First Ever Pool - Above ground bestway 4.2m slice of heaven

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I've had a brainwave about the fence.... I watched a you tube vid last night showing me how to build a colourbond fence so reversing it to remove the panel is going to be a breeze.... So I don't have to put another post in the corner, I'm going to find something curved to go in the space... :) I can get really creative, but right now I'm heading back out into the front yard to remove more dirt.... Levelling sux.....
 
Hey everyone, we have made some real progress today... But as always its two steps forward and one step back.....

Here's the front yard now...


Progress... :) by tiffnoy, on Flickr

But then we came across this bloody big thing.... :-(


Bloody Big Tree Stump by tiffnoy, on Flickr

We are going to dig it out tomorrow... It was cut down to grass level, we were going to leave it there, but it really is in the way.... And to make matters worse there's two of them....lol....

More later...

Laceygirl.......
 
Great news, I found a place that will deliver water to us by truck so the landlord wont be hit with a huge water bill.... :) ACTQ is a business that will deliver and they charge by the hour, not the amount of water, so that's **** cool..... And this way I'm also avoiding dealing with ACTEWAGL, (our water and electricity provider)....

ACTPLA are in charge of swimming pool fences and I am trying desperately to not have to deal with them at all... I have excellent security in place... My fence is ugly but tall and very effective... I just don't have the room to put in the legally required fences... You are supposed to have 1.5 metres clearance on either side of the pool before you can start to put a fence in, my front yard doesn't have the 3 extra metres required, if it did, I would have bought a larger pool... :) Luckily I have cool neighbours and an even cooler landlord.. :) So it has to be "mum's the word" on the new pool....

Bout to try to remove the first tree stump... Hubby has gone shopping so I will just do some digging...
 
Morning all, well it is here in Australia... :)

We've been out there at it again this morning and we are really starting to get a little done....


Big Friggin Stump by tiffnoy, on Flickr

Its such hard yakka (that's Australian for hard work :) ) when you're doing it by hand, but I know we'll appreciate it all the more when its done...

This is hubby trying to kill the tree stump... :)


Still got killing to do... by tiffnoy, on Flickr

Laceygirl....
 
Oh, and I've decided I'm going to add Borates to the new pool.... :) I like the idea of having steady pH.... My solar cover seems to make it fluctuate a little, and I'm keen to have softer water... And use less chlorine... I'm also getting a Hasa Liquidator so I've heard its good to have borates in the pool when using the Liquidator... :) Can't get the Liquidator in Australia, so I have to pay a ridiculous postage fee to get it from Amazon....:-(

But overall, I'm dreaming of my new pool ideas every night... One could say I'm slightly obsessed... And the more pics I post the more determined I am to get more done... :)

Laceygirl.... :)
 

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Here's the last pic of todays efforts.... Its not as far as I'd hope but fatigue had set in, the wheelbarrow has a flat front tyre and we were digging through the hardest clay..... :-( Got confirmation on pool pick up tonight.... I'm beyond excited.... Is it wrong that I'm this excited about my pool and the end of my swimming season..?????


Slowly But Surely by tiffnoy, on Flickr

I should have the turf installed in about 2-3 weeks depending on how much cash its going to set me back....

I'm watching The Sound Of Music with my boys.... My autistic boy Samson loves it... :) And I love Julie Andrews so its all good... :) More progress pics tomorrow as we are attempting tree stump number 2....

Laceygirl.... :)
 
Hi all,

We're back into it today... It turns out the second stump is ever bigger than the first one, and its harder as its right underneath the boundary fence... :-( Hubby has been out there all morning, and not making much progress.... It should be done by the end of the day.... I'm still trucking along with the levelling, and I'm happy with the pace.... Our pool arrives on Wednesday....

I'm not going to put it up and fill it with water, but I am going to use the frame when it gets here to work out the dimensions, adding 50cm to each side for the legs so I know where to put my pavers.... Not sure if we are going to put the pool straight onto the turf or use something under the legs, it just means I'll have to cut holes in the turf for the pavers... Sounds like a lot of work, but I want to do this right and make it aesthetically pleasing....


IMG_1232 by tiffnoy, on Flickr

IMG_1233 by tiffnoy, on Flickr


Were nearly level up to the second stump...


IMG_1235 by tiffnoy, on Flickr

Ah and I wanted to show you this.... This is a witchety grub.... They're native to Australia and the Aboriginals love to eat them... You cook them first, but they are a staple diet of the Abo's .....


IMG_1231 by tiffnoy, on Flickr

Samson helping his Daddy.... :)


IMG_1237 by tiffnoy, on Flickr

More tomorrow...

Laceygirl....
 
Hi pwrstrk :) Thank you ..... The grubs aren't meant to be too bad... I've never had the courage to throw one on a BBQ and eat one, but the Australian Aboriginals are one of the oldest peoples on the planet, so they must have a pretty good idea....lol.... Still, I'll leave it to them...

I'm writing again to say OMG WE'VE DONE IT... The second stump is now history..... :) The hubby has impressed me to no end today... Especially since I've seen what he pulled out of the ground... :) Might have to wear something pretty for him tonight...lol... :) He's been awesome....


Second And Final Stump by tiffnoy, on Flickr

The hole it left


Gone..... by tiffnoy, on Flickr

Now to remove the two small pieces of rebar that is an obvious leave behind from a previous fence before "Big Beige" was installed...


Just the rebar to go... by tiffnoy, on Flickr

[I managed to level up to the stump so here's hoping we can chop through the rest in a few days.... :) The weather has been cooler but its been windy so there's heaps of dust being blown around... :-(

More tomorrow, unless I think of something awesome....


IMG_1236 by tiffnoy, on Flickr

Laceygirl....
 
Well we've woke up sore this morning, but we've had a little bit of rain overnight, so we're going to get back into it for a couple of hours today....The rain should have softened things up a bit..... I've finally found the turf I want... Because its going underneath the pool, we're only getting turf that's 10mm high in grass length... Any longer than that and it would be pointless as the pool would squash it down, and its really there to stop mud from forming.....And for aesthetics....

The size of my yard is 7 x 5 metres.... The size of my pool's footprint is 6.05m x 3.30m..... So its going to just fit so turf really isn't the priority, as the pool takes up so much space... You really won't see that much of it...

Its five to nine here this Sunday morning... And I'm watching the Simpsons with my kids.... Best be getting my butt in gear.... Have a great day all.... :)
 
Well that came to an abrupt halt... We are nearly half way and I've hurt my back... :-( Lower back which is the worst.... It sent a pain right across my lumbar region unlike anything I've ever felt.... Sharp and quick, so looks like I am out of action for a few days.... I think hubby is relieved as he's really sore especially his hands so I think he's grateful for the break..... I've taken an anti inflammatory.........


Nearly Half Way.... by tiffnoy, on Flickr

Its really windy here today also, and I hate working in the wind, so time for R & R....

Once the turf is down, I'll have time to start the building I want to do....

Firstly are the screens to replace the diagonal piece of fence, and the accompanying 4' x 4' posts they will attach to....
Next will be to design and build the three solar collectors that will be installed on my roof....
Then next to find a box to enclose the filter, which I plan on insulating for extra quiet...
Then the pvc ladder I plan to build to replace the iron ladder that comes with the pool... Plastic ladders are sooo expensive her in Australia....
Then I buy all the necessary accessories I want to add to my system, ie The Liquidator, Thru The Wall Skimmer, and test kit and borates strips from Amazon...
Next, I design my plumbing plan to include the solar heater, a fountain for aeration, and add the through the wall skimmer.... I plan on using ball valves for all returns except the main return... :)
Then, choose which cartridge filter and pump to go with.... I'll probably hit you guys up with some questions about that, re size of pump considering what I want it to in relation to the amount of water I have and pressure I will generate... You know, the technical stuff....
Then lastly, set up the pool, organise the water truck to fill it, buy boric acid to add borates to the pool, and balance my water.....

Wow, I actually have heaps to do....lol... I have to add that everything that's on my list, I learned how to do right here on this website, so I am extremely grateful for TFP.... :) Thank you thank you thank you....

I just asked hubby for a circular saw for my birthday in May... :)

Laceygirl.....
 
Question to all pump aficionado's.....I've decided to go with a Hayward pump and cartridge filter..... They seem to be the best.... My question is.... What sized pump will I need for my pool, its 4500 gallons??... What I need it to do, is run the through the wall skimmer, the return and intake, and a little fountain I plan to make out of PVC, and push water up onto my roof through 300metres of polytube..... Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated...

Laceygirl....
 
No responses on the pump question, so I'll move on.....I think I'll be going with a 1hp pump.... I don't mind if its powerful, good circulation is always a good thing... Its nearly 7 o'clock in the morning on Monday morning here, we've just taken our eldest son Bohdi to school camp... He'll be gone for three days...I'm going to miss him terribly.... Although he is going to have the greatest time... :)

Hubby Dave will be doing all the levelling today, I cannot move.... My back is painful and even sleeping is a chore.... :-( I know I have to rest it.... Its a really bad strain....

Only two more days till Dave hits the road at 4.30am to head to Newcastle in New South Wales to pick up our pool.... Its going to be a 10 hour round trip, super long day..... Doing this has saved me $500 on delivery as the total weight of the pool is 151 kilos in the box, and that would have required two trucks with hoists, one at the pick up, and one here at the drop off then freight on top of that... :-( Almost the same cost as the pool.... :-(
 

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