5 things you wish you'd done differently

[Flounder32]

I'm looking to build my first pool in the coming months. And I'm still in the self-education process and really don't know anything about pools yet. I thought it might be an interesting topic of discussion.

What are 5 things you wish you had done differently in your planning/building of your pool?

I am trying to not make the same mistakes others have made. Thank you and Happy Easter!

 

[cowboycasey]

Nothing, I found this site just like you did... Read through all the building posts and you will be light years ahead of someone who did not find this site..

 

[pooldv]

I would change the water depth on my sun shelf from 6" to 12". And I would change the 3.5'x5'x4 sport pool to 4'x5'x4' because 3.5' is barely waist deep and too shallow. We missed one good spot for an extra bench. We have three, but a 4th would be good. Benches are awesome for kids to hang out/rest/play and adults sit on. Pretty happy with everything else.

 

[VladimirPutin]

I would have gotten a deeper and bigger pool, Im 6,1 and 3-5 feet deep with 8k gallons is not good enough. I would have gone for like 25k gallons and 5-8ft. Also, Get a cartidge filter! those things really are good and quite easy to clean and work great

 

[Flounder32]

Thank you for the replies! Depth is something I am struggling with. I have 4 kids ages 7-15. And I have a back yard that is a little on the small side. The pool I'm looking at building is going to be about 33'x17'. I can't decide about the deep end depth.

The cartridge filter - are those DE filters?

 

[pooldv]

No, there are three types of filter. Cartridge, DE and sand.

 

[acgibson]

I put in a Viking Fiberglass (16 x 40) with depth 3-5.5. I love it! The nice things about this fiberglass pool with younger children (mine are 6 and 9) there are little foot ledges every 2-3 feet around the entire pool so they always have something to get a foot hold on and crawl out without a ladder anywhere in the pool. I also love the shallower deep end, I find we use the whole pool more. Instead of everyone crowded in the shallow end, everyone can spread out and touch (at least the adults). The kids can be splashing around in the shallow end while the adults can hang out in the deep and talk. I wouldn't ever do it another way. My pool is the Viking Ocean Breeze.

I 2nd the vote for Cartridge Filter, and if budget allows go for an auto cover for both safety and ease. Really everything in my signature I would do again without hesitation except maybe a VS Pump. It is easy to maintain and works great so far, but I just put it in last summer so I'm still a newbie.

 

[jblizzle]

Filter types are a Ford/Chevy/Dodge kind of thing. Everyone typically likes what they have, but they all have pluses and minuses. See this thread in the Construction section of Pool School: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/160-pool-filter-comparison

 

[Flounder32]

Thank you so much for the replies. I will definitely check out the comparison thread for filters.

Does anyone else have thoughts about pool depth?

 

[jblizzle]

Does anyone else have thoughts about pool depth?

Again, depends on what you intend to use the pool for. Some people like a shallow pool where people can stand everywhere. Others, like myself and my kids, like a deeper pool when we can jump and surface dive to the bottom.

 

[Yev]

A few thoughts about depth, much of what is restating what is above.

For me, I go down to 8', but don't have a diving board. I like to tread water, just dive in from the side, etc. As I am over 6 feet tall, I need a 7 or 8 foot deep end. Depth of 6 foot or less would restrict me from what I like to do.

The other thing that I will do in the pool, is just hang out and talk with people. And for that, I am typically sitting or squatting in the shallow end (3.5 foot depth for me). If I had gone with 4 feet, I think that would be too deep for me to sit/squat in and keep my head easily above water. I don't walk in the 3.5 foot range, so the belly height issue is not a thing for me.

I don't play volleyball or basketball in my pool competitively, so the need for a sport pool for fairness does not apply.

The social aspect of the shallow end is a big deal, as people will congregate there. I believe that a typical 8 foot diving well takes up 24.5 feet, so if you went with a 33 foot pool and 8 foot depth, what leaves a very small shallow area for people to hang out in. Mix in a couple kids on rafts with a could of standing adults, and the shallow end would already be full.

If it were me, and I was length restricted, I would probably make my shallow end (3.5 feet) 12-14 feet in length. I would then just gradually get deeper until I had at least 7 feet of depth on the deep end. (and I am not sure what slope that equates to and if it is safe/allowed)

Not related to depth, but One thing that I think people need to think about with their pool is hardscape/landscape/grass layout.

Make sure that you leave room to move around, and plant stuff that wont pollute your pool with leaves/pollen where possible.

If you are going to be cutting your grass on your own (rather than paying a service to do it for you), make sure that you leave easy paths to push your mower. This may seem silly, or not important, but if you leave small triangles in a corner, or leave an island of grass, you will curse yourself every time you deal with it when you mow.

 

[pooldv]

Pool depth is one of the great mysteries of life. Mine is 3.5x5x4. 3.5 is too shallow, waist deep. My next pool will be 4x5x4. We love having a play pool, there is lots of room to spread out, hang out and play. Or have kids side and adults side.

 

[Flounder32]

Thank you so much for the replies.

Yeah, that's is kind of a problem. 33 ft in length doesn't seem like it gives me a whole lot of options I guess. When you talk about a "diving well" does that require an 8 foot depth? Is there some kind of code that prevents something like a 3.5 ft shallow end and a 6.5-7 ft deep end?

 

[jblizzle]

There are codes related to depth profile if you have a diving board or a diving rock. But nothing that says you can not have a 6.5-7' depth without those.