- Jun 8, 2020
- 590
- Pool Size
- 14060
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I'm starting this thread to track my experiences and options with the various PBs I am working with on proposals, and to get much valued feedback from this wonderful community 
We live in central Texas, and want a pool for general family recreation. It's me, my wife, and our two kids (11 y/o son, 13 y/o daughter). We really want a natural looking pool, so not geometric and clean lines .. but more free form, with natural stone and even boulders around parts of the perimeter. My wife says it like this .... "I want it to be like I'm walking through the forest and came across this beautiful swimming hole in the middle of nature.". We do want a water feature, something like a water flow down tiered rocks. Not a water fall, but more like a single point of exit for the water, and 3-4 or 5 different pathways for the water to flow down to the pool.
Our home is in the country, outside of any city limits. We're told this means we don't need any permits, and we don't have any HOA to deal with either. We're also a cash customer, so I hope these things would allow our project to proceed at a good pace; not having to deal with financing, or permits, or HOA approval, etc ...
So that gives you a bit of where we are coming from. It seems we decided to get a pool right at the same time as everyone else in a 100 mile radius though! One very large pool builder told us they are usually working 120 or so leads this time of year, but this year, they have over 900 leads they are working on! So I expect we have probably missed the mark to get something finished before the swimming season is over for this year.
We started this journey with no pool knowledge what-so-ever, except I grew up with a large in ground pool in upstate NY. It was a liner pool, and I wasn't old enough to understand anything about it though.
So we've spoken to friends and family, asking for recommendations. Based on that, we reached out to four PBs. Three are gunite only, and the 4th is fiberglass only. I wanted the fiberglass option to be included, so we can make an informed decision; but gunite seems to be the standard around here? All 4 PBs have been out to the house for the initial consult, and I'm currently awaiting proposals.
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PB#1 is a mom and pop who has been around for about 25 years. The owner arrived with a preliminary design and cost breakdown, based solely on our property survey (which I emailed to all 4 PBs). I thought this was a great approach on his part, especially for a customer who is just learning about pool building. He was genuinely a nice guy, and took the time to answer our questions.
Here is the initial cost breakdown he provided. I realize when we add decking and other options/features, this will change significantly, but I thought it was a good start. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the design this is based on, as we just viewed it on his laptop while he was here.
I just received an updated design from him based on our consult, and have sent feedback on it. But no cost estimate on the updated design yet.
This is his updated design. It's 36'8" x 18', and has the weird angle off of the house due to some existing trees to the right side (not shows on the cad drawing).
We think it's a good start, and asked him to modify it a bit before pricing it out. Here is what we sent for modifying:
We're not too sure about the bubbler on the tanning ledge, but are concerned the water would be too warm on the ledge, and dirt would collect there, if the bubbler wasn't present. Are these valid concerns?
PB#2 is owner operated as well, and has been around for about 28 years. He immediately understood our vision, but made comments on pricing which makes us think he's going to come out above the others. Here is the initial design he sent:
This one requires taking down those trees that PB#1 worked around, and we're ok with that. We really like this one a lot better, but that could just be because there's a lot more landscaping worked into the image?
One thing I thought of was maintenance. Will having rock on the coping cause an issue for regular maintenance, or do the robot cleaners work well enough where I won't need to walk the perimeter with a long vacuum pole?
PB#3 is the largest one we spoke to, and has an elaborate process. He said we will get an appointment in about 10 days, to come to their offices and view their proposal. I expect these guys to be the most cost effective, but also expect their options to be most limited.
PB#4 is the fiberglass option. My wife is very hesitant on fiberglass, I think due to preconceived notions. I took her (and the kids) to their facility on Saturday, so we could see the molds in person. I think they are fine, and would be a good option if it meant a more cost effective approach. But my wife says they remid her of the builder grade shower/tub inserts, and doesn't think it'll fee like a "quality pool". We're waiting on their proposal as well.
In terms of equipment, none of them want to do salt except PB#4, who said it's a great option for fiberglass pools. But then he said because our house has limestone exterior, that it's not recommended. He said the salt water would etch the outside of the house and make it look very bad. Is this true? We thought a salt water chlorine generator would be the way to go, but if it's going to cause an issue with the limestone, I guess it's not.
I guess that's it for now, I appreciate any advice/guidance, and will continue to update this thread as we move along
We live in central Texas, and want a pool for general family recreation. It's me, my wife, and our two kids (11 y/o son, 13 y/o daughter). We really want a natural looking pool, so not geometric and clean lines .. but more free form, with natural stone and even boulders around parts of the perimeter. My wife says it like this .... "I want it to be like I'm walking through the forest and came across this beautiful swimming hole in the middle of nature.". We do want a water feature, something like a water flow down tiered rocks. Not a water fall, but more like a single point of exit for the water, and 3-4 or 5 different pathways for the water to flow down to the pool.
Our home is in the country, outside of any city limits. We're told this means we don't need any permits, and we don't have any HOA to deal with either. We're also a cash customer, so I hope these things would allow our project to proceed at a good pace; not having to deal with financing, or permits, or HOA approval, etc ...
So that gives you a bit of where we are coming from. It seems we decided to get a pool right at the same time as everyone else in a 100 mile radius though! One very large pool builder told us they are usually working 120 or so leads this time of year, but this year, they have over 900 leads they are working on! So I expect we have probably missed the mark to get something finished before the swimming season is over for this year.
We started this journey with no pool knowledge what-so-ever, except I grew up with a large in ground pool in upstate NY. It was a liner pool, and I wasn't old enough to understand anything about it though.
So we've spoken to friends and family, asking for recommendations. Based on that, we reached out to four PBs. Three are gunite only, and the 4th is fiberglass only. I wanted the fiberglass option to be included, so we can make an informed decision; but gunite seems to be the standard around here? All 4 PBs have been out to the house for the initial consult, and I'm currently awaiting proposals.
-------------------------------------------------------
PB#1 is a mom and pop who has been around for about 25 years. The owner arrived with a preliminary design and cost breakdown, based solely on our property survey (which I emailed to all 4 PBs). I thought this was a great approach on his part, especially for a customer who is just learning about pool building. He was genuinely a nice guy, and took the time to answer our questions.
Here is the initial cost breakdown he provided. I realize when we add decking and other options/features, this will change significantly, but I thought it was a good start. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the design this is based on, as we just viewed it on his laptop while he was here.
I just received an updated design from him based on our consult, and have sent feedback on it. But no cost estimate on the updated design yet.
This is his updated design. It's 36'8" x 18', and has the weird angle off of the house due to some existing trees to the right side (not shows on the cad drawing).
We think it's a good start, and asked him to modify it a bit before pricing it out. Here is what we sent for modifying:
We're not too sure about the bubbler on the tanning ledge, but are concerned the water would be too warm on the ledge, and dirt would collect there, if the bubbler wasn't present. Are these valid concerns?
PB#2 is owner operated as well, and has been around for about 28 years. He immediately understood our vision, but made comments on pricing which makes us think he's going to come out above the others. Here is the initial design he sent:
This one requires taking down those trees that PB#1 worked around, and we're ok with that. We really like this one a lot better, but that could just be because there's a lot more landscaping worked into the image?
One thing I thought of was maintenance. Will having rock on the coping cause an issue for regular maintenance, or do the robot cleaners work well enough where I won't need to walk the perimeter with a long vacuum pole?
PB#3 is the largest one we spoke to, and has an elaborate process. He said we will get an appointment in about 10 days, to come to their offices and view their proposal. I expect these guys to be the most cost effective, but also expect their options to be most limited.
PB#4 is the fiberglass option. My wife is very hesitant on fiberglass, I think due to preconceived notions. I took her (and the kids) to their facility on Saturday, so we could see the molds in person. I think they are fine, and would be a good option if it meant a more cost effective approach. But my wife says they remid her of the builder grade shower/tub inserts, and doesn't think it'll fee like a "quality pool". We're waiting on their proposal as well.
In terms of equipment, none of them want to do salt except PB#4, who said it's a great option for fiberglass pools. But then he said because our house has limestone exterior, that it's not recommended. He said the salt water would etch the outside of the house and make it look very bad. Is this true? We thought a salt water chlorine generator would be the way to go, but if it's going to cause an issue with the limestone, I guess it's not.
I guess that's it for now, I appreciate any advice/guidance, and will continue to update this thread as we move along
