Freeform pool in Texas - Started 3/27/12 - FINISHED!!

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J

jttr

0
Apr 18, 2012
32
Texas
Hello! I have posted a few questions and many of you have responded and been so helpful. I am totally consumed by this pool build right now so I thought I would start a thread to show the progress. So far we have gunite with tile and coping to be done on Monday and concrete soon after.

The back of the house. We built that wall when we built the house with the intent that phase II would be the pool so here we are, 2 years later, building the pool!
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Telling those diggers to start digging was the hardest call I have ever had to make. Seriously. I have never been so stressed in all my life. Over a stupid pool! I was less stressed building the house!
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All done! There will be a 36' raised beam 18" high with 3 sheer descents. That little tail on the right is a bench seating area that will have a 30" round limestone table in the middle.
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Plumbing and Steel
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Gunite in process
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Haven't uploaded the gunite completed picture yet. It has also been graded with electrical run. More to come...
 
Re: Freeform pool in Texas - Started March 27th - Pictures

Going to be a nice pool :) its funny how certain things cause us to panic! I would be in your same shoes if I had the opportunity to put a fancy pool in. I hate letting go of that much money for anything that I really could do with out but yet want so bad to have! Keep the pics coming!
 
Re: Freeform pool in Texas - Started March 27th - Pictures

Thanks everyone! We are in central Texas. The tile/rock guys should be here any minute! I'm ready to get this show on the road! It's going to hit 90 this week!
 
Re: Freeform pool in Texas - Started March 27th - Pictures

Here is an update on our pool. Everything has gone really smoothly. We just had some delays due to rain and trying to get the right rock color for our raised beam. It's been stressful for me but only because of having to make so many decisions which cause me much angst! I wear myself out. I'm to the point where I just want to step away and let someone else make it pretty and then I can just come back and ooh and aaah and enjoy it. But, alas, this isn't a design show, this is my life. If I want it to be pretty I must trudge on...

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Close up of gunite.

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Tile and coping in progress.

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Tile, coping, and raised beam complete. Table set.

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Concrete complete! I ended up going with a riverbottom stamped concrete that will be stained a golden/honey wheat color in about 2 more weeks. The concrete lops off on this side because we plan to add a poolhouse here.

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Pergola is up!

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Day 1 plaster. Ended up choosing Crystal Stones mini pebble in Caribbean Blue.

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It is filling as I type this. The plaster crew accidentally severed the light during their prep but it will be replaced tomorrow. I can't wait to wake up and see the color! My boys and several neighbors wanted to get in so badly this afternoon. They were trying to fill it up with sand pails full of water, LOL. I'm sure they will be swimming tomorrow!

Next on the agenda...grading on Friday and picking out plants this weekend. Next week the fence will go up, landscaping will begin, a rock fire pit built and rock wrapped around pergola posts. The concrete will be stained the following week and then we should be good to go!
 
Re: Freeform pool in Texas - Started March 27th - Pictures

Wow! That's a great looking pool!!!

I am dying to know how the Crystal Stones are on the feet. We chose the same thing for our pool (just finished tile and coping today). Any feedback with the finish???? How does it feel???? It looks BEAUTIFUL! When did they put in the decorative markers for the edge of steps / seating areas????

The kids are GOING TO LOVE IT! We are the central house in our neighborhood (ALL the kids live at our house -- and I LOVE IT!). I'm sure your neighborhood kids are going to love it too!!!!
 

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Re: Freeform pool in Texas - Started March 27th - Pictures

sroderus said:
Wow! That's a great looking pool!!!

I am dying to know how the Crystal Stones are on the feet. We chose the same thing for our pool (just finished tile and coping today). Any feedback with the finish???? How does it feel???? It looks BEAUTIFUL! When did they put in the decorative markers for the edge of steps / seating areas????

The kids are GOING TO LOVE IT! We are the central house in our neighborhood (ALL the kids live at our house -- and I LOVE IT!). I'm sure your neighborhood kids are going to love it too!!!!
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I haven't walked on the Crystal Stones so I can't really say yet how it feels. We went with the mini-pebble which from what I understand is more like the Pebblesheen product. My neighbor had a pool at their last house and said the pebble finishes just feel kind of rubbery to your feet underwater. The tile crew cut the tiles down to 3x3 and the plaster crew set them in place. I was not here for any of the plaster work. I don't know anything about the process so I figured there wasn't really anything I could add. It would just have stressed me out. I was around for all of the tile/coping/rock work and then the concrete last week so I was ready to get back to work and not worry about it for a little while!

Yes, the kids are going to love it. They had suits on and were ready to go yesterday but I appeased them with popsicles since they couldn't get in. They were the first ones up this morning to check the water. I'm wondering if it will even be full by the end of the day.
 
Re: Freeform pool in Texas - Started March 27th - Pictures

Thanks for the feedback. I am worried about it feeling rocky - and it hurting your feet. However - when applying logic - I don't think the finish would be so popular if that was the case. If you have time one day after you get in to feel the finish - if you could let me know, I would greatly appreciate it.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that it is done filling by the end of the day!!!

This forum ROCKS!!!!
 
Re: Freeform pool in Texas - Started March 27th - Pictures

sroderus said:
Thanks for the feedback. I am worried about it feeling rocky - and it hurting your feet. However - when applying logic - I don't think the finish would be so popular if that was the case. If you have time one day after you get in to feel the finish - if you could let me know, I would greatly appreciate it.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that it is done filling by the end of the day!!!

This forum ROCKS!!!!
Click to expand...

We swam yesterday!!! It was 95 degrees and it felt great! It was finally finished filling yesterday morning. The pool guy came and put the chemicals and polaris in and started up the pumps. The Crystal Stones feel great underfoot. Right now the bottom is still gritty and we don't have the bag on the polaris yet to pick up the little rocks but the actual finish feels really good to your feet.

I'm so excited to have a pool and I'm ready to get this construction site out of my yard. The sprinkler guys are here this morning. We had a wind storm last night and one of the pipes they needed fell in the pool. Guess who got to go in and get it this morning?? Brought back all of those swim team memories of jumping into cold pools, ready or not.


I'll post some more pictures later.
 
Re: Freeform pool in Texas - Started 3/27/12 -FINISHED!! Pi

Just wanted to update with some pictures of our completed pool. We started March 27, 2012 and started filling it with water on May 3, 2012. By Memorial Day weekend we had the fence, landscaping and concrete staining completed and the deck-o-seal done so it finally stopped feeling like a construction site. I cannot even put in to words how much we are enjoying this pool. Love it! Here are some pics of the final construction phase and finished project. I took these with my cell phone so they are a little fuzzy.

This is the first weekend it was filled and running...
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Landscaping in progress. Those palms make a huge difference.
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Concrete stain sample.
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Almost all done! Taken late morning.
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Late morning. We are working on plans for a pool house/shop that will butt up against the concrete on the far side where the fence and bushes are now. We want to block our neighbor's house.
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Evening picture with the water sheers running. Those palms really shade the back half of the pool and it is a great time to swim when that happens.
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We still have some rock work to do and of course we're working on plans for that pool house but it's going to be a great summer!
 
redfro said:
What kind of stain did you use? I have to stain by back patio grey to match the new grey pool deck, and am looking for something I can do myself.
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We used Behr Semi-Transparent concrete stain. They prepped it with muriatic acid and a good scrubbing/pressure wash. We mixed 1/2 Loden and 1/2 Desert Flagstone ( I think was the color) and diluted it with water. They applied it with a big deck brush and just sort of splashed and brushed it in. One coat would have been enough and left it more transparent. We did two coats which gave it a more even texture and darkened it up although it really isn't as even of a color in person as it looks in these pics. There is more variation in person. I figured it would fade anyway. I'm really happy with how it turned out and so far it is holding up to our wear and tear of dragging hoses and furniture around.

I'm planning to use the Loden on my back porch which is scored to look like wood and acid stained an ebony. It's looking a little chalky and ugly after 2 years and I did a test patch of the Loden over it and it's holding up so I think it will work fine and bring some life back to it.
 

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