Renovation Design--Help me stop the madness please!

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GayleTx

0
Apr 17, 2017
7
Katy, Texas
Hi, this is my first post to the forum. I would really appreciate getting some input from you folks on my pool renovation.
I have a 20-year-old ozone (non-salt) in-ground (concrete/gunite) free-form pool with a raised spa and bull-nosed red brick coping and a turquoise blue water line tile. It’s pretty simple, but, it is showing its age. Our house is Georgian style mostly reddish brick and I am having a terrible time finding a pool coping that I actually like more than the red brick. I didn’t realize until we began the process that the red brick is considered “dated” and flagstone or travertine is now the standard. The more I look at sites like this one, I can clearly see that the red brick/blue tile look is not what most pools are being renovated with. To me, however, the new materials do not seem to "go with" the style and color of my house and some of the materials have issues that we never had with the brick.


As for Flagstone, there are colors like Oklahoma and Arizona that might be close to the existing brick color, but the rough inside edge sounds like a deal-breaker for my husband whose likes to be able to stand up near the edge and lean over the side of the pool (beer in hand…). I also wonder how uncomfortable it would be leaning back in the spa.
The Travertine comes in bull-nose, but the colors all look very light and kind of washed out. None of the colors seem to "go" well with the brick on the house. Then, there is the flaking and need to seal.


Our entire deck is a light color sun-deck that we are going to have re-sprayed and scored to hide the cracks. This seems to be the cheapest option.
We’ve already spent quite a bit having several spa leaks fixed and both skimmers rebuilt, and, as we are planning on selling this house in a few years, I don't want to go overboard.
I am not opposed to something different, in fact, it's kind of disappointing that I can’t visualize my pool with any of these “newer” materials. I recognize that my pool and I are both in need a makeover. I don't want to miss this opportunity to update our pool into something beautiful because I settled on the same look we have now just because I have a design block. I also don't want to make a mistake on this huge decision!
Sorry so long...I'd be grateful for any advice offered!
 
Welcome to TFP Gayle :wave:

If your husband wants to keep doing that, Flagstone will ruin it. Either that or he gets a towel to lean on. Not sure what to suggest, but if you do go with it, make sure you get a vairiety that is less prone to flake and chip. Some is really bad. Talk to your builder about options, and look around here. People have a lot of builds on the forum and they love sharing theirs with others. You may well find a solution here that you'll love.

Kim will be along any time to jump in and get you motivated to add some Bling too, so be ready. :D

Look forward to your project, and wish you all the luck. Enjoy the forum!

And oh..tell your husband >>>:cheers:
 
Who is the guy last year or a few years ago with a red brick coping big 50 year old pool or some such animal. He loved it and kept it. Fit perfectly with his house.
 
I'd keep the red brick coping unless it's damaged or in bad shape! If it goes with your house, is comfortable, and especially if you are selling in a few years... Some friends of ours bought a home built in the 80's that has a pool with red brick coping. I've never thought of it as being unattractive--it's a great pool!

But if you want to update, that would be fun too. Maybe post some pics for us? :)
 
Well hello there! Sounds like you have quite the project going on!

The first thing we need is a picture or 10 LOL That will give us a good idea of what you are dealing with. You can use photo bucket or such to post the pics. Use the IMG code to get it right in the post.

I am NOT one that changes or updates because that is what everyone else is doing. In fact I tend to stay away from trends. I LOVE classic looks and designs. Kind of like the Little Black Dress.

There is a lot we can do to freshen up your pool. Give us some pics and ideas you might have and we can help you spend your money.

:hug:

Kim:kim: (now where is my BLING catalog??? :slidehalo:)
 
Thank you for the warm welcome and for the replies I've received already. I really appreciate all your comments and particularly to bmoreswim for unearthing that old post about the 50 year old pool with red brick. I found the tile and pool plaster choices interesting. I am attracted to anything iridescent such abalone. Kim, I am anxious to see this BLING catalog...

I took a pic of the (cess)pool last night but it does not show the house. I found another one when it was in use that shows more of the house. Sorry I did a such messy job of drawing over the faces, but I think it gives a good overview of everything so I will post both pics.

Something I didn't mention before is that the spa, along with the brick around it, will have to be busted out to repair a major screw-up/cover-up the original PB made during construction. I can go into more detail about this later if need be. Also, the existing brick coping looks faded. So, would replacing all the brick with the same thing be the right decision, or is there anything else that would actually look better? Yes, I am wanting your opinions here! Thanks in advance!

Current situation... ignore the kayak please--that's what I try to do.
20170418_174918.jpg


That crater near the spa is left from fixing one of the leaks. Since this photo was taken last June, another leak was discovered, so we now have dual craters.
This pool has been a mess for a long time now. It looks a lot better in the pictures--kind of deceptive. Maybe I should post some closeups.
20170419_130028.jpg



 
Ok, truth be told, I LIKE the classic look of the brick coping.

What about taking some more modern bling-y glass tile and going around the base of the spa and use it also around the water line? Leave the brick coping on top of the spa intact? You can find glass tile in mosaic color combinations that pick up or complement the brick color even.

Iridescent Glass Mosaic Tile Amber Blend 1x2 | Mineral Tiles

Art Studio 2" Oval Glass Collection - Cosmic Path

Art Studio Round Glass Collection - Sunrise

Tivoli Iridescent Glass Tile Series - Indigo Blend - Pool Tile Ideas

Have you ever heard of Aqua Bright? You might consider refinishing the inside of the pool/spa with it.
 
I love how it looks now! What a pretty set up you have (kayak and all).

What I hear you saying is you are going to have the spa wall taken down or busted open to fix something right? In doing so it will be almost impossible to save the current brick. BUT you can leave the brick coping around the pool if you wanted to.

As you can see Yip knows all about my BLING! That is some pretty tile she picked out there!

TxBwana found some awesome pics to ideas as well.

Now all you need to do is tell us what catches your eye and we can go from there. With your house/area you can do just about anything and it will look great!

Kim:kim:
 

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I was interested in the brick coping until my pool builder told me that nobody does that anymore. I think it is a nice look, although the brick covered raised bond beam around he spa is awkward. I think your pool looks nice with one glaring exception... the water, it needs some TFP love and would go a long way in making your pool look like a showpiece again. The fading you are mentioning on the brick coping may just be calcium?

If the condition of your plaster is good, I would be tempted to have your tile (and maybe your brick coping) professionally cleaned, repair the concrete and have it coated. Maybe see if there is a way to have the vertical bricks around the spa coated with the same material as your decking.

There, that was my attempt to help you "stop the madness!" :)
 
TxBwana said:
You can go on a site like Houzz and search for photos of red brick houses with pools.. they might give you some ideas of combos you like.

Red Brick House With Pool Design Ideas, Remodels & Photos
Click to expand...

TxBwana, thanks so much for that link. A lot of my Google searches go to Houzz and Pinterest. I have also done searches for houses for sale (HAR.com) with pools to see what kind of pool materials they are using. It really helps to see the overall effect.
 
Hello everyone this GayleTx hubby. We have just posted a couple of pics showing the very poor original construction of our spa 22 years ago. The original spa plumbing was installed too high and could not be covered by the deck. The pool builder had poured a normal spa wall (thickness) with red brick pavers on the side but added a raised concrete step over the plumbing. We refused to accept this and they agreed to fix it.

This work naturally was done while we were not home and we only saw the end result and not what was inside. The pics show an additional ring of concrete poured around the original pavers and a new ring of pavers added outside this new concrete ring to finish the outside of the spa. Since we are in the middle of remodeling (planning stage) our contractor said that he would have to repair this to warranty any new tile/pavers/siding we may want to install. I am not sure what this entails but I assume it needs to be done.

Have you ever seen anything like this? What would be a typical repair solution?

We have thought about just cleaning the red brick pool coping and adding new tile and plaster but the spa coping and pavers will need to be replaced. I am certain that we will not be able to match the original coping color and that it would look bad like lipstick on a pig. I do not think the spa coping and pavers can be cleaned and repaired to a suitable condition and will need to be replaced. Anyone have experience with cleaning brick coping/pavers? Open for suggestions - remember-- help the wife stop the madness ! :grin:
 
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