New Pool + Cabana + Putting Green - Lucas, TX

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bmoreswim said:
That's my future robot. I also have that roll down screen you showed in the last picture. If you look in my build thread there is a picture of it in the last page or two.

I'd think you could do a wood wall of some type on the back side (maybe cedar based) but agree there are lots of considerations on that topic.

Just make sure if you do consider a pitching area that there is a net or something solid to catch the pass balls or wild pitches as the case may be.
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OMG!! I was just reading your build thread earlier today and I saw your sun shade! I had wondered if such a thing existed, and when I saw your pic I instantly thought, "That's it!" then breathed a sigh of relief thinking you'd saved me thousands!

Good suggestion on the net. As you can see in the pics above, my wife had to go next door to retrieve a ball that slipped through the fence. Oops! :-D
 
And now a question about concrete decking (and putting greens too).

As I said, PB#1's original bid included 1,650 sq ft of "salt finish" concrete decking. We didn't specify any particular decking material... just that we didn't want stamped concrete. Anyway, when the rendering appeared with concrete that matched our driveway, walkway, patio, etc. I was thinking, "Great! This should keep the price down!" Boy was I wrong! They want $10.50 / sq ft for basic concrete! That's over $17k for the concrete deck!

I did some checking and Google says, 4" concrete pool decks in the DFW area should cost anywhere from $4 - $5 sq ft. I found another thread here on the forum where somebody in DFW paid $2.62 / sq ft for salt finish concrete.

So I brought this up with PB#1 and he mumbled some reason why their concrete was more than average. Honestly, I don't remember what he said and didn't buy it anyway. I told him my brother paid $7 / sq ft for travertine pavers a few years ago in Phoenix (true story). To my surprise when he sent us the new renderings and revised quote yesterday he had added pavers for the same price as his previously inflated concrete.

I asked the other PB's right up front what they charge for salt finish concrete and one said $8 and the other said $8.50. Still seems high, but better than $10.50. Honestly, this little experiment makes me wonder how bad I'm being gouged for materials that's AREN'T as easy to look up on Google.

The putting green is $6000 for 300 sq ft. $20 / sq ft seems a bit pricey. I wonder if this is one of those deals where the PB is outsourced it to a putting green company who charges $10 / sq ft and then marking it up. As the putting green seems easy to separate from the rest of the project I'm beginning to look for my own quotes. Maybe we will add this after the rest is complete.

Finally, the 19x20 cabana is $19,500. That's almost $47 / sq ft. That's nuts considering it's just a roof with no walls, flooring, or plumbing! It included an electric package, but I have to provide the ceiling fans.

So my question for you guys is... is it appropriate to keep pressuring PB#1 on these seemingly high prices, or do you think I'm likely to see more competitive pricing from PB#2, 3, and 4...?
 
I'd wait for more bids. We have rock salt finished, colored deck. It was no extra charge from plain, concrete decking. It is great. Looks good, not slippery, fairly cool and zero maintenance.
 
Be careful when you are quoted a price per sq ft. The cost is more than just the per sq ft cost of concrete. There are turn down fees wherever there is an edge, drains, pump truck fee, road base, possibly bobcat fee, etc. I had a PB offer $6.82/sq ft for concrete patio. I'm doing an owner build and my first bid is much higher.
 
I sure did want to see the spa moved! I like 2.0. There is a space for dog play and kid play!

The over charging for stuff is why I asked if he broke the price down from pool to buildings. I did not even think of the putting green as being so high. He is really upping the price on everything it sounds like.

What I would do is price out everything other than the pool. Get "real" prices as in "what will I write the check for".

I can't wait to see the other bids. Don't be afraid to play them against each other. What you will find is most of the use all of the same subs to do their work! If you can find someone that has in house trades it would be worth looking into.

Kim:kim:
 
One other point...every PB I talked to was willing to build just the pool and let me hire a separate patio contractor. I would look at doing the patio and putting green separately. That size patio is attractive to just about any concrete contractor.


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Love it! What a great yard! If I could get a do-over on our pool, I would definitely get a quote on the landscaping ahead of time...it seems to always be more $ than you'd think. Landscaping really makes everything look awesome, especially the area behind the rock waterfall. And I would splurge for the nice basketball goal with the double posts, where the builder installs sleeves for it.
 
Wow, new house, new boat, and new pool! Welcome from The Malibu Crew! I saw your screen name and thought there can only be one IXFE. We have a new pool going in this Spring too and been coming here to get info and get my money spent for many months in preparation. Love the design you're working with, good luck with the build.
 
jtrovato21 said:
Wow, new house, new boat, and new pool! Welcome from The Malibu Crew! I saw your screen name and thought there can only be one IXFE. We have a new pool going in this Spring too and been coming here to get info and get my money spent for many months in preparation. Love the design you're working with, good luck with the build.
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Yeah, it's a crazy time for our family. Lots going on. Hoping to have all in place by summer. I actually considered starting this topic on TMC, but figured there was more to learn here.
 

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kimkats said:
The over charging for stuff is why I asked if he broke the price down from pool to buildings. I did not even think of the putting green as being so high. He is really upping the price on everything it sounds like.

What I would do is price out everything other than the pool. Get "real" prices as in "what will I write the check for".

Kim:kim:
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I did a break down for you of PB#1's latest quote...

Pool + Spa : $74K
Cabana : $19K ($45.47/sq ft)
Pavers : $15.6K ($9.31/sq ft)
Waterfall : $8K
Putting Green : $5.4K ($18/sq ft)
Fire pit : $3.8K
Grass, sprinklers, grading : $2.6K

I checked with a local pacer company who quoted me $10 - $13 per foot for the pavers I like. So I don't think there's a lot of savings to be had going with an outside company. I just gotta figure out what pavers PB#1 is quoting.

One thing I did learn from the paver company is that I can do a block/paver fire pit for $500. That seems a lot smarter than paying $4K for one permanently built out of brick and stone. Also, I was a little nervous about building a permanent fire pit inside the easement. PB#1 says it's no problem as long as the ground isn't concrete. But other PB's have said they can't build anything inside the easement. Paver fire pit wouldn't be considered permanent.
 
For what it is worth, we priced out cabanas/pavilions, tiki huts, and attached covered patios (which we ultimately decided on) here in FL. That price seems about right for the cabana at that size. We were getting quotes for 16x24 and 18x24 pavilions/cabanas (with 6 posts) and they came in the low 20's. Square footage is pretty close to your revised quote. Even the pre-fab Amish pavilions from PA cost about that much after considering delivery and install. We finally decided to do a 16x40 attached covered patio off of the back of our house with high hat lights and 3 fans for a little more than $10K more since we wanted a sitting area with TV and kitchen.

Since you already have an outdoor kitchen and covered patio, i would honestly scrap the cabana. It takes up so much of your remaining yard. Alternatively, you can install a sun-sail/shade and get an outdoor rated ping pong table for much less. Or even add a smaller pergola over the far end of the pool and move the fire pit to where the cabana is. You really have so many options with that space!
 
grumpiebk said:
For what it is worth, we priced out cabanas/pavilions, tiki huts, and attached covered patios (which we ultimately decided on) here in FL. That price seems about right for the cabana at that size. We were getting quotes for 16x24 and 18x24 pavilions/cabanas (with 6 posts) and they came in the low 20's. Square footage is pretty close to your revised quote. Even the pre-fab Amish pavilions from PA cost about that much after considering delivery and install. We finally decided to do a 16x40 attached covered patio off of the back of our house with high hat lights and 3 fans for a little more than $10K more since we wanted a sitting area with TV and kitchen.

Since you already have an outdoor kitchen and covered patio, i would honestly scrap the cabana. It takes up so much of your remaining yard. Alternatively, you can install a sun-sail/shade and get an outdoor rated ping pong table for much less. Or even add a smaller pergola over the far end of the pool and move the fire pit to where the cabana is. You really have so many options with that space!
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Thanks, grump...

Dont forget the main reason we want a structure back there on the left is to block/diffuse the view of that house behind the left side of the yard. At least that was my original priority. But now I'm seeing the wisdom in have tons of shade around the pool. All the locals tell me that we will likely have more people in the shade than in the actual pool! Lol

If I take out the cabana, how would you suggest diffusing the view of that house behind me?
 
IXFE said:
Thanks, grump...

Dont forget the main reason we want a structure back there on the left is to block/diffuse the view of that house behind the left side of the yard. At least that was my original priority. But now I'm seeing the wisdom in have tons of shade around the pool. All the locals tell me that we will likely have more people in the shade than in the actual pool! Lol

If I take out the cabana, how would you suggest diffusing the view of that house behind me?
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Please forgive me as I didnt read your entire thread. Curious, did the PB give you the designs with a view looking from your covered patio? I dont know that the cabana is going to block much more of a view than mature landscaping would? And if so, thats an expensive privacy barrier! My initial thought was some type of cypress on an angle in that corner of the yard that will grow real tall. Especially if you are going with a half wall in the cabana, you may still see most of the neighboring house above the wall anyhow. A 3 or 4 post shade sail (on an angle with the far corner lower) may also be able to block some of that view as well. Just some thoughts I had.
 
Shouldn't we have invented virtual holographic screens that get displayed by phasers or something to block views by now? Surely it would be more economical and flexible.

Agreed on the pricing...our Amish built 11x22 pavilion in our build thread was $10,600 installed ($44/sq. ft.)
 
Plant trees or large shrubs along the back and side. One thing I wish we had done was plant trees sooner (like right after we built). It completely transformed our yard in terms of adding privacy. Although they aren't native, we planted Cherry Laurels. They grow moderately fast and are now about 18' tall now. You can plant them 6-10' apart and let them grow into a large shrub. You want Evergreens (they keep their leaves year round). Determine how high you need the tree to grow and that will dictate your options. Resist the urge to buy older / larger trees. Our younger/smaller Cherry Laurels quickly overtook their larger counter parts. Older trees don't transplant as well. If you just need something in the 10'+ range, there are also large shrubs. While digging the pool, I had our excavator bust up an area to add another Cherry Laurel as we are on limestone.
 
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