I almost forgot about the bad part of being on fill. It turns out the city says I need a 'special' inspection before steel is placed. Presumably, this is to verify the integrity of the soil. If the engineer deems it necessary the spacing of the steel will have to change. Kiss another four Benjamins goodbye.
My new pool build
- Thread starter cobra46
- Start date
Can anyone tell me what is an acceptable amount of leakage while pressure testing pool plumbing? I went from 41psi on Saturday morning to 34psi Sunday night.
Thanks
Thanks
WooHoo 
The PB is going to make our tanning ledge back to the original size we wanted it on his dime. That is really cool of him.
The PB is going to make our tanning ledge back to the original size we wanted it on his dime. That is really cool of him.
Well here's the latest:
Last Monday they the plumbing crew was doing my neighbors pool so I went up there and asked what pressure drop is considered ok. He said it should stay steady with slight variations with temperature. This sounded very reasonable to me.
When we come back from dinner I go check the pressure and it's back up to 45. I don't know if they've only pumped it up again or fixed a leak.
Tuesday morning the pressure had dropped down to 41. I'm not sure what to think. Was this drop due to a leak or temperature change? Evidently the PB's engineer performed his inspection Tuesday also but he didn't leave anything behind. When I come home from work the pressure is back up to 45. Good sign. The plumbers must have fixed something.
Wednesday morning I call the PB to ask what's going on and they say steel is underway now. I had to work late so I had my kid go take a few pics. From what my wife told me they had not corrected the bench area so she went up the street and told them about it and they said they would fix it when they got finished there. This crew was amazing, they did three pools in one day and the first was 30 miles away.
The pressure has now been changing repeatably with the temperature between 41-45. Check one problem off the list.
Last Monday they the plumbing crew was doing my neighbors pool so I went up there and asked what pressure drop is considered ok. He said it should stay steady with slight variations with temperature. This sounded very reasonable to me.
When we come back from dinner I go check the pressure and it's back up to 45. I don't know if they've only pumped it up again or fixed a leak.
Tuesday morning the pressure had dropped down to 41. I'm not sure what to think. Was this drop due to a leak or temperature change? Evidently the PB's engineer performed his inspection Tuesday also but he didn't leave anything behind. When I come home from work the pressure is back up to 45. Good sign. The plumbers must have fixed something.
Wednesday morning I call the PB to ask what's going on and they say steel is underway now. I had to work late so I had my kid go take a few pics. From what my wife told me they had not corrected the bench area so she went up the street and told them about it and they said they would fix it when they got finished there. This crew was amazing, they did three pools in one day and the first was 30 miles away.
The pressure has now been changing repeatably with the temperature between 41-45. Check one problem off the list.
We have steel!
Tanning ledge repair
It appears the engineer deemed it necessary to go with a non standard steel schedule.
Steel is really close on the back wall. I got a hold of the soils report for our development. The lighter layer at the bottom is non expansive while the darker layer is moderately expansive clay. I think this is native soil since it follows the surrounding virgin land. The light layer near the top is fill.
Raised Bond Beam
Waterfall Pad
Tanning ledge repair
It appears the engineer deemed it necessary to go with a non standard steel schedule.
Steel is really close on the back wall. I got a hold of the soils report for our development. The lighter layer at the bottom is non expansive while the darker layer is moderately expansive clay. I think this is native soil since it follows the surrounding virgin land. The light layer near the top is fill.
Raised Bond Beam
Waterfall Pad
I'm sorry I haven't posted any updates in a while. I have been very busy trying to get everything together to pull permits for some other backyard work.
During excavation there was the big problem of the bench being built too small but there was also a smaller problem. The notch for the waterfall was dug in the wrong spot by a couple of feet. This was not a big deal to correct because there is not much dirt removed to create the notch. I mentioned this to the PM and he gave me some paint and said to paint where I wanted it and they would take care of it. When the steel was put in the rebar base for the waterfall was put in the correct location but the now oversized notch was not even on both sides of the waterfall. This can be seen in my pictures. I spoke on the phone to the PM and told my son what needed to be done.
Last Thursday the gunite crew showed up just after I left for work. I had instructed my son to tell the PM what needed to be done to correct the asymmetrical waterfall notch. The PM showed up about 10:00AM and my son explained what was needed. About 2:00 my son send me a picture from his phone and the waterfall is not where it was supposed to be. It was shifted about 18-24 inches to the right. I immediately called the PM and he said he was 45 minutes away and would have to look at it tomorrow. I asked if he could call the gunite crew foreman and see if it was too late to fix it. A few minutes later I got a text saying they were fixing it. The whole time I'm wondering if they got to it quick enough to prevent a cold joint. When I got home...all was good.
Here are the pics:
Lots of gunite was used to correct the tanning ledge.
Waterfall in the wrong place.
Waterfall in the correct place.
During excavation there was the big problem of the bench being built too small but there was also a smaller problem. The notch for the waterfall was dug in the wrong spot by a couple of feet. This was not a big deal to correct because there is not much dirt removed to create the notch. I mentioned this to the PM and he gave me some paint and said to paint where I wanted it and they would take care of it. When the steel was put in the rebar base for the waterfall was put in the correct location but the now oversized notch was not even on both sides of the waterfall. This can be seen in my pictures. I spoke on the phone to the PM and told my son what needed to be done.
Last Thursday the gunite crew showed up just after I left for work. I had instructed my son to tell the PM what needed to be done to correct the asymmetrical waterfall notch. The PM showed up about 10:00AM and my son explained what was needed. About 2:00 my son send me a picture from his phone and the waterfall is not where it was supposed to be. It was shifted about 18-24 inches to the right. I immediately called the PM and he said he was 45 minutes away and would have to look at it tomorrow. I asked if he could call the gunite crew foreman and see if it was too late to fix it. A few minutes later I got a text saying they were fixing it. The whole time I'm wondering if they got to it quick enough to prevent a cold joint. When I got home...all was good.
Here are the pics:
Lots of gunite was used to correct the tanning ledge.
Waterfall in the wrong place.
Waterfall in the correct place.
The rock crew came out two Fridays ago and also worked on Saturday. Once again, I've been too busy to keep current on my progress updates.
Overall they did a really good job. In fact, the PM asked me if I wanted some rock related things that weren't in the original contract. They would have only taken a few minutes more effort but the thought was definitely appreciated.
I think in the whole scope of what PB's can do, ours was pretty basic. We just had an 18" raised bond beam, a small notched bond beam waterfall and a few decorative boulders/jump rocks.
I was quite happy the second day of their work was on a Saturday so I could be there and direct them on exactly where I wanted a few of the rocks. It's amazing watching people who are good at something.
Here's the latest pics.
Bond beam flagstone.
Waterfall
Overall they did a really good job. In fact, the PM asked me if I wanted some rock related things that weren't in the original contract. They would have only taken a few minutes more effort but the thought was definitely appreciated.
I think in the whole scope of what PB's can do, ours was pretty basic. We just had an 18" raised bond beam, a small notched bond beam waterfall and a few decorative boulders/jump rocks.
I was quite happy the second day of their work was on a Saturday so I could be there and direct them on exactly where I wanted a few of the rocks. It's amazing watching people who are good at something.
Here's the latest pics.
Bond beam flagstone.
Waterfall
Monday I turned in my permit application for the patio cover, retaining wall, and backyard electrical work.
Last night I met with my concrete guy I we went over all the details for my decking. I normally would have gone through the PB for my decking but they charge quite a bit for concrete and I'm getting about 2850 square feet. It's not that my yard is that big but I am having an RV/boat access poured. He sounds like he knows what needs to be done and will begin work on Thursday. I can't wait to have concrete in the back yard. I am sick of the dirt.
Yesterday after work I picked up a 6X6 piece of square tubing that I'm going to embed into the concrete. The plan is to insert my gate posts into the tube so it can be replaced years from now without cutting concrete. Simpson Strong Tie makes a similar product but they don't recommend it for post without overhead support.
Last night I met with my concrete guy I we went over all the details for my decking. I normally would have gone through the PB for my decking but they charge quite a bit for concrete and I'm getting about 2850 square feet. It's not that my yard is that big but I am having an RV/boat access poured. He sounds like he knows what needs to be done and will begin work on Thursday. I can't wait to have concrete in the back yard. I am sick of the dirt.
Yesterday after work I picked up a 6X6 piece of square tubing that I'm going to embed into the concrete. The plan is to insert my gate posts into the tube so it can be replaced years from now without cutting concrete. Simpson Strong Tie makes a similar product but they don't recommend it for post without overhead support.
- Aug 16, 2007
- 300
That is looking so great...I *love* the flagstone and the way the wall flows. That is great the builder fixed the tanning ledge. Our wet deck is on the large side (in relation to the pool) and we really like it. Have you decided on a finish?
What's your deck going to be?
What's your deck going to be?
VM,
Thanks for the kind words.
We are going with Pebble Fina. The color is Grigio which is nearly the same as tahoe blue Pebble Tec. My wife and I both prefered the feel of plaster over any of the pebble surfaces although I do like the durability of the pebble surfaces.
The deck is going to be stamped concrete in a beige earthy tone. We are not very adventerous when is comes to colors. Not because we don't like colors. It's just that we can't pick them out.
There will be a flagstone faced retaining wall on the side where the waterfall is. I hope this isn't too much flagstone. It turns out my wife works for a building supply company so we get pretty sweet discounts on building materials. Unfortunately most of the building costs are labor.
Kevin
Thanks for the kind words.
We are going with Pebble Fina. The color is Grigio which is nearly the same as tahoe blue Pebble Tec. My wife and I both prefered the feel of plaster over any of the pebble surfaces although I do like the durability of the pebble surfaces.
The deck is going to be stamped concrete in a beige earthy tone. We are not very adventerous when is comes to colors. Not because we don't like colors. It's just that we can't pick them out.
There will be a flagstone faced retaining wall on the side where the waterfall is. I hope this isn't too much flagstone. It turns out my wife works for a building supply company so we get pretty sweet discounts on building materials. Unfortunately most of the building costs are labor.
Kevin
- Aug 16, 2007
- 300
cobra46 said:
That's going to look beautiful. We knew we didn't want another pebble pool, because of the texture. It sure does make for some gorgeous water, though.
cobra46 said:
That will compliment the pool and stone nicely. Picking colors is stressful! Drove me crazy (hubby wanted no part!) but in the end it all comes together.
Pretty soon you'll be sippin' those coconut Margaritas
My new pool build (Getting Close)
A lot of work has been done since my last posting. Unfortunately, most of it was on a retaining wall that had to be done before the decking.
The was the first time I've gone through the permitting process. It turned out to be much easier than I expected.
The concrete guy I selected was highly recommended by two neighbors one of which is in the construction industry. I was also able to see his work first hand. He was not the cheapest but with the good recommendations and the fact that he was able to do both the retaining wall as well as the decking, it was an easy choice.
This guy is amazing. I expanded the scope of work from the time he gave me a quote so made him a deal. My wife works for a building supply company and gets the concrete blocks for a huge discount. I asked the concrete guy how much he pays and it was a lot more than my wifes' cost. My proposition was that I will provide the blocks if he also builds a small wall extension across the back of my house to hide my side yard and dig about 150' of trench so I could run my electrical to my spa, BBQ island and patio cover. He agreed.
On the day that I expected the trenches would be dug, I went down to Home Depot and bought all the conduit. When I got home I dumped the conduit in the front yard but had to leave right away. The next day I came home from work planning to run the conduit but was very surprised that he has already done it and got it signed off by the city inspector. In addition to this, he ran all my deck and planter drains and ran two pipes to each planter for irrigation and low voltage lighting. It doesn't stop there my friends. He also dug two 30" deep footings for my new 6X6 gate posts.
Here are a few pics. Don't forget you can view more by clicking on the photobucket link in an earlier post.
A lot of work has been done since my last posting. Unfortunately, most of it was on a retaining wall that had to be done before the decking.
The was the first time I've gone through the permitting process. It turned out to be much easier than I expected.
The concrete guy I selected was highly recommended by two neighbors one of which is in the construction industry. I was also able to see his work first hand. He was not the cheapest but with the good recommendations and the fact that he was able to do both the retaining wall as well as the decking, it was an easy choice.
This guy is amazing. I expanded the scope of work from the time he gave me a quote so made him a deal. My wife works for a building supply company and gets the concrete blocks for a huge discount. I asked the concrete guy how much he pays and it was a lot more than my wifes' cost. My proposition was that I will provide the blocks if he also builds a small wall extension across the back of my house to hide my side yard and dig about 150' of trench so I could run my electrical to my spa, BBQ island and patio cover. He agreed.
On the day that I expected the trenches would be dug, I went down to Home Depot and bought all the conduit. When I got home I dumped the conduit in the front yard but had to leave right away. The next day I came home from work planning to run the conduit but was very surprised that he has already done it and got it signed off by the city inspector.
In addition to this, he ran all my deck and planter drains and ran two pipes to each planter for irrigation and low voltage lighting. It doesn't stop there my friends. He also dug two 30" deep footings for my new 6X6 gate posts.Here are a few pics. Don't forget you can view more by clicking on the photobucket link in an earlier post.
Thanks for the compliments. I hope it's not too many pictures. I only assume that most people today have high speed connections.
Now that I look back and think, the white balance may not be off on the last few pictures. As you have probably heard there are literally hundreds of fires burning in California two of which are far enough away that I'm not worried but close enough to make our air very unheathy. If you look again at the sky in the pictures it looks like it's overcast but that's actually smokey air. My pictures were taken later in the day which made everything look more red than it actually is.
Tommorrow the concrete guy is coming back for the last bit of concrete. I can not believe how much he has used so far.
Retaining wall footing - 18 yards
Retaining wall fill - 5 yards
Back yard - 24 yards
Side yard - 19 yards
The tentative schedule is:
Monday - equipment set
Tuesday or Wednesday - Pre-plaster inspection
Thursday - cleanup
Friday - plaster
Saturday - sippin suds watching it fill.
Now that I look back and think, the white balance may not be off on the last few pictures. As you have probably heard there are literally hundreds of fires burning in California two of which are far enough away that I'm not worried but close enough to make our air very unheathy. If you look again at the sky in the pictures it looks like it's overcast but that's actually smokey air. My pictures were taken later in the day which made everything look more red than it actually is.
Tommorrow the concrete guy is coming back for the last bit of concrete. I can not believe how much he has used so far.
Retaining wall footing - 18 yards
Retaining wall fill - 5 yards
Back yard - 24 yards
Side yard - 19 yards
The tentative schedule is:
Monday - equipment set
Tuesday or Wednesday - Pre-plaster inspection
Thursday - cleanup
Friday - plaster
Saturday - sippin suds watching it fill.
OMG I did think it was just overcast. I can't begin to imagine what it's like to live with a threat of wildfires and earthquakes and hurricanes; here outside of Chicago are biggest issue is traffic and temperature, the rain/snow and if the sox or the cubs are in first place.... 
You keep us posted. (I always forget about those poor souls with dial up too.)
You keep us posted. (I always forget about those poor souls with dial up too.)
Beanie
0
I agree, great story through pictures!! I can't wait to see the finished product as I have been following your thread close for new updates!!