My first AGP build

[copotay]

Been waiting all winter to start the project and will be ordering the pool within the next two months waiting for some more warm weather like we have been having here in Louisiana so the liner will stretch out correctly. I am posting some pics and will keep adding them to this thread as the process gos. I have read and watched I dont know how many how to videos over the last 6 months about building an AGP regarding leveling, liners, coves, bottom padding, etc, and in some instances I am still half confused because of the various different ways the pros and first timers do certain things. But as I go time will tell and I am sure I will be asking many questions from the helpful experienced people here which I will gladly appreciate. Hopefully my build and pics can help others with questions too.

Here are some pictures for the 21 foot I will be building. This past weekend I began the leveling moving 35 wheelbarrows of dirt from the circle because of a 6 inch difference in grade. I also had used Roundup (weedkiller) on the 24 foot circle in November to kill as much of the grass as possible prior to leveling to make it easier to shave and remove the dirt. I can tell you one 47 year old man with one flat shovel is feeling it today, and I work out, lol. I used an old Craftsman transit from my grandfather and the 2 x 6 with the level to make double sure I am on level.

 

[copotay]

This kind of what the outcome is hoping to be.

 

[XsAllOverIt]

Looks like you're doing a good job. From a 53 year old, working on pools is a different excercise than what we're used to. I hauled over 500 wheelbarrow loads on my inground doing all the walls and landscaping around the pool in additions to hauling an awful LOT of wall block.

 

[cramar]

Looks good, your doing the most important part right now, getting that ground level is so important.
My own pool site was 6-8 inches off level so I feel your pain!!

 

[copotay]

Tks ya'll, and I have a 40 hp tractor with box scraper and front end loader on another tractor, too big for the job, I made sure to put a good sharpening on that flat shovel though, that helped out. Like my wife said Saturday night, smells like a Bengay factory in the house, lol.

XsAllOverIt, 500 wheelbarrows, you must have been exhausted for weeks when u finished. Like I told my wife, when I get finished I will be too tired to swim.

Cramar, thank you alot for your pics from one man one pool, I definitely used and will use some of your tips too along with the build list, the internet is the best. In fact thats some of the questions I will eventually have is the cove. I was planning on getting the foam cove from poolsupplyworld when I order the pool and I have been reading about how others do it. Some say level out about 1- 2 inches of sand just below the bottom rail, place the foam pad down, then place the sticky coves against the wall so the groove cut in them can sit against the bottom rail, and thats it place the liner in it. Now I am getting a unibead liner that I will use as a Jhook liner to hook to the pool wall. Some beleive that because the little foam coves are only like 3 - 4 inches at most in height this will cause excessive stretching on a Jhook liner possibly even causing the walls to bow before it fills with water which is why the directions suggest a 6 to 7 inch sand cove be built. I see in your pictures what looks like the white foam coves then you placed the sand half way up then your bottom pad on top the sand, how did that work for you? The reason I ask is this blog of cove installation where you can see his sand does not cover the bottom rail before he installs the coves with his order being sand, bottom pad, then cove:

http://www.mackeysmpi.com/Mackey-s-Blog ... ol-padding

 

[cramar]

I used the j-hook and honestly I didn't perceive any sort of issue with too much down ward stress, the instructions say to get the seam along the cove and that was pretty straight forward. liners have a lot of stretch to them so honestly it's not something I gave much thought to, the harder part was getting it stretched properly around the edge.

I did a lot of swimming/inspecting along the cove last summer, to make sure no problems were developing, and everything seemed fine. As long as the seam is along the cove it should be fine.

 

[copotay]

Got it, tks for information

 

[copotay]

02/24/12 - The pool has arrived from Pool Supply World in only 3 days. FYI, the manufacturer shows Wilbur on the box and the main pool came in via R & L Carriers. Fedex delivered three separate packages, the liner, the liner pad, and the solar cover. Now, I need a couple days of good weather so I can take off work and get this thing done, it rains every other day right now and if the north wind is not blowing at 20 - 25 its the south wind. I don't want to try to put up the wall with that kind of wind.

 

[cramar]

Pretty good on the sellers part, it sure get's real once all those box's arrive eh!
Have fun!!

 

[copotay]

Oh yeah tks, I am shooting for the end of next week after seeing the extended forecast but you never know. Also, lol, the whole thing was shrinkwrapped on two pallets with the foam cove stuck inside the shinkwrap, not in a box. I thought it was packing foam and almost cut into it. That would not have been good. But really, I thought the cove was bigger than that, one would not think that the liner will stretch that far down against the sides to even meet the foam cove without adding some sand over the foam cove to make the cove higher, but I guess it will.

Update: I found out that Swimline makes the Mystri gold unibead liner so I emailed them and they replied that just the foam cove will be fine even though it is not as high or wide as a sand cove, the liner will stretch to the foam cove if need be but it must have some type of cove.

 

[copotay]

Ok got the blocks for the uprights planted yesterday, now waiting for the ground to dry some after the rain so I can start with the sand.

 

[PSW]

Looking good so far! Can't wait to see more pictures!

 

[copotay]

Tks Blake, well here we go I will post a few from the work, we are about 8 inches deep right now and have cut off the water for overnight, but our temps will be good again tomorrow in the mid 70s and sunshine, and I was doing so much thinking I forgot to snap a few of putting in the liner protector and the foam cove. They may be out of order but I am tired.

 

[copotay]

Here are some more

 

[DBfan187]

Looking good bro!

I use a skid steer & a laser level. Makes for quick work!

 

[Bama Rambler]

It's probably too late but a shop vac stuck in at the skimmer will amaze you.

 

[copotay]

Tks y'all and tks Bama I did use it at first and it did suck it against the side walls real good and cleared out some wrinkles then it tried to suck in the liner, I did not think that would happen, so I shut it down and got in there with about two inches pushing to the sides, so far it looks like it's working real good, there is some air space between the liner and wall, about an inch or two way up the wall but I guess as the water rises it will push the liner against the wall, there was no extra on the floor and the seam is up on the cove and even all around and it was a Jhook liner so u don't have anyway to get more liner out of it.

 

[Bama Rambler]

As the water rises it'll press the liner against the walls and it'll be fine.

 

[cramar]

Lookin good

 

[copotay]

Tks yall, on lunch break, just ran my electric line from my building, 30 feet, now I am building the courage to install the skimmer and return to cut the liner, boy and talk about nervous as the water rises to make sure its level, even though I know I levelled the heck out of it several times, checking, cross-checking, throwing a string level across just the walls after they were up, whew, stress level up there. Oh also the instructions say to wait until you have 2 feet water, or even higher, to install the skimmer, I forgot the water is still cold right now too, brrrrrrrr. Hey when ya'll installed the skimmers did ya'll just use the gasket it comes with around the square hole or did ya'll add some silicone to the other sqaure piece along with it against the outer side wall?