I have plenty excavators with 1/2” accuracy at the bucket teeth out there working.
But yes an inch to two is good enough for digging a pool. If you used laser to augment then you can get down to the knats-butt.
Teribble's Vegas OB Pool / Spa
- Thread starter teribble1
- Start date
I have plenty excavators with 1/2” accuracy at the bucket teeth out there working.
But yes an inch to two is good enough for digging a pool. If you used laser to augment then you can get down to the knats-butt.
Do you have any videos or what i could search for on Youtube to see that in action? Worth considering for our build!
I couldn't get an excavator rented with the trimble 3D earth. To get a mini excavator equipped with the trimble, requires a 30 day minimum rental and there's a waiting list. I ended up renting a CAT308e2 mini excavator and a CAT 236 skit steer with a 7 year dump truck. 16 dump trucks later (way over filled) and about 14+ hours of time behind the excavator I have a whole. I hit caliche about 3 feet down the whole time and ended up change my layout up a little (Not sure how that will work with the permit and inspector). I was super happy to have such a big excavator but it was challenging working in my backyard. I did some hand trimming and still need to set my forums and do a bunch more trimming. Super glad I did the digging my self because at $250 an hour the excavation company charges. It would have killed my budget and maybe the whole build because they would have come with a lot smaller excavator and hammers the heck out of everything. I took some pictures and will up load them later today.
I bet you needed some of this 
and did this 
hard went you were through! I can't wait to see the pics!Kim
Thank you, I just hope the inspector thinks it's okay but I won't find out until after the rebar, plumbing, and electrical is done.
The Inspector wont even care about the shape of the dirt as long as the rebar is not too far away from the cut-out shape. He will be more worried about the rebar size (#3 & #4) and where they are located in the pool plus the spacing. He will also look for the pool bond locations. You are ready for Plumbing....
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,913
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I think what is needed here is a new name and acronym for Owner Builder (OB). The others here who have used that term, that hire and manage subcontractors to do the actual work, need a new name. Because this guy redefines Owner Builder!!
I'm worried about the PVC sitting in the sun for to long while I wait for shotcrete to come. I've heard they're backup up like 6 weeks but haven't called anyone yet. Still in shock I have a hole in the ground and this is really happening.The Inspector wont even care about the shape of the dirt as long as the rebar is not too far away from the cut-out shape. He will be more worried about the rebar size (#3 & #4) and where they are located in the pool plus the spacing. He will also look for the pool bond locations. You are ready for Plumbing....
Thank you but we're all here doing the same thing, I just chose to do it a little differently and try to maximize my savings. I can tell you that before this I've never operated any of this equipment and now I feel like I could handle it again no problem. I'm super excited now that this build is going but I'm seeing the final project/ completed backyard is going to be an extremely long process.
Call and get it scheduled now. There are others out there other than Delta. Really any one can do shotcrete as long as you have the pump and compressor. Chuck @ ND conc does good work. I would really shop the price. It comes down to how good they finish the edges and top of the beams..
I've called/ emailed anyone that I could find that does shotcrete and most of them won't even schedule it right now until I pass inspection.
I emailed them but haven't heard back yet.
I'm planning on getting some trenches dug for the plumbing and electrical this weekend and maybe even get the spa plumbing started.
Yesterday I got a 75 lbs chipping hammer to clean up the caliche that I couldn't square up. I can't believe how freaking hard that stuff is and how much work it takes. I'm glad I don't have much to do. I got my floor drain and spa drain ordered and should be picking up my skimmer and autofill today. I'll be doing the plumbing next week. For the drains I went with the AquaStar 20" full circle in a light gray.
Plumbing question....
Has anyone used these water stop pipe sleeves? I know some people say they're overkill but I was thinking that's one more step to prevent any leaks later on.
https://www.poolsupplyunlimited.com...xYAYDORWL0oSlYeBQm9rfi2uabDfEKiwaAskuEALw_wcB
Plumbing question....
Has anyone used these water stop pipe sleeves? I know some people say they're overkill but I was thinking that's one more step to prevent any leaks later on.
https://www.poolsupplyunlimited.com...xYAYDORWL0oSlYeBQm9rfi2uabDfEKiwaAskuEALw_wcB
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,913
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Drains are old school. Many pools are being built without them. I had mine removed in a recent resurface. You don't need them. The safest, most attractive, least intrusive, most leak-proof drains? None at all!! You might look into that before you trench and plumb them in...
Re: Teribble's Vegas OB Pool / Spa
I have a square spa with an internal dimension of 7x7. On a whim I did one side at 12", two at 18" and the final at 24" with two jets per side at the same height all around, and I am extremely happy with this decision after my first spa season. Depending on ambient temp, I can submerse as much of myself as I want. No pic, but here's a screenshot from my sketchup. Also allows people of different height to find some place comfortable to sit.
I have a square spa with an internal dimension of 7x7. On a whim I did one side at 12", two at 18" and the final at 24" with two jets per side at the same height all around, and I am extremely happy with this decision after my first spa season. Depending on ambient temp, I can submerse as much of myself as I want. No pic, but here's a screenshot from my sketchup. Also allows people of different height to find some place comfortable to sit.
That is really a cool idea, the different bench heights in the spa. I would love that when I get a little too warm but don’t want to get completely out.
Just a little update... I've been to busy to focus on the pool build but I should be able to start on the plumbing in about a week. I open the shutters to look and make sure the hole's still there and that's about it. I'm almost done with my pool side gate I'm building to match my other gate. I'll post some pictures of it once I get it done.
So I had a little set back on my pool build. I left the company I was working at for that past 7 year to move into a management position. It's been a huge challenge and took me away from the pool build but I'm back now.
Pool Build Update...
When I did the excavation myself I ended up shorting the pool by about 4 feet because of the caliche and I only had the rental equipment for the weekend. After sitting and looking at it for the past few weeks I was worried I wouldn't be happy later if it was to small. I decided to give a pro a phone call and have him double check my work and extend the pool to match my plans. He said I did a great job and could believe it was square and straight. He tried to price it like a normal dig which they would track any hammering time and charge me $200/hour for. I talked him into a flat price because we both knew there was going to be hammering. It took him 2 days with about 6 hours of hammering. He told me I saved a ton of money doing the dig myself which I was happy to hear. In the end I still got it completed way cheaper then any of the quote I got and didn't have to pay any hammering fees. I'm super happy with the end results.
Pool Build Update...
When I did the excavation myself I ended up shorting the pool by about 4 feet because of the caliche and I only had the rental equipment for the weekend. After sitting and looking at it for the past few weeks I was worried I wouldn't be happy later if it was to small. I decided to give a pro a phone call and have him double check my work and extend the pool to match my plans. He said I did a great job and could believe it was square and straight. He tried to price it like a normal dig which they would track any hammering time and charge me $200/hour for. I talked him into a flat price because we both knew there was going to be hammering. It took him 2 days with about 6 hours of hammering. He told me I saved a ton of money doing the dig myself which I was happy to hear. In the end I still got it completed way cheaper then any of the quote I got and didn't have to pay any hammering fees. I'm super happy with the end results.
got a new job AND as a manager? Guessing the upgrade in jobs really helped pay the guy to add the lost size! AWESOME job getting him to do a flat rate! How did he feel about the price when he was done?Glad to see things are moving again!
Kim