So I am looking at a well architected mid century (1965) house that has an indoor pool. previous owners got tired of maintaining it and had it drained and built a platform over it. got to pull the platform open today and hop down in there and it is fully bricked to the bottom of the plaster pool. the brick and the bottom of the pool had been painted blue but that paint was flaking off cleanly in large pieces. I absolutely love the house and want the pool but have never heard of or seen a brick pool before. Anyone know anything about this?
crazy mid century pool
- Thread starter usedsquid
- Start date
Here is a pick of the pool the last time it was filled. I think this was around 2005.
Here are some pics from today when I opened it up and crawled inside.
Here are some pics from today when I opened it up and crawled inside.
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Verrry interesting. So looks like it has tile on the sides, and maybe a plaster or concrete bottom that has been painted over?
the sides are brick that has been painted over all the way down to the floor of the pool. bottom is plaster both were painted with a blue paint that is now peeling off. I would love to clean the paint off and keep the raw look of the bricks on the sides. Is there clear paints/sealers that would work for this?
Welcome to TFP!
That is WAY cool. That is exactly what I would do, remove the paint, fill it up and see what happens. It is likely that the builder took appropriate steps to waterproof the pool. The owners probably painted it because they wanted a blue pool. That paint wouldn't make it watertight.
That is WAY cool. That is exactly what I would do, remove the paint, fill it up and see what happens. It is likely that the builder took appropriate steps to waterproof the pool. The owners probably painted it because they wanted a blue pool. That paint wouldn't make it watertight.
With the correct mortar brick can be watertight. There are thousands of cisterns around made of brick that are watertight after almost 100 years.
The major issue I see from a structural standpoint is the wall to floor junction. But if its no leaking now then I wouldn't worry. I would carefully remove the paint and fill it up and see how wartertight it is.
The major issue I see from a structural standpoint is the wall to floor junction. But if its no leaking now then I wouldn't worry. I would carefully remove the paint and fill it up and see how wartertight it is.
I didn't see the image of the paint coming off of the brick.
I love the idea of "raw" brick too - just have to see if it can be watertight!
I love the idea of "raw" brick too - just have to see if it can be watertight!
Wow! Too bad the previous owners hadn't discovered TFP before they hired a carpenter. At least they didn't fill it in.
I hope you pursue this - you and I can share a lot of stories. My house was built just a few years too late ('72) and with a few too many right-angles to be considered an official Mid-Mod, but it has the spirit (and an indoor pool).
I hired a dedicated pool inspector alongside the home inspector. I wasn't sure if the pool was worth keeping or if I should go the route of your PO's. Of course no-one had told me about the completely irrational emotional aspects of pool ownership. (illustrated here by the numbers of TFP members who login to this site daily, in spite of their pools being winterized) The inspector gave my pool a thumbs up, so here I am - an emotionally/financially invested pool enthusiast.
That certainly isn't the first pool, indoors or otherwise to be abandoned. Even in the absence of TFP methodology, the chemistry and maintenance of an indoor pool tends to be a lot more simple. That leads me to be wonder if the motivation to build over it was issues of physical integrity, aesthetics, needed equipment upgrades or the infamous humidity issue.
The moisture mitigation for my pool is the simple approach: cover when not in-use, a big HVAC system for the pool room and a powerful exhaust fan. It works, but it's not ideal. If it's not obvious to a layman, I would recommend having an HVAC (with humidity control experience) take a look as well as a pool expert.
Make sure to keep us informed!
I hope you pursue this - you and I can share a lot of stories. My house was built just a few years too late ('72) and with a few too many right-angles to be considered an official Mid-Mod, but it has the spirit (and an indoor pool).
I hired a dedicated pool inspector alongside the home inspector. I wasn't sure if the pool was worth keeping or if I should go the route of your PO's. Of course no-one had told me about the completely irrational emotional aspects of pool ownership. (illustrated here by the numbers of TFP members who login to this site daily, in spite of their pools being winterized) The inspector gave my pool a thumbs up, so here I am - an emotionally/financially invested pool enthusiast.
That certainly isn't the first pool, indoors or otherwise to be abandoned. Even in the absence of TFP methodology, the chemistry and maintenance of an indoor pool tends to be a lot more simple. That leads me to be wonder if the motivation to build over it was issues of physical integrity, aesthetics, needed equipment upgrades or the infamous humidity issue.
The moisture mitigation for my pool is the simple approach: cover when not in-use, a big HVAC system for the pool room and a powerful exhaust fan. It works, but it's not ideal. If it's not obvious to a layman, I would recommend having an HVAC (with humidity control experience) take a look as well as a pool expert.
Make sure to keep us informed!
The story I got from the neighbor was that it was too cold and smelled too much of chlorine. I'm assuming they didn't use it much and decided to close it and forget about it. Supposedly though nothing structural was wrong.
I put an offer in on the house today. I'm gonna try to make this thing as cool as I think it can be. At worst I have a really cool house at best I have a really cool house with an indoor pool.
I imagine there will be plumbing leaks from dry seals and such. All the equipment needs to be tested too. I will probably look into UV sanitation to augment chemicals. It will also need a light installed.
I put an offer in on the house today. I'm gonna try to make this thing as cool as I think it can be. At worst I have a really cool house at best I have a really cool house with an indoor pool.
I imagine there will be plumbing leaks from dry seals and such. All the equipment needs to be tested too. I will probably look into UV sanitation to augment chemicals. It will also need a light installed.
You can always put lights up around the pool instead of inside the pool. I have ideas!
Kim
Kim
I definitely am gonna mount a projector to watch movies on the wall while floating around in the pool. Ultimately though the pool is small enough that 1 nice led light would light it up though. Also weird that it has no ladder and no stairs.
I did not even catch the no ladder or steps!
What about returns? Are there two on the bottom I see? Is that a main drain I see. VERY interesting set up there. I sure hope you get the house as I can't wait to watch you poke around the pool and let us help you learn it!
Kim
What about returns? Are there two on the bottom I see? Is that a main drain I see. VERY interesting set up there. I sure hope you get the house as I can't wait to watch you poke around the pool and let us help you learn it!
Kim
No heater? Both of those reasons make sense. I don't use my pool unless it's at least in the mid-80's, and without TFP, a pool could be a smelly mess in your house. That would get old quick.
I wouldn't recommend budgeting for UV at this point. A balanced indoor pool is an easy, slow moving target.
My light doesn't work. I'd like it to, but Kim makes a great point: a key advantage of indoor pools is that ceiling. I have 4 floods that shine down into the pool, and they provide enough illumination to put repair of the in-pool light low on my list. I also have a couple of solar-powered floaters that provide an LED light show. I just put them on the window sill to re-charge.
Yet another similarity! My pool has no steps. I do have a ladder though. Is there evidence that a ladder had been removed? I was hoping to have steps installed when I had the pool re-surfaced, but my pool is plaster over gunite in a concrete block form. The contractor was nervous about rebar for steps damaging the block so I played it safe. Having only a ladder isn't a big deal until someone who isn't strong or steady enough to climb the ladder wants to swim.
yeah, Ive read through all the relevant pool school articles and I think the maintenance will be reasonable on it. There is a pool heater, it is a chromalox electric. I'm sure it costs an arm and a leg to operate though. there is a possibility that the majority of the mechanicals for the pool should/would be replaced. The room also has a dedicated hvac system to deal with the humidity.
Yeah, I'd be scared of that electric bill! Have you calculated the water capacity of that pool? It looks similar to mine. 12,000-14,000 gallons maybe?
Heads-up: I find my HVAC system is a reactive / double-edgesword approach to humidity. Heating the air to a level above the water temp lowers evaporation rates, but warm air holds more moisture (this isn't from experience - I haven't nor do I plan to heat my pool room to 90°). Cooling the air removes the airborne moisture but encourages more evap. (this IS experience - I monitor humidity levels using a smart thermostat and in the summer run the AC to lower levels when necessary)
In absence of a dedicated humidity control system, my most effective weapons are the cover and exhaust fan.
Heads-up: I find my HVAC system is a reactive / double-edgesword approach to humidity. Heating the air to a level above the water temp lowers evaporation rates, but warm air holds more moisture (this isn't from experience - I haven't nor do I plan to heat my pool room to 90°). Cooling the air removes the airborne moisture but encourages more evap. (this IS experience - I monitor humidity levels using a smart thermostat and in the summer run the AC to lower levels when necessary)
In absence of a dedicated humidity control system, my most effective weapons are the cover and exhaust fan.
Whee! Another MCM house with a pool! Ours is a bit later, still has a lot of the touches. Would love to see pictures of the whole house.
Comments on operating an older indoor pool (that was well maintained, and had gone unused for some time before being put back into shape before we bought the house):
- A properly maintained pool doesn't smell. Nobody who comes in our front door knows there is a pool (and that includes even when you walk into the pool area).
- You do want to make sure that the pool area is isolated from the main house, for humidity control in the rest of the house. If it isn't, you would want to invest in a professional dehumidification system.
- You can do exactly what Rollercoastr says - cover the pool when not in use, open a window, and run an exhauster fan to bring the humidity down when you're done swimming. It's very effective - and I would encourage a smart thermostat that reports humidity.
- Our pool area is heated up quickly when we want to use it - so we keep the air around 65 - 70 when not swimming (covered), and 80ish for swimming.
- We have a really neat little heat exchanger on our main boiler - so heating the pool isn't super costly, as it is natural gas. The heat exchanger is literally only about 18 inches long by 6 inches in diameter, on a water circuit of its own fed from the boiler.
Most importantly:
- We hang a screen (just raw white canvas) on the windows that adjoin our rec room and project onto the reverse of it, so that we can watch movies while floating in the pool. Most modern projectors have rear projection settings. That way, the laptop and projector are on the dry side of everything
Have fun, I know for sure everybody here is looking forward to pictures! Can you share a link to the real estate listing, or is that too private?
Comments on operating an older indoor pool (that was well maintained, and had gone unused for some time before being put back into shape before we bought the house):
- A properly maintained pool doesn't smell. Nobody who comes in our front door knows there is a pool (and that includes even when you walk into the pool area).
- You do want to make sure that the pool area is isolated from the main house, for humidity control in the rest of the house. If it isn't, you would want to invest in a professional dehumidification system.
- You can do exactly what Rollercoastr says - cover the pool when not in use, open a window, and run an exhauster fan to bring the humidity down when you're done swimming. It's very effective - and I would encourage a smart thermostat that reports humidity.
- Our pool area is heated up quickly when we want to use it - so we keep the air around 65 - 70 when not swimming (covered), and 80ish for swimming.
- We have a really neat little heat exchanger on our main boiler - so heating the pool isn't super costly, as it is natural gas. The heat exchanger is literally only about 18 inches long by 6 inches in diameter, on a water circuit of its own fed from the boiler.
Most importantly:
- We hang a screen (just raw white canvas) on the windows that adjoin our rec room and project onto the reverse of it, so that we can watch movies while floating in the pool. Most modern projectors have rear projection settings. That way, the laptop and projector are on the dry side of everything
Have fun, I know for sure everybody here is looking forward to pictures! Can you share a link to the real estate listing, or is that too private?
I'm eager to see TFP launch the Indoor Pool section.
I'd like to someday change the method of humidity control for my pool. I could also (probably) heat the air in the pool room quickly, but I don't bother because the exhaust fan is in the high ceiling. It sucks all the heat out anyway.
My TV is within view of the shallow-end of the pool. It works, but I haven't ruled-out the idea of a projector.
Unfortunately, I did rule out this wall-hanging ethanol fireplace for the pool room:
I was about to pull the trigger, until I bought a few of the tabletop versions for the kitchen. They look and work great, but their appetite for mail-order fuel is insane, and whatever you pour into the burner is either burned or evaporates very quickly. This monster is also very heavy and has to be mounted on cement board. I bought some candles instead, and even those annoy me - I'm going to replace the wax with battery-powered LED's.
I'd like to someday change the method of humidity control for my pool. I could also (probably) heat the air in the pool room quickly, but I don't bother because the exhaust fan is in the high ceiling. It sucks all the heat out anyway.
My TV is within view of the shallow-end of the pool. It works, but I haven't ruled-out the idea of a projector.
Unfortunately, I did rule out this wall-hanging ethanol fireplace for the pool room:
I was about to pull the trigger, until I bought a few of the tabletop versions for the kitchen. They look and work great, but their appetite for mail-order fuel is insane, and whatever you pour into the burner is either burned or evaporates very quickly. This monster is also very heavy and has to be mounted on cement board. I bought some candles instead, and even those annoy me - I'm going to replace the wax with battery-powered LED's.