New Build Beginning- Step 1

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J

JHouhou

Well-known member
Jun 12, 2022
53
Houston
Pool Size
24500
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
Hi TPF pool members and experts.
We are working towards building a pool in the Houston, TX area and I found this helpful website a month or so ago attempting to self-educate myself to hopefully avoid us making costly mistakes due to our lack of pool knowledge.

We have decided to build a simple rectangle pool (36x18) with an attached flush corner spa (7x7), no fancy bells and whistles as costs in the Houston area have increased about 25% from when we first considered building back in June 2020….still kicking myself about delaying things but nonetheless here we are. We have in fact simplified our design to maintain a reasonable budget.

So where I need help is determining if we need to make any changes to the equipment list the PB provided:

General Specifications
Perimeter of Pool 108’
Pool Depth 3.5' to 5.6'
525 sq ft Hayward Cartlidge Filter
Hayward Inline Chlorinator
Hayward 500 Pool Cleaner
Hayward Eco Star Variable Speed Pump
Hayward Booster Pump
2 Skimmers
(2) 12V Hayward LED Pool Lights
(1) 12V Hayward Spa Light
(4) Main Drains
(6) Spa Jets
Pool Cleaner - Hayward
Heater - Hayward 400,000 BTU
Automation - Hayward Pro-logic
Aqua Pod

I have informed him that we would like to make the following changes so far:

1. Add SWGC which he was more than happy with changing.
2. I need to ask for more information on the pool cleaner as a robotic cleaner is suggested
3. Plan to shift the spa a little further out to free up space for a bench and more pool space.

Are there any other recommendations, changes we should make, questions we should ask, or things I should exclude here? This is our first pool build and I would appreciate any guidance.
 

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Welcome to TFP! :wave: Looks like a good listing and you have already made note of a few items to reconsider. Be sure to request an SWG rated for at least 2X the size of the pool. Good luck on the build.

Construction Best Practices - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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TampaKathy said:
3.5 feet is pretty shallow, and sometimes the builders don't dig deep enough and you wind up a couple inches shorter...I would consider 4 feet. :)
Click to expand...
@TampaKathy. Thanks for that note. I mentioned that to my husband as well, as our youngest is already almost 5ft and will only get taller so I questioned if that was too shallow. I will suggest making the change.
 
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Great build! Extremely similar to mine a year and a half ago. Few suggestions would be to first consider upgrading to the Hayward OmniPL controller over the Pro Logic and Aqua Pod; it’s a bit more of a polished system, and you’ll mostly only ever want to control everything from your phone anyway. I would think that the cost difference should be negligible.

Second, I would have the PB plumb for a future chiller: dedicated return line, valve downstream of the filter, and room on the pad. The cost should be almost nothing to do this. I’m close by in Louisiana and it’s so hot here in the south right now that I’m adding a Glacier cooler to bring the pool temp down; currently unswimmable at 98 degrees.

Another item to consider is an automatic water leveler, both fill and drain; great addition to not have to manage water evaporation in the south. This will add some cost however, but isn’t something you can easily add later.

I have the Hayward TriVac 500; great little vacuum, but I would ask for the model that both runs along the bottom and walls, but also can be set to skim the surface of the water. My 500 won’t skim, but there’s an upgraded model that will.

Last suggestion would be to consider a few feet of decking at the back of the pool; right up on the grass will see lots of leaves and grass in the water when you mow which will be frustrating.
 
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Is there a corner entry step to the hot tub? Could flip the shallow end to the spa side and move the entry steps there. The steps could double as a bench there. With the shallow side moved, someone who didn't want to get in the hot tub could stand next to it and still converse. Depending on the gradient of your yard, you might want to consider a raised wall at the back or french drains.

I too went with 4' at shallow, expanded pad and plumbed for future chiller. Only cost difference was $150 for the Jandy valves. Water temp has already hit 90 this summer.
 
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Well hello there!! Nice design you have there. It has a good swim line and should be fun to play in.

Depth-go 4' to 6" as the 3.5' is shallow enough you might scrap your knuckles on the bottom trying for a full crawl stroke. 6' is the minimum for cannon balls and we both KNOW someone or many someones will cannon ball not matter if you say not to :roll: LOL

I would do a "swim out" over by the spa. it will not take up any more room in the pool.
1655768100969.png

Kim:kim:
 
twillux said:
Great build! Extremely similar to mine a year and a half ago. Few suggestions would be to first consider upgrading to the Hayward OmniPL controller over the Pro Logic and Aqua Pod; it’s a bit more of a polished system, and you’ll mostly only ever want to control everything from your phone anyway. I would think that the cost difference should be negligible.

Second, I would have the PB plumb for a future chiller: dedicated return line, valve downstream of the filter, and room on the pad. The cost should be almost nothing to do this. I’m close by in Louisiana and it’s so hot here in the south right now that I’m adding a Glacier cooler to bring the pool temp down; currently unswimmable at 98 degrees.

Another item to consider is an automatic water leveler, both fill and drain; great addition to not have to manage water evaporation in the south. This will add some cost however, but isn’t something you can easily add later.

I have the Hayward TriVac 500; great little vacuum, but I would ask for the model that both runs along the bottom and walls, but also can be set to skim the surface of the water. My 500 won’t skim, but there’s an upgraded model that will.

Last suggestion would be to consider a few feet of decking at the back of the pool; right up on the grass will see lots of leaves and grass in the water when you mow which will be frustrating.
Click to expand...
@twillix, Thank you for the suggestions. I wanted to make sure we included those extras that would allow for installs/upgrades later and it’s funny you mentioned the chiller because I inquired if we needed that and found out as that it would likely push us over our budget right now being pretty pricey so we were going to exclude it but we should probably plumb for it not so that we could add it later as it does get pretty hot in the summer. I will add that to the list. And I definitely wanted to make sure we didn’t end up with outdated technology as well so I will ask about the controller, upgraded robot, and auto water leveler. We want to equip ourselves as much as possible so that we can efficiently manage our pool and were concerned that our PB may not mention such options so thank you. I appreciate the help!
 

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beakerlab said:
Is there a corner entry step to the hot tub? Could flip the shallow end to the spa side and move the entry steps there. The steps could double as a bench there. With the shallow side moved, someone who didn't want to get in the hot tub could stand next to it and still converse. Depending on the gradient of your yard, you might want to consider a raised wall at the back or french drains.

I too went with 4' at shallow, expanded pad and plumbed for future chiller. Only cost difference was $150 for the Jandy valves. Water temp has already hit 90 this summer.
Click to expand...
That’s a great idea on the steps doubling as a bench near the spa. I didn’t think about that although I thought about moving the stairs near the spa wondering if it would be best to have it all one in area. There was a PB that informed us that we need an entry step for the spa with it being flushed for safety reasons so that is something else we need to add.
 
kimkats said:
Well hello there!! Nice design you have there. It has a good swim line and should be fun to play in.

Depth-go 4' to 6" as the 3.5' is shallow enough you might scrap your knuckles on the bottom trying for a full crawl stroke. 6' is the minimum for cannon balls and we both KNOW someone or many someones will cannon ball not matter if you say not to :roll: LOL

I would do a "swim out" over by the spa. it will not take up any more room in the pool.
View attachment 426183

Kim:kim:
Click to expand...
Hi Kim. Is that the “swim out” in the photo? We will likely go with 4 to 6 ft based on suggestions. Is there any reason to do 4-6.5 feet deep? Would that extra half foot make a difference in pool usage, make it better for us? My husband is 6 feet tall and some 6ft 2in?
 
twillux said:
Great build! Extremely similar to mine a year and a half ago. Few suggestions would be to first consider upgrading to the Hayward OmniPL controller over the Pro Logic and Aqua Pod; it’s a bit more of a polished system, and you’ll mostly only ever want to control everything from your phone anyway. I would think that the cost difference should be negligible.

Second, I would have the PB plumb for a future chiller: dedicated return line, valve downstream of the filter, and room on the pad. The cost should be almost nothing to do this. I’m close by in Louisiana and it’s so hot here in the south right now that I’m adding a Glacier cooler to bring the pool temp down; currently unswimmable at 98 degrees.

Another item to consider is an automatic water leveler, both fill and drain; great addition to not have to manage water evaporation in the south. This will add some cost however, but isn’t something you can easily add later.

I have the Hayward TriVac 500; great little vacuum, but I would ask for the model that both runs along the bottom and walls, but also can be set to skim the surface of the water. My 500 won’t skim, but there’s an upgraded model that will.

Last suggestion would be to consider a few feet of decking at the back of the pool; right up on the grass will see lots of leaves and grass in the water when you mow which will be frustrating.
Click to expand...
One more question, @twillux, we did eliminate most of the decking to hold on to as much yard as we could having a dog and a young one. Is there anything extra we need to do or add if we do that? Our PB recommended wider coping 24in wide if I recall correctly and maybe adding a few large pavers around the pool as an alternative next to the pool versus full decking. I’ve seen a few pictures of some that did this that I liked. Aiming for a more minimalist and clean design overall but want to make sure we don’t ruin the functionality and quality.
 
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JHouhou said:
@twillix, Thank you for the suggestions. I wanted to make sure we included those extras that would allow for installs/upgrades later and it’s funny you mentioned the chiller because I inquired if we needed that and found out as that it would likely push us over our budget right now being pretty pricey so we were going to exclude it but we should probably plumb for it not so that we could add it later as it does get pretty hot in the summer. I will add that to the list. And I definitely wanted to make sure we didn’t end up with outdated technology as well so I will ask about the controller, upgraded robot, and auto water leveler. We want to equip ourselves as much as possible so that we can efficiently manage our pool and were concerned that our PB may not mention such options so thank you. I appreciate the help!
Click to expand...
Sounds great! I had the exact same goals when designing mine, and am so glad now that I made those choices and planned for the chiller down the line. If you do the leveler, make sure you ask that it be plumbed for both filling and draining, not just filling; I didn’t know any better, and my PB didn’t add the 8 feet of pvc to drain which is infuriating when we get a lot of rain.

As others mentioned, the SWG is an absolute must, and I’d second the recommendation of a swim out in the deep end by the spa; exactly what I did and it was a great choice. Good luck and post progress as the build starts!
 
JHouhou said:
One more question, @twillux, we did eliminate most of the decking to hold on to as much yard as we could having a dog and a young one. Is there anything extra we need to do or add if we do that? Our PB recommended wider coping 24in wide if I recall correctly and maybe adding a few large pavers around the pool as an alternative next to the pool versus full decking. I’ve seen a few pictures of some that did this that I liked. Aiming for a more minimalist and clean design overall but want to make sure we don’t ruin the functionality and quality.
Click to expand...
I think it really comes down to personal preference: more decking, wider coping or landscaping with pavers are all great options! Whatever you choose, I would recommend getting at least two feet of distance from the grass on the far side of the pool, as it will be a mess if it’s that close when you cut the grass and edge.

Here was my design as a reference; i tucked the pool in the corner of the yard, and then landscaped with marble chips on the back and side corner to keep the yard away. You can also see the deep end swim out example, and I did an in-water bench along the entire shallow end which we love.
 

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twillux said:
I think it really comes down to personal preference: more decking, wider coping or landscaping with pavers are all great options! Whatever you choose, I would recommend getting at least two feet of distance from the grass on the far side of the pool, as it will be a mess if it’s that close when you cut the grass and edge.

Here was my design as a reference; i tucked the pool in the corner of the yard, and then landscaped with marble chips on the back and side corner to keep the yard away. You can also see the deep end swim out example, and I did an in-water bench along the entire shallow end which we love.
Click to expand...
I didn’t know what a swim out was so thanks for the visual. Tucking the pool in the corner freed up a large part of your yard which I like as well. Wish we could go that route but we have a patio that we are attempting to center it with so unfortunately we won’t have as much space in one area if the yard like your setup creates but hoping the deck reduction pays off and helps to save yard space.
 
JHouhou said:
Pool Depth 3.5' to 5.6'
Click to expand...
I'd recommend increasing the depth of the shallow end to 4'.

5.5' isn't a great choice for a deep end. It's too deep for most people to comfortably stand, but too shallow for diving or jumping. I'd suggest 5' or committing to a true deep end.

JHouhou said:
Hayward Inline Chlorinator
Click to expand...
Replace this with a SWG.

JHouhou said:
Hayward 500 Pool Cleaner
Click to expand...
Is this the AquaVac 500 or the TriVac 500? The inclusion of a booster pump means you're probably looking at the TriVac. I'd definitely suggest a robot instead.

JHouhou said:
Heater - Hayward 400,000 BTU
Click to expand...
Have them install an external bypass.

I like that you preserved a swim lane.
 
Go as deep as you want! 7' would make it a DIVING pool!

Yes that is a pic of a swim out. It gives people a way out of the pool in the deep end.

twillux said:
make sure you ask that it be plumbed for both filling and draining, not just filling; I
Click to expand...

twillux said:
I would recommend getting at least two feet of distance from the grass on the far side of the pool, as it will be a mess if it’s that close when you cut the grass and edge.
Click to expand...
Both of what @twillux said so that was an easy one LOL Thanks twill!

On the equipment side of things. Think about the equipment PAD size. Even if you plumb and wire for the chiller to be added down the road they will need to pour the pad bigger now. I am not sure of the size of these chillers so will leave that up to you to research.

Make sure there is a light by the equipment pad. You also need a hose bib there also to aid in filter cleaning and such.
 
twillux said:
Sounds great! I had the exact same goals when designing mine, and am so glad now that I made those choices and planned for the chiller down the line. If you do the leveler, make sure you ask that it be plumbed for both filling and draining, not just filling; I didn’t know any better, and my PB didn’t add the 8 feet of pvc to drain which is infuriating when we get a lot of rain.

As others mentioned, the SWG is an absolute must, and I’d second the recommendation of a swim out in the deep end by the spa; exactly what I did and it was a great choice. Good luck and post progress as the build starts!
Click to expand...
@twillux: So I mentioned to the PB that we wanted to get pricing on adding an auto water leveler that both fills and drains and his response was that the pool will have an auto fill line and pool overflow, it’s standard. What he does not know yet is if we will have to run a second drain to the street. Is this what you were recommending or is it in addition to what he mentioned?
 

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