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Mine is a very comfortable 86 degrees. Air temp yesterday was 102, and today is supposed to be 97. In between, the low last night was 57, and tonight forecast for 55. This Bay Area climate is kind of amazing. I don't have air conditioning and don't miss it. By about 4 it will be too hot to...

OP, if you are having trouble finding a builder you should really look into the kits from Costco. At least where I live, finding someone to assemble the kit is a lot easier and cheaper than finding a contractor with availability before, say 2032. I have also found it is easier to find the...

Bmoreswim, what is your deck made out of? Is it a concrete slab? That gives you are great base. The tricky part with pavers is that there is literally nothing to epoxy to. BTW, nice ice rink you are running next to your pavilion there :D

I'm glad you asked! I devoted a lot of thought as to how to do that. I did not want to dig up my relatively new travertine pavers to pour concrete footings. So I cut four 1.5" holes in the pavers, one for each post, with a diamond hole saw and drove in these 24" stakes with a big helical...

I took an entirely different tack. 10 x 10 for 11K sounds like a lot of money to me. I got a very nice 12 x 12 cedar gazebo at Costco for $1299 on sale with free delivery. I then hired a local company called the Assembly Doctor who specializes in putting kits like this together. They charged...

Yeah, and in those days, they didn't even have lasers to direct the bulldozers, and everyone's phone had wires and they couldn't even send texts. How did they manage?

I wouldn't give up on it either, especially since it seems to be in good shape. Before hiring a lawyer and spending a lot of money, I suggest you investigate the political process in your town. Where I live, the city council can grant a variance on pretty much any subject and overrule anything...

Here's an option: if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Plaster is one of the the things that they truly don't make like they used to. Your old plaster may have lasted thirty years, but it's unlikely your new plaster will. I just remodelled a pool approximately sixty years old (estimated to be...

National Pool Tile has dealers all over and a pretty good selection. Their webstie has lots of pictures so not abad place to start: All Tile | National Pool Tile Group

Wow, what a great legacy! That thing is Huuuuuuuge. I am going to swim against the tide here, and suggest that you not give up on the diving board too quick. The pool is certainly big enough and deep enough (at least at its deepest point) for a board. I have some reservations about the...

Looking good! I am a big fan of your porch extension. Any chance we could get a pic from further away, so it captures the covered porch and the house together?

Re: Another small pool build OP, I wouldn't dismiss the idea of a pool in the side yard out of hand. I have a somewhat non-standard lot myself, with a big side yard with a pre-existing pool in that side yard when we bought the house. Depending on how you house is oriented, where the main...

I think 18 x 18 is not that small and absolutely worth doing. I agree that all one depth makes sense, don't think there is really room for a deep end. One thing that I see a lot on older houses around here is people who maxed out their pool and left no room for yard or deck. Sometimes the...

Wow, jza, that looks awesome! Very classic. Maybe the best pool deck I have ever seen. The Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle would have looked even better if they had used this:

Jim, that method of keeping the sand out of the pool is awesome. I went with the more basic "make clear your expectations and watch them like a hawk method." This was mostly successful. ( I was not able to watch them the whole time, because, surprisingly to some, working from home doesn't...

If he is using a pool builder and they or their sub over dug it, they should pick up the extra cost of the gunite to make it right.

Thanks! Actually, I have been really worried about the stone dust but so far it hasn't been bad. We haven't had much wind and the guys generally do the cutting a little ways away from the pool. Parts of my yard look like an absolute industrial scale stone yard, but the pool water is as clear...

Thanks! Both the pool builder and pool service said it was fine to go in after 7 days. My chemicals have been very stable since day 3. I went in on the eighth day, but really only to have a close up look. The photo I posted of the kids going in was after 14 days. I told the kids no...

I was stalled for most of last week waiting on the travertine paver crew. It was agonizing, looking at my beautiful new pool surrounded by bare dirt. Finally got the guys on Saturday and they have been making up for lost time - they worked Saturday and Sunday and have been going to town all...

THanks InyoRob. Did you call SR Smith directly on this question? I have sent them an email, I figured that would be better than calling because more likely to find its way to someone who knows the actual answer. Surprising to me that they would recommend brass nuts on stainless bolts without...

Aztec, I am underqualified to plan your overall remodel, I am sure others more knowledgeable will step in. I am just completing a major remodel on a pool that is almost 60 years old and had some of the same issues as yours. You might enjoy looking at the thread: Prehistoric Pool Gets Major...

Pictures, we must have pictures!

Thanks, Kim!

Here's a technical question for our experts. My SR SMith diving board came with stainless steel bolts and brass nuts. I was surprised at this and would have thought it would use stainless steel nuts, but I will give the manufacturer the benefit of the doubt. (Anyone who can shed light on the...