Excavation In Texas has begun! OB~ will Post Pictures as we go~first pool ever~

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On the rebar, if its covered w/ dirt/mud, it definitely needs brushed off with a wire brush. I also know that having the rebar really rusty isn't particularly good for the gunite/shotcrete either and may intefere with bonding/curing strength... I would consult with your gunite/shotcrete sub for their opinion on that, for sure. The rebar is also supposed to be elevated in those plastic dobies, I believe they are called, and positioned to where the rebar will set in the center of the gunite/shotcrete shell once it is sprayed.

Are you going gunite or shotcrete? Both are similar, yet different, lol. Provided the gunite crew has experienced nozzlemen, you can be assured of the proper water/mix ratio. Some swear by shotcrete because they claim it is premixed with water, and therefore better, but there is a realistic possibility of the mix going bad/setting up prematurely in transit on the way to your house.

However, from what I have read, gunite tends to have more issues with rebound than shotcrete (Basically excess mix bouncing off the walls onto the floor during shoot) Per code, it is not supposed to be used, and should be discarded. If you perform a search on here concerning the subject
(gunite rebound), you will come across posts by posters who have done gunite/shotcrete work themselves (Waste, ConcreteMan) who know a lot more about this than I do.

It is important you are aware of these things, and are able to ask educated questions to your gunite/shotcrete sub.
 
If the excavation pit is somewhat deformed/gouged/eroded, etc, on the sides, the gunite/shotcrete sub has ways of compensating. Methods include formboard made from masonite/pegboard, filling in w/ extra gunite/shotcrete etc. Your sub should come out prior to shoot for a pre-shoot site inspection.

Post pics when you can so we can offer more directed, relevant guidance.

I am not familiar w/ those lights. Someone else may chime in.
 
I wanted to add something about the dobies - that raise the rebar cage off the ground. I asked my PB this, because they didn't do it at first, and my PB explained they lift the entire cage at the end, and support it with dobies - ours used half bricks. That way they can walk over it safely without such a tripping hazard. We didn't have dobies on our wall though, they hammered rebar into the walls on 16" centers and used that to create standoffs to tie to. My walls are thick.

We also had major rain issues and wall cave ins. The entire back 1/3 of my deep end had fall in issues and had to be dug out. They ended up removing the rebar and getting a digger in to clean it out, before re-tying in new rebar, and supporting the walls with OSB (masonite/pegboard wasn't strong enough to contain the constant erosion). I live in the middle of a bend on a large river. All our subsoil is sedimentary silt. It gave our crew nightmares. However, I don't think our rebar was too rusty, the gunite company guarantees their shell for life, and they were very fastidious about adding extra dobies in some areas, and cleaning off any rebar they didn't think was up to their standard, so if you can find a sub that has a guarantee like that you'll probably be good to go - of course down here we didn't have a pre-gunite inspection, just a bonding inspection.
 
I've have read that in some cases, a full wire brushing down is required if the cage is dirty. Surface rust is less of a concern than dirty rebar. Regardless, it is always best to ask the subs lots of questions, and take all precautions to avoid getting a red tag. Someone else on here got a red tag for water in the pool dig area during pregunite inspection, and it cost them a lot of unnecessary wasted time.
 
Well I have been facing a few challenges to say the least. Where the wall was caving in, it finally went rebar and all! It is a mess. My sub-contractor was more then disappointing, I think it was so overwhelming for him, he said, "well I am done with my rebar that's your mess to figure out". Like REALLY! How does he expect to forward with plunging and electrical?? Are you kidding me? Whatever. I can't sit here and whine, so I immediately started calling around and looking for help, any help. I had a worker, (Daniel) come over to give me a bid just to help me digout all the dirt, mud and rebar. It will all have to be redone just like Beadmaker's. Well, God truly blessed me meeting Daniel, he actually works for a pool builder, the same pool builder that at the begging I was going to have build my pool but after 6 months gave up! He is desperate to find new work as he does not like the integrity of his boss and company. The things/information I learned from him, all I can say is I am grateful we never went forward with this local company. Anyways, Daniel is AMAZING, there is nothing he can't do, regarding helping me with this pool build. I can certainly feel free letting Rudy go as I feel how he handled the situation was less then amazing. Well, Daniel has been coming over daily to get us out of this mess and he brings several workers with him, I have never seen men work so hard and so fast. They are worth their weight in gold. Not only that the sub contractors I had hired to gunite our pool, he is a cousin of one of Daniel's workers and he said he would be more than happy to talk to him and work out a better price for us. And his other brother has a plaster company in San Antonio that would be willing to come down and plaster for us when we come to that stage. See all and all things can always turn around and be a positive in our lives. And minimoster I had no idea I could get a red flag for water in the pool, so THANK YOU for that information!!

Well they want to start putting in all the plumbing on Saturday and I have yet to order all the star floor lights! IF anyone knows anything please feel free to jump in~
 
Considering your rebar guy is being such a scumbag, make sure to ask the gunite guys if everything is ok with the rebar work when they come out for their pre-shoot inspection. That will be your last chance to remedy any errors. I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but I would definitely go over everything with a fine toothed comb after the excavation pit is all cleaned up.

I don't recall that you've posted much on your plumbing setup, no of skimmers, pipe diameter, etc. Let us know what you will get, and if you have any other questions post them as well.

With a pool as large as yours, the minimum for the pool should be 2'' and the spa 2.5''. If you can talk the plumber into it, 2.5'' for the pool, and 3'' for the spa.(You will have a lot of jets!)

Looping the returns for the spa is universally considered absolutely essential for equalized pressure. Looping the returns for the pool provides less benefit, but is a good idea as well.
 
Wow, that really is quite the undertaking! I'm impressed with your design but more your confidence. Not an insult to you, but if you haven't already, I would consider keeping Daniel involved through completion. It sounds like he has the network contacts. Post up more pics.
 

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minimonster17 said:
Considering your rebar guy is being such a scumbag, make sure to ask the gunite guys if everything is ok with the rebar work when they come out for their pre-shoot inspection. That will be your last chance to remedy any errors. I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but I would definitely go over everything with a fine toothed comb after the excavation pit is all cleaned up.

I don't recall that you've posted much on your plumbing setup, no of skimmers, pipe diameter, etc. Let us know what you will get, and if you have any other questions post them as well.

With a pool as large as yours, the minimum for the pool should be 2'' and the spa 2.5''. If you can talk the plumber into it, 2.5'' for the pool, and 3'' for the spa.(You will have a lot of jets!)

Looping the returns for the spa is universally considered absolutely essential for equalized pressure. Looping the returns for the pool provides less benefit, but is a good idea as well.
Click to expand...

Your so right, I will go over everything and have the gunite crew do the same so hopefully we will catch any and all errors. As far as plumbing, I am working on it I was a little destracted and I know tomorrow they want to start working on the plumbing. Rudy who was ignoring the whole issue (so funny) had put in two skimmers which I am having 3 total installed however now don't laugh but he (Rudy) Installed 2 of them w/ 2 inch piping and I paid for 3 but the killer is he used flex piping in my main pool! Does he think I'm an idiot? Truthfully I am begging to feel like one, so maybe he is right. lol And he ran one to the non existing equipment pad and one to the drain. Whatever! Time to turn things around and make them better. My goal is to install a in-floor cleaning system and in floor star lights. I am made a schematic for both so one step at a time~
 
pragmatic said:
Wow, that really is quite the undertaking! I'm impressed with your design but more your confidence. Not an insult to you, but if you haven't already, I would consider keeping Daniel involved through completion. It sounds like he has the network contacts. Post up more pics.
Click to expand...

I am so thrilled to have Daniel, He knows everything about pools. He is so Stuck with me! lol We have a little language barrier to the point we almost speak in sigh language! But his wife is our amazing go between!
We get along so well! Rudy was so hot- headed all the time he zapped the joy out of the o/b aspect. Daniel has a great sense of humor and fun to work with no matter how tired he gets. NO I feel in no way insulted just completely blessed beyond! Looking forward to things getting better!
 
Well after after the 4th day of digging out dirt and clay they were finally ready to start pulling on the buried rebar from under all that mud! My LANDs! It budged just a little, we will be working on it more today! One step at a time! Thank you all for your care and thoughts honesty it's amazing how much at this point it genuinely means so much to me!
So thank you for taking the time to write me it's appreciated!
 
I know you will have a really large pool, but are you certain you want three skimmers? Is the debris accumulation potential really that bad? The reason I am asking is that the suction, flow rate, skimming power, whatever you want to call it is going to be split amongst the number of skimmers, and the more skimmers you have, the less flow/skimming ability each individual skimmer will have.

I also didn't see any trees in your backyard in your excavation pics, so I was just curious...
 
minimonster17 said:
I know you will have a really large pool, but are you certain you want three skimmers? Is the debris accumulation potential really that bad? The reason I am asking is that the suction, flow rate, skimming power, whatever you want to call it is going to be split amongst the number of skimmers, and the more skimmers you have, the less flow/skimming ability each individual skimmer will have.

I also didn't see any trees in your backyard in your excavation pics, so I was just curious...
Click to expand...
No I am not committed to having three skimmers, Rudy said I needed 3 at the begging so I said okay! But you bring up an excellent point, and i will certainly reconsider.

- - - Updated - - -

Glock said:
I find myself coming back here jonesing for more pictures and everytime I die a little bit inside. lol
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lol! Just for You!
 
Honestly, three skimmers would be a waste/counterproductive for the reason I already stated. Two skimmers is plenty enough for you, when considering the minimal leaf debris you will face. Some will blow in the wind from places, but no where near enough for three skimmers, and a lack of trees in the yard.

The two skimmers you put in should be oriented to where they will catch blown debris with one on the side of primary wind direction, and the other of secondary wind direction, if that makes sense.

I wish I could help you on the floor lights, you mentioned them three times, and nobody offered any advice, links, or input at all.
 
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