Getting Ready For Pool Build in Northern California!

edrn

0
Bronze Supporter
Apr 5, 2017
46
Elk Grove
:) Hi Everyone! I have been lurking for a while and we just signed our contract with the pool builder the other night so it looks like it is really happening! We bought our house in 2013, it has a big lot by California suburb standards and we just left 1/3 of it as a patch of weeds, knowing we would eventually build a pool. I am learning so much on this site, and trying to get husband to get on board as well, especially since he will be doing most of the upkeep! Anyhow, I'm learning so much by reading posts here and looks like people are very helpful and informative! Here are some pictures of the space it will be going in! I have only had a pool briefly as a child so this is all very new and exciting!My favorite vacation spot is the Florida Keys and I'm hoping to make my backyard have the same feel with lots of tropical landscaping!

The pool will be 36 by 20 free form at the widest with an elevated spa with spillover and 3 ft wall with sheer descent water feature, and also includes a cabo shelf.
backyard pool build 4.jpgback yard pool build 3.jpg
 
Hi GWEGAN- We are inside Elk Grove, well right on the line near little town of Franklin. We are going with Premier. We just signed our contract and set to start first to second week of June. We will try to post pics throughout the process. I love seeing the pictures here, it really helps to get an idea of what looks good. Thanks for the welcome!

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Hi Kim! I LOOOOVE the bling! The trim tile we picked is the lightstreams glass, looks like abalone shell, so pretty! I will post more details and can't wait to get more input while I read about everything here. So much to learn!
 
Welcome! What a lovely back yard! What Lightstream tile are you going with? We just received our order finally last week and it was 80% installed today. Still need to finish the spa and accent tiles. You can see our pics in the thread started by my hubby "New Build in NE FL". Do you have any proposal photos to share?
 
Like gwegan said, you are in good hands! We have had premier build two pools for us. First one was in the west part of Elk Grove. There are a lot of good resource posts, especially in the "what I would have done differently" type threads. What type of automation are you going with to control your pump? My big mistake this time was getting talked into that darn PDA, I also would have had them put additional returns behind the benches where we sit.

Good luck, be nice to the crews and have lots of Gatorade for them. :)

here re is a time lapse of their work. https://www.troublefreepool.com/thr...uild-time-lapse-video-**Northern-California**
 
Shantellylace- Your pool is really coming along! I LOVE the tile and rock choices, very pretty. It looks like you had some issues with the lightstreams tile, but it is really pretty! You have alot of it on your pool which really gives it that wow factor, very nice! You must be getting so excited, so close. I am going to post some proposal pics. We made some slight changes since he sent us the last ones and am just waiting for the final proposal sent in an email.
 
Here are our updated proposal pics. I'm going to have to go back to the design center to get the names of all the tiles and maybe take pics. I'm trying to read everything about pros and cons of equipment and our proposed features since this is all so new!

Captaincannonball- Good idea about the gatorade! Your pool is really pretty, I love the color of the finish. amey pool 2.jpg
 
Here are the proposed specs:
21131 Gallons
36x20, 3.5 depth to max of 6.5
Polaris TR36P cleaner
E pump variable speed
Jandy waterfeature pump
ijet returns
venturi skimmer
skimmer and main drain plumbed separately
paramount para level
3 returns
inline chlorine feeder
mineral sanitizer
ozone (I did read here and there on tfp that this is viewed as mostly useless?)
Jandy 400k gas heater
580 SQ ft cartridge filter
In line chlorine feeder
heater bypass
4 nicheless LED color lights 30 watt
12" raised bind beam
3' sheer descent water feature
IAqualink ps6 includes pda
575 sq feet of decking (stamped concrete)
Radiant finish (I think called midnight blue?)
2HP blower for spa
led 20 watt light
raised spa
damwall with stonespillway

glass tile step accent
water line tile
flagstone on sides/sheer descent

cabo bench is aprox 10 x 8
spa is 22' perimeter(seats up to 7)
 

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Here are the proposed specs:
21131 Gallons
36x20, 3.5 depth to max of 6.5
Polaris TR36P cleaner lots of people here would recommend a robot in lieu of a pressure side cleaner. I've been happy with my Polaris, but will switch out to a robot when the pressure side cleaner fails. I am glad to have the extra return since I only have three returns.
E pump variable speed
Jandy waterfeature pump
ijet returns these look interesting
venturi skimmer
skimmer and main drain plumbed separately I would consider this a must, very handy when dialing things in.
paramount para level
3 returns Oh how I wish I had two more of these behind our benches, but since you have a spa I doubt it would be a big deal.
inline chlorine feeder
mineral sanitizer Nature 2? The only thing good about that on our last pool was it was a convenient place to cut it out for a SWG. :)
ozone (I did read here and there on tfp that this is viewed as mostly useless?)
Jandy 400k gas heater
580 SQ ft cartridge filter
In line chlorine feeder Pretty anti puck here for good reason, but nice to have if you go on vacation or maybe for winter.
heater bypass
4 nicheless LED color lights 30 wattThese are the bomb, but if you want the colors to be controlled independently, you must specify so.
12" raised bind beam
3' sheer descent water feature
IAqualink ps6 includes pda I've said my peace about this above. You might love it, I would ask to try it out... they may have one in their showroom.
575 sq feet of decking (stamped concrete)
Radiant finish (I think called midnight blue?)
2HP blower for spa
led 20 watt light
raised spa
damwall with stonespillway

glass tile step accent During install, my tiles were scratched badly. It doesn't bother me much, but if you are OCD make sure you ask... they set them with brown mortar for some reason too.
water line tile
flagstone on sides/sheer descent

cabo bench is aprox 10 x 8 Look into how deep you want this, also remember whatever finish you choose is the color you will see. I'll
spa is 22' perimeter(seats up to 7)

Here are some thoughts/comments in red. Good luck and congratulations on your build.
 
I am sure others will chime in with more help suggestions - but I was told to avoid some of the same items that are on your list when we built in 2015:

inline chlorine feeder
mineral sanitizer
ozone (I did read here and there on tfp that this is viewed as mostly useless?)


We are very happy we listened to the help on here. However, we are using a SWG - which I very enthusiastically recommend. All we buy for our pool is some acid every few months, and a bag of salt once a year or so. All the rest of our sanitizing is easily handled by the Jandy automation and the Salt Water Chlorine Generator...Our water has been perfect for almost 2 years now - thanks to the help from this site!!!
 
I would agree with all the Captian's comments above.

Lose the mineral system and replace with a SWCG after the pool is done. Have them omit the Polaris and go with a robot.

I too don't really like the Jandy PDA have then do the iaqualink.

Ozone will most likely do nothing. Look both the mineral system and the ozone they tell you will reduce your chlorine use. But neither is approved by itself as a sanitizer and an oxidizer. You still have to use chlorine. So cut the beep beep and get a swcg after the pool is complete. Jandy's SWCG does not however get good reviews. That is why they are not including it because they don't want the warranty calls.
 
We stopped by the pool builder to look at pool finishes and tile just to double check our choices since we were really tired when we chose them previously. We made some updates and here is what we chose.

This is NPT Silverstone Marine waterline tile and NPT lightwave Seaglass 1inch two rows for step trim. I am in love with the trim lightwave tile! It looks green and then purple depending on light. This is an example of what it will look like in the spa. Hopefully we will start the first week of June! The pool finish will be Radiant Fusion is Midnight blue. Opinions welcome please!




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The pool finish Midnight blue in one pool looks very blue and in another it looked more gray green. It's my understanding the actual finish will really vary depending on the light outside and other variables?
 
I think the color of your plaster will look great, it will help your stairs and Cabo shelf blend with your pool color. I wouldn't worry about the pool temperature getting too high because, as you know in Elk Grove, usually at night the temp drops into the 50-60s even with those 100+ days.

Our concern was more with the pool lights providing enough light against a darker surface so we went a shade lighter than you. Honestly, after the acid wash we don't see a ton of the blue plaster, just mostly the grey from the pebbles. Our finish just has the abalone shell pieces and it looks magnificent in person, I'll bet your choice that has the glass beads in addition to the shell fragments will look stunning.
 
Excellent Point!

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True Captain Cannonball, the temps do drop at night, even on those 100+ days! We really like the darker colors and of course I have to have my bling! I should have taken a pic of the pool finish that they had. One looked grayish green, it was in the shade. The other looked very blue. We are OK with either. Our daughter helped us pick out the waterline tile. It will work with either, depending on how it turns out. Now I just count down the days until they begin! In the meantime I will just keep reading everything around here about pools!
 
I had "Tahoe Blue" on my previous pool in the valley, July was hard to keep the pool <90*.

Second pool, more of a French Grey, not as hot but still warmer than we liked on the hot days.

Current pool we went with white plaster , we are very happy with that choice.

Im south, Fresno area, so we don't get the same evening breeze which might exacerbate the heating.
 

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