Buffalo, NY - Gunite Saltwater Pool Build

bbdude · Apr 28, 2022

Newdude said:
Your 'extra chemicals' will be a joke by comparison if you go larger and it will only matter for 8 weeks of Buffalo summer. It's already hotter in FL than you'll get in August.

I intend to keep the pool open at least 15 weeks! It just might not be as pleasent as Florida, haha!

It was very difficult for me to pull the trigger on the pool. I am quite frugal and it's not lost on me that Buffalo winters are short. The costs of this pool are far lower than a full fledged membership to a very nice country club. Yet here I am.

ajw22 · Apr 28, 2022

bbdude said:
Plus it's hard for me to think about the longer term costs when also talking about a six figure pool

You gotta learn the difference between one time costs and recurring costs.

Those recurring costs can end up being multiples of the entrance fee.

bbdude · Apr 28, 2022

ajw22 said:
You gotta learn the difference between one time costs and recurring costs.

Those recurring costs can end up being multiples of the entrance fee.

I really haven't spent much time assessing the costs of running the pool. I know opening / closing costs, chemicals, electric, gas to heat, etc. but what else should I anticipate? Maybe not so much the activities, which I'm aware of, but the costs. I've budget a few k, give or take.

Newdude · Apr 28, 2022

bbdude said:
I intend to keep the pool open at least 15 weeks

You can keep it open all year, but the chlorine will only burn off at a high rate for July, August and maybe some of June for you.

20k gallons to 30k gallons needs 50% more chlorone. So in the peak season, if you increased from 2/3 of a gallon a day to a full gallon, you'd be 2 1/3 more gallons a week for the hot weeks. $11(?) a week for a 50% larger pool ? That's a joke in the grand scheme of things.

Now, heating 50% more pool in Buffalo, could go from $500 a month to $750. That's a whole different ballgame.

bbdude · Apr 28, 2022

Newdude said:
Now, heating 50% more pool in Buffalo, could go from $500 a month to $750. That's a whole different ballgame.

Thanks. I swim often right now at the Y in pretty chilly temps, just the wife and kids that I'll have to battle on pool temp

. Guess who's losing that battle? Me

ajw22 · Apr 28, 2022

bbdude said:
I really haven't spent much time assessing the costs of running the pool. I know opening / closing costs, chemicals, electric, gas to heat, etc. but what else should I anticipate? Maybe not so much the activities, which I'm aware of, but the costs. I've budget a few k, give or take.

I have a 22 year old pool. If you are going to keep the pool long enough then size will effect the costs for renovations, replastering, etc.

JoyfulNoise · Apr 28, 2022

Heating is going to be a serious issue in your pool. It’s shape does not allow for a pool cover, not easily at least. That’s going to mean spending a lot of money on gas or electricity to keep it swimmable. For the non-polar bears in your family (everyone but you), that means water temps at 85F or higher. Most really whiny people like 90F pool water.

You’d better start calculating gas costs, ‘cuz Buffalo ain’t known for its warm, sunny weather …

bbdude · Apr 28, 2022

JoyfulNoise said:
You’d better start calculating gas costs, ‘cuz Buffalo ain’t known for its warm, sunny weather …

My quick math says $1500 to $2000 a summer. More or less depending on temp. Oph

bbdude · Apr 29, 2022

Latest renderings ... I think we're just about done the design and ready for materials phase.

Supersix · May 2, 2022

I would highly recommend adding a Sun Shelf.

kimkats · May 2, 2022

I do NOT recommend a sun shelf with that design as it would take up the swim lane you have from one end to the other.

Supersix · May 2, 2022

Supersix said:
I would highly recommend adding a Sun Shelf.

You can add a Sun Shelf to any design.It's perfect for kids and adults I would research it yourself.

Some swimming pool trends turn out to be fads that fade away after a few summers. Others hold so much appeal that they become mainstays of backyard pool design. Only time will tell, but the Baja shelf appears to fit in the “mainstay” category.

You might know it by another name: tanning ledge, tanning shelf, sun shelf, Cabo shelf, etc. Whatever you want to call it, we’re talking about a shallow section of the pool where kids can play and adults can relax and soak their tootsies. In many cases, this popular feature is incorporated into the pool steps, effectively serving as a second (oversized) step down into the main pool.

bbdude · May 2, 2022

Thanks for the input, @Supersix . We considered a sunshelf early on, but decided against it for various reasons.

bbdude · May 6, 2022

kimkats said:
5..This is a "fancy" main drain. The plaster helps it blend in and the lower profile helps with cleaning and such.

Builder confirmed there's two (2) main drains in the deep end using 8" Pentair Starguard, VGB compliant, field sump. Any chance you have a link to the fancy main drain cover you mention? Are they made by Pentair? I imagine swapping these out would be a simple enhancement?

bbdude · May 6, 2022

Anyone have any thoughts on my pool depth profile? Seems like it will be:

Shallow-end = 14' long
Transition from shallow-end to deep-end = 15' long
Deep-end = 9' long

Due to the 8' diving board, seems like we can't make the deep-end any shorter, which makes sense.

kimkats · May 6, 2022

Here ya go!

Channel Pebble Top Drain Covers — Color Match Pool Fittings

The Unblockable Channel Pebble Top Drain Cover

www.poolfittings.com

Profile-I would go for 4'deep in the shallow end to ease the transition a bit. (Can't remember what your depths are and too lazy to go back and look LOL)

bbdude · May 6, 2022

kimkats said:
Here ya go!

Channel Pebble Top Drain Covers — Color Match Pool Fittings

The Unblockable Channel Pebble Top Drain Cover

www.poolfittings.com

Profile-I would go for 4'deep in the shallow end to ease the transition a bit. (Can't remember what your depths are and too lazy to go back and look LOL)

Thank you! The builder was really hesitant to increase shallow end depth to 4' insisting they always do 3.5'. Spoke to my wife and she wants 3.5' so 3.5' feet it is. Our depth is 3.5 to 8'.

Supersix · May 7, 2022

bbdude said:
Thank you! The builder was really hesitant to increase shallow end depth to 4' insisting they always do 3.5'. Spoke to my wife and she wants 3.5' so 3.5' feet it is. Our depth is 3.5 to 8'.

I think 3.5 is the standard. My builder has my shallow end at the same depth.

bbdude · May 12, 2022

Made some additional changes and moved some things around. Feel free to chime in with any comments. Thank you!

kimkats · May 13, 2022

Looks good to me!!

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Buffalo, NY - Gunite Saltwater Pool Build

bbdude

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ajw22

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Newdude

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kimkats

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kimkats

Channel Pebble Top Drain Covers — Color Match Pool Fittings

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Channel Pebble Top Drain Covers — Color Match Pool Fittings

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