Build 101

[Marcommom]

Hello -
We are moving to SE Florida late in the year and I plan on fulfilling my dream of having a backyard pool. We will have a clubhouse pool but I want to be able to swim any time and darn it, I've worked hard my whole life and this move signifies a step towards retirement! Just looking at a pool makes me happy.

We are completely new to this and need to educate ourselves prior to "digging in," so will be reading as much as possible here. But, we need someplace to start, some guidance, and would appreciate that from the experts here prior to contacting pool companies. We've noted all the companies who are currently building in our new neighborhood so have a good group to choose from.

1. We are not, and can't afford to be, extravagant. No spas or fancy waterfalls. Would love a feature where we hear the water at all times, if a simple one is available. We hope to do our own maintenance for as long as we can.
2. Use - I swim laps and do water exercises - my favorite form of exercise. If I can do 13 strokes diagonally I'm happy. Husband will be fine with whatever I'm fine with -this is my dream, not his. For depth, standing at one end but enough depth to tread water at other end. We're 5'4' and 5'11" = our visitors and family will range in height of course! So what size is reasonable, and should we consider a Fast Lane or something similar?
3. Water - my understanding is salt is the way to go. I did fall into a rabbit hole with Clear Comfort but from reading here I see that's not a smart option.
4. Surfaces - my understanding is gunite for the area, not fiberglass.
5. Decking - our friends have something painted on their stone to keep it cool, but what options should we look at for economy as well as attractiveness?
6. We will probably screen it in. We have pets who we'd like to have outside with us, and I don't think I can deal with Florida bugs yet. Plus, it would keep the pool cleaner.
7. What sales traps should we be aware of?
8. Is solar pool heating an option? Our house has gas and electric and I'm not sure the costs although I know electric is more costly - but may be less expensive to install?

Please share any guidance possible as of course this is a huge expense and process and we are truly starting at ground level.

Thanks very much!!

 

[HermanTX]

Welcome to TFP.
Our Wiki at bottom of page or at this link is full of information.

Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Look at Construction Best Practices, How to pick Pool equipment, Plaster, etc.

When you get your first bid, or ask for help before a bid, start a new thread in the Consturction forum. That way we can track all the info in 1 thread.

Saltwater is the way to go. We recommend a system that is 2x your pool volume. When you get to equipment spec from a pool builder (PB), we can review and give more specific feedback.
One item that always comes up from FL pool owners is that their pool filter are sized too small. It is most likely due to screen enclosures that keep debris out but you could consider a cartridge filter in the 300sq ft range. (Not 150 sq ft which is the norm for FL). It will make your life easier in the long term.

The big item on contractor selection is the payment terms. Most will state they want all payments prior to put plaster in your pool. This is negotiable and as a minimum you should hold 10% of the total contract until the pool is finished. Meaning you have water in it, the pump is turned on and alll the little punch list items are completed to your satisfaction. There are too many stories of people having incomplete pools because the PB was paid and still no water added to the pool.

 

[kimkats]

Hi and welcome to TFP!

If you want to swim laps then make sure each end of the pool is a wall. No steps, benches, shelves, etc. Just a flat wall to swim to on each end.

Decking - our friends have something painted on their stone to keep it cool, but what options should we look at for economy as well as attractiveness?

Me? I like a plain, broom brushed concrete deck. That keeps it from being slippery and is easy to care for down the road. You can get creative with the "control cut" joints to add to the looks. One example would be to have the cuts done on the diagonal to make "diamonds" instead of squares or rectangles.

Share any and all bids here and we can help you find and avoid things you don't need. Make sure there are model numbers for all pieces of equipment!!

 

[Marcommom]

Thank you for the great info and ideas. I’ll read the wiki and post our bids here. Very grateful to have found found this forum!!

 

[flynwill]

I would say definitely consider a Fast-lane, or Riverflow (I have the latter). That will let you do real swimming in a much smaller pool. Although the cost savings from the smaller pool will likely not make up for the incremental cost of the current generator, but the savings in space in your yard might also be a consideration.

My pool is 5'6" deep and that' is just barely adequate for me to tread water (I'm 5'10"), If I had it to do over again I would probably make it 6" deeper.

You might also consider an auto-cover. Keeping the pool covered significantly extends the swimming season as well as keeping debris out and providing a significant safety feature (but I'll admit at significant added cost.). It will also significantly reduce the cost of heating in the shoulder seasons.

The "Cool Deck" and similar coatings do keep a deck a bit cooler for the bare feet, but they are also tend to look pretty bad after 5-10 years. Probably worthwhile if you live in Phoenix, but not sure it's worth it for Florida. We have fairly plain precast coping and concrete pavers for the decking.

As for heat you'll need to run the numbers, it's not uncommon for Heat-pump to be less expensive to run. However (and this is a big factor) the common gas heaters are 3-4 times the heating capacity of the practical heat pumps, meaning you can heat the pool much quicker.