Small Yard, Big Pool Dreams - New Build - Lakewood, California

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We have a pool! Plaster guys were awesome and everything went very smoothly. I've been testing water (in addition to Pool Guy testing water) and working on getting things where they need to be. There is not a lot of plaster dust so far which I assume is a good thing. Love the plaster! The pool looks beautiful and when the pool guy turned on the equipment, he flipped the valve over so we could test and see what the weeping wall looks like and it is just as awesome as we had hoped it would be. I'll have pics/video of that later...

Here are a few pics to hold you over. I still have several time-lapse vids and stuff I'd like to add, but time is defying me right now. I only got 8 hours of sleep between Friday and Sunday this weekend. I'll post more as time allows!

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Looks great. Glad to hear the plastering went well. I love how you're covering up the block.

Did PG&E mandate that yellow guard has to stay on the wire? Will you be able to sneak that off of there at some point? The remaining wires will disappear in the plants eventually..

Did you get the word yet about when you can get in?

Good luck with the startup.
 
Dirk said:
Did PG&E mandate that yellow guard has to stay on the wire? Will you be able to sneak that off of there at some point? The remaining wires will disappear in the plants eventually..

Did you get the word yet about when you can get in?
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Yeah, that yellow guard is coming off soon. (No, we're not asking permission - we're just removing it. It's in a planter now - don't think it's a trip hazard.) Was waiting until after inspection - was gonna wait until final, but after meeting the inspector for the pre-plaster, realized he could care less. So it's coming down and yes, the plan is for the luscious greenery to cover up the remaining gray/silver wires.

Well, the PB is basically hands off with the start-up. They hire 3rd party pool company to come and help start-up and advise on entering the pool. Pool guy said what I have basically read that we could get in after 2 weeks if we wanted (low/no heat) but even better if we wait longer. We have friends visiting from out of town the first weekend of August so we're gonna be patient and not get in until then. Since we're blessed with good weather year round here, we're not worried about getting in swim time before winter. A few weeks will be a little torturous, but we can handle it.

Right now I'm just trying not to stress out about the chemistry. And realize it's okay that it takes a few weeks to get everything perfectly balanced.
 
hollywoodfrodo said:
Well, the PB is basically hands off with the start-up. They hire 3rd party pool company to come and help start-up and advise on entering the pool. Pool guy said what I have basically read that we could get in after 2 weeks if we wanted (low/no heat) but even better if we wait longer. We have friends visiting from out of town the first weekend of August so we're gonna be patient and not get in until then. Since we're blessed with good weather year round here, we're not worried about getting in swim time before winter. A few weeks will be a little torturous, but we can handle it.
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Legal notification acknowledged!

Psst. OK, now when are you really gonna get in? ;)
 
riley00dog said:
Plaster looks great! It really pops against the pavers.
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I'm up late, but I can always count on riley-d to be around when my brain can't sleep!

It's a bit surreal to tag along on these build threads. To watch vicariously as these pools go from wishful thinking, to resolve, to drawings, to ugly dirt holes, to scary rebar and gunite, to beautiful reality. For us, it's all just words and pics on a webpage, But for frodo... well he certainly has some very beautiful reality now, doesn't he? I can only imagine how surreal the journey has been for him!

Well, you had your own journey, too, didn't you r-d? I inherited a pool. I suppose I avoided a bit of work and stress. But I'm envious of those that have braved it. The sense of accomplishment, and the fun and challenge of building a dream.

Speaking of dreaming... nite-nite.
 

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kimkats said:
That plaster is VERY pretty!! It really pops!!! Good pick for sure!!!!

Kim:kim:
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Thanks - that's what we were going for - we wanted the eyes to go straight to the pool first and the weeping wall second.


So I have a question for everyone, we've been brushing twice a day since the fill, but we're not seeing much plaster dust which I suppose is good except it's confusing because based on what I've read on here it seems like everyone has plaster dust for the first week or so.

Then I read this from start-up guide:
  • Brush twice daily but don't vacuum or add chlorine until plaster dust is gone. For dark plaster only brush lighter colored or white areas.

So, now I'm wondering if we shouldn't be brushing it at all??? Our plaster is fairly dark - Barbados Blue - basically the darkest blue - and it's Quartzscape. Should we only be brushing "lighter colored or white areas"? And if there are none of those, should we not be brushing it twice a day? I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the knowledge from TFP and trying to figure out what applies to my pool.
 
Sorry, can't be much help because I don't know anything about QuartzScape. And I don't recognize those instructions, so I must have used a different startup card.

I have a pebble finish. My pool was plastered one day, then acid washed and filled the next day. I never saw a single puff of dust, ever. I was told that was because of the acid wash (the plasterer's particular method of washing, I suppose). I brushed anyway, twice a day for a month. I have a very dark pool. No issues. Added chlorine according to my startup card. Ran my vac on week one or two. Pebble is tough like that, and the original acid wash does a lot of the startup work.

As in all such matters: defer to the warranty holder. Or call QuartzScape support for their opinion...
 
Dirk said:
Sorry, can't be much help because I don't know anything about QuartzScape. And I don't recognize those instructions, so I must have used a different startup card.
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Thanks, Dirk - that actually does help. Yeah, the startup card from National Plaster...association or whatever, that Kim had linked me to doesn't say anything about that either. It was in the TFP startup page under Acid Wash Startup. But I'll keep doing the brushing. Quartzscape is not too far off from pebble finish and likewise the pool guy (who is the official start-up person from the PB) said that if the acid wash is done well, there might just not be any pool dust and also said it's very strong stuff and not as sensitive as just plaster.

So it sounds like we're right on track.
 
I know that "just plaster" is a whole other critter and needs to be significantly babied during its initial startup. It is subject to streaking and scratching and discoloring, etc. My original plaster was scarred permanently by a stream of water running down its face during the fill! That scar later attracted calcium, so it just got uglier and uglier.

I did like the way my plaster mottled. Looked organic to me. Which was a convenient rationalization to train myself to like what is in essence a defect! My newish pebble is already starting to mottle in a similar fashion, so I'm pretending in a similar fashion that I like it, too! Whatever QuartzScape does in that regard (maybe nothing?), I hope is to your liking, as well.
 
Sorry for the lack up updates - things have been insanely busy! But here is a video showing the before/during/after of our pool build process which of course includes lots of footage of the final product. We are LOVING our pool, glad to be through with all the construction frustrations, and even our dog is already loving swim fetch!

 
kimkats said:
We got our own video! THANKS! That looks so pretty and fits great in that area. I noticed your equipment had it's own shade. Nice touch!

Your water looks awesome! Has it been easy to care for? Any problems?
Kim:kim:
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Yes, the dog is loving the water. She is absolutely obsessed with Swim Fetch now.

Yes, knew about the hairnets from here long before the pool was done - using them and they work great!

Using a BBQ Shade over the pool equipment was my husband's idea - we found the perfect one at the perfect size and it works great.

Water chemistry has been great. Started using the TFP Method almost immediately (slight balancing act with the pool guy for the first month of start up but all TFP after that) and have had great results. Water always looks beautiful and no big issues keeping things in check. The only long term issue I'm concerned about is Calcium Hardness level as our fill water is fairly high in CH so every time we add water, we're adding more calcium. I'm gonna post about that in another thread to get some input/advice.

Overall, it's been great and I actually have fun now with my Pool Chemistry Set instead of being terrified by it like I was the first few weeks.
 
The only long term issue I'm concerned about is Calcium Hardness level as our fill water is fairly high in CH so every time we add water, we're adding more calcium. I'm gonna post about that in another thread to get some input/advice.
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I'll share with you how I solved that for my pool, when you're ready...
 

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