New Pool Build Los Angeles

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LOL....I'm only 5'-9", but I've never thought that was short for a guy. My mom is 5'-5", so that does not seem short to me. :razz: I still haven't made my tile selection yet...:-( I really like Oceanside Glass' Aqua iridescent, but unfortunately (for me) their tile is paper-facing and my PB wants to charge a fortune to install. So I am still looking, but I have about 3 weeks before I need to worry about that. (I know those three weeks will go fast.)

As for following the tile manufacturers installation instructions, I completely agree. It may mean a few weeks waiting for things to cure, but what's a few weeks compared to decades of not having to worry about tiles popping off, and if they do, you did the right thing and it's back to the manufacturer. (Just make sure you document the timing sequence of what was done.)
 
Tony411LA said:
LOL....I'm only 5'-9", but I've never thought that was short for a guy. My mom is 5'-5", so that does not seem short to me. :razz: I still haven't made my tile selection yet...:-( I really like Oceanside Glass' Aqua iridescent, but unfortunately (for me) their tile is paper-facing and my PB wants to charge a fortune to install. So I am still looking, but I have about 3 weeks before I need to worry about that. (I know those three weeks will go fast.)

As for following the tile manufacturers installation instructions, I completely agree. It may mean a few weeks waiting for things to cure, but what's a few weeks compared to decades of not having to worry about tiles popping off, and if they do, you did the right thing and it's back to the manufacturer. (Just make sure you document the timing sequence of what was done.)
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If you follow all of the installation instructions, you are not going to be happy. There is this requirement to put expansion joints every 8 inches (if I remember correctly) and the joints have to be about a half-inch wide. (The joints are filled with some special sealant whose color may not match your grout.)

With glass if you want it to look good, you are going have to trade practicality for aesthetics. Chances are that if you choose a good glass tile (rated for pool use) it will not crack (due to thermal expansion) and it will not pop off in large numbers.

I think you changed the design of your spa spillover to one that is hidden completely under the pool water. If the water is fully or partially covering the glass surface at all times, it is less subject to the kind of thermal shock that might cause the glass tile to crack.
 
LDVPool said:
If you follow all of the installation instructions, you are not going to be happy. There is this requirement to put expansion joints every 8 inches (if I remember correctly) and the joints have to be about a half-inch wide. (The joints are filled with some special sealant whose color may not match your grout.)

With glass if you want it to look good, you are going have to trade practicality for aesthetics. Chances are that if you choose a good glass tile (rated for pool use) it will not crack (due to thermal expansion) and it will not pop off in large numbers.

I think you changed the design of your spa spillover to one that is hidden completely under the pool water. If the water is fully or partially covering the glass surface at all times, it is less subject to the kind of thermal shock that might cause the glass tile to crack.
Click to expand...

For Oceanside Glasstile there are no special requirements for expansion joints.
 
Check out Master Tile in Anaheim. They have stuff that the "big guys" dont have and a huge display. I got all my glass tiles and trim pieces from them. It's worth a trip out there on Saturday to check it out....I think they close at 1:00 though. warning that good glass tile has over a 6 week lead time.
Master Tile | Pool Tile, Coping, Decking | Anaheim Vegas Houston Tampa.

Be very specific and deliberate on how glass will be installed. Plenty of research here, but you need a waterproof membrane, specific glass tile thinset and stainproof or expoxy grout as a minimum. I took time off from work to "supervise" and im glad i did. They missed the membrane, tried to use plain thinset and Home Depot off the shelf grout. Tile is expensive and you dont want to do it again!

Im pretty sure you are City of LA, my inspector told me in advance he would be looking for a water bond for final...just put it in, it is the right thing to do in my opinion.

Be careful about artificial turf. it gets really hot in the summer. From what I was able to research, you might not be able to walk on it in the dead of summer. Travertine is a great choice. Here in Woodland Hills (the hottest part of LA) I was able to walk around my pool in bare feet in the summer. It is an amazing product and some of the biggest travertine distributors are close by in Compton. If you are not too picky on your color - you can get a great deal on stuff they have too much in stock... I promised not to disclose too much, but I was well under $7.00/foot in materials delivered to my house.

Dont forget about your door alarms and self closing gates. My City of LA pool inspector was great. I was doing owner builder, but he was super helpful in the end. I could call him up with questions and he was only too happy to answer (the next day). He even stopped by to check a few things out that I needed a second opinion on.

I heat my pool all the time (it's only 10.5k gallons) and dont really notice the increase in the gas bill. My spa heats up really quickly too - makes it sooo much more convenient to use. Gas is still much cheaper in Los Angeles than electricity.
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AmyJo said:
The paper faced tile really shouldn't make a difference. It's so easy to line up on the sides! Plus the whole tile being in the thinset is a HUGE plus.
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I understand that paper-faced will allow more surface of the tile to contact the thinnest versus mesh-backed tile. But what I don't understand is why it is that much more complicated to install. I would be willing to pay a few more dollars per square foot for the installation, but not more than twice as much. That is ridiculous. I'm going to have to revisit this with my PB before I make my final decision.
 
LDVPool said:
If you follow all of the installation instructions, you are not going to be happy. There is this requirement to put expansion joints every 8 inches (if I remember correctly) and the joints have to be about a half-inch wide. (The joints are filled with some special sealant whose color may not match your grout.)

With glass if you want it to look good, you are going have to trade practicality for aesthetics. Chances are that if you choose a good glass tile (rated for pool use) it will not crack (due to thermal expansion) and it will not pop off in large numbers.

I think you changed the design of your spa spillover to one that is hidden completely under the pool water. If the water is fully or partially covering the glass surface at all times, it is less subject to the kind of thermal shock that might cause the glass tile to crack.
Click to expand...

LDVPool, You are right, the vertical expansion joints every 8 inches would not be esthetically pleasing, and I have actually never seen it done. And I don't plan on doing it. But I will definitely use the recommended waterproofing membrane, thinset and grout. I also read they require that the glass tile not be immersed for 28 days after being grouted to ensure the thinset and grout have cured properly. That requirement is probably not followed either.

I did change my spa so that is has two vanishing edges that will stay immersed, which as you said, should reduce the chance of thermal shock. Now to find a good quality glass "pool" tile that doesn't cost a fortune.
 
Frank Rizzo said:
Check out Master Tile in Anaheim. They have stuff that the "big guys" dont have and a huge display. I got all my glass tiles and trim pieces from them. It's worth a trip out there on Saturday to check it out....I think they close at 1:00 though. warning that good glass tile has over a 6 week lead time.
Master Tile | Pool Tile, Coping, Decking | Anaheim Vegas Houston Tampa.

Be very specific and deliberate on how glass will be installed. Plenty of research here, but you need a waterproof membrane, specific glass tile thinset and stainproof or expoxy grout as a minimum. I took time off from work to "supervise" and im glad i did. They missed the membrane, tried to use plain thinset and Home Depot off the shelf grout. Tile is expensive and you dont want to do it again!

Im pretty sure you are City of LA, my inspector told me in advance he would be looking for a water bond for final...just put it in, it is the right thing to do in my opinion.

Be careful about artificial turf. it gets really hot in the summer. From what I was able to research, you might not be able to walk on it in the dead of summer. Travertine is a great choice. Here in Woodland Hills (the hottest part of LA) I was able to walk around my pool in bare feet in the summer. It is an amazing product and some of the biggest travertine distributors are close by in Compton. If you are not too picky on your color - you can get a great deal on stuff they have too much in stock... I promised not to disclose too much, but I was well under $7.00/foot in materials delivered to my house.

Dont forget about your door alarms and self closing gates. My City of LA pool inspector was great. I was doing owner builder, but he was super helpful in the end. I could call him up with questions and he was only too happy to answer (the next day). He even stopped by to check a few things out that I needed a second opinion on.

I heat my pool all the time (it's only 10.5k gallons) and dont really notice the increase in the gas bill. My spa heats up really quickly too - makes it sooo much more convenient to use. Gas is still much cheaper in Los Angeles than electricity.
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Hi Frank,

My PB gave me a brochure on MasterTile, but everything l liked was paper/plastic-facing. This seems to be the case with all of the tile I like. It is very frustrating. :brickwall:

I have done a ton of research on what is required for the installation of glass tiles. I probably have about 20 square feet of glass mosaic tile in my bathrooms, from a renovation I did about 3.5 years ago. I plan on being here for the install just as I was during my home renovation. My GC wasn't thrilled about that, but he got over it. And I expect my PB to do the same.

I like the idea of artificial turf for 2 reasons 1) I have dogs 2) I need some green. I do realize it can get hot. I have a 2x2 section that I left in the yard to test and it was not unbearable. However, if you water it down, it cools down immediately.

Regarding the bonding, I already told my PB, that it must be done. And I have already been checking out door alarms. I will need 4 of them. n.

By the way, I work in Woodland Hills, right at Canoga and Burbank Blvd. It's a 1.5 hour to 2 hour commute each way. Fortunately, I am able to work from home 2 days a week. However, for the pool build, I will be home for each critical day.
 

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Pool dig has started. Unfortunately, they had to take down a retaining wall and I also lost a banana tree.

IMG_0254.jpg

More than enough room for the bobcat.
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The first piece of concrete is outta there! I've waited 4 years to get rid of that patio.
IMG_0256.jpg
 
Thanks SoCalSoft.
We didn't get as far today as I would have liked to due to them starting late, and the amount of concrete that they needed to dispose of. LA City dump fees are too high, so they needed to dump about 30 miles away in Whittier.
.IMG_0257.jpgIMG_0259.jpg
This is as far as they got today, but I should have a hole in the ground by the end of the day tomorrow
 
One thing that I found very interesting was a lot of the specifications were not included on the plans, such as grade level, even though my build requires a grading inspection. I went over it with the PB and Excavator on-site, and they added it to the plans and made me initial it. When I remodeled my house, it seems that all the specifications were already confirmed on the approved plans, and the contractors followed them. That's not to say there were no changes. It's just the specs were already identified. I guess building a pool in LA is a little more organic.
 
We have 4 floors at Canoga and Burbank as well!....it says something about music on top of the building...Our main office is in the People's Republic of Santa Monica so I drive over the hill everyday. Well, at least I get to take PCH to work everyday and see the ocean.

The fun begins! I really think it would be worth your time to drive over to Mastertile and look at the stuff in person. I dont recall one paper faced tile on display. Everything I remember was mesh. Im just sayin'
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LDVPool said:
NPT's OceanScapes line is made by Oceanside.

There is a reference to "movement joints" ("maximum spacing of 8' on center") in the NPT/Oceanside Installation Instructions.
Click to expand...

Hi - my apologies. I stand corrected - an expansion joint every 8 feet IS advised for glass tile on a pool. However, Oceanside says it shouldn't be obvious when using a colored grout to match.
 
Tony411LA said:
Thanks SoCalSoft.
We didn't get as far today as I would have liked to due to them starting late, and the amount of concrete that they needed to dispose of. LA City dump fees are too high, so they needed to dump about 30 miles away in Whittier.
.View attachment 62582View attachment 62583
This is as far as they got today, but I should have a hole in the ground by the end of the day tomorrow
Click to expand...

So exciting!! [emoji122][emoji122][emoji122][emoji122][emoji122]
 

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