DIY Dig will begin in a month.. Second guessing EVERYTHING

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wanjayne

wanjayne

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LifeTime Supporter
Jun 16, 2012
30
Wichita, KS
Hi Ya'll! Taking a break from working on our taxes (UUGGGHH :pukel:). Ordered all equipment this week which is scheduled to arrive on Wed. We'll order the kit last week of March. Dig to start April 15, weather permitting. I've realized that "OMG!!! This is REALLY gonna happen.. and really soon!!!" SO excited.. but man, the anxiety level is rising!!:shock: DH will be taking April off to be home and get this project on it's way.

I've edited this post because it had far too many questions.

Need to make decision about decking. Does cantilevered concrete edge add a lot more $ to cost? I really prefer the look over the standard aluminium coping? Any drawbacks to cantilevered?

I'd appreciate opinions on exposed aggregate surface for decking Having a NON-SLIPPERY surface is crucial.


Thank you and all the best to everyone!!


Jan
 
WOW!!.. Way more than I would have expected. At this point, we're under budget so thought I could upgrade, but if cantilevered concrete is that much more than standard aluminum coping.. probably wouldn't be worth it. Thanks for replying Donny!
 
If you're DIY'ing anyway, Royal will sell you a set of forms to do cantilever concrete for 5-600 bucks. I wouldn't think it would actually add a lot of cost in materials, couldn't tell you for sure for labor. Might be worth an ask.
 
I was thinking the same thing until I looked down and saw her signature contained the details. A lot like mine size-wise, actually it's pretty much a vinyl version of ours looking at the features. Looking forward to seeing the in-progress shots.

But for now, can we see some before pics and maybe a plan? If you're done with the taxes that is! You may need that refund (if applicable) to pay some bills that are forthcoming.

Equipment selection looks good...but don't take my word for anything on that. Just a layperson.
 
im following along.. we are getting started on our 18x36 IG vinyl lined. as soon as the weather cooperates and the ground thaws! 5ft frost line here in wisconsin (puke!!) You have alot of the same equipment as us.. what is the main reason for no main drain?
 
I'll try to get out there today do get some pics. We've got the pool and cabana drawn out in paint. Loved watching your build last year bmoreswim!.. turned out Amazing!!! Can totally relate to the pic of your Christmas tree coming down. DH took down our Christmas tree from '92 a couple of weeks ago. I knew it would have to go, but didn't know when in our timeline that would happen. Came home from work to find it gone!... DH did it on his own, deciding not to wait... I'm a little sad, but happy I wasn't here to watch it come down.

Decided on equipment based on researching TFP for many, many months. If not for this site, we wouldn't be taking this on... at least not as a DIY! Can't say enough about how valuable this forum is.

Not even close to being done with taxes :hammer: and this is just my first round.. DH and our son are in business together, and I've got to get their corporate return done by the 17th, then turn around and work on our individual return. I'm one of those people that works best "under pressure" I guess.:shark: LOL!!

Back to work :whip:

Jan
 

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Superfly - A few months back hadn't even questioned having main drain, but after doing research on here, started questioning if it was truly necessary. Check this thread out: http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/38683-Do-I-even-need-a-main-drain. I'd read that the main source of leak issues in vinyl pools is the main drains. Don't know for sure if that's true, but really got me to the point of reconsidering. Ultimately decided after mulling it over, that we would go without. Hope it turns out to be a good decision. Must admit though that now I'm a little concerned about what happens should water drop to below skimmers. LOL! I can worry a lot about the decisions I'm making (thus this thread title :-(). But the decision to forego main drains is one I feel good about.

Good luck on your build! Look forward to hearing more!

Jan
 
wanjayne said:
Thanks Blueskies.. I'll check on forms with Royal!.. Would love it if I find this would be an affordable upgrade. Making a list of questions to ask concrete guy on Monday.
Click to expand...

If you decide the concrete cantilever wont work out for you and you dont like the bullnose aluminum (I didnt) then there is an option of using flat alumimum coping.
Hydra Pools offers a verison as well as a company called Vastec. I ended up going with Vastec and am happy with how it turned out.
 
My husband and I did a DIY pool last summer... I really wanted the cantilevered concrete too, but my husband was having none of that... He was already way too stressed because he thought we were getting in over our heads, cantilevered coping was something I finally just gave up on. Anyway, one thing I learned from my instructions after the kit arrived from Royal, is that if you do the cantilevered concrete it looks like you have to wait put water in until the concrete is done. In the end we were glad we went with the standard aluminum coping. It took us long enough to get to swimming anyway. We put water in the pool and did the concrete at the very end of the project, which gave us great peace of mind. We were able to run the pump, the lights, the deck jets for several days just to be sure there were no leaks, or any other problems BEFORE pouring concrete.

When getting ready to build, I was really sure that the cantilevered was the way to go because of looks, but in the end our pool looks great and I hardly even notice the coping. Aluminum coping was the best for us.

Hope your pool build goes great!
Sherry
 
There are plenty of work arounds for not having a main drain. The majority of above ground pools do not have one either. Rarely will there ever be a reason to drain a pool 100%, probably only to replace a liner in your case. When the need to drain below skimmers arises, you can use your manual vacuum to do the job. Attach the vacuum head to the vacuum hose, drop it into the deepest part of the pool, fill the hose with water and attach it to the skimmer. I would remove the skimmer basket and connect the hose directly to the skimmer suction opening. Attach a hose to the filter drain and close the valve to the returns and pump out the water. It is a good idea to add a waste line when you have a cartridge filter. The other way is to buy a cheap submersible pump from Harbor Freight.

Since you are building your pool you can control the layout of your equipment pad. We see hundreds of pictures of beautifully plumbed pads were all the equipment is packed into a tight space against a wall and everything is very compact and organized and easy to disguise from public view. Then a pump goes out and there is barely room to get your hand between the pipes much less get a saw in there to cut them apart because there are no unions between the equipment. Murphey's law of pools states that the more difficult a part is to get too, the more likely it is to need repair/replacement. Keep that in mind when you design your pad. If it has water going into it, it should have a valve to control the flow. Put unions between major pieces of equipment and they will be much easier to replace in the future.

You can add a waste line before the cartridge filter in case you ever need to drain the pool or have a major algae bloom and need to vacuum to waste.
 
Hi Jan - I have no idea about the actual prices, but for our gunite pool renovation, the poured coping was actually a lesser cost than to do things like travertine. And I love how our poured stamped concrete coping turned out - Stegmeier forms with OG profile - it's better looking than I had imagined it would be! We're still in progress so I cannot comment about the traction, but pics are in my signature line link if you want to see the coping. We're contemplating not sealing or doing any other treatments to our stamped concrete - it's colored already (integral color in the mix and it looks really good. I'm afraid to mess it up by adding other things! We're waiting until the deck is poured to make the decision, though. Our previous deck was just plain old concrete, with 40 years of wear on it. It was not slippery, but had heaved in places so could be a toe-stubber, that's why we're getting a new deck. Our front patio has a stamped and sealed (shiny) surface and can be slick in the rain.
 
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