own test kits and stuff you can buy from Walmart, Target, Lowes, or Home Depot!! How neat is that/???

 

[ckinchen]

@kimkats That sounds great! Plus told hubby we will do ourselves to save money until pool is paid off. I had to get rid of cleaning service of house to save money for pool so no different. Plus stopped nails, fake lashes etc. Hopefully by then we have it all down pack and he wants us to keep doing.

 

[kimkats]

You will LOVE this link: Recommended Pool Chemicals - Trouble Free Pool Now do not go out and buy any of this stuff as you might not need much of it. I use chlorine and muriatic acid in my pool! That is ALL............sweet huh?

So lets talk about why you need your own test kit while the pool store will be oh so sweet as to test your pool water for free............they are nice like that UNTIL they start piling up the products you will need to buy to "fix" your water. Here is a good example of how they can get you:

If your TA needs to be worked on the store will sell you TA UP BUT if you look at the link above you will you can use baking soda. Here is the price difference:
Leslie's Alkalinity Up Alkalinity Increaser note the 5lbs is $20!! then look at this:
Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda, 5 lb - Walmart.com 5lbs for $3.53!! SAY WHAT??????????? They are the SAME thing!!!! So you can see how you do end up "paying for the free test".

Here is the test kit we think is the best bang for the buck. Test Kits The next one is the Taylor 2006 (note the 6. You do not want the Taylor 2005 as it is missing one of the major tests.

I am going to give you a little light reading so you can start to learn our "language" TFPC for Beginners

The tests are VERY easy to do. We even have videos to help you out with them!

Kim (sad about no more nails or lashes for you but a new pool will be oh so worth it!!!!)

 

[ckinchen]

@kimkats I missed this post on Sunday, sorry! I will read up, as it is all Greek to me right now! But on the more fun stuff we finalized the design. What do you think? I know you think we should round the corners, may see if they can just not make them sharp although I like the clean lines. And since they were having a special on water features, 1k off, and a bubbler did not count I asked them to add a ledge, came to about 400 after discount and I think it will make it nicer. I did the 4 foot. Only thing is its a bit wide, 2 feet. Is there a way to have a sheer decent thinner? He said needs to be that big for the equipment. I will only have a foot and a half to walk behind it. That side will not be the main traffic path, most will walk in the 6ft area if coming from the outside of the house. I attached the pictures and measurements. I was also thinking of just making the waterline tile a simple gray tile and on the ledge where the sheer decent is make that all a blingy turquoise glass. That way I don't use the expensive glass all over and I still get some bling. Let me know you or others think. Thanks!

 

[kimkats]

round the corners

I like it how it is!! The "round the corner" was for the old design where the shelf did not go all the way to that part of the pool. NOW it is purrfect like it is! No sharp edge to bump into under water! You are good to go!

I was also thinking of just making the waterline tile a simple gray tile and on the ledge where the sheer decent is make that all a blingy turquoise glass. That way I don't use the expensive glass all over and I still get some bling.

LOVE this idea! That will really set the BLING out as a special feature!

Now for the depth of the feature wall...............will do some digging to see the size needed. Here is one write up on how to install the water feature. It talks about the wall size needed.

@bdavis466 input please.

Kim

 

[ckinchen]

@kimkats I don’t see the link, did you link? I am happy you like it! The only thing is the max depth is 5ft in deep end. It was going to cost about 3k to make 6ft and my husband did not think it was worth it to gain a foot. Had to do with the slope and since Florida is sand they have to put boards, it is called shoring I believe and just too pricey. My husband is an engineer and knew exactly what shoring is. My one daughter isn’t growing anymore and only 5’1 so kept at 3 feet in shallow. Just feel bad for my step son who is 6’5, but he doesn’t come over as much as is 22.

 

[kimkats]

opps........I thought I did link to it.........will have to look for it again when I have a bit more time. Sorry about that.

So we all know someone will try to jump off the raised area the water feature is in............with the depth only being 5' that can be a big problem as they are sure to hit the bottom WHEN they do so I just thought of that with your mention of 5' depth.....

 

[Cavmedic]

I see your in Sanford.

We screened about 5 builders and picked Dreamscapes that are located in Sanford. If I can answer any questions that may help...fire away.

 

[ckinchen]

opps........I thought I did link to it.........will have to look for it again when I have a bit more time. Sorry about that.

So we all know someone will try to jump off the raised area the water feature is in............with the depth only being 5' that can be a big problem as they are sure to hit the bottom WHEN they do so I just thought of that with your mention of 5' depth.....

Yes! Already thought of that but we will just have to be sure to let everyone know no jumping. Plus I also don't want them on my pretty blingy raised area .

 

[ckinchen]

I see your in Sanford.

We screened about 5 builders and picked Dreamscapes that are located in Sanford. If I can answer any questions that may help...fire away.

Yes, in Sanford! I actually had Dreamscapes come to my house and they were supposed to give me a quote and I never heard from them again. I even emailed and texted the rep and he never responded. I know the pool builders have been slammed. I went with Atlas and so far happy. How big of a filter did you get? I was several hundred dollars to go from the 200(maybe its 220) to the next size and since they said its not necessary and every single item is adding up decided to wait on that decision. Buy boy oh boy it all adds up so quick! And have not gotten fence quote yet.