Vegasmom's Pool Build

[Vegasmom]

Thanks, TresW...I was discouraged but now that an end is in sight I'm feeling much better. Someone from the pool co. misinformed me (haha, no surprise there) about the completion of the precast. They'll have all the coping and wall caps by Mon. and most of the pavers, too. I'm told the crew will be here Monday to start and won't leave until they're done. We should have water in this pool in a couple weeks!!

Regarding the valves on the spa, I mentioned it to the super and he seemed a little confused as to why they were put there but it's one of those 'too late now' things. Again, I'm learning a lot and realize I will need to ask in the future about stuff like this. The wall cap will hopefully hide most of it.

I should be able to update with pics sometime Monday or Tuesday.

How's your build going?

 

[TresW]

Excellent, glad to hear the momentum is going your way now! Congrats!!

How thick is your cap over those air inlets going to be? Hopefully they can cut a groove under the caps to conceal those.

Our pool build is done except for yard fill, thanks for asking! I've been posting pics over on Garden Web, here's the thread (newest pics are at the bottom):

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/po ... html?26087

We have a gazebo ordered that is currently being shop-fabricated in sections, it's due to be installed Monday or Tuesday. The PB will hopefully fill all the yard ruts next week as well. Then the fence will go in and we can start messing with the landscaping. I grow Koi and they're outgrowing my pond in front of the house (in the entryway), so I'm planning a larger pond in the back that will be between the patio and the gazebo. There will be an arched bridge over the pond from the patio to the gazebo. The pond will be integrated into a "dry creekbed" design that winds around the patio and over to the equipment pad. Then the rest will be Xeriscaped. I think we're going to have to deal with it in phases over several months to soften the impact on the wallet!

 

[Vegasmom]

Your backyard looks like a very fun place! Pool came out beautiful, especially the grotto and waterfall. I had to laugh at your comment about Logan and that he'd have to learn for himself. He must have been a popsicle, LOL! The gazebo and bridge will add so much to your space. You have so much of it!! We came from a half acre and it was alot. Can't wait to see your progress. And the Koi will be very happy Good luck with the rest!!

The wall cap is 3" so it shouldn't be a problem to notch out for those. I'll still see the white dial which will bug me. I'm funny like that, but I also paid to avoid having white plastic anywhere. My sheer is stainless steel and so are the caps to my lights in the niches. They tried to bring me out white deck drain. *shakes head* How bout clear aluminum...looks like metal, you know..to go with my modern pool. That's OK, they're learning. I'll have some new dials fabricated for those, it's not that big a deal really.

The important thing is we'll both be enjoying the heck out of our pools this summer, right?! And the funnest part (for me) is almost here. Landscaping!!! I'm Vegasmom here, but Earthgirrrl everywhere else 8) I need some dirt....

 

[TresW]

Thanks so much for the kind comments! Logan was REALLY cold, and he hasn't asked to back in since, LOL! He is normally a little motor mouth, but when he got out of the pool he wasn't saying a word! I think he was in shock Our whole yard is an acre, at our old house we got tired of the neighbors' basketball games outside our bedroom at 10 at night. They probably didn't care for my loud motorcycles either, haha! Anyway, there's a nice buffer now. Keeps everyone happy!

Those white dials (and anything else you have that's PVC) can be painted to match the surrounding finishes. It looks like your pool area won't have a lot of direct sunlight, but any PVC that gets a lot of sun exposure should be painted anyway for extra UV protection. It tends to break down and get "chalky" over time if left unpainted.

Here's to hoping you're landscaping very soon :-D

 

[Vegasmom]

Well, true to form, we're behind schedule. The precast is here and correct except for all my corners. They're 1/4" off and API realizes it was their mistake. They'll remake those pieces but I may have to delay my deck install.

Here is one of the pavers. 3' sq. and 92lbs. a piece. I don't make anything easy, haha. Got a decent deal on the labor, considering.

Here are the coping and wall caps. I don't even want to know how heavy those are but I told the stone guy to have the meds ready for his crew.

On another note,
I had a sneaking feeling even before the pool was shot that they were too high with the elevation. Just from looking at those little strings. I said as much and was told it was fine. Now it's 8 mos. later and I'm looking at violating code with my deck because of my 2" coping. Which they knew about all along. I'm just a girl, what do I know? My crystal ball will make a nice fountain bath for the birds to do their doo on.

It's Thursday, and Lost is on tonight. Life is good 8)

 

[TresW]

Wow! That is some really nice precast!! They've got it staged well too. I think they're starting to get the message about how picky you are Nice to see some progress!

I'm a complete Lost freak. It's the only show that I CANNOT miss every week. Unfortunately our soccer practices are Thursday nights, but at least I get to watch it when I get home and skip the commercials

 

[Vegasmom]

Yeah, they're getting the message. As well they should for as much frikkin money I'm spending! The precast is very nice and I am really pleased with this company. They've made mistakes but at least they take responsibility for it. That's all anyone should ever ask for.

I got hooked on Lost after renting the 1st season at the video store a couple years ago. It was a 15 hr. marathon and when I got off the couch, I knew I'd never be the same. Wasn't it fun when they made us wait 9 mos. for a new epi? My daughter's are hooked, too and each week we just get more aggravated. I said we should just stop for a year and then buy the DVD so we can see it consecutively, without having to wait. :-D

I watch nothing unless it's TiVo'd. Commercials are a thing of the past!

 

[TresW]

OK now this is wild, my "Lost" story is nearly the same as yours! A co-worker kept trying to get me to watch it and I turned it on in the middle of the season a few times, but I just couldn't figure out what was going on and lost interest. Well midway through the 2nd season the 1st season came out on DVD, I had a movie pass at Blockbuster so got the first season first DVD to try again. Well that was all it took, I watched the whole first season over the course of a week or so. Since the 2nd season was underway, I avoided watching it. When it came out on DVD I watched the whole 2nd season, then started watching it "live" from the 3rd season on. I agree with you, it's more fun to watch when you see the ep's back-to-back!

Whew, that was a long story Back on the subject of pools, our gazebo is done! Here's a pic I took one foggy morning:

http://www.treswright.vervehosting.com/ ... 47-fog.JPG

I hung a "hammock chair" in it which is awesome, it feels like floating on a cloud!

How are things going in Vegas? :-D

 

[Casey]

Vegasmom,

I so hope you are gonna be able to swim soon! You have been through so much with this pool build!

Good things come to those who wait! 8)

 

[Vegasmom]

That's funny, Tres. I don't know what we're supposed to do when they end it. I've never been this into a show, and I was a die hard Survivor watcher for many years (not anymore though)

That is a very cool photo you took. Nice gazebo, you will love it when the summer hits. We thought about doing a permanent shade structure. I looked at everything...shade sails, Vergola roof system, custom built wood, etc. etc. Our yard is so small, though and we didn't want to close it off. Plus I love the look of umbrellas so that's what we'll do. I've got 2 sleeves built in my BBQ, too.

We spent last night at Mt. Charleston. Woke up to about 10" of new snow. The dog and kids were in heaven!

Thanks, MamaG...it has been a long road. We're almost there!

 

[Vegasmom]

After a week delay, we are finally moving forward with the coping. Here's a couple photos, they're not great as it was dusk when I took them. My excitement towards this stage is dampened by a new issue. Our curse continues....

This is blue limestone, but not like any I've ever seen. When I walked through Walker Zanger with the showroom mgr. and my landscape guy (who's doing my BBQ) after not seeing another stone I liked as much as the BL (which my landscaper has on a BBQ in his showroom) I was told they were out of stock but they could get it. My very next question (and a major concern as I've worked with natural stone long enough to know each slab can be very different from the next) I said "Do I need to hand pick this stone? Is it uniform in color? I was told I didn't need to worry. Well, now I'm worried because this is what they brought me. Fingerpainted Lagos Blue. Keep in mind my countertops are 8' x 10' and all 3 slabs look like this.

WZ's position is just what I told landscaper guy it would be. I'm S.O.L. because it's printed everywhere it could possibly be "imperfections and inconsistencies are inherent to natural stone and may not match sample" or words to that effect. I'm not an idiot, and that's why I asked the question.

LG said he'd call them again tomorrow and get back to me. I'm so disappointed.....

 

[Vegasmom]

Good news on the limestone fiasco...apparantly, Walker Zanger is aware there is a problem with this batch of stone that came in. They've had other complaints/refusals and are currently trying to get in a shipment that is more consistent with what they normally carry. *whew*

Am meeting with deck guy shortly, coping install is moving along fairly quickly. Out of fear of jinxing myself, I hesitate to say this should be the end of the problems, LOL...but I'm hopeful :-D

 

[Vegasmom]

Since this is my only formal documentation of this build, I will update my latest. But not before asking a question, or two.

Who would generally be put in charge of measuring for a coping installation? Logical answer would be "the guy that's doing the install"

Who is generally the person that measures for the amount of tile needed on any given tile job, be it for a pool or otherwise? Logical answer would be "the guy that's doing the install"

On my pool build, a salesman measured for my tile, the tile guy measured for the tile, and who's numbers do they use? The salesman. No, I'm not kidding. And the owner wonders why he's stuck with $4K worth of extra tile. Smart Pools. Really? Fooled me. This was something that actually came up a month or so ago but I didn't go into it because an argument stemming from this mistake is still not resolved. This same salesman is the one who conviently lost a lot of pertinent information leading to many problems.

To continue, instead of getting the masonry guy to measure the coping, they had a super do it. Now I'm stuck waiting another week because I'm short 11 pieces of coping and 4 wall caps. You've seen my pool so far. Not really that complicated. It's a rectangle with a few turns. Not to mention some pieces were ordered wrong but I still have to pay for those, plus the extra they didn't figure for. And each time they make a new batch, the color changes.

I'm not mad. Getting mad doesn't change anything anyway. I think I've transcended anger and have found peace on some plane of existence lest I lose my mind forever. Guitar Hero may be helping. I keep telling my children (and the dog) that we *will* be swimming soon. The kids don't believe me and the dog has learned to snort. I continue to 'blog' here truly in hopes that I can save someone from the mad existence I have endured these last 10 months. I keep thinking there is some lesson that I need to learn and that's why I'm going through this. I just wish I knew what it was so I could move on already.....

 

[TresW]

That is unbelievable!!! Well, it would be unbelievable on anyone else's pool Those people must be complete buffoons when it comes to take-offs. What is really amazing is that the tile guy came up with one number and the salesman with another and instead of saying "Why the heck are the numbers different?" They just picked one and proceeded with the order! You're going to need a loooooong vacation (somewhere else) after this project is finished :-D

And just to distract you for a moment, I HATE that they plan on cutting Lost off! Argh! I guess we'll have to buy the DVDs and just watch it over and over again

Still no swimming here. Water is 60. I'm beginning to think I'm just maintaining a big water feature, LOL!

 

[Vegasmom]

A vacation sounds really good :-D Somewhere I can actually see water. You'll be swimming before you know it. I am so sick of looking at gunite I can't stand it. Here's a sign our luck may be changing...

We live in a small gated and builder is still building and at the same time trying to sell homes. Paver guy dropped off a trailer that's holding 12,000 lbs. of precast for my deck. It was only put there yesterday afternoon and it would take 5 guys a whole day to unload it, so paver guy left it. Builder was going to call a tow truck and have it taken away. He's the kind of guy who wouldn't ask questions first, but he got busy and didn't get a chance to call them. I saw it sitting there but didn't realize it was full of my pavers because I hadn't paid the balance and didn't know they'd been picked up. Can you imagine if they'd towed them away?! OMG.

I seriously think the worst is behind us now. Fingers crossed as I haven't seen the pavers come out of the trailer unbroken. *says a prayer* Coping is all in, they'll finish the top of spa wall caps today, deck guy comes tomorrow and says he'll be outta here by Fri. Pre-plaster inspection, plaster, fill!!!

Will update pics later.

P.S. No new Lost for a bit

 

[TresW]

A vacation sounds really good :-D Somewhere I can actually see water.

Hahaha! Maybe I should go on vacation somewhere that I could swim

That's great news that you've got some momentum now! Hopefully you'll be blissfully relaxing next to some soothing crystal-clear water soon :-D

P.S. No new Lost for a bit

WHAT??? Say it isn't so! We were vacationing in the Ozarks and I missed it last Thursday. I'm going to try and watch it online this evening.

 

[wardsntx]

So it's been awhile since I visited my old friends at TFP and I am shocked to see you are still building!!!!!! Vacation my butt...you'll be ready for retirement!

Keep the info coming. I kow this has to be killing you.

 

[Vegasmom]

Hahaha! Maybe I should go on vacation somewhere that I could swim

LOL, Hawaii sounds perfect, don't ya think? 8)

WHAT??? Say it isn't so! We were vacationing in the Ozarks and I missed it last Thursday. I'm going to try and watch it online this evening.

What, no season pass?! I have what I thought was the last of the Tivo's, but Ellen gave one away today. When this one crashes, I need to have another one lined up...


Here's progress from today. Paver guy and his crew are doing a beautiful job on the deck, but it's slow going. They have to float it quite a bit.

You can see the completion of the wall caps on the spa in the photo. Originally, it was going to be tile on top there, but the wall heights were played with to make the seating area wall on the opposite side look balanced. It got a little weird by the spa. I think we should have kept the top tile. That's the only thing I would change, otherwise...I think all the precast turned out really nice.

Sam on watch

My nearly impounded pavers

Treadmaster Commercial Aluminum deck drain

So they'll be back tomorrow and it may take Mon. and Tues. laying these. Our patio is around 800 SF. But at least it's finally getting done. :-D

 

[Vegasmom]

So it's been awhile since I visited my old friends at TFP and I am shocked to see you are still building!!!!!! Vacation my butt...you'll be ready for retirement!

Keep the info coming. I kow this has to be killing you.

What's going on, Jay? :-D Hope all's well and I know you are getting ready to enjoy that beautiful pool you have! So, yeah, still here. I changed my ringback tone to John Lennon's "Watching the Wheels" ...

Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if I've lost my mind,
I tell them there's no hurry
I'm just sitting here doing time....

I've got my eye on a margarita machine. I'm gonna start early. 8)

 

[Vegasmom]

Did you guys know Nevada is below the national standard in math? Why, yes, you say. But what does that have to do with your pool build? I'll tell ya! This is the 2nd time they've measured incorrectly. Well, I guess they did it all wrong just once but we're only now realizing it. Short 10 pieces of 3' pavers. Cha-ching, that'll be $700 more ma'am

So, in looking at the bright side, the deck is done. Won't hold up inspection. API (they thought they were done with me!) will make 12 more (to allow for additional, inevitable error) and it should be ready in a couple days. Thank the Lord they're local or this would be a complete nightmare.

Now all that is left is the inspection (bribe money in hand) Just kidding. Not really. They need to grout and bring my firepots, plaster, and voila! 8) I'll throw down a few more coats of sealer on my precast, landscaper finishes BBQ and plants, a little paint, we're done. Then I'm gonna hock my indoor furniture so I can afford outdoor furniture.

Here's some more pics