Disco Pool

[Dirk]

I've never done a pool build, but I've read enough about of 'em here, and lived through some other construction projects! Here's a few things I remember:

- At some point discuss the location of the trash heap. There's always one.

- And also the access: how are they going to protect your house, your yard, your fencing and your neighbors, from the big equipment coming and going, and who's responsible should damage occur.

- Hours of operation.

- Worker parking.

- Neighborhood cleanup.

I had a pool go in across the street, and it really impacted the neighborhood: parking, dirty street, noise, etc.

Good luck!

 

[kimkats]

Make sure the plans they have are the FINAL plans! So many time any past plans get used so things are not correct.

 

[mguzzy]

When I did my mom's pool.. she had already worked out the shape and size of the hole. I went out an staked out the limits of where the pool could go so they just didn't stick in any ole place... But it was a big enough area that they had some wiggle room to move it around. For example I had plans for eventual electric conduits crossing the yard. I didn't what them to put the pool there. They drew their outline within the limits of my stakes... then the back hoe showed up!

 

[Vaex]

Thanks, Dirk, Kim, & Mguzzy! Also special thanks to Dirk for the tip to check my county for the permit. I don’t think we’ll start the walkthrough today if I waited for them to informed me about the permit getting approved already. Hoping for the best!

 

[Vaex]

Have you considered... putting in the SWG after the build? You may have mentioned this upthread and I missed it. Just say we haven't decided on a system.. and have him stub space for one. Then install it after the inspectors leave. This is a fairly common practice in Texas builds since there is thing with TX PBs having a bizarre aversion to SWG's... Not that you want to negotiate another change order, I'm sure.

You may be right about this, Mguzzy. I got the email after I reiterated my request for swcg. In fact, when I got the change order, the salesman left out the swcg. I told them I’ll sign the change order once they added the system and that’s when I got that Ocean Blue should be an additional $4k. I ended up taking Blue Granite. I know whatever color is picked, it’ll be a good pool.

 

[Vaex]

Most municipalities down here have online systems to track permits that are as simple as putting in your address and checking. You can do it in a way that no one knows you're checking. Some small city/towns may not have this, but with Covid, I have noticed that everyone is stepping up their game. Check out your permitting authority (county/city/town) and see if their building department has an option to look up permit status.

Of course, if you find out that they haven't submitted your permit, or it has been approved and they haven't told you that... then you have to decide if you want to bring that up to them or not.

You should also review your engineering plans before they break ground. From another post about depth, the guy wanted 6', plans show 5'-6", walls are 5'5-ish, water depth will be right around 5'... just make sure everything in the plans matches up with what your contract says. PB will wiggle out of any issues, but the subs will build what's on the plans, so you doing a review of them will help minimize those types of issues.

Special thanks to you too, Orlando for the permit idea. That sped up the process big time. Hope we can have the dig, rebar, plumbing, and gunite before April when we teachers go back to in-person learning. That’s the best case scenario though. In any case, excited for the build and to go back to school and see my students.

 

[Vaex]

Here’s where our super duper narrow pool will be at. Mguzzy, I still look at your pool pics once in a while for inspiration. The Project Manager seems to be a nice young man. He answered all my questions, got the correct pool plan, and upfront about gunite the only sub-contractor part of the job. He didn’t look like he’s in a hurry to get out of our place so that’s a good sign. Even though it’s narrow, it’s nice to see how it looks like on the ground.

 

[Newdude]

Even though it’s narrow, it’s nice to see how it looks like on the ground.

The 33ft is the important # and that is plenty to swim in. Nobody can swim 2 directions at once no matter what they say, so the second dimension is irrelevant.

 

[Dirk]

Wow, that is a narrow pool alright! You'll have to do the laps, to stay skinny so you can do the laps!

Hey, why are fish so thin?

Because they eat fish!

 

[Vaex]

33’ -6’ for the spa and -5’ for that small Baja shelf = 22’ or almost 7 yards to swim in. About 4-6 strokes. I’ll eat more fish then swim laps fo sho!

 

[Vaex]

About keeping the real talents happy, how and what specific thing did you do to make that happen? I read about bringing the food and drinks out and keeping them comfortable by providing a cooler/fan. Any specific food and stuff? Also, when?

 

[kimkats]

Have a cooler full of water and Gatorade type drinks already in it and iced down out by where they will be working. For food it could be as simple as cookies and such. If it is in the morning you can pick up breakfast burritos or such. Lunch could be simple sandwiches. So long as it is easy to hold and eat it will be good.

 

[Newdude]

Pizza is an easy lunch. And it’s pizza.

 

[mguzzy]

Pizza is an easy lunch. And it’s pizza.

Tell me again when YOU are building your pool?... .. I like sausage and pepperoni

 

[Vaex]

Tell me again when YOU are building your pool?... .. I like sausage and pepperoni

Once I’m done with my pool, we should start a thread about skinny pool pictures.

 

[Dirk]

OK, now I'm hungry. Lunch time!

 

[mguzzy]

Even though it’s narrow, it’s nice to see how it looks like on the ground.

That is certainly going to be a skinny pool!

My favorite skinny pool was by a friend of mine who had a small backyard that was backed up against a hillside.. If you looked out the back door all you saw was a big ugly retaining wall. They wanted a pool desperately so they put in a lap pool like in the space like you have,.. but it extended the entire length of the back property. And they added a lap swim jets for when they were to lazy to do kick turns. The cool thing was they hired a sculpture to create a faux rock wall that was gunited on the hillside. It had little pockets for plants .. it looked like a real rock wall.. The combination of the rock wall and the pool jets going made it seem like they had a creek running through their back yard.

 

[Vaex]

That is certainly going to be a skinny pool!

My favorite skinny pool was by a friend of mine who had a small backyard that was backed up against a hillside.. If you looked out the back door all you saw was a big ugly retaining wall. They wanted a pool desperately so they put in a lap pool like in the space like you have,.. but it extended the entire length of the back property. And they added a lap swim jets for when they were to lazy to do kick turns. The cool thing was they hired a sculpture to create a faux rock wall that was gunited on the hillside. It had little pockets for plants .. it looked like a real rock wall.. The combination of the rock wall and the pool jets going made it seem like they had a creek running through their back yard.

Sounds like a smart move. Got some pictures of it? I assume it’s a black bottom pool?

 

[mguzzy]

I wish I had gotten some pics before they sold the house and I lost track of them... but I do remember it had a blue pebble finish. And she was totally into ferns.. ferns in pots, ferns in planters, and ferns on the wall.. all different kinds of ferns. The back yard looked like a scene out of Jungle Book.

 

[Vaex]

This reminds me of Bubba Gump and them shrimps.