Pool House Questions

[joesc230]

Hi all,

I wish I did more research, and even more so wish that I found this forum, before hiring my PB last year. Anyway, we ended up having our pool equipment pad placed right in the middle of our backyard. Long story short - based on the size of our backyard, and the placement of the pool, the PB recommended the placement. It's not exactly the most beautiful sight to see when first walking back there. Now that it's been some time since the dust has settled on the completion of our pool, I'm looking into ways to hide the equipment. While I think some landscaping or a small fence around it would do the job, my preferred way would be to have someone build a shed that covers the equipment, with an attached bar on the outside of the shed, to give it a more appealing feel when guests are over. I see a number of companies that build such pool houses. However, it seems like most of the companies that build such sheds do not want to mess with the pool equipment.

My question is, since I have a heater, should I not be doing this type of install? Or is it okay to do so as long as I vent the heater outside the shed? (and make sure whatever recommended clearance from the unit is also taken into account) I wasn't sure if aside from those aspects, if there is anything to be concerned about.

If anyone knows a company that does this type of work (that you would recommend) in NJ I'd really appreciate their info, as I would love to take on a project like this myself but am swamped between work and a newborn.

Thanks in advance for any advise/referrals.

 

[bdavis466]

Raypak heaters (and most others) can be placed inside of a structure without issue so long as they are vented correctly. Rapack requires a 9" B vent pipe and I believe 150 sq inches minimum of ventilation. This should be spelled out in the manual.

Post some pictures of the area and an aerial photo from google maps so we can see what you're working with.

 

[kimkats]

Just make sure anything you build can get wet so that when you need to work on the pump and filter you are worried about messing up the walls and such. I am thinking NO drywall or such.

Make sure what you build or have built will have enough room around the equipment to get to and move as needed.

Kim

 

[joesc230]

Raypak heaters (and most others) can be placed inside of a structure without issue so long as they are vented correctly. Rapack requires a 9" B vent pipe and I believe 150 sq inches minimum of ventilation. This should be spelled out in the manual.

Post some pictures of the area and an aerial photo from google maps so we can see what you're working with.

Here's a close up picture of the equipment pad:

The house was built a couple of years ago, so Google maps doesn't have an aerial of our property yet. I took the following picture to give an idea of the surrounding area and proximity to the pool:

- - - Updated - - -

Just make sure anything you build can get wet so that when you need to work on the pump and filter you are worried about messing up the walls and such. I am thinking NO drywall or such.

Make sure what you build or have built will have enough room around the equipment to get to and move as needed.

Kim

Those are really great tips, thanks! I definitely agree - no drywall is the way to go.

 

[bdavis466]

How about this:

 

[joesc230]

bdavis466: WOW, that looks amazing. I totally wasn't expecting you to mock up anything. Thanks for that! I love it - especially with the integration of the bathroom, sink, grill, etc. However, we were thinking of something smaller, with an outdoor kitchen closer to our house and a bathroom in our basement. We were looking around and saw structures like this one.

I just wasn't sure what size to make sure the pool equipment area was. The current spacing of all the equipment is around 11' x 5'. I also wasn't sure if we should leave the equipment on the pad as is and just build around it, or if any of the equipment would have to be relocated.

 

[bdavis466]

I'd leave the equipment as is and build around it. This is assuming that the structures footing doesn't conflict with the pool plumbing lines. Given the size of your current pad, I'd recommend 12' x8' minimum. I have my equipment in a 10'x12' room and it is adequate in size.

 

[Pooldoctor]

I hate how pool companies love to save money by doing that, sheesh, $300 more in pipes and that could back against a fence.

 

[kimkats]

I LOVE that house idea! I bet it will get used a LOT! I can see many dinners and after hours drinks there!

Kim

 

[gwegan]

Does your PB specialize in oil refineries? Wow, working hard to do it poorly. I suggest something like Brian is suggesting but without all the bells and whistles. Adding an undercover seating area is always good and it changes the focus of the building from hiding the equipment to a pool pavilion. And you live in NJ so it will almost certainly require permits so you get the most bang out of your permit dollar.

 

[joesc230]

Does your PB specialize in oil refineries? Wow, working hard to do it poorly. I suggest something like Brian is suggesting but without all the bells and whistles. Adding an undercover seating area is always good and it changes the focus of the building from hiding the equipment to a pool pavilion. And you live in NJ so it will almost certainly require permits so you get the most bang out of your permit dollar.

The issues I had during my build were unbelievable. I wish that I had found these forums before hiring them. I'm trying to be positive about it though and just enjoy the pool. I like the idea of undercover seating...and yes, the permit process around here isn't exactly seamless.

 

[joesc230]

I hate how pool companies love to save money by doing that, sheesh, $300 more in pipes and that could back against a fence.

Agreed - the fence wasn't up when they placed the pad. After I said something about the placement of the pad, they said that they didn't realize how far back my property line went. At that time I had a few more pressing issues with them, so I didn't press them on that. They had already run the plumbing and I just wanted to be done with them. In hindsight, it's more frustrating because they had a survey showing the exact location of the property line, which I told them the fence would be right inside of.

 

[Nectarologist]

If it's a traditional shed you're looking for try Lowes or HD. They will assemble it too. Some have a barn type look but others would blend in fine (almost like a mini house). I looked at a house last year with a pool and it had a shed solely for the pool equipment. It looked fine and functioned fine (heater was vented through the roof btw).

I am having Techo Blu 60 put in next month. Is that Champlain Grey you have? I think that is what we are going with. And is your's smooth or the textured finish? We're undecided but need to finalize this Friday. It looks great. How is the temp in the summer on bare feet?

-Chris

 

[Isaac-1]

As a person that owned one of those cheap some assembly require sheds from Lowes, remember you get what you pay for. In the case of mine the doors caved in the first time we had a strong wind, so it is worth it to get the better models even if they cost a bit more..

 

[joesc230]

If it's a traditional shed you're looking for try Lowes or HD. They will assemble it too. Some have a barn type look but others would blend in fine (almost like a mini house). I looked at a house last year with a pool and it had a shed solely for the pool equipment. It looked fine and functioned fine (heater was vented through the roof btw).

I am having Techo Blu 60 put in next month. Is that Champlain Grey you have? I think that is what we are going with. And is your's smooth or the textured finish? We're undecided but need to finalize this Friday. It looks great. How is the temp in the summer on bare feet?

-Chris

Thanks for the input.

Yes, that is Champlain Grey. We went with the textured finish. We were thinking it wouldn't be as slip prone as the smooth finish. We love the Champlain Grey color. Not sure about the summer temp, as we first had it installed this past September...hopefully it won't get too hot. It wasn't bad on the warmer September days, but it hasn't really been tested yet.