First of all, I just have to say that I have been enjoying this forum for the past few months as my wife and I have been going through the process of gathering quotes from multiple PBs in the Hampton Roads area here in southeast VA. The information here has been extremely helpful as first time pool buyers especially knowing that others have been dealing with the same pressures and anxieties of making such a large decision. Thanks for such a wonderful site!
Being a family of 4 with 2 boys (5 & 7), we were looking for a large pool with a deep end suitable for a diving board and a large shallow area for playing games and activities. Both of my boys have birthdays during the summer months so we know we will be hosting large parties including the holidays, little league team events, etc. We also wanted a pool that provided a social area with seating for the adults to relax and 'get away' from the kids. The only other factor we needed to consider was that we have 3 dogs who may try to take a dip from time to time.
Starting in August, we lined up interviews with 6 different companies. All of them pretty much offered the same type of IG pool...vinyl lined with minor differences to stand out from their competitors (steel vs polymer walls, hayward vs pentair vs jandy, backfill with sand vs gravel, etc). After weighing the many options, we made our decision based on references, research on this forum, and basically the PB that we felt was most trustworthy (we preferred not listening to the rehearsed sales pitch but rather having a straightforward conversation on what we really wanted). We signed our contract on Oct 6th and the dig begins tomorrow Oct 24th!! The specs of our new pool are as follows:
18' x 40' x 28' x 16' Grecian True L
Merlin Vinyl Liner (Freeport Tile/Blue Tropic Bottom 20 Mil)
Galvanized Steel Walls (Cardinal)
Pentair 1 HP WhisperFlo High Performance Pump
Pentair FNS Plus 60 D.E. Filter
2 Pentair LED Lights
2 Quaker In Wall Seats w/ Hydrotherapy Jets (4)
8' Quaker Regular Steps
8' Diving Board
Hayward Aqua Plus Automation w/ SWG
2 Surface Skimmers
3 Returns w/ directional nozzles (1 on steps)
Anti-vortex bottom main drain
Plumbing for future auto cleaner (opting for suction cleaner initially...probably Barracuda MX8)
I have attached 2 pre dig photos. One from the second story window shows the outline of the pool (based on stakes and strings...we painted before realizing we needed to move the pool over an additional 5 ft due to easements). We decided to place the pool 25ft from the house and 10 ft from the existing fence. We have not worked through all of the details with the concrete decking yet but plan on a significant amount covering all of the area up to the fence and house. The second photo shows the view from the deep end. As we progress through the construction over the next few weeks, I will be sure to add additional photos.
Being a family of 4 with 2 boys (5 & 7), we were looking for a large pool with a deep end suitable for a diving board and a large shallow area for playing games and activities. Both of my boys have birthdays during the summer months so we know we will be hosting large parties including the holidays, little league team events, etc. We also wanted a pool that provided a social area with seating for the adults to relax and 'get away' from the kids. The only other factor we needed to consider was that we have 3 dogs who may try to take a dip from time to time.
Starting in August, we lined up interviews with 6 different companies. All of them pretty much offered the same type of IG pool...vinyl lined with minor differences to stand out from their competitors (steel vs polymer walls, hayward vs pentair vs jandy, backfill with sand vs gravel, etc). After weighing the many options, we made our decision based on references, research on this forum, and basically the PB that we felt was most trustworthy (we preferred not listening to the rehearsed sales pitch but rather having a straightforward conversation on what we really wanted). We signed our contract on Oct 6th and the dig begins tomorrow Oct 24th!! The specs of our new pool are as follows:
18' x 40' x 28' x 16' Grecian True L
Merlin Vinyl Liner (Freeport Tile/Blue Tropic Bottom 20 Mil)
Galvanized Steel Walls (Cardinal)
Pentair 1 HP WhisperFlo High Performance Pump
Pentair FNS Plus 60 D.E. Filter
2 Pentair LED Lights
2 Quaker In Wall Seats w/ Hydrotherapy Jets (4)
8' Quaker Regular Steps
8' Diving Board
Hayward Aqua Plus Automation w/ SWG
2 Surface Skimmers
3 Returns w/ directional nozzles (1 on steps)
Anti-vortex bottom main drain
Plumbing for future auto cleaner (opting for suction cleaner initially...probably Barracuda MX8)
I have attached 2 pre dig photos. One from the second story window shows the outline of the pool (based on stakes and strings...we painted before realizing we needed to move the pool over an additional 5 ft due to easements). We decided to place the pool 25ft from the house and 10 ft from the existing fence. We have not worked through all of the details with the concrete decking yet but plan on a significant amount covering all of the area up to the fence and house. The second photo shows the view from the deep end. As we progress through the construction over the next few weeks, I will be sure to add additional photos.