Hello all. I've been a long-time lurker here and have been using BBB/TFPC for my Intex AGPs for several years now, with great success. The pool calculator/poolmath have been invaluable tools and the advice here that I've scavenged has been great. Thank you all!
We started years ago with an Intex Easyset, then graduated to our current Intex metal frame (specs in my sig), and are in the process of moving to the Intex UltraFrame (again, specs in my sig). This journal will document the construction of the UltraFrame.
We have always taken down the pool and stored it each fall, and raised it again in the late spring, but this year with this larger pool we are going to try leaving it up over the winter and see how it goes.
At any rate, on to some pictures!
First, our existing metal frame pool. It was set near the house for convenient access to power and easy viewing from our deck, but I never liked having 4,000 gallons of water so close to the house and a basement window. The new pool site is farther away.
The view from the deck:
My youngest son and my niece enjoying the pool (as you can see, the water looks great!):
This existing pool was placed on a site that was prepped by leveling a ring of retaining wall stones in a circle, and filling the center area with sand. While this works pretty well, I have issues with pool legs slipping off the stones and sinking into the sand, and the sand requires leveling each spring (and filling in holes the dog has dug when there's no pool in his way). The new site will be prepared differently.
We originally intended to move the pool about 20 feet further away from the house, still having it near the deck, with the idea that we could extend our existing deck down to a pool deck area, and connect the two. However, the grade there was just too much (easily a foot; it's graded for drainage around the house), and there was a potential problem with a sprinkler line that might have been in the way during excavation that I didn't want to deal with.
So, a new site was chosen, a bit further away. We have some restrictions in our yard with a septic system and drain field, as well as the aforementioned buried sprinkler lines and heads, and in some areas, utilities to avoid. The site we chose is relatively level, with maybe 4 inches of grade that will require excavating. It is near some trees, which I know is far from ideal. However, it only gets late afternoon shade from a honeylocust (dappled shade, not full shade), and is not directly under any branches (at this time). I know that leaves and other tree debris will be something to deal with, but it's about the same distance from a maple tree as our current pool location, so I don't anticipate it being more of a problem than I already deal with. I plan to move a couple of saplings in the area to locations farther from the pool, but there will be three more mature trees in the area that will remain.
OK, more pics! Sod cut from around the two closest trees and the new pool location (this will all be landscaped together):
Moving sod sucks, but we got it cleared eventually:
Different angle:
And another:
And onto the leveling. Yay! First, I made my own water level:
Next I bought a couple dozen pavers. The first ones I bought were 9 x 16 x 1.5 inches, and I started to level them and decided they were too thin. I returned them and bought 6 x 9 x 2 3/8 inches pavers instead. I know many here go with larger and thicker (4") pavers, and these still may be too thin, but I hope not. If I have issues with them cracking, I'll have to replace them with thicker ones in the off-season.
First I assembled the top ring of the pool, and marked each leg location and the center with landscaping flags (these two pics show the thinner pavers that I returned):
And here are the thicker pavers all in and leveled:
Next will be the excavation of the pad area to level, then foam board, tarp(s), and finally pool.
More to come...
We started years ago with an Intex Easyset, then graduated to our current Intex metal frame (specs in my sig), and are in the process of moving to the Intex UltraFrame (again, specs in my sig). This journal will document the construction of the UltraFrame.
We have always taken down the pool and stored it each fall, and raised it again in the late spring, but this year with this larger pool we are going to try leaving it up over the winter and see how it goes.
At any rate, on to some pictures!
First, our existing metal frame pool. It was set near the house for convenient access to power and easy viewing from our deck, but I never liked having 4,000 gallons of water so close to the house and a basement window. The new pool site is farther away.
The view from the deck:
My youngest son and my niece enjoying the pool (as you can see, the water looks great!):
This existing pool was placed on a site that was prepped by leveling a ring of retaining wall stones in a circle, and filling the center area with sand. While this works pretty well, I have issues with pool legs slipping off the stones and sinking into the sand, and the sand requires leveling each spring (and filling in holes the dog has dug when there's no pool in his way). The new site will be prepared differently.
We originally intended to move the pool about 20 feet further away from the house, still having it near the deck, with the idea that we could extend our existing deck down to a pool deck area, and connect the two. However, the grade there was just too much (easily a foot; it's graded for drainage around the house), and there was a potential problem with a sprinkler line that might have been in the way during excavation that I didn't want to deal with.
So, a new site was chosen, a bit further away. We have some restrictions in our yard with a septic system and drain field, as well as the aforementioned buried sprinkler lines and heads, and in some areas, utilities to avoid. The site we chose is relatively level, with maybe 4 inches of grade that will require excavating. It is near some trees, which I know is far from ideal. However, it only gets late afternoon shade from a honeylocust (dappled shade, not full shade), and is not directly under any branches (at this time). I know that leaves and other tree debris will be something to deal with, but it's about the same distance from a maple tree as our current pool location, so I don't anticipate it being more of a problem than I already deal with. I plan to move a couple of saplings in the area to locations farther from the pool, but there will be three more mature trees in the area that will remain.
OK, more pics! Sod cut from around the two closest trees and the new pool location (this will all be landscaped together):
Moving sod sucks, but we got it cleared eventually:
Different angle:
And another:
And onto the leveling. Yay! First, I made my own water level:
Next I bought a couple dozen pavers. The first ones I bought were 9 x 16 x 1.5 inches, and I started to level them and decided they were too thin. I returned them and bought 6 x 9 x 2 3/8 inches pavers instead. I know many here go with larger and thicker (4") pavers, and these still may be too thin, but I hope not. If I have issues with them cracking, I'll have to replace them with thicker ones in the off-season.
First I assembled the top ring of the pool, and marked each leg location and the center with landscaping flags (these two pics show the thinner pavers that I returned):
And here are the thicker pavers all in and leveled:
Next will be the excavation of the pad area to level, then foam board, tarp(s), and finally pool.
More to come...
