vapool's build

[vapool]

Pool's been marked by PB, silt fence is up, utilities are being marked and excavation scheduled to start Friday; plumbing, electric and gunite already scheduled for next week, weather permitting. Here's the site so far:

More to come!

 

[Guest]

looks like its going to be nice, and i bet you make your neighbor envious with you new in ground compared to his little above ground

 

[vapool]

Yeah, he's already drawing up plans to have a platform diving board off of the fence!

 

[vapool]

Well, excavation got started today; went about 2-1/2 feet down and hit rock Coming back Monday with the heavy-duty rock borer...keeping our fingers crossed that it's just one helluva boulder...or at least it ends before the deep end!

 

[crabboy]

Sorry to hear that, hope things go a bit better on Monday. Were they using that bobcat to do the excavation?

 

[vapool]

Yeah, they were using that bobcat....seems like it would be a bit faster if they used a backhoe, but hey, it's their time and energy, not mine!

 

[hardwareguy]

Please keep us posted on the rock situation. We are starting construction of our new 18x38 IG Vinyl pool 2 weeks from today and I know that we are going to hit limestone. I am anxious to see what method they decide to use to break through the rock for your pool.

hardwareguy

 

[vapool]

Hardware Guy--Today they came with the backhoe that has the rock borer attached (I'm sure this isn't the real name of it, but hope you know what I mean). We were hoping that once they got through the two visible boulders, that would be about it, but it looks like it's pretty solid bluestone. They worked for about 6 hours and made their way through about 2/3 of the pool (haven't hit the deep end yet!); when the bit broke! Coming back tomorrow with a new bit, and hopefully they'll be able to finish up. They said with the kind of rock we have, blasting would be the best solution, but unfortunately not allowed to...

Good luck with your rock...make sure you have a good pair of earplugs and start buttering up the neighbors (I sent mine a fruit basket from Edible Arrangements!)

As an interesting aside in our adventure, after the work crews left today, the cops showed up. Seems a Bobcat in one of the neighboring construction areas was stolen and they were pretty convinced we had it. Fortunately, serial number didn't pan out!

 

[hardwareguy]

It sounds like they used a pneumatic breaker attached to the backhoe...pretty much what I will have to use as well. Fortunately, we live in the middle of the boondocks in Indiana and there are no neighbors for about a 1/4 mile or so. The deer will probably not like the sound of the hammer too much.

Thanks for the update...keep the pics coming.

Hardwareguy

 

[crabboy]

Yea, how about a picture.

I hope it isn't costing you that much more. Our pool contract has a specific clause about hitting rock during excavation. We could either pay the additional cost or pony up what's been spent so far, fill in the hole and end the contract. Lucky for us it was smooth sailing.

 

[vapool]

After the excavation from h#$% the steel guys are coming today. Basically, we hit not only rock, but fill clay, which meant they had to dig the entire pool to 11', to where they hit solid ground, then backfill the shallow end with a whole lot of gravel (see "moist clay" post). Took a little more than a week and about $20,000 but now it should be smooth sailing (at least if anything else unexpected comes up, it won't be at an added cost to us). PB has been great through this whole ordeal, is building us a sheer descent wall at cost since he feels so bad about the excavation expense, and picked up one day's excavation fee (which he didn't have to do, per contract). Here's the finished dig:

And a close up of some of the rock that remains...

More to come...Thanks for the opp'y to share

 

[Guest]

wow, thats a kick in the head, um do you keep it at 11' now or are you filling in the deep a little bit to make it 9'. i have never gone through a pool build so i dont know these things.

Lookin' good though, hope it gets finished soon.

 

[vapool]

It's 11' now, but with steel and gunite it will be about 9'. They just finished steel about an hour ago...only took them about 4 hours; was surprised at how fast it went. Plumbing tomorrow, then a break for inspection and gunite scheduled for next week

 

[crabboy]

20k is some hit in the wallet. I've been waiting to see how your progress is going and it looks like you're staring to move forward now. good luck with the rest of the build. Keep the pics coming.

 

[vapool]

Gunite today! The gunite guys showed up a little before 6 am and woke me out of a deep sleep, but were done by early afternoon. Finally starting to look like a pool instead of a money pit!

 

[Guest]

must be cold there, your neighbor has closed his pool already, looks real good, cant wait to see it with water.

are you going to put of a privacy fence?

 

[vapool]

Been a bit chilly the past couple of days, but our neighbor always closes his pool Labor Day weekend. And yeah. we're putting up a 6' privacy fence. Other side of the yard is already done; we've just been waiting for gunite to be done before tearing up the fence on the pool side.

 

[SeanB]

That whole in the ground is starting to look like a pool.

 

[ehorn]

Wow yeah that is looking very nice. My pool was done in January and I don't care what other people said I was going to get in. Wow I tell you it's not bad breaking in the pool when the water is 55 degrees. Your water should be warmer and I'm sure it's feeling like you will be done almost any week. Good luck with the completion.

Oh and be sure to nit pick about everything before they finish. I am still trying to get them to finish up my waterfall because it's leaking a little. Once they are done things take forever, I know like you thought it went slow in construction. So just be sure to get your opinion in on anything before its finished.

Eric

 

[Guest]

any new pictures, i wanna see this baby done and filled.