The dreaded pool install thus far...

[thenikeman]

Before the dig (after one month delay due to rain)

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After digging for about half the day in mud, then more rain on the way!

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After peeling back the tarps...can't hold all the water back (yes, that's my shop vac)

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The shop vac cleaned up most the big puddles (this pic is today, letting it dry again all day tomorrow, and hope to finish it on Wednesday)

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They left the destroyer at my house, atleast that means I won't get skipped for another install!

 

[DaveNJ]

Once they get started you'll be swimming before you know it. While my pool was being installed I tested the fill water (tap) and got an idea where I was before hand.

 

[thenikeman]

It is suppose to be sunny all day today, so the places I sucked up all the water should be quite a bit more dry. So hopefully on Wednesday I will have much better pics up!

I already tested the fill water and had started up a thread on it a couple weeks ago. I am as ready as I could get

 

[Butterfly]

Congrats on your prep work!

You are ready for that pool! :lol:

 

[thenikeman]

Well, we are closer...few delays here and there still. Just got another load of sand, as the first 6-7 tons wasn't enough. So there is 5 more tons of sand on my driveway; he thinks it needs another 2-3. That SHOULD be getting done tomorrow morning and then they should be able to finish and start filling.

Also, the yard in one section is pretty tore up from repetitive CAT driving on it, on the very wet/muddy grass. Is that just something I will have to deal with later on? There are ruts probably a foot deep (2 ruts) for a length of probably 20-30 feet...until then, here is the latest pic:

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

No pic?

BTW, those ruts can be a pain. My neighbor left hers for a few months, and her lawn just wasn't the same. You can easily tell where the ruts were... good luck with that.

Can't wait to see the finished product!!!

 

[thenikeman]

Well, the pool is complete and filling up as I speak. I will get pics when it is daylight. My big question now is what to do about rain runoff. My pool is on very flat land, but sits at the bottom of the street with about 3-4 neighbors above me (so from my pool, the ground is consistently sloped up through all their yards, and I collect about 3x as much water as they do after a hard rain). So, what is my best option to divert the water away from my pool? I can't afford for the sand base to take much damage, so I have to get the water re-routed somehow. Will a slanted backfill all the way around the front edge do the job, or do I need to install some sort of drain/pipe system? Please be as specific as possible, as I have little to no knowledge about drainage!!

Thanks as always!

 

[dfiletti]

Regarding storm water management, seems to me, unless you want to install drains (can be $$) you have two option and you'll need to review your particular situation to figure out which is best. Either option involves diverting water around the pool.

Option 1: A berm. Build a hill of compacted sub-grade high enough to make the water from a heavy, prolonged down poor divert around the pool.

Option #2: A swale. Dig what amounts to a trench, with one side of it sloping away from you pool, and the other rising up the offending hill. Again, this trench would need to be deep enough, all the way around your pool to intercede between the incoming hill and your pool and run heavy water around it -meaning there must be slope at the bottom of the trench to keep the collected water moving.

This is not crazy easy, and unless you want to learn how to use surveying, and earth moving equipment (of whatever magnitude your project would require) you may want to hire a good landscaper/ site contractor that knows what they are doing about storm water management. Take it from me, if you try to 'eye-ball' or under-engineer it, it almost certainly will not flow water as expected and you'll have mud etc. Perhaps I'm one for overkill, but I just don't mess around with water -think of it this way, it was water, and only water that formed the grand canyon... :-D

Now is the time to do this, you mentioned you lawn was torn up some? Doing this will make it worse, but not in the long run. From what you described, if you do nothing in the long term you have mud and erosion issues.

I should probably correct my earlier statement, drains are not ALWAYS the more expensive option, sometimes they are the ONLY option -a good storm water management experienced guy can tell you what's best/ cheapest...

Last point, consider paying for Raking and Hydroseeding once final grade is set. WELL worth the $$ there seems to me -I went from bare dirt a lush lawn within two weeks -amazing!

Hope I'm not scaring you,

Good Luck!

Dan