Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
I like how they did your spillover! VERY even and clean looking!
Kim
I like how they did your spillover! VERY even and clean looking!
Kim
Done! - Pasadena, CA
- Thread starter Julieleek
- Start date
Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
Weeks 7 & 8
We made some headway in the past 2 weeks while we still work to figure out a solution for our perimeter walls, albeit it’s been slow going due to the focus being on a fix for the walls. My PB built a little elevated seat for me in the spa and I’m really happy he did! I know it looks a bit awkward, but I don’t care. The functionality of it is going to please me a lot so I’m fine with the way it looks. This part of the process is a lesson for others in the design phase though. We didn’t think through the interior of our spa except for the light placement.
We also picked tile for the trim on the steps, had 4 umbrella sleeves with lids cemented in between the decking and the coping, and poured the deck. Still have to do residual tiling (trim on steps and ledger stone on exterior of spa), the electrical isn’t done (including moving our overhead line), add an umbrella sleeve on baja step, quartz plaster, put a new gate up, alarms on sliding doors from the house, the perimeter wall fix, and a bit of landscaping (privacy trees, uplighting, bubblers, level the lawn area and new sod). I wonder how long it will take til we get to swim!
Meanwhile, I think we might have a solution for the perimeter wall problem. The city’s chief inspector came onsite to see the walls himself. He said that while they are in fact compromised due to the 45 degree cracks in both walls, because of the exposed rebar he’s comfortable with a work around fix that will reinforce the walls. He doodled what he had in mind and our PB will sketch it up and submit the plan for official approval. Fingers crossed it works and we can move forward with the build without having to replace the walls. It’ll still be a $3k unexpected cost, but believe me it’s better than having to replace the walls. And really, we always knew about a possible $1,400 additional cost to build up the height on the walls to meet the required height minimum. We were just hoping we didn’t need to spend the $1,400, much less $3k.
FYI, during the past couple of weeks I’ve talked to 3 random structural engineers. I was hoping to connect with one through a referral since we know so many engineers but that didn’t happen. Anyhow, they all had a similar approach to our wall problem which would have involved deconstructing the walls in several areas to prove they have consistent rebar and footings, then paying the Structural Engrs a hefty fee to write a report and submit a drawn plan to reconstruct the walls in a reinforced fashion. I’m really glad we were able to avoid doing this between the chief city inspector offering his suggestion and our PB creating a sketch for city approval. I’m putting that out there in case anyone else finds themselves in a similar predicament as maybe our experience can help.
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Weeks 7 & 8
We made some headway in the past 2 weeks while we still work to figure out a solution for our perimeter walls, albeit it’s been slow going due to the focus being on a fix for the walls. My PB built a little elevated seat for me in the spa and I’m really happy he did! I know it looks a bit awkward, but I don’t care. The functionality of it is going to please me a lot so I’m fine with the way it looks. This part of the process is a lesson for others in the design phase though. We didn’t think through the interior of our spa except for the light placement.
We also picked tile for the trim on the steps, had 4 umbrella sleeves with lids cemented in between the decking and the coping, and poured the deck. Still have to do residual tiling (trim on steps and ledger stone on exterior of spa), the electrical isn’t done (including moving our overhead line), add an umbrella sleeve on baja step, quartz plaster, put a new gate up, alarms on sliding doors from the house, the perimeter wall fix, and a bit of landscaping (privacy trees, uplighting, bubblers, level the lawn area and new sod). I wonder how long it will take til we get to swim!
Meanwhile, I think we might have a solution for the perimeter wall problem. The city’s chief inspector came onsite to see the walls himself. He said that while they are in fact compromised due to the 45 degree cracks in both walls, because of the exposed rebar he’s comfortable with a work around fix that will reinforce the walls. He doodled what he had in mind and our PB will sketch it up and submit the plan for official approval. Fingers crossed it works and we can move forward with the build without having to replace the walls. It’ll still be a $3k unexpected cost, but believe me it’s better than having to replace the walls. And really, we always knew about a possible $1,400 additional cost to build up the height on the walls to meet the required height minimum. We were just hoping we didn’t need to spend the $1,400, much less $3k.
FYI, during the past couple of weeks I’ve talked to 3 random structural engineers. I was hoping to connect with one through a referral since we know so many engineers but that didn’t happen. Anyhow, they all had a similar approach to our wall problem which would have involved deconstructing the walls in several areas to prove they have consistent rebar and footings, then paying the Structural Engrs a hefty fee to write a report and submit a drawn plan to reconstruct the walls in a reinforced fashion. I’m really glad we were able to avoid doing this between the chief city inspector offering his suggestion and our PB creating a sketch for city approval. I’m putting that out there in case anyone else finds themselves in a similar predicament as maybe our experience can help.
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Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
I love that little step/seat! That will allow you to get up out of the hot but still be in there with others.
LOVE the tile!
Kim
I love that little step/seat! That will allow you to get up out of the hot but still be in there with others.
LOVE the tile!
Kim
Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
Weeks 9 & 10
It looks like next week is go time! Fingers crossed we are allowed to do the plaster next week. It all depends on the inspector’s findings tomorrow during the pre-plaster inspection. We will see.
This past week saw the completion of the perimeter wall fix with a wrought iron specialist reinforcing the existing walls by cementing posts every 30” along the worse of the 2 walls, and including a dotted metal screen above for privacy. They also installed some of the rods around 2 diagonal cracks on the other wall as instructed by the city’s supervising plans check engineer. It doesn’t look horrible, I guess. LOL. My hubby and I will paint the block wall white and then the privacy trees will be planted in front of the back wall. We changed our plans for the side wall and instead of privacy trees we want to install a cheap white vinyl wall in front of the block wall. We think it will look cleaner and we don’t want to provide a home for the critters (i.e., birds, lizards, squirrels, spiders, etc.). In front of the vinyl wall we can place a few potted plants.
Our overhead electrical line was relocated from behind the house to behind the garage and the electrical was completed on the pool and spa. They also installed the remote device inside the house so we can operate the pool and spa without having to go outside. Yippee! But, they weren’t able to get the city’s power and water dept to meet them on site for the overhead electrical line and that means the city hasn’t brought out our new meter yet (part of their process when upgrading panels – not moving the overhead line). That’s great because we are getting free electrical until they bring out our new meter. But not so great because the city sent us a letter saying they were going to shut off our electricity if we don’t get the meter back on within a certain time period that is quickly expiring. I’m sure this is going to be a headache… but free electricity in the meantime will make it worthwhile!
The other thing that was accomplished this week is the vinyl gate was installed. We opted for a high quality gate (read: expensive) because we have a cheaper one from Home Depot in the back of the house which is really weak. This darn gate cost us $955, and although it’s solid and we definitely like that, it has a ridiculous locking mechanism. It’s a key-latch that requires a key to lock/unlock from either side. So you need a key when you go into the backyard from the house, which is annoying. The worst part is that the mechanism and hinges are on the outside of the gate so I’m worried our security is compromised, and it can’t simply be reversed due to the design. I’m hopeful our PB will find a solution for us. For $955… I mean, come on.
We also got the ledger stone installed on the outside of the spa (I love it!!!), and the trim tile installed on the steps of the pool and spa. Oh my gosh, I didn’t know I was going to love ledger stone so much. Now I just want to have them build 2 curved planters made with matching ledger stone on either side of the garage door in the backyard right now. But, that’s not part of our build and we will have to wait for the planters and building out the patio area. Darn!
I hope my next post is telling you the plastering is done! Speaking of which, our PB is suggesting we just go with regular plaster, not quartz plaster, because he doesn’t think it’s worth the value. He’s always been hesitant about the quartz. We are doing just a white color and he feels going with quartz for white won’t give us anything. No sparkle like you’d see with a color finish. We don’t like pebble, we don’t want a color finish, and we were going with quartz because we’re told it lasts longer than basic plaster. But upon his recommendation this week, we are just going with a white plaster. Any last minute thoughts on that? PB said the life of the plaster really depends on the maintenance of the pool, and we do maintain our home and belongings so hopefully we get at least 15 years out of it. That’s the argument we used to convince ourselves to just go with plaster afterall but I’m a bit nervous about it.
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(Overhead electrical line on the ground! Yikes. And wrought iron guy nearby just working away on the wall.)
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(The fix is done. The loose blocks were reattached, mortar filled in the cracks, and the wrought iron reinforced the walls. So much better than having to replace those 2 shared walls. Hope this gets the green light during inspection.)
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(Lock & door hinges are on the exterior of the gate. No bueno.)
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Weeks 9 & 10
It looks like next week is go time! Fingers crossed we are allowed to do the plaster next week. It all depends on the inspector’s findings tomorrow during the pre-plaster inspection. We will see.
This past week saw the completion of the perimeter wall fix with a wrought iron specialist reinforcing the existing walls by cementing posts every 30” along the worse of the 2 walls, and including a dotted metal screen above for privacy. They also installed some of the rods around 2 diagonal cracks on the other wall as instructed by the city’s supervising plans check engineer. It doesn’t look horrible, I guess. LOL. My hubby and I will paint the block wall white and then the privacy trees will be planted in front of the back wall. We changed our plans for the side wall and instead of privacy trees we want to install a cheap white vinyl wall in front of the block wall. We think it will look cleaner and we don’t want to provide a home for the critters (i.e., birds, lizards, squirrels, spiders, etc.). In front of the vinyl wall we can place a few potted plants.
Our overhead electrical line was relocated from behind the house to behind the garage and the electrical was completed on the pool and spa. They also installed the remote device inside the house so we can operate the pool and spa without having to go outside. Yippee! But, they weren’t able to get the city’s power and water dept to meet them on site for the overhead electrical line and that means the city hasn’t brought out our new meter yet (part of their process when upgrading panels – not moving the overhead line). That’s great because we are getting free electrical until they bring out our new meter. But not so great because the city sent us a letter saying they were going to shut off our electricity if we don’t get the meter back on within a certain time period that is quickly expiring. I’m sure this is going to be a headache… but free electricity in the meantime will make it worthwhile!
The other thing that was accomplished this week is the vinyl gate was installed. We opted for a high quality gate (read: expensive) because we have a cheaper one from Home Depot in the back of the house which is really weak. This darn gate cost us $955, and although it’s solid and we definitely like that, it has a ridiculous locking mechanism. It’s a key-latch that requires a key to lock/unlock from either side. So you need a key when you go into the backyard from the house, which is annoying. The worst part is that the mechanism and hinges are on the outside of the gate so I’m worried our security is compromised, and it can’t simply be reversed due to the design. I’m hopeful our PB will find a solution for us. For $955… I mean, come on.
We also got the ledger stone installed on the outside of the spa (I love it!!!), and the trim tile installed on the steps of the pool and spa. Oh my gosh, I didn’t know I was going to love ledger stone so much. Now I just want to have them build 2 curved planters made with matching ledger stone on either side of the garage door in the backyard right now. But, that’s not part of our build and we will have to wait for the planters and building out the patio area. Darn!
I hope my next post is telling you the plastering is done! Speaking of which, our PB is suggesting we just go with regular plaster, not quartz plaster, because he doesn’t think it’s worth the value. He’s always been hesitant about the quartz. We are doing just a white color and he feels going with quartz for white won’t give us anything. No sparkle like you’d see with a color finish. We don’t like pebble, we don’t want a color finish, and we were going with quartz because we’re told it lasts longer than basic plaster. But upon his recommendation this week, we are just going with a white plaster. Any last minute thoughts on that? PB said the life of the plaster really depends on the maintenance of the pool, and we do maintain our home and belongings so hopefully we get at least 15 years out of it. That’s the argument we used to convince ourselves to just go with plaster afterall but I’m a bit nervous about it.
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(Overhead electrical line on the ground! Yikes. And wrought iron guy nearby just working away on the wall.)
http://
(The fix is done. The loose blocks were reattached, mortar filled in the cracks, and the wrought iron reinforced the walls. So much better than having to replace those 2 shared walls. Hope this gets the green light during inspection.)
http://
http://
(Lock & door hinges are on the exterior of the gate. No bueno.)
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Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
What a lot of work has been done! NICE! OUCH on the wallet I am sure! Sorry wallet! LOL
Do you have your test kit yet? If your plaster is going to be next week you will need it. If you order it today you should have it to test your fill water. Look in my siggy to see the test kits and where to buy them from.
Kim
What a lot of work has been done! NICE! OUCH on the wallet I am sure! Sorry wallet! LOL
Do you have your test kit yet? If your plaster is going to be next week you will need it. If you order it today you should have it to test your fill water. Look in my siggy to see the test kits and where to buy them from.
Kim
Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
You might want to consider painting the block wall another color besides white. Our previous house had a white block wall and when the sun hit the wall you were blinded.
You might want to consider painting the block wall another color besides white. Our previous house had a white block wall and when the sun hit the wall you were blinded.
Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
That's a good idea, except the wrought iron is white and I wanted uniformity. But I just went out to unlock the gate and the white on the vinyl was so bright I seriously couldn't focus on the key hole. It should be OK on the north side since we will have the trees in front of that wall, but now you have me thinking about the east side. Thank you for pointing that out, Emil.
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I haven't even poked around the other areas of TFP website yet. My thought was since we're hiring a pool person, they'd be doing the maintenance and testing. Plus the PB does start up for 1 month. Do you think it's necessary to have a kit and understand the chemistry even if we have a weekly service? I certainly want to do what we can to preserve our investment, but I assumed the pros would have it covered. I guess it's time to shift my focus from construction and start looking at the maintenance side of pool ownership, just to be prepared.
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I haven't even poked around the other areas of TFP website yet. My thought was since we're hiring a pool person, they'd be doing the maintenance and testing. Plus the PB does start up for 1 month. Do you think it's necessary to have a kit and understand the chemistry even if we have a weekly service? I certainly want to do what we can to preserve our investment, but I assumed the pros would have it covered. I guess it's time to shift my focus from construction and start looking at the maintenance side of pool ownership, just to be prepared.
That's a good idea, except the wrought iron is white and I wanted uniformity. But I just went out to unlock the gate and the white on the vinyl was so bright I seriously couldn't focus on the key hole. It should be OK on the north side since we will have the trees in front of that wall, but now you have me thinking about the east side. Thank you for pointing that out, Emil.
- - - Updated - - -
I haven't even poked around the other areas of TFP website yet. My thought was since we're hiring a pool person, they'd be doing the maintenance and testing. Plus the PB does start up for 1 month. Do you think it's necessary to have a kit and understand the chemistry even if we have a weekly service? I certainly want to do what we can to preserve our investment, but I assumed the pros would have it covered. I guess it's time to shift my focus from construction and start looking at the maintenance side of pool ownership, just to be prepared.
- - - Updated - - -
I haven't even poked around the other areas of TFP website yet. My thought was since we're hiring a pool person, they'd be doing the maintenance and testing. Plus the PB does start up for 1 month. Do you think it's necessary to have a kit and understand the chemistry even if we have a weekly service? I certainly want to do what we can to preserve our investment, but I assumed the pros would have it covered. I guess it's time to shift my focus from construction and start looking at the maintenance side of pool ownership, just to be prepared.
Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
The "pros" are people willing to work for close to min. wage. They MIGHT test the water then add some pucks/tablets to the feeder. Most people who watch the "pros" without them knowing they are being watched say them spend maybe 10 mins. each visit to the pool!
Saying that I want you do know what using pucks will do to your pool over time. Each puck adds CYA "stabilizer" to your pool. Over time the CYA builds up.
See you need SOME CYA to help buffer and act as "sunscreen" for your chlorine BUT too much will cause all kinds of problems like algae. It might take a while for this to happen BUT it will happen in time. We see it again and again here. I am going to post a chart for you. You will see the ratio we like for our CYA and chlorine.
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
Here is a link for the stuff we use in our pools. Most of it can be found at your local Walmart or Target.
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
If nothing else having your own test kit will allow you keep your eye on your levels.
Oh and do NOT allow a pool store to test your water! They get it wrong a LOT more than they get it right. If you want I can tell you how three pool stores helped me ruin my last pool
Kim
The "pros" are people willing to work for close to min. wage. They MIGHT test the water then add some pucks/tablets to the feeder. Most people who watch the "pros" without them knowing they are being watched say them spend maybe 10 mins. each visit to the pool!
Saying that I want you do know what using pucks will do to your pool over time. Each puck adds CYA "stabilizer" to your pool. Over time the CYA builds up.
See you need SOME CYA to help buffer and act as "sunscreen" for your chlorine BUT too much will cause all kinds of problems like algae. It might take a while for this to happen BUT it will happen in time. We see it again and again here. I am going to post a chart for you. You will see the ratio we like for our CYA and chlorine.
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
Here is a link for the stuff we use in our pools. Most of it can be found at your local Walmart or Target.
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
If nothing else having your own test kit will allow you keep your eye on your levels.
Oh and do NOT allow a pool store to test your water! They get it wrong a LOT more than they get it right. If you want I can tell you how three pool stores helped me ruin my last pool
Kim
Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
This is so good to know. Thank you for opening my eyes and making me think of things beyond the construction. I'm going to share your experience with my friend who is building her pool now and has relied on a pool supply store for some guidance.
This is so good to know. Thank you for opening my eyes and making me think of things beyond the construction. I'm going to share your experience with my friend who is building her pool now and has relied on a pool supply store for some guidance.
Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
Week 11 & 12
We have water! The pre-plaster inspection passed, which means our nightmare walls are now in an approved state and shouldn’t cause us any more problems during this project. Huge relief. We did go with the basic white plaster afterall. I can see how a darker blue would have matched our other design selections better, but what can I say… we simply like white plaster the best. We like being able to see so clearly through the water and the smooth feeling of plaster. So we’re happy with it. PB had us pour Startup Tec in the pool and spa during the 1st 2 days which apparently really helped reduce the plaster dust. We brushed the pool as instructed for 4 days before we got the green light to go in the spa. The next day we were able to use the pool! I gotta tell you this is great timing because we are having another heat wave! I’m so glad we were able to use the pool during the Labor Day Weekend. We had family come over for BBQ and a swimfest to celebrate the holiday.
A favorite part of our new pool and spa is the color LED lights. We added them on as a last minute option because we went with a white plaster and knew the colors would show up nicely with a white background. They are fantastic! Love the vivid and bright colors to choose from, and it’s nice that the lights have various light show programs that are themed. Those light show options change colors automatically on its own. I think they better in person than in the pics.
A disappointment is how loud our rainfall descents are. We need to hear what sheer descents sound like in person for comparison, but we’re pretty sure the sheers are not as loud as the rainfall descents. On the 1st day, the noise was certainly overwhelming, but we are getting a bit more used to it now that we’ve been living with them for a few days. Still though, we can’t use them at night because it’s quiet in our neighborhood and these are really loud – which makes us talk even louder. Our backyard butts up to our neighbors’ backyards and I don’t want to annoy either household. It’s a small pool but not a small backyard. And the waterfall wall is only 18” above the water, so you wouldn’t think they’d be so intrusive. We have 2 rainfall devices on their own dedicated ¾ hp pump, along with a deck jet that we have shut off right now. We are pondering ways to make the sound not so loud, such as sawing down the dividers between the rain holes so that the whole unit becomes a makeshift sheer (they are on an adjustable knob and we have it on a low flow so adjusting the knob is not going to be the fix).
While the guys were here plastering, we failed an unexpected inspection for the electrical overhead line relocation and panel upgrade. I really didn't want the inspectors here at the same time we were filling the pool in this drought, but it's not like we were doing anything wrong. I just would have preferred to not have the inspector here at the same time cuz they like to find trouble. The electrical to the pool was passed a long time ago, but this inspection was for different aspects of our electrical work. So our electricians have to fix the items that were called out on the Correction Notice, then pass inspection which will be scheduled simultaneously with our final inspection for the pool. Then we will finish the landscaping! Can’t wait to get grass back in and get rid of all this dirt! We are so over the dirt! It’ll be nice to see how the privacy trees and shrubbery will look in front of our ugly walls too. You may notice in the pics we painted the reinforced wall white to match the wrought iron work and I swear it looks like a prison right now. LOL. But the trees will take care of that. And we are still considering privacy and aesthetic options for the other wall but are getting close to figuring it out. Landscaping, that one wall, and window treatments for our back windows will finish up this project and I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.
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Week 11 & 12
We have water! The pre-plaster inspection passed, which means our nightmare walls are now in an approved state and shouldn’t cause us any more problems during this project. Huge relief. We did go with the basic white plaster afterall. I can see how a darker blue would have matched our other design selections better, but what can I say… we simply like white plaster the best. We like being able to see so clearly through the water and the smooth feeling of plaster. So we’re happy with it. PB had us pour Startup Tec in the pool and spa during the 1st 2 days which apparently really helped reduce the plaster dust. We brushed the pool as instructed for 4 days before we got the green light to go in the spa. The next day we were able to use the pool! I gotta tell you this is great timing because we are having another heat wave! I’m so glad we were able to use the pool during the Labor Day Weekend. We had family come over for BBQ and a swimfest to celebrate the holiday.
A favorite part of our new pool and spa is the color LED lights. We added them on as a last minute option because we went with a white plaster and knew the colors would show up nicely with a white background. They are fantastic! Love the vivid and bright colors to choose from, and it’s nice that the lights have various light show programs that are themed. Those light show options change colors automatically on its own. I think they better in person than in the pics.
A disappointment is how loud our rainfall descents are. We need to hear what sheer descents sound like in person for comparison, but we’re pretty sure the sheers are not as loud as the rainfall descents. On the 1st day, the noise was certainly overwhelming, but we are getting a bit more used to it now that we’ve been living with them for a few days. Still though, we can’t use them at night because it’s quiet in our neighborhood and these are really loud – which makes us talk even louder. Our backyard butts up to our neighbors’ backyards and I don’t want to annoy either household. It’s a small pool but not a small backyard. And the waterfall wall is only 18” above the water, so you wouldn’t think they’d be so intrusive. We have 2 rainfall devices on their own dedicated ¾ hp pump, along with a deck jet that we have shut off right now. We are pondering ways to make the sound not so loud, such as sawing down the dividers between the rain holes so that the whole unit becomes a makeshift sheer (they are on an adjustable knob and we have it on a low flow so adjusting the knob is not going to be the fix).
While the guys were here plastering, we failed an unexpected inspection for the electrical overhead line relocation and panel upgrade. I really didn't want the inspectors here at the same time we were filling the pool in this drought, but it's not like we were doing anything wrong. I just would have preferred to not have the inspector here at the same time cuz they like to find trouble. The electrical to the pool was passed a long time ago, but this inspection was for different aspects of our electrical work. So our electricians have to fix the items that were called out on the Correction Notice, then pass inspection which will be scheduled simultaneously with our final inspection for the pool. Then we will finish the landscaping! Can’t wait to get grass back in and get rid of all this dirt! We are so over the dirt! It’ll be nice to see how the privacy trees and shrubbery will look in front of our ugly walls too. You may notice in the pics we painted the reinforced wall white to match the wrought iron work and I swear it looks like a prison right now. LOL. But the trees will take care of that. And we are still considering privacy and aesthetic options for the other wall but are getting close to figuring it out. Landscaping, that one wall, and window treatments for our back windows will finish up this project and I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.
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Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
OH happy day! Water in time for a Labor day party! Does not get any better than that!
LOVE the lights!
I hope you can figure out your noise issue. Do you know your neighbors enough to go over and listen from their side to see if it is too loud over there?
Kim
OH happy day! Water in time for a Labor day party! Does not get any better than that!
LOVE the lights!
I hope you can figure out your noise issue. Do you know your neighbors enough to go over and listen from their side to see if it is too loud over there?
Kim
Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
The color lights look really sweet. Glad you went with that upgrade, and jealous that you are swimming in this heat wave we are having. I am still at least a week away.
The color lights look really sweet. Glad you went with that upgrade, and jealous that you are swimming in this heat wave we are having. I am still at least a week away.
Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
It's so cute when I swim laps cuz my older dog walks along side me on the decking, back and forth, eyes glued on me like a body guard. I don't think she's quite comfortable with the hole in the ground yet.
It's so cute when I swim laps cuz my older dog walks along side me on the decking, back and forth, eyes glued on me like a body guard. I don't think she's quite comfortable with the hole in the ground yet.
Re: We started our build - Pasadena, CA
The pool looks great. We have an 8 year old dog that will not take her eyes off of our 11 year old daughter. She will run her feet bloody so we have to keep her inside when we swim at my parents. I am thinking of buying her some shoes for when our pool is done.
The pool looks great. We have an 8 year old dog that will not take her eyes off of our 11 year old daughter. She will run her feet bloody so we have to keep her inside when we swim at my parents. I am thinking of buying her some shoes for when our pool is done.
Finished
We are done! In the past 2 weeks we had a vinyl wall topper put on top of one of the walls which looks great, and the landscaping has been completed, and our PB came out and brilliantly turned our noisy rainfall descents into sheer descents! What a difference! We use the sheer descents all the time now as they are truly much more tolerable than the rainfall descents. The PB took a handheld circular saw an hung upside down off the bond beam wall to cut all those little rainfall holes into a continuous line, essentially turning it into a sheer. Then my husband spent some more time perfecting it with a metal file. I’m so glad this didn’t turn into a nightmare fix by breaking open the back of the bond beam wall, pulling out the descent devices, ruining the coping and tiles, etc. We actually were preparing ourselves for that in case we couldn’t come up with a fix. Who knew how easy it’d be to do this homemade conversion.
Getting the landscaping done really gave us the “Ta-Da” feeling. We can’t pry ourselves away from the backyard now. It feels like a small resort back there with the nice pool & spa, gorgeous lights and greenery. Very glad to have grass again! I love the pathway lights we have that look like something you’d see at a nice hotel. We also have a lot of uplights in the trees and shrubbery. They gave the small section of grass a lovely slope to accommodate its natural lowered level. This slope makes it so people won’t trip or stub their toes when navigating from the grass to the concrete around the pool which can be hard to see through the grass. And everyone is complimenting the vinyl wall topper, thankfully the neighbors we share that wall with are thrilled with how it turned out too. The other neighbors didn’t get so lucky with the “prison” wall we built, but thankfully they have trees in front of the wall to soften the view. Now all I need is to clean our windows from all that construction dirt.
There is one last thing we have to do in order to consider this project complete: new window treatments for the back of the house so our view to the beautiful backyard isn’t obstructed. I intend to have the treatments open most of the time so I’m leaning towards roller shades that tuck up under a small valance. Definitely something slim that doesn’t take much space when in an open position as the old verticals that came with the house are so voluminous that they block our view when they are pulled back. And I want the option to close the treatments on the rare occasion that we want privacy between the backyard and the living room. It’s pretty private in the backyard now so I can’t imagine this being the case, but we want the option just in case. Any suggestions on window treatments?
Pic from inside the living room looking out to the backyard:
http://
(This dolphin really does scare away the birds! We had a problem w/bird poop from the telephone pole above, and the dolphin is helping a lot)
We are done! In the past 2 weeks we had a vinyl wall topper put on top of one of the walls which looks great, and the landscaping has been completed, and our PB came out and brilliantly turned our noisy rainfall descents into sheer descents! What a difference! We use the sheer descents all the time now as they are truly much more tolerable than the rainfall descents. The PB took a handheld circular saw an hung upside down off the bond beam wall to cut all those little rainfall holes into a continuous line, essentially turning it into a sheer. Then my husband spent some more time perfecting it with a metal file. I’m so glad this didn’t turn into a nightmare fix by breaking open the back of the bond beam wall, pulling out the descent devices, ruining the coping and tiles, etc. We actually were preparing ourselves for that in case we couldn’t come up with a fix. Who knew how easy it’d be to do this homemade conversion.
Getting the landscaping done really gave us the “Ta-Da” feeling. We can’t pry ourselves away from the backyard now. It feels like a small resort back there with the nice pool & spa, gorgeous lights and greenery. Very glad to have grass again! I love the pathway lights we have that look like something you’d see at a nice hotel. We also have a lot of uplights in the trees and shrubbery. They gave the small section of grass a lovely slope to accommodate its natural lowered level. This slope makes it so people won’t trip or stub their toes when navigating from the grass to the concrete around the pool which can be hard to see through the grass. And everyone is complimenting the vinyl wall topper, thankfully the neighbors we share that wall with are thrilled with how it turned out too. The other neighbors didn’t get so lucky with the “prison” wall we built, but thankfully they have trees in front of the wall to soften the view. Now all I need is to clean our windows from all that construction dirt.
There is one last thing we have to do in order to consider this project complete: new window treatments for the back of the house so our view to the beautiful backyard isn’t obstructed. I intend to have the treatments open most of the time so I’m leaning towards roller shades that tuck up under a small valance. Definitely something slim that doesn’t take much space when in an open position as the old verticals that came with the house are so voluminous that they block our view when they are pulled back. And I want the option to close the treatments on the rare occasion that we want privacy between the backyard and the living room. It’s pretty private in the backyard now so I can’t imagine this being the case, but we want the option just in case. Any suggestions on window treatments?
Pic from inside the living room looking out to the backyard:
http://
(This dolphin really does scare away the birds! We had a problem w/bird poop from the telephone pole above, and the dolphin is helping a lot)
borjis
LifeTime Supporter
Wow!
I LOVE the "rounded" coping stones around the spa.
Every time I see sharp corners on spa's I think of someone getting a nasty
cut or losing an eye if they were to slip and bonk their head on a corner accidentally.
Not trying to scare anyone, I'm just a little unreasonably paranoid about such things.
I LOVE the "rounded" coping stones around the spa.
Every time I see sharp corners on spa's I think of someone getting a nasty
cut or losing an eye if they were to slip and bonk their head on a corner accidentally.
Not trying to scare anyone, I'm just a little unreasonably paranoid about such things.
- Jul 16, 2012
- 7,211
- Pool Size
- 27000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Beautiful!! Great solution for the waterfalls. What upright tree/shrub did you go with for along the fence?
Thank you. That makes me feel good because I have coping tile envy after seeing everyone's gorgeous builds on this forum. LOL. Ours is poured in place coping and I chose the bullnose edging and the color. I didn't realize it was going to turn out so thick so had some doubt about it during the build, but now that it's complete I think it looks great.
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We went with Podocarpus, the fern kind. Wanted something that wouldn't grow out of control like Italian Cypress do, but would grow bushy enough for privacy, and wouldn't attract bees, birds, etc. too much. I think it won't drop leaves too much either. The landscape designer on staff with our PB recommended it for these reasons. I hope they don't require too much water either because we're in a drought here. I think I asked at one point but I can't recall the conversation, so fingers crossed.
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Oh, I just thought to share with you that they use this tree at Disneyland too, and it looks great. Everything looks great at DLand, though. Here's a link.
http://plantsofdisneyland.com/disne...ion.cfm?recordID=1217371&plantpic=1217371.jpg
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We went with Podocarpus, the fern kind. Wanted something that wouldn't grow out of control like Italian Cypress do, but would grow bushy enough for privacy, and wouldn't attract bees, birds, etc. too much. I think it won't drop leaves too much either. The landscape designer on staff with our PB recommended it for these reasons. I hope they don't require too much water either because we're in a drought here. I think I asked at one point but I can't recall the conversation, so fingers crossed.
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Oh, I just thought to share with you that they use this tree at Disneyland too, and it looks great. Everything looks great at DLand, though. Here's a link.
http://plantsofdisneyland.com/disne...ion.cfm?recordID=1217371&plantpic=1217371.jpg
Turned out beautiful! I wish I had room for all of that grass, it really softens up the yard. Lighting turned out excellent as well.
WOW! It is done! NICE job! LOVE the coping with the rounded edge. So easy on the eye and shins!
What kind of material was the things for the waterfall made of? NICE job PB in fixing it. So just making it a sheer as in rectangle slit it changed the sound that much? Nice to know for future pool builders.
Kim
What kind of material was the things for the waterfall made of? NICE job PB in fixing it. So just making it a sheer as in rectangle slit it changed the sound that much? Nice to know for future pool builders.
Kim