Your build: What would you do differently?

[Veccster]

Maybe this is a bit general but I think the best thing you can do in any major project is plan for the future. Give yourself some expansion potential - whether you use it or not.

- We have an uncovered patio and I'm having the builder pour a footer in one corner. It would support a post if we ever decide to add a roof.
- I am having the electrician add a 220 line from the breaker box to a spot outside. This would be for a hot tub later in life.
- I'm laying PVC pipe under the concrete slab (buried and capped - with strings running from end to end). This would be to run landscape lighting wire down the road.
- I'm adding a port in the plumbing that can be used to add a SWG in the future - or a stenner chlorine pump.
- I MIGHT run speaker wire in conduit to the far side of our pad - for future outdoor speakers.

Think about how you'll use the pool now and how you might use it 15yrs from now. Incorporate things now that would be a pain to do later.

 

[grumpiebk]

Maybe this is a bit general but I think the best thing you can do in any major project is plan for the future. Give yourself some expansion potential - whether you use it or not.

- We have an uncovered patio and I'm having the builder pour a footer in one corner. It would support a post if we ever decide to add a roof.
- I am having the electrician add a 220 line from the breaker box to a spot outside. This would be for a hot tub later in life.
- I'm laying PVC pipe under the concrete slab (buried and capped - with strings running from end to end). This would be to run landscape lighting wire down the road.
- I'm adding a port in the plumbing that can be used to add a SWG in the future - or a stenner chlorine pump.
- I MIGHT run speaker wire in conduit to the far side of our pad - for future outdoor speakers.

Think about how you'll use the pool now and how you might use it 15yrs from now. Incorporate things now that would be a pain to do later.

I love this post. We have future plans for an outdoor kitchen and thinking ahead about the future infrastructure needed is critical. Similarly we will one day add landscape lights and I can see how we will probably want speakers by our spa which is on the far side of the pool from our home where our current speakers are. We are also running conduit to add outlets in certain areas of of the deck for night time projector use.


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[Clubhouse]

Two things ---

1) I wish I would have pulled a second 220v circuit to the equipment pad for potential expansions/changes.

2) taken a lot more detailed pictures of the underground work. I have a general idea where the plumbing and electrical runs are, but it would have been nice to document with much more specificity how deep they are buried and where they can be accessed in reference to some fixed points on our lot.

Not my wish, but my kids keep telling me they wish the pool was wider. 16' is plenty for adults, but since we ran a bench the entire length of the back wall the kids "swimming area" is only about 14' wide. Again, I don't really regret this because the scale we built fits nicely in our overall backyard landscaping and as the kids get older "soaking" will become more important than "swimming". We did leave a very nice swim lane should anyone want to swim laps so the pool is very functional from that perspective.

 

[philboyj]

Bought a robot versus a pressure cleaner and booster pump.

This too - really good decision to use a robot. Its in the pool only when I need it. Personally I hate seeing the pressure cleaner and piping inside the pool at all times.

 

[bmoreswim]

I never leave my pressure cleaner in but it cleans poorly and is hard to 'plug in'.

 

[bigevilgrape]

I didn't build my pool and I think the people who did went as cheap as possible. The biggest killer for me is not running 220 out to the pool and putting the timer in the basement. I also wish there was alight at each end of the pool.

 

[Nursenini]

I wish our bubblers were plumbed separate from the pool. I wish I would have INSISTED PB listened to me about the light placement. Our shelf is completely dark at night, a point I tried to get him to listen to, but failed. Wish I would have pushed him on a solid price for travertine instead of letting him blow me off by telling me "it'll be more expensive". I wish I would have known more about the spa plumbing before they did it, I would have added more and configured them differently. I wish I would have made the corner benches "L" shaped instead of triangles in the corners.

 

[GaryT58]

#1- Find TFP first!!!! Unfortunately found after build was complete.

Make sure SWG was size for pool at least 2x my size. My original SWG could not keep up with pool in summer - I had to also add chlorine. My new one is good for up to 52,000 gallons.

Install VS pump at install, rather than single speed. The single speed was great, but expensive to run compared to my VS. I like to run 24/7 in peak swim time.

Add a couple of pool jets (fountains) on side of pool deck to allow for cooling at nights in summer, which can be controlled with valves. I use ones now which insert into a couple of my returns. Without the fountains my water can easily get into the mid 90s.

 

[grumpiebk]

I wish I would have made the corner benches "L" shaped instead of triangles in the corners.

Nini, curious to learn more about this one. Is it just because seating is limited in a triangle or perhaps it gives you a hard time cleaning? We aren't doing triangles, but we do have angles on one end of our benches.


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[xyz]

Extra return for when I add solar.

 

[Nursenini]

Nini, curious to learn more about this one. Is it just because seating is limited in a triangle or perhaps it gives you a hard time cleaning? We aren't doing triangles, but we do have angles on one end of our benches.


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They are super easy to brush but only allow for one person to sit. If they were L shaped in the corner, 2 people could sit and chat.

 

[sbalberti]

Bought a robot versus a pressure cleaner and booster pump.

Do you have the in floor system?

 

[bmoreswim]

Do you have the in floor system?

I do not. Robot + in floor = more than necessary for most PO's.

 

[ellsian]

Things I wish I had done:

- I wish I would have put in the money to have tile accents on the steps, because without them in the water they're actually very hard to see!
- A spa, as now my husband has been talking about getting a stand alone one, but we could have added an in ground one while building the pool! Bleh
- Solar heating for the pool, but can be added later
- Remote control/Automation, but at least this can be added later
- Be more considerate of the pool equipment pad location


Things I'm very happy i did:

- Making the pool large and deep enough for diving! Everyone loves it!
- Making it salt water chlorination. It's so simple and great not having to do pucks/bleach all the time, especially on such a large pool.
- In floor cleaning! I was on the fence for a long time because of mediocre reviews of in floor systems, but I bit the bullet and went for it. It's been great! I have little to no pool maintenance besides emptying the skimmer basket Living in AZ, there's very little leafage clutter, so that's why it's easier to have an in floor here I think. It may not be so great in other climates though with tons of leafy trees. I adore mine though. I feel bad for my mother in law who lives nearby, she's always having to clean her pool and lug around a robot in and out, while I do next to nothing for mine. Heh.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

- A spa, as now my husband has been talking about getting a stand alone one, but we could have added an in ground one while building the pool! Bleh

Funny you should mention that as it is the one thing I would GET RID OF if I could rebuild the pool. If you want a hot tub for therapy purposes or for evening soaks, a stand-alone tub is the only way to go. Attached spas on pools are little more than kiddie-pools for adults, a place for the adults to hang out in when the kids are splashing around too much. I usually run my spa when the weather is a little too cold to swim so my kids can continue to play in the pool. Rarely does it get used by either me or my wife because it's not really that conformable to sit in and the jets are not very powerful when you compare it to real hot tub. I would trade my attached spa in for a larger sun shelf with bubblers any day of the week.

 

[ellsian]

Funny you should mention that as it is the one thing I would GET RID OF if I could rebuild the pool. If you want a hot tub for therapy purposes or for evening soaks, a stand-alone tub is the only way to go. Attached spas on pools are little more than kiddie-pools for adults, a place for the adults to hang out in when the kids are splashing around too much. I usually run my spa when the weather is a little too cold to swim so my kids can continue to play in the pool. Rarely does it get used by either me or my wife because it's not really that conformable to sit in and the jets are not very powerful when you compare it to real hot tub. I would trade my attached spa in for a larger sun shelf with bubblers any day of the week.

Now that is interesting! I didn't know there was a comfort difference between the two types. So maybe we are better off going with a stand alone after all

 

[grumpiebk]

All the things I wish I knew before our build

All the things I wish I knew before our build


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[grumpiebk]

Now that is interesting! I didn't know there was a comfort difference between the two types. So maybe we are better off going with a stand alone after all

FWIW, it's a preference thing. We have an attached spa and use in 3+ days a week. Certainly it's not as comfortable as most attached spa seats are not contoured, and spa jets are usually limited (up to 12). But we build ours with triple jet seats to get more of a standalone pressure experience. And our pressure is plenty strong without a blower. I've also seen others design theirs with varying depth seats also further the options. But at the end of the day for us, it really is about aesthetics and maintenance. Our spa and spillover is the jewel of our pool, aside from the use we get out of it. And I never have to worry about it breaking or maintaining a separate body of water from our pool which is one less thing to worry about.


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[Esloser]

Definitely a preference thing. I added the attached spa and it lets me keep the pool open a month later and a month earlier while still getting some use out of it. I love the pool, but it's nice sitting in the hot spa after the sun has gone down with the pool all lit up as the temperature drops.


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[ctrav]

Can you explain in a little more detail please? I am in the initial stages of deciding on a pool and any help would be appreciated.