A newbie DIY pool build

[Butcher]

The retaining wall will be this...
http://www.risistone.com/home/index.php?page=durahold2

for the back of the property which will retain most of the weight of the pool. I will use something more decorative to retain the patio around the sides of the pool.

 

[bk406]

Are you going to lay that? I think thats a machine stacked system. Those blocks are too heavy to lift w/o a machine. Since your only going 2 feet, you dont need geogrid.
Just be sure and dig your footing 2 feet deep and set the wall on a 3/4 inch stone base.

Is that a pinned system? Did you consider Versa loc? same type of system but you dont need a machine to do it.

 

[Butcher]

I own the machine that will be doing the work which will be at my beck and call whenever I need it. It is easier for me to lift and set larger pieces with the machine then it is to hand carry a lot of small pieces. That wall will face the ravine which no one will see. The walls that will be seen up the sides will be smaller hand lift blocks that will match the pool patio. Probably not cost effective if you don't own a machine though.

 

[Butcher]

Bin a while so I thought I would give an update.

I was faced with a high water table problem due to backing onto a ravine so I started a separate thread dealing with that issue,
it is located here
pool-builders-plz-help-t26934.html

After a lot of research and taking the advice of experienced pool builders I decided to go with a sump system under the pool leading to a well point that I can pump when necessary. Because the back side of the pool had to be raised with a retaining wall and will sit about two feet out of the ground it is doubtful that the water level would rise to a point that could float the liner but will have the sump system in place if required to remove ground water at any time.

Here are a couple pics of the sump system. I used weeping tile running through the center of the pool about one foot below the grade of the pool and connected that to a one foot diameter pipe with slits in it cut by a quick cut saw buried about two feet below the grade of the pool.

 

[Butcher]

The retaining wall is now finished and so is the pool excavation. A lot of rain in the last couple weeks led to a bunch of lost days putting me a little behind schedule but still with enough time to complete the project before the winter hits.

For those like me who like pool porn here is a couple pics of the progress.

 

[Butcher]

Here are a couple more pics with the retaining wall finished and filter cloth in place. Also the pool excavation is completed and the stone going in to raise the bottom of the pool up to proposed sub-grade. The pool was excavated too deep to remove all the topsoil from under the pool. The next job will be to level the stone in preparation of the pool walls.

 

[jasonknox]

Good luck, I did it and would not do it again.

 

[Butcher]

Good luck, I did it and would not do it again.

Something go wrong or just too much work?

 

[Guest]

Good (or great!) subs are the key. Knowing who those subs are is not always easy to get, but it can be done. Here, if you contract the work yourself as opposed to using a builder, you can save up to 40% of the cost to build your pool. To some, that is worth the "hassle".

I've worked for top notch builders, and I have helped many of my friends go through the owner/builder process. I am happy to have helped my friends get more pool than they may have been able to afford by helping them. To them, it was well worth making a call or two and being there to tell the contractor what they wanted. Not always fun or easy perhaps, but much less expensive when it was all done!

 

[Butcher]

Spent about a half day or so today at the build. Brought in more stone to level the bottom of the pool in preparation for putting up the walls and set the grade for about 3/4's of the pool. Tomorrow I will finish leveling the stone for the walls and start setting up the walls.

 

[Butcher]

Well a lot more rain has slowed the progress again but I did manage to finish bringing in all the stone and marking the placement for all the walls. On a positive note the sump system is working as designed.

 

[Butcher]

The walls go up. We had no trouble setting the walls into place but had a lot of trouble figuring out the A-frame supports and the deck braces. All the pictures and install instructions we found seemed to have pieces different than mine and show a way to assemble that mine would not do. After a while we just went with about the only way it would go together and what made sense. Got too dark to take pics of the braces but here are a couple of the walls going in.

 

[TFP_wanna_be]

Wow..! coming right along... thanks for keeping us in the loop... You lines are 'spot-on'!!

 

[Melt In The Sun]

A little late, but I didn't see that anyone else commented on it.. a Zodiac Duoclear as a chlorine source is a bad idea. It is a combination SWG and metal ion system. You'd be better off with a standard SWG.

 

[Butcher]

Thanks for the reply,

I forgot I should update my first post. I will not be going with the Duoclear anymore, I have decided to go with the pro-logic PS8 with a T-cell. The PS8 gives me the ability to integrate all of my systems (spa,solar,lights,SWG etc.)

 

[Butcher]

Today we worked on bolting panels, deck supports and the A-frames together as well as radius the three foot flex skimmer sections. The steps also were set into place and leveled. One problem we are having is the ends of the steps are not perfectly vertical and are not fitting very well. The top of the step meets the panel top but the bottom of the step has about a 3/4 inch gap as you can see in the picture.

Anyone have an idea for the best way to fill the gap and attach the step to the wall?

 

[Butcher]

Here are a couple more pics of today's progress.

 

[Heckpools]

Are you digging out the deepend after you have all the walls up?
Love the blue steps!
oh, and i want a digger!!! i dnt know why, but i want one lol

 

[Butcher]

Thanks, the blue steps were a little more money but I liked the look as well.
Yes, I will dig out the deep end after I pour the ring beam around the exterior of the pool. I left the stone high there just to stabalize the stone under the walls.
As for the problem with the steps we are going to use some angle iron to fill the gap as well as washers on the bolts between the steps and the wall. We will then run a bead of silicone down the front of the seam and run the duct tape over that.
What do you think?

 

[Bama Rambler]

I suggest using Gorilla tape or Eternabond. It's thicker so it'll provide a little more cushion. Besides being tougher than standard duct tape.