- Jun 19, 2024
- 25
- Pool Size
- 28000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
Hi - new to the group and thought I'd offer this visual account of our project -- maybe it will be helpful for others thinking about a pool in a similar situation. At the bottom of this post is a link to a 37-minute stop-motion video I made capturing most phases of the project from start to finish.
We bought out home on Cape Ann (MA) in 2021 with the intention of placing an in-ground pool in the bowl-shaped yard. Though we liked the frog-pond (or at least the frogs) and built a smaller one on the other side of the house to replace it, the yard space wan't really inviting to spend time in -- more to just look at from the deck.
1) Before making an offer on the home, we brought an experienced local pool builder to assess the site's suitability for a gunite pool project. He owned that it was "a challenging site" and pointed out the few trees (including that gorgeous dogwood on the right, alas) that would have to be removed to make way for the digging equipment, but affirmed he would get it done. The property is situated at the crest of a rocky hill looking south, with lots of granite ledge, so the costs of hammering & the viable depth of the pool would be x-factors, but we could definitely have a nice pool of some sort.
2) We engaged a designer, got the property surveyed at 1-foot intervals and had a great experience describing our vision and going back and forth until a design came into focus. His initial mock-up, below left, was way too 'corporate' looking (and expensive). We wanted it to give the impression of a woodland pond tucked in among trees and shrubs, so we wanted a rounded shape but not a perfect circle or oval. Also, we didn't like the idea of a turret-like hot-tub, but rather asked for a connected spa that would be more like a sofa where friends could sit together looking out over the broad vanishing edge, into the trees growing up from below the edge of the hill. Surveying, planning and permitting took about 6 months.
3) Once we had the plans, we also signed on our designer as project manager as we lack the skills to direct construction of such a complex design including so much grading, landscaping, masonry etc in addition to the pool itself. He charged 12% of construction costs and was worth every penny. No endless delays or conflicts as he has a regular team including the pool builder, with whom he had done many similar projects, a couple of which we were able to visit with him to see actual examples of what he had in mind. And a ton of details changed as we executed the project, so the design was shaped 'on the fly' with a lot of options emerging only as we could see the site change. We never regretted this added expense, and he brought the whole thing in within 5% of the projected budget.
We broke ground in August 2022, a year after moving in. The frame looked scary at first, as though it was going to stick up from the ground too much, but I guess you can't have a vanishing edge if there's no wall to flow over! Since the natural grade of the yard drops 5 feet from the near to the far side of the pool, we didn't have to build up the near end much to get the desired effect. As it turned out, we only hit ledge in one corner of the pool area, which was a huge relief. Just a day's hammering carved out a 7' deep end bowl.
4) Steel & Gunite. Amazing to see the squad of 25 workmen descend on the place and the speed with which the pool was formed. Seems to me the guy sitting on the truck got the plum job. I was especially impressed to see them sculpt the steps and sitting shelf 'by hand' so precisely (can see in the stop-motion video from around the 5:30 mark).
5) We went with irregular-lengths of bluestone for the decking and formed a fire pit (for wood, not gas) out of rough, oddly shaped slabs of granite. We avoided the need for lots of masonry retaining walls by using reclaimed bridge blocks to hold up the neighboring slope and to provide seating by the fire. The steps down the slope are reclaimed curb-stones. The irregular edges of the decking will invite plantings to suggest a natural border.
6) Pumps & Piping -- we had to trench a fair way from our propane tanks to the heater. Ledge between the pool and pump area on the property line made it hard to get the necessary depth, so we had to build up the area piling earth on top and retaining it with a small wall of large rocks we had unearthed during the process.
7) After a long winter lying dormant, we got the plaster sprayed the following May. I felt certain they had the wrong color as it looked jet black at first, but it settled down and turned out just as expected -- we picked the Pebbletec Midnight Blue color, which yields a deep blue/green/brown at various depths. In an unplanned design result, the curved pool steps echo the shape and contours of the spa -- almost like a switchblade opening out. The spa seats 5 adults comfortably. There's a long sitting shelf running along that side of the pool as well for more social space. The barrier allows a thin flow of water to pass over in 'spillover' mode.
8) We were swimming by early June, 10 months after breaking ground. The spa alignment with the vanishing edge has just the desired effect, and I've been amazed at the way the 'Spillover' mode where water is flushed from the spa to the main pool, and the vanishing edge work together as giant skimmers, moving leaves and blossoms steadily into the trough which is easily cleaned out with a hand skimmer. Contrary to some doomsayers, having the pool surrounded by trees hasn't posed much of a cleaning chore at all.
9) Fencing & Lights -- our designer promised we wouldn't mind the fence. "It will disappear" he said, and it pretty much does! Black posts and mesh really do fade into their surroundings, despite our initial skepticism. We've planted the whole area with ferns, grasses, and native forest shrubs (clethra, rhododendron, fothergilla, leucothoe, sumac) -- no lawn. A new maple we hope will make up for the lost dogwood. Uplighting on some of the trees and soft path lighting complete the design. We use an Omnilogic pool control system that includes nice flexible LED lighting options of color and brightness. It's amazing how different the whole yard looks in different seasons and times of day. I also hadn't anticipated how much I would enjoy it just as a reflecting pool, for sitting by quietly.
10) We try to heat the main pool as little as possible, enjoying the contrast between a chilly refreshing plunge and a more comfortable spa. We opened it this year for Easter (March 31st!) -- more to look at than to swim in -- and will close it up in late October just before the leaves really start to come down in quantity. With the crazy June heat wave we've just had, the main pool is already up to 78 on its own, and we'll bump it up to 80-82 sometimes if we anticipate guests.
Here's a 37-minute stop-motion video of the whole process:
If anyone is planning a similar project and would like to confer on some of the features and decisions that get made along the way, I'd be happy to reply here or in a PM if you have any questions. For anyone living in the region to the north and east of Boston, I'd be happy to connect you with the outfits who made this all happen -- they were all fantastic to work with!
-Albert
We bought out home on Cape Ann (MA) in 2021 with the intention of placing an in-ground pool in the bowl-shaped yard. Though we liked the frog-pond (or at least the frogs) and built a smaller one on the other side of the house to replace it, the yard space wan't really inviting to spend time in -- more to just look at from the deck.
1) Before making an offer on the home, we brought an experienced local pool builder to assess the site's suitability for a gunite pool project. He owned that it was "a challenging site" and pointed out the few trees (including that gorgeous dogwood on the right, alas) that would have to be removed to make way for the digging equipment, but affirmed he would get it done. The property is situated at the crest of a rocky hill looking south, with lots of granite ledge, so the costs of hammering & the viable depth of the pool would be x-factors, but we could definitely have a nice pool of some sort.
2) We engaged a designer, got the property surveyed at 1-foot intervals and had a great experience describing our vision and going back and forth until a design came into focus. His initial mock-up, below left, was way too 'corporate' looking (and expensive). We wanted it to give the impression of a woodland pond tucked in among trees and shrubs, so we wanted a rounded shape but not a perfect circle or oval. Also, we didn't like the idea of a turret-like hot-tub, but rather asked for a connected spa that would be more like a sofa where friends could sit together looking out over the broad vanishing edge, into the trees growing up from below the edge of the hill. Surveying, planning and permitting took about 6 months.
3) Once we had the plans, we also signed on our designer as project manager as we lack the skills to direct construction of such a complex design including so much grading, landscaping, masonry etc in addition to the pool itself. He charged 12% of construction costs and was worth every penny. No endless delays or conflicts as he has a regular team including the pool builder, with whom he had done many similar projects, a couple of which we were able to visit with him to see actual examples of what he had in mind. And a ton of details changed as we executed the project, so the design was shaped 'on the fly' with a lot of options emerging only as we could see the site change. We never regretted this added expense, and he brought the whole thing in within 5% of the projected budget.
We broke ground in August 2022, a year after moving in. The frame looked scary at first, as though it was going to stick up from the ground too much, but I guess you can't have a vanishing edge if there's no wall to flow over! Since the natural grade of the yard drops 5 feet from the near to the far side of the pool, we didn't have to build up the near end much to get the desired effect. As it turned out, we only hit ledge in one corner of the pool area, which was a huge relief. Just a day's hammering carved out a 7' deep end bowl.
4) Steel & Gunite. Amazing to see the squad of 25 workmen descend on the place and the speed with which the pool was formed. Seems to me the guy sitting on the truck got the plum job. I was especially impressed to see them sculpt the steps and sitting shelf 'by hand' so precisely (can see in the stop-motion video from around the 5:30 mark).
5) We went with irregular-lengths of bluestone for the decking and formed a fire pit (for wood, not gas) out of rough, oddly shaped slabs of granite. We avoided the need for lots of masonry retaining walls by using reclaimed bridge blocks to hold up the neighboring slope and to provide seating by the fire. The steps down the slope are reclaimed curb-stones. The irregular edges of the decking will invite plantings to suggest a natural border.
6) Pumps & Piping -- we had to trench a fair way from our propane tanks to the heater. Ledge between the pool and pump area on the property line made it hard to get the necessary depth, so we had to build up the area piling earth on top and retaining it with a small wall of large rocks we had unearthed during the process.
7) After a long winter lying dormant, we got the plaster sprayed the following May. I felt certain they had the wrong color as it looked jet black at first, but it settled down and turned out just as expected -- we picked the Pebbletec Midnight Blue color, which yields a deep blue/green/brown at various depths. In an unplanned design result, the curved pool steps echo the shape and contours of the spa -- almost like a switchblade opening out. The spa seats 5 adults comfortably. There's a long sitting shelf running along that side of the pool as well for more social space. The barrier allows a thin flow of water to pass over in 'spillover' mode.
8) We were swimming by early June, 10 months after breaking ground. The spa alignment with the vanishing edge has just the desired effect, and I've been amazed at the way the 'Spillover' mode where water is flushed from the spa to the main pool, and the vanishing edge work together as giant skimmers, moving leaves and blossoms steadily into the trough which is easily cleaned out with a hand skimmer. Contrary to some doomsayers, having the pool surrounded by trees hasn't posed much of a cleaning chore at all.
9) Fencing & Lights -- our designer promised we wouldn't mind the fence. "It will disappear" he said, and it pretty much does! Black posts and mesh really do fade into their surroundings, despite our initial skepticism. We've planted the whole area with ferns, grasses, and native forest shrubs (clethra, rhododendron, fothergilla, leucothoe, sumac) -- no lawn. A new maple we hope will make up for the lost dogwood. Uplighting on some of the trees and soft path lighting complete the design. We use an Omnilogic pool control system that includes nice flexible LED lighting options of color and brightness. It's amazing how different the whole yard looks in different seasons and times of day. I also hadn't anticipated how much I would enjoy it just as a reflecting pool, for sitting by quietly.
10) We try to heat the main pool as little as possible, enjoying the contrast between a chilly refreshing plunge and a more comfortable spa. We opened it this year for Easter (March 31st!) -- more to look at than to swim in -- and will close it up in late October just before the leaves really start to come down in quantity. With the crazy June heat wave we've just had, the main pool is already up to 78 on its own, and we'll bump it up to 80-82 sometimes if we anticipate guests.
Here's a 37-minute stop-motion video of the whole process:
If anyone is planning a similar project and would like to confer on some of the features and decisions that get made along the way, I'd be happy to reply here or in a PM if you have any questions. For anyone living in the region to the north and east of Boston, I'd be happy to connect you with the outfits who made this all happen -- they were all fantastic to work with!
-Albert
