Newbie Concrete L Shaped pool build.

[mirage]

Hey Matt and Frank,

Thanks for the warnings and info. Without your concerns we would have had a disaster on our hands. We delayed the pour over a week and still we had the mishaps. Next time please don't hesitate to scream and shout or . After all this is the TFP forum, not the Idiots Guide to Pool Building.

Cobra46, thanks for the pics. We made the allowance for the water leveler and if everything goes as plan we will be installing it in the deck.

Thanks.

Mirage.

 

[frankthailand]

Well that looks pretty good EXCELLENT :-D
At this stage [10 days later] what i did next was [like rendering] coat the concrete, [at the suggestion of the builder] with a mortar type mix which had waterproofing added and is usually used for laying tiles in pools, that was left rough on the outside so the pebble text had somethig rough to bond to. we used a serrated trowl

http://www.netweber.co.uk/tile-fixing/w ... backFlag=1

By the way i am not a builder so wait and see if anyone else has any ideas and maybe ask the local hardware guys as well.

ask away
all the best
Frank

 

[Henry Porter]

Hi Mirage I agree with Frank, the result looks really good
Are you gonna put on some sort of sealant on your pool before tileing or are you gonna plaster it?
If you gonna seal it please share what you will use.

//Mats

 

[mirage]

Hi Mats;

Thanks for the feedback.

The pool will be plastered with super blue diamond brite and we may add a bonding agent to the walls if necessary.

We need to finalize the water line tiles and coping but have been very indecisive. The options are to use the same pavers as the deck or use tiles for the coping. Tiles would be simple but boring, so the such continues.

Here are the pictures of the deck pavers we selected and the tiles we are considering.

What will you be using for your coping?

Thanks.

Mirage.

 

[Henry Porter]

Hi Mirage!
I shall pour my deck to the level of the poolwalls and then use a pre made brick for the coping. something like this http://www.starka.se/produkt_bilder.asp ... sten&bid=1 I would much rather make my own coping with concrete the way most of the US poolowners do but I don't think I could pull that through myself.

//Mats

 

[mirage]

Here are some pics of the form work for the deck which we began today. It should take three days to be complete the rebar and pouring of the deck slab.

Thanks for the info on the coping as it is still a working progress.

Mirage.

 

[mirage]

We finally received the pool equipment, deck pavers and diamond brite we imported. Unfortunately being newbies we ordered the valve actuators but forgot the valves and the salt cell came without the unions. This may delay the completion as it is difficult to find these items on the island.

The finishing stages are proving to be more difficult and expensive but this is not totally surprising. Having to coordinate with the electrician and plumber has been slow. We were expecting the equipment to be installed within three days but this may not be possible. The cost of installing the water line stones is almost eight times more than the cost for installing tiles so we are beginning to wonder if we should change to tiles instead.

We were also hoping to apply the bond kote and diamond brite later this week but first we need to get the equipment sorted out and installed. One pleasant surprise is the bishop hat deck pavers we choose will allow for quick and easier installation.

Mirage.

 

[mirage]

The waterline stones came out much better than expected and the pavers are installed. The equipment installation is almost completed but we are missing the AquaRite flow switch and unions. The dealer forgot to send these parts so they are being Fedex . Hopefully we will receive them on Thursday as the diamond brite is scheduled for that day.

We took a few days off from the project since we have family and friends visiting for the Carnival celebrations on the island . This was a welcome break.

Does any one know how soon after filling the pool should the salt be added? The Goldline manual states that the concrete should be allowed to cure for at least 14 days before salt can be added.

Thanks.

Mirage

 

[Casey]

Oh WOW!

Let us know when it's done so I can start packing!

 

[Henry Porter]

Hi Mirage!
Awesome tileing there mate and the building you have put up beside the pool did I fell in love with at the first sight. If you don't mind I think I will copy that idea in our project

I can't say for sure how long you have to wait before you can expose concrete to salt. What I do know is that concrete needs 28 days before nominal strength is achived and most of it's shrinkage is done. This goes for different mixtures of concrete and is a thumb of rule when you can start tileing and expose concrete to various stress.
I think that people who experience that their tile plate starts to fall off after a few years in some cases can be blamed on that the haven't let the concrete rest long enough. I have personal experience from that in our house. Former owner did some tileing job on a surface that haden't cured enough and after a few years I had to re-do it, the only thing that held the plates together was the grout in between them.
You shoulden't worry about this Mirage your builders probably knows what his doing and if you have a concrete with a lot of stones in it the shrinkage reduces. But if you can! I would wait atleast 28 days.

//Mats

 

[Henry Porter]

I forgot one thing that I think is very important for a lasting result.
Poured concrete leaves a film on it's surface that comes from when the concrete is vibrated. That film most be grinded of to secure a good bonding to materials that should be mounted upon that surface. It's a very boring job to do, I've spent a day and a half at my pool to get that done but I really think that's well invested time and worth while in the long run.

 

[mirage]

We have diamond brite !

We were invited to a day cruise today so we took a chance and decided not to stay at home for the diamond brite. We are more than satisfied with the quality of the work. Tomorrow will be the acid wash and the fill.

Mirage.

 

[mirage]

A little off topic but we thought we should share this.

Even while we were on our day cruise we couldn't help thinking about our pool when these dolphins appeared.

Maybe they knew about about the dolphin we have on the bottom of our pool.

Mirage.

 

[Casey]

Beautiful pictures of the pool and the scenery! I love the dolphin pics!

I have dolphins in my pool too!

 

[mirage]

We have water

Five months of planning.
Eight weeks to build.
Countless hours surfing TFP.
Twenty two hours to fill.
One second for our daughter to jump in.
A lifetime of future fun and enjoyment.

Thanks to you all on TFP, a special thank you to Matts, FrankThialand and Cobra46.

It's now time for pool school.

 

[Buggsw]

It turned out beautifully! What a nice place to have a poolside party.

 

[Henry Porter]

Congrats Mirage!
I hope you continues to post pics so we can follow the outdoor kitchen and everything else on this lovely pool.
I'm glad to see the colour of the water that comes with that "white" plaster(It looked kind of white in the pic you posted). If you compare it to the plastic in a skimmer for example is the plaster much duller? Anyway I hope our tile reflect the light the same so we get that water shade.

Beautiful daughter Mirage I think my daughters will follow yours and jump in after one sec aswell.

Regards Mats

 

[frankthailand]

Looks great, it really does. You should be proud :-D

I should think that pool will be will be a cinch to look after, and give you and your family an endless amount of great pool play

Happy swims
Frank

 

[mirage]

Thanks guys.

We certainly won't be going anywhere soon as we still have a lot to learn and hopefully contribute. The baullasters and outdoor kitchen are almost complete.

We installed the speakers in the cabana ceiling for music around the pool. It's amazing just how much more time we are spending outside.

Mirage.

 

[mirage]

It's been a month since our pool became operational thanks to you all at TFP. After waiting two weeks for the plumber return decided to add the salt ourselves. 600 lbs later and setting up the programing the swg we are hoping that we did it correctly. The deck jets were installed last week and was a pleasant surprise for us so we have decided to order 4 more.

Mirage.