New contract / New build - SE Pennsylvania, Gunite free form pool and spa

[RoyR]

Sounds good, didn’t see the “griddle“ part....they are deeper. I also put 45 support in a few vert corners. Nice built, 20 gauge? I assume the slide-out trash can is near the food, or even better, below the food prep area?

 

[newpoolbuild]

Amazing! I never knew that’s how they built outdoor kitchens. I wish we had your space.

Which cutout are you referring to? As you face the kitchen/bar, on the left is for a griddle which is a 10" drop and was test fit on Thursday. On the right is a 15" drop for a Kamado Big Joe which sits on a platform and not on the countertop. Countertops will be 1.5" poured concrete on top of 1/2" cement board.

 

[jimim]

looks good man. your overhang. . . the metal can support the concrete without support under it. i remember when we did my bar downstairs i didnt't want corbels under so we used a solid piece of sheet metal for support?

the other little thing i did was put my framing right on the concrete and bumped pavers up to it in case we ever want to switch out pavers. i know the brink isn't going anywhere.

IMG_5494 by Jim, on Flickr

IMG_2225 by Jim, on Flickr

 

[Gorilla83]

Sounds good, didn’t see the “griddle“ part....they are deeper. I also put 45 support in a few vert corners. Nice built, 20 gauge? I assume the slide-out trash can is near the food, or even better, below the food prep area?

Yes! Slide out trash can in the prep area (7' section to be built this coming weekend). Triple drawers I'm moving toward the bar area. Using 18 gauge for the main frame and 20 gauge for the backsplash.

Amazing! I never knew that’s how they built outdoor kitchens. I wish we had your space.

Thanks! It's been a fun process designing and learning a LOT during the construction process.

looks good man. your overhang. . . the metal can support the concrete without support under it. i remember when we did my bar downstairs i didnt't want corbels under so we used a solid piece of sheet metal for support?

the other little thing i did was put my framing right on the concrete and bumped pavers up to it in case we ever want to switch out pavers. i know the brink isn't going anywhere.

IMG_5494 by Jim, on Flickr

IMG_2225 by Jim, on Flickr

Hey Jim! Thanks for sharing that idea along with the pictures. I took the advice of supporting the overhang from the company where I purchased the materials, BBQ Coach, which advised of doing it this way. I like your idea though as it's less intrusive but I think I'm somewhat stuck with what I have for now and can make it work.

 

[Gorilla83]

Hey everyone! Been awhile, checking in here.

A few updates:
-We wound up closing the pool last week of October. It went smoothly but man I'm glad the PB covered this year's close. It was a lot of work for the 2 guys that came out with all the lines, cover, etc. I wound up doing the autofill myself which was pretty straightforward, just a little learning.

-The main section of the kitchen/bar is almost done. Over the last month really went after cement board, pouring concrete tops, rough in electrical, and installing doors, drawers, and griddle. Stone and tilework was just completed this week and when the weather permits I'm ready to seal the counter tops. Decided to go with travertine to match/coordinate with the coping. We are loving the look! Grouting on Monday is planned for the tile/backsplash area. The "big joe" kamado will soon follow once I can seal the tops.

The second "island" is getting close as well, it was framed over Christmas break, we poured the tops on NYE, and hope to get the stone work done this week as well. This new section is a bit smaller (7x3' roughly) and has a slide out trash can, more storage, and an ice maker. Basically built this section later on since we thought we needed additional prep space. Counter lighting coming up as well for both sections. Spring can't come fast enough but at least we're keeping very busy.

 

[kimkats]

That is SO pretty!!! It is really coming together!! Love all of your choices!!!

Kim

 

[l1ltaral1l]

Looks awesome! LOVE the counter top!

 

[Gorilla83]

That is SO pretty!!! It is really coming together!! Love all of your choices!!!

Kim

Thanks Kim! It's beginning to come together.

Looks awesome! LOVE the counter top!

Thank you! The countertop was definitely a learning process but well worth the time spent. I knew we didn't want granite and I knew with some help mixing/pouring it could be done DIY.

Stone work on the second piece (storage/prep area) and grouting now done!

 

[l1ltaral1l]

You know, crashing a pool party at your place is totally doable for me. I'm not THAT far away... ??

 

[kimkats]

Shhhhhhh or I will tell them about YOUR pool party coming up!!!!!

 

[l1ltaral1l]

Mine doesn't have anything (I said 'nothin!' in my head but couldn't bring myself to type it, haha) compared to that rockin' backyard paradise!

 

[Gorilla83]

You know, crashing a pool party at your place is totally doable for me. I'm not THAT far away... ??

Seriously, welcome anytime! Although in the winter not quite as fun, recommend waiting for the spring.

 

[Newdude]

Mine doesn't have anything (I said 'nothin!' in my head but couldn't bring myself to type it, haha) compared to that rockin' backyard paradise!

While i certainly agree with the point you were trying to make (awesome job Gorilla), i still must disagree. Everyone here will tell you that the best pool/backyard paradise is your own. I literally started in the inflatable pool. And not even the bigger somewhat intex style one, the actual complete inflatable wall, 18 inch high, $25 at target pool. Me, the wife and the toddler would be cooling off on a hot day and 2 of the neighbors would come over and get in too. 4 adults and a kid in one of those things ....... man did we laugh. I probably havent laughed that hard since. It was wet when we were hot. The fun ensued just the same.

 

[Gorilla83]

I'm totally slacking on updates here. Besides, we're scheduled to open the pool today so it's about time.

Kitchen is mostly complete, except that I'm going to re-seal the countertops this week with a matte finish vs. the glossy which is too inconsistent for me. Definitely have been cooking on it quite a bit though! Loving this spring weather.

Recent updates:
-Sealed countertops (although will reseal)
-Added underbar/countertop lighting (may tweak this as well as it's just a cheap ebay setup for now)
-Sealed/enhanced the travertine stone
-Finished up electrical, all outlets functional now
-CLEANED! had a heck of a time yesterday removing "extra" concrete off the pavers. Still have some to go but much better now. Hit it with the pressure washer wand a few times as well.
-Picked up a "Joe Tisserie" rotisserie attachment for my kamado. This thing is awesome!
-Added another zone of outdoor speakers in this area under the deck
-Upgraded to a 8 channel amplifier (Sonance DSP8-130) for the outdoor setups and another amp (Sonance DSP2-750) for the deck (above deck) speakers
-Added outdoor sub woofer (Sonance) to one area of the pool by the shallow end. Will be adding another soon (next 1-2 weeks as well)

Upcoming:
-Plan on adding phillips hue lighting in the ceiling fans for full color and dim control. Hope to have some pics this week.
-Install second subwoofer (buried)
-Continue to clean pavers, then seal
-Pick out bar stools!
-Re-seal counters with matte finish

 

[l1ltaral1l]

Without sounding like a creep, that meat though ?

Everything is looking amazing!

 

[Gorilla83]

Got the pool open and up and running!

Good news: No visible or apparently issues with startup.
Not as good - water is a bit 'murky' but not awful. There was also a little scaling on the walls which seems to remove easily with a brush. Beginning the testing and treatment process. Robot is in doing it's job! The PH has to go WAY down. More testing to come...

 

[Gorilla83]

OK - got the PH down, took nearly 3 gallons of 31% MA to do so, lol.

The other numbers don't look too bad!

PH: 7.5
FC: 8 (the start up crew added some powder shock, I advised a small a mount since I needed some stabilizer anyway), also added 1 gal LC 10%
CC: 0.5 (do I need to slam or is this OK?)
TA: 60 (added a little baking soda)
CA: 275
CYA: 50

Had some leftover pucks so dropped those into a floater to use them up since I need to bump the conditioner slightly anyway. The spa looks perfect but the deeper water still looks murky/dirty. I'll continue to monitor the filter, baskets, and keep vaccumming and brushing. There was a bunch of junk/mud in the robots filter already. On it's second pass now.

 

[kimkats]

SWEET! SO glad it is open! Let the warming begin!!

cc of .5 is okay. Keep the filter running 24/7 to help clear up the rest. I would also push your FC up to just under SLAM level to get every thing that might be yucky dead!

Kim

 

[Gorilla83]

SWEET! SO glad it is open! Let the warming begin!!

cc of .5 is okay. Keep the filter running 24/7 to help clear up the rest. I would also push your FC up to just under SLAM level to get every thing that might be yucky dead!

Kim

Thanks Kim! I'll add 3 gallons or so of fresh 10% LC which should bring me to 15-16. The pump has been humming along at high speed and will continued to to do so. The robot has now been emptied twice with FULL filters with junk/soot. Running him once again now. That ought to do it.

 

[Gorilla83]

Morning update:

Water is looking much better today, pretty much crystal clear. Got another brushing in early today and took a quick set of tests:

PH: 7.5
FC: 15
CC: 0.5

All good here, will keep the pump humming 24/7 for now but will dial the speed down a little bit.

Thinking about getting in the spa in a few days, should I let the FC come down a bit first? Everything else looks great.