New Build in North Texas (Frisco)

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TexasDeano

TexasDeano

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Gold Supporter
Aug 13, 2015
137
Frisco, Texas
Hello everyone,

Well, I am about to take the plunge (pun intended). I am getting ready to sign a contract within the next week to build my first pool. I am very excited. It has already been a long journey. I have been thinking about and wanting a pool for several years. Every summer I get fed up with heat and say "I'm building a pool!". Then in the winter I say "I don't want to spend that much money". This has gone on for several years.

Then a couple of years ago I found TFP. And I have been stalking you all ever since. There is such a vast wealth of knowledge and experience on this site, and I have tried to absorb as much of it as I could. So I started a OneNote notebook last year and have been filling it with data. Every time I saw a picture of something I liked, I put it in the notebook. Every time I saw a post debating the pros/cons of something, I put it in the notebook. So when this summer's "heat" rant occurred, I decided to go for it.

I have meticulously documented my experience so far and hope to share it with this forum. Maybe someone else will find some part of it helpful. I will appreciate any and all feedback.

So here we go.
 
First, my requirements. As the title indicates I live in North Texas in the great city of Frisco, which is about 30 miles north of Dallas. There is nothing really extraordinary about me. I am a middle-aged, single white guy with no kids. Well, no human kids. I do have two Goldendoodles and one Basset Hound. They are co-owners of the outdoor space.

So because it is just me, and occasional visits of family and friends, I didn't want a huge pool. My dogs have a dog door so they have 24-hour access to the back yard. Now, the yard has always been primarily theirs. I never bothered to do any landscaping because anything that I planted would inevitably end up in the middle of my living room. The pillows from my couch and bed occasionally end up in the middle of the back yard. So there's that.

I did extend my typical 10x10 backyard "patio" to a 10x24 covered patio a few years ago. The dog door is in the back door, which opens onto the covered patio.

So one of my requirements was to preserve a good part of the yard for the dogs. They have to have somewhere to put the couch pillows. This is what I have to deal with.

2013-06-05 17.34.40.jpg
 
I put together a list of pool builders primarily based on the reviews and documented experiences I found on TFP. I also included three builders that I received personal referrals of from friends. I checked all of them out with the BBB and read all of the complaints against them. I sought and read every review and documented experiences with each of them that I could find.

So here is the list of PB's I engaged:


  • Hauk Pools
  • Foley Pools
  • Riverbend Sandler
  • Gold Medal Pools
  • Robertson Pools
  • BMR Pool and Patio
  • M. Christopher Pools
  • Southernwind Pools

There are other reputable PBs that I could have included. But I felt seven was enough.

I don't want to say which one I am going with right now because I have not signed the contract and I guess it is still possible that I might change my mind. But out of the initial seven, four made my short list. Once I sign the contract I will document my experience with them and why I picked who I did and why I didn't go with the others.
 
TexasDeano said:
First, my requirements. As the title indicates I live in North Texas in the great city of Frisco, which is about 30 miles north of Dallas. There is nothing really extraordinary about me. I am a middle-aged, single white guy with no kids. Well, no human kids. I do have two Goldendoodles and one Basset Hound. They are co-owners of the outdoor space.

So because it is just me, and occasional visits of family and friends, I didn't want a huge pool. My dogs have a dog door so they have 24-hour access to the back yard. Now, the yard has always been primarily theirs. I never bothered to do any landscaping because anything that I planted would inevitably end up in the middle of my living room. The pillows from my couch and bed occasionally end up in the middle of the back yard. So there's that.

I did extend my typical 10x10 backyard "patio" to a 10x24 covered patio a few years ago. The dog door is in the back door, which opens onto the covered patio.

So one of my requirements was to preserve a good part of the yard for the dogs. They have to have somewhere to put the couch pillows. This is what I have to deal with.

View attachment 53298
Click to expand...

LAUGHING, oh so much laughing! Got to love a dog or 3!

Can't wait to see your build. Run the bids by us and we can pick them apart for you BUT I am willing to bet you know what we will say before we say it if you have been reading the threads.

:kim: (Oh and you KNOW I want to see the doggies! please)
 
Interviewing and processing bids from 7 PB's is a difficult task. But by the end I pretty much knew exactly what I wanted. So even though all of the designs were unique, they shared important elements that I liked. Here are the specs so far:

Pool only / no spa
24x18
77' Perimeter
4' to 5.5' depth
Flagstone coping
400 sq. ft. of brushed concrete
PebbleTec Sheen surface
Intellichlor Salt Chlorine Generator
Pentair Intelliflo 3050 VS/SVRS pump
Pentair 60 sq. ft. DE Filter
Polaris 280 3/4 HP Booster Pump
Easytouch Lite PL4 w/ ScreenLogic interface (wireless)
3 GloBrite LED Pool lights


2016-08-13_10-48-05.jpg

2016-08-13_10-48-20.jpg

2016-08-13_10-48-54.jpg

2016-08-13_10-49-43.jpg
 
The co-owners:

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Last edited:
Welcome to active participation in TFP! Very glad you've decided to document your build. I expect you will keep a good group of us entertained and interested.
I will say that I've seen many build threads here and I've never seen a table that was incorporated into the side of the pool like in your design. Fantastic!
Is there a reason you've chosen a Polaris vacuum which also requires a booster pump versus using a robot?
How do you plan to chlorinate the pool?
 
Hello, and thanks. The little table was just something I saw in a picture and saved it. It will have an umbrella sleeve in it as well. I wanted a spot to sit, relax, and watch the game.

As for the vacuum, I told the PB I planned on going with a robot. So I don't know if the Polaris vacuum is just a part of their base package or what. I'll ask.

There is a SWG. I'll go back up and add that to the specs. I went back and forth whether or not to go with a SWG. Nearly all of the PB's advised against it, but it seems the consensus on here is that it is worth it.
 
I love those steps of the shelf! That table is SO different! I bet you will get a lot of use out of it!

Do you think the doddles will get in the pool? I bet the basset will not but you never know since he lives with the doddles!

:kim:
 

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Thanks. I'm not sure how the pool will go over. I took the doodles to the park once and it had a lake with a concrete edge around it. The water was high, over the edge and they walked off of it and went right in nose first. It spooked both of them pretty good. Since then they are real cautious when near water. The little on, Newton, flinches when he hears a splash. So I'll have to work with them.

The basset is an anomaly. He grew up with a yellow lab who is no longer with us. So he has always behaved like the lab. He likes to run and swim. But he hates baths and sprinklers and water hoses. But he goes right into the lake. So we'll see.
 
Question about my design:

Given that there is a raised edge on two sides and a tanning ledge in one corner, where is the ideal placement for the two skimmers? I've read that they should be opposite of each other, but that's not possible in this design.

- - - Updated - - -

twinkiesmommy2009 said:
Wow, what a stunning design!! Excited to watch your progress. Have you looked into travertine coping since you are going with the SWG?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I haven't because of costs. Does travertine hold up to salt better than flagstone?
 
There are some pools that only have one skimmer so your other one is a bonus. Put it where you can that works for you and your area. I would NOT put it in front of a bench. You do not want people sitting in front of it just in case.

:kim:
 
Okay, good news. I've signed the contract. It was easy to narrow down my list of builders from 7 to 4. But very difficult to pick just 1. I honestly believe I could have picked either one of the four and been very happy. I decided on the builder I did because I had a personal referral from someone I trust, they included an electrical re-route in the proposal for me, their initial design really impressed me, and I just had a good feeling about them. So we'll see. I won't hold any punches documenting the build process.

Next step is to finalize the materials selection and get the completed technical drawings completed. Plus get the paperwork rolling for the permits and HOA approval.
 
Waiting on Electric Re-route

Well, there has been a flurry of activity dealing with permits, HOA forms, and other red-tape. Tomorrow I go and pick out the colors of Pebblesheen, tile, etc.

But before we can proceed any further, the underground electric cable feeding my house needs to be re-routed. When my house was built (16 years ago) my home builder decided to save $100 and run the electric cable right through the middle of my backyard.

electricline.jpg

If you hired a team of engineers and had them come up with a consensus on where the absolutely worst route to run the electric cable from the alley to the house is, it would probably be right where my builder decided to put it, instead of spending a few extra dollars and run it around the perimeter of the property.

The cost to re-route it is going to be between $2500 and $3000. SMH.
 

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