I am not sure how much she had to pay for it though.
Kim
Enough per hour to realise I'm in the wrong business!!
Concrete looks fabulous!
New project in Helotes TX
- Thread starter Tiamat87
- Start date
Enough per hour to realise I'm in the wrong business!!
Concrete looks fabulous!
That looks awesome! Have you started bonding with it yet? aka watering it. This helps it cure slower. There might still be some cracks but so long as they are smaller than a dime it is fine.
It is time for your own set of links! It is a lot of info but don't worry. It will all make sense when you start using them.
Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Levels
Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
PoolMath
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Make sure to ask any and all questions you might have no matter how small! We have all been where you are at one point.
Kim
It is time for your own set of links! It is a lot of info but don't worry. It will all make sense when you start using them.
Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Levels
Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
PoolMath
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Make sure to ask any and all questions you might have no matter how small! We have all been where you are at one point.
Kim
- Nov 12, 2017
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That is the coolest! The way it's in-ground, but then above-ground, with the steps leading down to the kitchen, which is lower than the surface so you can have that swim-up bar. And the integrated planters and all the surrounding plants everywhere. What a fantastic design!! I loooooove my pool, and can't help but compare when I look at pool pic's here and elsewhere. This is the first design I've seen where I'm a little bit envious, I gotta say!
Thanks for the links Kim!!! It is going to rain here every day for about two weeks got lucky on the watering part. (looking at bright side considering the delay it will bring on construction) Dirk I'm super stoked about it we've made a few changes to the design like making the pool and kitchen alittle larger and adding firepit with wrap around sitting wall hoping it turns out close to the picture though.
- Nov 12, 2017
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Fire pit!? You're killin' me! Do you have a new rendering?
You're kitchen is so close to the outdoor table. I like that. Serving so close. My kitchen is in the house. We have to cook some inside, then bring food out to go along with what's on the BBQ. You'll have to bring ingredients out. I clean up pots and pans inside and put everything in the dishwasher. You'll need to bring dishes in? Dirty or clean? Or have a full set outside? Hauling stuff back and forth is not fun, either way. I guess it's kinda a trade off, which makes for the more functional MO. Not sure I could choose. I like the idea of prepping and cooking and serving while friends/family are sitting around the table or at the bar, kids swimming. But I also like leaving all that mayhem outside for a bit while my daughter and I get a little quiet time inside to ourselves, cooking together (Dad gets to referee the kids' squabbles!).
What am I talking about, you'll be able to do either or both. OK, back to a little bit envious!
It'd be interesting to hear, like a year from now, how you ended up managing and using everything.
You're kitchen is so close to the outdoor table. I like that. Serving so close. My kitchen is in the house. We have to cook some inside, then bring food out to go along with what's on the BBQ. You'll have to bring ingredients out. I clean up pots and pans inside and put everything in the dishwasher. You'll need to bring dishes in? Dirty or clean? Or have a full set outside? Hauling stuff back and forth is not fun, either way. I guess it's kinda a trade off, which makes for the more functional MO. Not sure I could choose. I like the idea of prepping and cooking and serving while friends/family are sitting around the table or at the bar, kids swimming. But I also like leaving all that mayhem outside for a bit while my daughter and I get a little quiet time inside to ourselves, cooking together (Dad gets to referee the kids' squabbles!).
What am I talking about, you'll be able to do either or both. OK, back to a little bit envious!
It'd be interesting to hear, like a year from now, how you ended up managing and using everything.
Fire pit is where the table in the original design was and added a tabletop to the end of kitchen cabinets with hanging egg chairs on the outside so won’t have issue with unlevel ground. This shows the seat wall extended to stairs. Don’t have new one since adding another 70ft of decking in the rounded corner where the fire pit will go.
Here is the kitchen designs.
Here is the kitchen designs.
- Nov 12, 2017
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Huh, I'm gonna wish that table was still there when I come visit this summer! I like the egg chairs and extra bar for 'em, but I can't help but think how nice a big table is for a sit down family dinner. Or cocktails and h'ordeuvres. Birthday parties, whatever. A place to seat a half-dozen or more peeps, in the round. Maybe you don't need that. I get the chair problem.
Are you still tinkering? They make absolutely stunning tables that have fire pits built in... just sayin'... (Google firepit tables.)
Are you still tinkering? They make absolutely stunning tables that have fire pits built in... just sayin'... (Google firepit tables.)
So anyone have any ideas about putting lighting around the stairs without breaking the bank? My pool builder quoted $1600.00 for 2 lights in the wall by stairs.
- Nov 12, 2017
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Of course he did! These guys. Sheesh. This is the lighting I like (and use myself): Volt. They have the in-wall stuff, but for $1600 you could light your whole yard and then some. Like, really spectacularly. Check out their gallery. Or spend way less if you don't need/want all that lighting. Volt sells kits that have everything you need. They start at under $500. Solid brass. LED. They'll last forever. It's low voltage. But not that Big Box Store crud. Don't even think about those cheapie solar lights. They're junk. If you're at all handy you could do it all yourself. When they do the electrical for everything, they could stub out for the transformer the 12V system will need. You could have three-way switches, so you could turn them on from the house or outdoor kitchen. They sell up-lights for trees, down lights for walkways and stairs, spot lights for special effects, etc. You can expand later. You can move them around if other things change. Mine are still going strong after 2+ years. They patina after a bit, so kind of just disappear into the garden.
Would you mind a little constructive (construction?) criticism? I was pondering the egg chairs. Trying to picture what it would be like sitting in them. Have you? They would no doubt add a great visual to the area, but I'm wondering how comfortable they're going to be. Like being stuck in a cocoon. No breeze. No light. Can't really see or talk to the person next to you, let alone behind you. And for different sized people? Tall people? What about scootching in, or out? But I love the hanging idea. So I pondered some more. What about swings? With nice, wide padded seats? Fun. Breezie. You're not cut off from the world sitting in them. With your feet on the ground you can move in and out a bit to reach the right distance from your plate. Much easier to get in and out of. Not the visual statement of the eggs, for sure, but maybe just as fun and a bit more practical? Just thinkin' out loud...
- Nov 12, 2017
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I just looked at your rendering again. You could put some down lights in those three planters in front of your pool, that would light up the stairs, walkway and upper seating area (without shining in anyones eyes). And you could do up and down lights in the planters along the fences that would look amazing! The stuff in the back would be easy to run, but those three planters in front will need some help from the PB, because they're surrounded by pool and concrete and lawn. You'll need him to run some PVC under the concrete to later fish the 12V wire through. You could conceivably do it yourself, somewhere around rebar time (I would). But they'll be running underground conduit for everything else, so it shouldn't be too much to add a few more runs for those three planters.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,848
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- 12300
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Sorry, I'm sleepin' on the job. They've already poured. Well, how's he going to add lights now? Are you going to have lawn, or landscaping next to the steps? If it's not lawn, then you can plant those down lights in the landscaping.
Already planned ahead had him install pipes under all the concrete paths (ie planters and sidewalks) so can run wires/ sprinklers through. Ya thinking about putting strip lights under the stair flagstone tops or a couple on the planter box wall. The egg chairs I ordered are like this.
So should be open enough to enjoy sitting in. But good looking out a true egg chair would be to isolating. I’ll look up the volt link thanks��
So should be open enough to enjoy sitting in. But good looking out a true egg chair would be to isolating. I’ll look up the volt link thanks��
- Nov 12, 2017
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- 12300
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Awesome, you're way ahead of me on both counts!! Those chairs you ordered might be the best of both, half swing, half egg!
And you've got your conduit in, brilliant! You mentioned two lights for $1600. Where would he put them? You have a lot of stairs. You asked about "stair flagstone tops." Let's get our vocabulary straight, so we're talking about the same thing. A stair has two parts, a tread and a riser. The riser is the vertical section, the tread is what you walk on. And do you still have the three planters? It's hard to tell from the pics and new drawings. Looking at the pool, standing on the stairs, lets call the planter nearest the kitchen #1, then the one by the stairs #2 and the one up where the lounge chairs are #3. Are you talking about mounting the lights flush, in the risers, just under the treads? That would illuminate two treads really well, then cast some shadows on the others, leaving them much darker. That would work, as long as they all had some light on them, but not ideal. You'd really need one for each riser to make it even, but even then the top tread would be dark. I was thinking of one of these (and they have lots of other styles):
They're adjustable, and throw big circles of light, up to 16' I think. You put one or more in each of the planters, 1,2 and 3 (free standing, not embedded in the stone work) and the whole area around them will be lit, along with the plants, too. The light in planter #1 will light up that whole lower area along with some of the lower steps. The light in planter #3 would light that whole top area including the top tread, along with the plants in planter #3 and some of #2. One or two lights in planter #2 will illuminate the steps and plants in both #2 and #3, along with some of the area in front of planter #1. Even some of the pool, depending on the plants. You with me so far? The rub, though, might be how close you can get the lights in planter #2 to the stairway. They'll be back a bit, and the retaining wall next to the stairs, the one that forms planter #2, will cast a shadow on part of the stairs. See what I mean? The stairs will still be lit a bit by the light thrown from planter #1, but maybe not enough. So the half of the stairway next to the lawn will be well lit, the other half not as well.
That's where the other types of lights come in. Look at the fourth one from the left, above. That could be in planter #2, hanging out over the wall a bit, and really light up the stairs. Or you could put one of those in planter #1 and aim it just so, right at the stairs and really light them up. But because of it's "salami cut" shade, you can adjust those just so the light hits the stairs, but not someone's eyes as they come down the stairs. Just to make things a bit more confusing, these lights will cast shadows, so for example, that spot light I just describe, in planter #1, would cast a shadow of the person walking up the stairs onto the stairs. Not ideal, but it'll still be diffused so it's not like you'll lose sight of the stairs. So there are trade offs. Nothings going to be better than one of these in each riser:
Or maybe some number less in the wall along the stairs? But I don't think that would work well for the top two steps. Those lights would throw less light elsewhere, only on the stairs, and maybe that's all you want. Or you could combine the two effects, even on different circuits, so you can turn on some subtle stair lights, or turn on the whole show and light up all the plants and trees and stairs in your yard. Depends on what you're after (which, I haven't forgotten, is just some stair lights, before I got carried away!).
If you were going to plant shrubs and bushes and ground cover next to the stairs, I'd say put a couple of those path lights near the stairs and you'll have a beautiful effect on the plants and you'll have very well-lit stairs. But if that's to be lawn, as per your rendering, then you don't want to be mowing around light poles. You could have a little strip of plants, next to the stairs, then lawn beyond that. That would look nice and be a place for the path lights, which would also illuminate the lawn at night. The plants would visually soften the transition between the stairs and the lawn. Personally, that's how I'd do it. In fact, I'd ditch that lawn all together. Here in California, lawns are so 1950s! It's all about the water now a days. I'd plant some nice ground cover and some shrubs and bushes and turn that whole area into a little garden showcase, all lit up at night. Less water, no mowing!
I don't know if I'm being helpful, I just know how much I love my yard lights, and how versatile all the various styles are. And how much more you could light up for as little as $500. For $1600 you could do your whole yard and it would be amazing at night!
And you've got your conduit in, brilliant! You mentioned two lights for $1600. Where would he put them? You have a lot of stairs. You asked about "stair flagstone tops." Let's get our vocabulary straight, so we're talking about the same thing. A stair has two parts, a tread and a riser. The riser is the vertical section, the tread is what you walk on. And do you still have the three planters? It's hard to tell from the pics and new drawings. Looking at the pool, standing on the stairs, lets call the planter nearest the kitchen #1, then the one by the stairs #2 and the one up where the lounge chairs are #3. Are you talking about mounting the lights flush, in the risers, just under the treads? That would illuminate two treads really well, then cast some shadows on the others, leaving them much darker. That would work, as long as they all had some light on them, but not ideal. You'd really need one for each riser to make it even, but even then the top tread would be dark. I was thinking of one of these (and they have lots of other styles):
They're adjustable, and throw big circles of light, up to 16' I think. You put one or more in each of the planters, 1,2 and 3 (free standing, not embedded in the stone work) and the whole area around them will be lit, along with the plants, too. The light in planter #1 will light up that whole lower area along with some of the lower steps. The light in planter #3 would light that whole top area including the top tread, along with the plants in planter #3 and some of #2. One or two lights in planter #2 will illuminate the steps and plants in both #2 and #3, along with some of the area in front of planter #1. Even some of the pool, depending on the plants. You with me so far? The rub, though, might be how close you can get the lights in planter #2 to the stairway. They'll be back a bit, and the retaining wall next to the stairs, the one that forms planter #2, will cast a shadow on part of the stairs. See what I mean? The stairs will still be lit a bit by the light thrown from planter #1, but maybe not enough. So the half of the stairway next to the lawn will be well lit, the other half not as well.
That's where the other types of lights come in. Look at the fourth one from the left, above. That could be in planter #2, hanging out over the wall a bit, and really light up the stairs. Or you could put one of those in planter #1 and aim it just so, right at the stairs and really light them up. But because of it's "salami cut" shade, you can adjust those just so the light hits the stairs, but not someone's eyes as they come down the stairs. Just to make things a bit more confusing, these lights will cast shadows, so for example, that spot light I just describe, in planter #1, would cast a shadow of the person walking up the stairs onto the stairs. Not ideal, but it'll still be diffused so it's not like you'll lose sight of the stairs. So there are trade offs. Nothings going to be better than one of these in each riser:
Or maybe some number less in the wall along the stairs? But I don't think that would work well for the top two steps. Those lights would throw less light elsewhere, only on the stairs, and maybe that's all you want. Or you could combine the two effects, even on different circuits, so you can turn on some subtle stair lights, or turn on the whole show and light up all the plants and trees and stairs in your yard. Depends on what you're after (which, I haven't forgotten, is just some stair lights, before I got carried away!).
If you were going to plant shrubs and bushes and ground cover next to the stairs, I'd say put a couple of those path lights near the stairs and you'll have a beautiful effect on the plants and you'll have very well-lit stairs. But if that's to be lawn, as per your rendering, then you don't want to be mowing around light poles. You could have a little strip of plants, next to the stairs, then lawn beyond that. That would look nice and be a place for the path lights, which would also illuminate the lawn at night. The plants would visually soften the transition between the stairs and the lawn. Personally, that's how I'd do it. In fact, I'd ditch that lawn all together. Here in California, lawns are so 1950s! It's all about the water now a days. I'd plant some nice ground cover and some shrubs and bushes and turn that whole area into a little garden showcase, all lit up at night. Less water, no mowing!
I don't know if I'm being helpful, I just know how much I love my yard lights, and how versatile all the various styles are. And how much more you could light up for as little as $500. For $1600 you could do your whole yard and it would be amazing at night!
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,848
- Pool Size
- 12300
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- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Just to beat this up a bit more...
Now that your steps and walls are in place, you can pre-test the various lighting ideas you've got. Get yourself a couple of those LED flashlights that have an adjustable beam. Go out to your build, and make areas of light in various sizes by holding the lights in various locations at various heights from the ground. You'll be able to get an idea how well things will be lit, and where the shadows are going to be and how dark they'll be. To approximate the down lights, widen the beam and hold them as high as you can. For the spot lights, narrow the beam and shoot from where they'd live to where you want to light. For the builder's two wall lights, hold them to the wall and shine them across the steps, etc.
Now that your steps and walls are in place, you can pre-test the various lighting ideas you've got. Get yourself a couple of those LED flashlights that have an adjustable beam. Go out to your build, and make areas of light in various sizes by holding the lights in various locations at various heights from the ground. You'll be able to get an idea how well things will be lit, and where the shadows are going to be and how dark they'll be. To approximate the down lights, widen the beam and hold them as high as you can. For the spot lights, narrow the beam and shoot from where they'd live to where you want to light. For the builder's two wall lights, hold them to the wall and shine them across the steps, etc.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,848
- Pool Size
- 12300
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- Plaster
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- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Awesome! I love how you have the perfect vantage point from which to take pictures! Keep 'em comin'!
Looking forward to seeing the tiles! Yay for action! I keep forgetting we're building a pool... still waiting for our 28 days curing time to finish. Sigh.
They finished the waterfall today still working on wall and stonework. Starting to come together.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,848
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
