Recent content by MikeLWX

Lawyer up. For others, it’s a lesson in vetting your builder and being informed/involved with the build process.

From orbit? Sorry, but “satellite” views on consumer mapping sites are just aerial photography.

Looks great! You're doing what I would like to do.

Heat pump/AC units for home use aren't plumbed for pool use.

Would it be better to use a cartridge filter in that case?

Stand alone spas are dead easy to maintain, water-wise. Depending on how you do things, you can get a built-in look. There's also the advantage of being able to use it in the winter. I've got a drop-in spa on my deck that's shaped a bit like a comma. Fun shape, holds six adults, but... what...

Have you thought about water management in the garage? I've got an older indoor spa, and its equipment is in my basement workshop room. Whenever there is a problem with any of the equipment, I get water in my workshop. In the three years I've owned it, I've had seals on the pump go twice...

I'm not talking about safety. Those concerns are obvious, and you believe them to be manageable. I'm just bringing up the point that building this will likely strip you and your family of the financial protection provided by insurance. It's something people often don't think about. The other...

All I see is one giant liability. Safety concerns aside, if something were to happen you're likely to lose whatever assets you have. Your insurance will claim you had an uninsured, unreasonable hazard and void your policy. That'll leave you twisting in the wind--and that gallows metaphor...

When you say that the sub took $375 from you, do you mean that you paid him or that he stole it from you? What did your contract say about costs exceeding the estimate? If you didn't have a contract... well, there's a lesson in that. I'd suggest you document things carefully and impartially...

Here we call them faucets or spigots. Or, as my wife often says, "the outside hose thing."

I'd suggest that the "specs" are the easiest part of the process. I'm looking to get started hopefully next year with a pool, and the equipment/specifications are the easy part of evaluating a builder. It's a straight apples to apples comparison, even if there are differing brands of equipment...

Sounds like a sure way to get water in the basement. Either through a failure or through condensation. The pool would have to be right up against the foundation, too. And you'd still have a two-foot distance from one side to the other. There's a certain creepy factor to it, too. If you're...

Are auto-covers an option with an L?

Thanks. I'm not attempting to raise any levels of paranoia, I'm simply stating what is important to me. I'm not concerned about these companies accessing pool data--I'm concerned about them knowing more about me. And yes, they get another data point each time I use them as an authentication...