you say you liked pics?
- Thread starter chlorine deprived
- Start date
Nice!
We live not far from you. I think I'll just move in to your place and commute to my farm every now and then. You do allow dogs, yes?
You did this yourself? Wow!
We live not far from you. I think I'll just move in to your place and commute to my farm every now and then. You do allow dogs, yes?
You did this yourself? Wow!
TOTALLY AWESOME!
I am planning a DIY in 2011 and my question to you is, how easy/hard was/were the free-formed walls when you put them in? Waste has a thread for the DIY'er and he suggested sticking with the rectangles but I've always wanted a free form pool. So tell me, with all the juicy tid-bits, how was the whole thing in general? Would you do it again or would you have someone else do it? One last question...
I know you said you did it yourself but did you really, really DIY? I guess what I'm really asking is did you sub contract any of the work out like the bottom?
I plan to do 99.999999% of the work myself with my hubby and BIL.
OMG though... I so want to come over and jump in that pool! It looks FABULOUS! *going back up to look at pics* 
I am planning a DIY in 2011 and my question to you is, how easy/hard was/were the free-formed walls when you put them in? Waste has a thread for the DIY'er and he suggested sticking with the rectangles but I've always wanted a free form pool. So tell me, with all the juicy tid-bits, how was the whole thing in general? Would you do it again or would you have someone else do it? One last question...
I know you said you did it yourself but did you really, really DIY? I guess what I'm really asking is did you sub contract any of the work out like the bottom? I plan to do 99.999999% of the work myself with my hubby and BIL.
OMG though... I so want to come over and jump in that pool!
It looks FABULOUS! *going back up to look at pics* Casey said:TOTALLY AWESOME!
I am planning a DIY in 2011 and my question to you is, how easy/hard was/were the free-formed walls when you put them in? Waste has a thread for the DIY'er and he suggested sticking with the rectangles but I've always wanted a free form pool. So tell me, with all the juicy tid-bits, how was the whole thing in general? Would you do it again or would you have someone else do it? One last question...
I plan to do 99.999999% of the work myself with my hubby and BIL.
OMG though... I so want to come over and jump in that pool!
It took ALOT of adjusting and re adjusting of the walls to get them to"close" I say close because there was one refrence point i just could not get to "Close", but the liner fit well anyway.
I would do it again, no way would i have a pool company do it, I woud not use it enough to pay 25k for just a pool. I did it for half and that includes the extra piping i did and the heat pump etc etc.
Ok the DIY.. LOL no i did not do 100% nor would i if i had to do it again. You know they say you can rent a excavator and DIY. Well i have done a tad of excavating and might try it if i did a rectangle but if you have a round deep end you better know what you are doing on a mini excavator or plan on doing alot of hand shaving of the sides. I have a friend (whom i paid) to "muck out" a flat starting area ( my lot sloped up wards) then he dug the whole perimeter at 2' over dig at 38" ( or what ever it called for) I then ( contrary to the instructions) put up and secureD the metal forms. ONLY THEN did he bring in the mini and do the deep end ( we brought in the mini via the step area.) I just did not feel comfortable digging the deep end with out the sides being up, i did not want to over dig. I t would have taken me 4 xs as much time to dig this compared to what he did. I did dig the filter pad, and other trenches for electrical etc with my cousins kabota. Use a laser transum with a beeper if you can
The pool bottom..... bought the pool trials, the portland cement, had the mixer lined up and i wussed out and had a crew do that and the liner for $1800 well worth it IMO.. would pay it again.
The retaining wall and pavers were the big work, my 16 yr old nephew helped, we backfilled and tamped "throughly" every 6"s and i put the pavers in right away. I had NO paver shift in 3 years. I also had no finger prints after using the wet saw for weeks.
Good luck,
WOW! Even with subcontracting the dig and the cement you did a ton of work... and it's beautiful 
. The diagonal stone path took lots of extra cutting but looks fabulous and is a testament to your craftsmanship. I have a 100% DIY above ground pool that is nice but no where near as elegant as your setup. I really like the pavers all around. I think I'll steal that look for my walkway (which is still grass with drainage ditch ). And a diving board to??? Dang! I'm only 52" deep and can't even contemplate a deep end.
Did you do the design or get some help? If you used an existing pool layout plan then where did you get it?
If it's handy I'm sure folks here would be interested in seeing a price list breakdown for materials, rough labor times, and overall cost per feature: excavation, steel & concrete, liner, plumbing, pump/filter, fountains & waterfall (excellent touch!), deck pavers, round platform, retaining wall, sunken eating area (steps & stones & lots of labor shaving & setting!), Grilling island & paver path, ...
I know from 2007-2009 I've spent about $6,100 building my 12'x24'x54" AG with 160'2 solar heater. ($400 site preparation, $4,000 pool kit+ (frame&wall,liner,pump,filter,ladder,misc.), $250 plumbing, $450 solar heater, $1,000 deck/solar heater roof.) From your rough ~$12,500 comment you got a ton of value for your money and effort.
. The diagonal stone path took lots of extra cutting but looks fabulous and is a testament to your craftsmanship. I have a 100% DIY above ground pool that is nice but no where near as elegant as your setup. I really like the pavers all around. I think I'll steal that look for my walkway (which is still grass with drainage ditch ). And a diving board to??? Dang! I'm only 52" deep and can't even contemplate a deep end.Did you do the design or get some help? If you used an existing pool layout plan then where did you get it?
If it's handy I'm sure folks here would be interested in seeing a price list breakdown for materials, rough labor times, and overall cost per feature: excavation, steel & concrete, liner, plumbing, pump/filter, fountains & waterfall (excellent touch!), deck pavers, round platform, retaining wall, sunken eating area (steps & stones & lots of labor shaving & setting!), Grilling island & paver path, ...
I know from 2007-2009 I've spent about $6,100 building my 12'x24'x54" AG with 160'2 solar heater. ($400 site preparation, $4,000 pool kit+ (frame&wall,liner,pump,filter,ladder,misc.), $250 plumbing, $450 solar heater, $1,000 deck/solar heater roof.) From your rough ~$12,500 comment you got a ton of value for your money and effort.
it was a kafco pool from national pool wholesalers. the rest i just sketched on graph paper and looked at books and internet pool pics to get ideas, In hindisght i wish i would have just tapered the back end on a angle ( forget the retaining wall) and lay natural boulders, lights, and ground cover around that area.
The dive Board, i had my nephew weld extensions to the triangle steel grid that came with it ( because i had to concrete deeper because of the pavers. I also drove 2 or 3 foot re rod in the ground and hooked it over the steel grid
The diaganol walk way we just ran the pavers wild, struck a line and used a handheld concrete saw
wow as for the bills, I have them all, maybe i dont even want to see them! but I'll see about digging some out
The dive Board, i had my nephew weld extensions to the triangle steel grid that came with it ( because i had to concrete deeper because of the pavers. I also drove 2 or 3 foot re rod in the ground and hooked it over the steel grid
The diaganol walk way we just ran the pavers wild, struck a line and used a handheld concrete saw
wow as for the bills, I have them all, maybe i dont even want to see them! but I'll see about digging some out
I plan to do an 8.5' deep 18x40 rectangle <I went longer because the depth takes away from the shallow end>, one light in deep end, diving board with 8' walk in steps that I'll have centered. I got a price for $7,600 without pump and plumbing and free delivery. 
They wanted me to buy flex hose and a Hayward system. I don't have anything against Hayward but want the efficency of a Pentair IntelliFlo. I'll also run 2" lines for the main <or was that 2.5" will have to check my notes>, 2" for the suction side and 1.5" for the returns.
I know I'll probly have a pretty penny wrapped up into it but it will be way cheaper than going with a sub-standard professional install.
I am the PROFESSIONAL! Plus I can work on my time after the permits are issued of course. 
They wanted me to buy flex hose and a Hayward system. I don't have anything against Hayward but want the efficency of a Pentair IntelliFlo. I'll also run 2" lines for the main <or was that 2.5" will have to check my notes>, 2" for the suction side and 1.5" for the returns. I know I'll probly have a pretty penny wrapped up into it but it will be way cheaper than going with a sub-standard professional install.
I am the PROFESSIONAL!
Plus I can work on my time after the permits are issued of course.
Oh and what is the brand of your pump? You just have sand listed in your sig.
And before I forget, WELCOME TO OUR BIG OLE POOL PARTY of a SITE!
You just have sand listed in your sig.And before I forget, WELCOME TO OUR BIG OLE POOL PARTY of a SITE!
Hayward 3 hp pump, I used all flex hose ( tiger brand) underground. 1.5 for the returns, a separate one for the waterfall and separate 1.5 for the fountains. The suction side was 1.5 each for skimmer and bottom drain, and since i over sized the pump i also ran a 2" to the skimmer as well. I can pump alot of water and probably turn the pool over in 5 hours of so.
How do oyu put the diving board in with pavers? Does th ebase of the board sit on the pavers or on the slab and you paver around the base? Thanks, looking to do pavers on my 18X36 inground and not sure how to treat the board and the hand rails etc.
- Mar 14, 2011
- 151
I've been checking in to this myself as we are looking at travertine pavers but have a slide, handrails, volleyball and umbrella sleeves planned. The sub contractors I've dealt with agree that we should pour a concrete footing about a half inch below the bottom of the paver depth in the areas that need anchoring. Then sand and pavers, or even mortar/pavers. The diving board or slide, etc, could then be anchored through to the footing with long bolts.
Personally, with a diving board I think I would pour the concrete pad all the way up to the paver top height and just use pavers around it. A diving board will have a tremendous amount of stress on pavers and they could eventually shift.
Does the diving board mfgr. give any specifics for mounting?
Best of luck,
John
Personally, with a diving board I think I would pour the concrete pad all the way up to the paver top height and just use pavers around it. A diving board will have a tremendous amount of stress on pavers and they could eventually shift.
Does the diving board mfgr. give any specifics for mounting?
Best of luck,
John
- May 22, 2011
- 133
dholland17 said:
For the board, mine came with a rebar triangle with the 3 bolts sticking straight up ( standard i assume) ny nephew welded 10" verticle re rod to the original and then another triangle to those "spacers" i dug a hole and buried that extended triangle and the original to height and concreted over it. Before concreting i drove re bar into the hole on an angle to give some support to the concrete "pad" about 3' x 3' x 1.5 deep.
the base IS on top of my pavers, but note i have some pretty big pavers,,, 15"s x 28"s were the biggest. The board does not move at all
The hand rail cups i dug small holes and used small re rod with a "v" hook at the bottom and poured a small amount of concrete and cut the pavers around the cups. THAT DID NOT WORK for the deep end steps that get alot of pressure ( it worked ok for the handrail at the shallow end) SO for the deep end cups i pulled the lose ones out this year, chiseled down about 2" to 3" below the cup, filled it with some fast setting high grade concrete epoxy below and around the cup. So far its solid as ever ( Home Depot $17 a tube, it comes with a long pointy nozzle that mixes the epoxy as it comes out)
- May 22, 2011
- 133
rv4hess said:
re
ouring the concrete to the paver height. I just added some patio and read on the bag of polymetric sand that the sand is not for pavers set on "directly" concrete, so check with the hardscaper guy you get the pavers from. But yeah for a slide i would put in a good size slab. PS for my saftey cover anchors i put them right into the pavers, but like i said i have some big pavers but when they are installed with that polymetric sand the paver kind of all "mesh" together. Those anchors have also been solid.
- May 22, 2011
- 133
Looks beautiful! Makes my abg look shameful ... I would have liked to do an inground but the expense was too great for us. Might have considered a diy project but we are doing enough other home projects to take a whole summer on a pool.
I would worry about the neighbor kids getting into it... doesn't look like you've got it contained w/fencing ?? The only other thing I might do different is to put something up to hide the pump and filter area... even if just a bit of pvc fencing with something decorative on it.
I would worry about the neighbor kids getting into it... doesn't look like you've got it contained w/fencing ?? The only other thing I might do different is to put something up to hide the pump and filter area... even if just a bit of pvc fencing with something decorative on it.
- May 22, 2011
- 133
Suziqzer said:
the pics at the beggining of the thread were before the fencing arrived and as you can see before the decretive grass grew high enough, 2007. planted spmething new this year Banana trees... they grow about 8 to 10 feet first year and at the end of the year you chop them off at the base, they dont grow bananas Similar threads
