New Pool Build - Central Oklahoma

SoonerWing

0
LifeTime Supporter
Jan 27, 2015
147
Tuttle/Oklahoma




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***Twisting the pool slightly to give a couple more feet of clearance between bar seating and tanning ledge.

https://youtu.be/XFL4YAJ1MC8
***Video is a little off as we have moved the pool down so that the waterfall can be seen from the living room


Gunite Shell with 3/8th" rebar tied on 8" centers
Size: 21 x 40
Shape: Free Form
Water Depth: Shallow end 3' 6" gradual to 4' 6" and 8' 6" deep end
Square Feet: 670
Linear Feet: 106
Gallons: 32,160
Skimmers: (2) 13"
Main Drains: (2) Anti-entrapment
Pool Returns (Jets): 5 each
Plaster: Finest Finish Quartz
Tile: 6"
Coping: Travertine
Backside of pool wall: Flagstone
Decking: 1,300' Colored Salt Rock Concrete
4' tall Waterfall which doubles as diving platform
6' x 4' Grotto underneath the Waterfall
2 bubblers on the tanning ledge
Pool Filter: 520 Cartridge Filter by Pentair
Pool Pump: Intelli flow by Pentair (3 HP variable speed)
Pool Lights: 2 Led Colored lights by Pentair (One on each end facing the length of the pool)
Salt System: Intelli-chlor by Pentair
Zodiac MX8 Cleaner

10' x 8' x 30" bar

Hot Tub: Hot Springs Vanguard w/ ACE Salt System & Blue Tooth sound system

Septic tank and lines are being moved on 6/8. Pool excavation is to start on 6/11
 
Does anything look out of whack?

I had read somewhere that the waterfall will needs its own pump. PB assured me that the one 3 HP VS pump will be sufficient to run everything, including the waterfall. He said that they would run everything necessary to add a second pump for the waterfall later if I wanted to.

Adding LED lights to the bubblers is $200 each. Is that worth it?
 
Agree that the 3hp VS pump will be fine. We love ours and it runs everything including solar panels with no issues and usually not over 1950rpm, which only draws 550watts.

Everything looks really good, I have nothing to add.
 
Congratulations! You've begun your official build thread!

It's been so much fun to watch your planning phase - all the questions, decisions, revisions, additions, doubts here, confidence there! And now a fabulous design. Way to go!

Can't wait for the Big Dig to commence! Suz.
 
Monday they came out an pumped the Septic tank. Tuesday they came out and installed a new tank in a different location, collased and removed my old tank, capped off my first two lateral lines, installed 2 new lines at the back of the property, and DESTROYED my back yard. I knew it was going to happen and I don't know what I was expecting but it is much worse then what I had mentally prepared myself for.

Wednesday night they marked the pool layout and will dig the pool on Sat. I know that will destroy my back yard even more but it's the end game that we are playing for....right?

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Hard to see but here is the pool outline.
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Oh my gosh! You're on the roof?!!! Now, I know we love our pictures on this forum, but we'd rather not lose a pool owner! It's fun to see real pictures of your house and yard - so much easier to visualize everything.

You guys have such a great plan and so much space. It's all going to look fabulous!

I get how you feel about the yard being destroyed! We've all seen others' moon scapes on this site, and yet..... for some reason, we don't think ours will be as bad. WRONG!!! Well, for most of us. The dig will pretty much do the yard in. But then the icing on the cake will be the digging for the plumbing. I was surprised that it could look worse, but it did after the plumbing. Maybe it's because mine is condensed into a smaller yard, or maybe it's the crew who did the plumbing dig. I still have a moon scape, although it has been cleaned up and smoothed somewhat.

That's right - keep your eye on the prize!!! It WILL be worth it. I'm so glad things are rolling with your build. This is exciting! Suz.
 
Thats awesome, I also will have to move my septic "when I go big" :) We are Doing an above ground to start with..

Order your test kit now so you will be able to start testing when your pool is filled ...
 
Started digging this morning at 8:30 am even though we got a ton of rain last night and are projected to get much more rain in the coming days. So far today it has only sprinkled. Noel and his crew are digging my pool. Had I met Noel before signing my contract I think that I would have had the confidence to do an owner build. Wht a great and knowledgeable guy he is and he has been doing this for 24 years.

Fist cut at 8:30 am
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4 hours later they have made significant headway. Didn't realize how much slope I had until the really started digging in.
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This is exciting! I've been so interested in your entire build plans and decisions, that I'm almost as excited for you guys as when my dig began!!

The picture just above definitely shows that slope! I hadn't noticed it in the other photos - had even wondered why in your plans the deck behind the pool was raised so much. Well, no wondering now!!! And the overview of your property - geez, it's huge. It makes your pool look tiny - and I know it's not. What a lovely setting.

If the rains are on the way, the crew will put a tarp over the entire dig. Your guy will definitely know what to do to protect it. I know you guys are having fun today! Keep those pictures coming! Suz.
 
I figured out that the put the quickrete where they dug up one of my dead lateral lines. There was still some fluid in it so I am guessing there are just slopping that.

Sorry for posting random pictures but hopefully if someone sees something out of whack they will holler. I appreciate it :-D

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Super! It looks like a clean and tidy dig to me, but you'd better wait to hear from the experts around here. I've watched your plans evolve over the last couple of months and feel like I know exactly where things are going in your pool! Didn't you want your sunshelf about an inch and a half higher so the water would be more shallow????? Just kidding! Was that too mean? Like I could tell something is off by an inch or so. Gotta keep you humble! Take care. Suz.
 
Don't even joke about that Suz. The night before the dig I had convinced myself that the pool was 4' too far from the house and I had my wife and kids out there helping me measure everything and I planned on repainting the pool on the lawn ;)

Luckily, Noel (Leader of the excavation crew) talked me out of it the morning of the dig and now that the pool is dug I am really glad he did. I am WAY overanalyzing every decision. My wife told me last night that I am driving her crazy so I am trying to pump the breaks a bit but I just would hate it if a year from now I am thinking “man, I wish I would have done this or that”. However, I know it is inevitable so I am going to try and relax and enjoy the process. However, that is much easier said than done when we are trying to decide on Coping, Tile, and Plaster. I am sure that you can tell by my other random posts that I am a bit of a basket case when things are not just Black and White. I prefer to do some research and see that clearly X is the best coping, Y is the best tile, and Z is the best plaster, but nothing has been Black and White since the get go. Fiberglass v Vinyl v Gunite…. there are no clear cut answers.

For instance, I am really struggling with the Travertine coping. I think I would feel better with a denser stone like Quartzite but it is not available locally which is a problem as I am one that needs to see it in person. The Quartzite I have found online is lighter in color than I would like. I haven’t even gotten to the pricing issues and don’t know how much more it would cost me.

Then we have the issue of Tile. We both love the 1 x 1 tiles but I have heard horror stories about them falling off all the time and being a pain in the butt to replace. You also have many more Grout lines to keep up with as well. The Tile that my wife and I fell in love with is a Lightstreams product
Lightstreams20Steel20Blue20Gold20Iridesc-1.jpg
but we want to get in the pool this Summer and the curing time on this stuff is CRAZY!!!!

Then there is the Plaster issue. In the price of the pool is an upgrade to a Quartz Plaster by Finest Finish but I have not been able to find much information or reviews on it. It seems that most on TFP are going with Pebble Tec products but I have read many mixed reviews on that as well.

I guess I am just afraid of making a bad decision with costly consequences.
 
Ohhhhh Sooner, my heart and head ache for you. I am so much the same way as my threads prove. I believe building my pool is part of the grand lessons I must learn or experience in this life. Letting go and acceptance. I can't say I'm doing great, but I keep repeating those things to myself. When I do let go and trust that all will be for the best, then I'm usually pleasantly surprised how it worked out better that I didn't get my way.

An example: I was dead set that the back raised wall would be a planter, but our PB more or less put me off or brushed me off on that. The day of gunite, I was so upset that it didn't get done, because the rebar hadn't been built for it (I hadn't caught that). I forced myself to let it go. Well, a few days later when I got back there to look things over, I realized there was not room (IMO) for the planter, plus a narrow walkway, plus the plants I wanted behind it. I could probably give you 5-10 more examples of that happening just with this pool build.

Like you, I do everything I can except stand on my head to make sure I won't regret the choices I make - especially those that can't realistically be changed. Guess what? I've already done that, and I'm finding it's not the end of the world. I've had the inline chlorinator put in that I don't really need. A robot cleaner would probably serve us better than the Polaris. I ordered WAY too much LightStreams glass. Shall I go on? :blah::blah::blah:

As far as the glass tile (we almost chose that Steel Blue LightStreams) goes, have you seen the glass tile on Appelbe's pool build? It is gorgeous! And honestly, if I had seen that before we ordered the LightStreams tile, I would have chosen his. Then I would have saved a bundle of money and time. Check it out. His glass tile color is closer to my Peacock than the Steel Blue you like, but I'm sure you can find something similar.

Somehow, someway, it will all work out in spite of ourselves. :laughblue:

Hang in there and listen to your wife - keep pumping those brakes! Oh, and try to enjoy the build - at least a little bit! Feeling for you! (it takes one to know one, right?!) Suz.
 

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