Design suggestions ideas

[Blueice89]

Hello we are building our dream pool. Not sure how this hit 100k in cost do you know ? We really like our builder. but know they might be expensive .

perimeter : 105
Area : 608
3X6 Depth
30x25 width
Interior area 1080
Gallons :20k


our design is:
big Baja step
Sit n spin spa
Heat pump sq120 with cooler
omnilogic automation
Pcc3000 In floor cleaner
Bubbler on Baja step
Jet streams

Equipment
Tristar vs900
Hayward 60 de filter
Pebble tec sea

I am not really sure if this is a good size pool, we never owned pool before and just learning each thing as I google and read.

can’t wait for it to get built and open to any design suggestions ideas and or things I might have missed .

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

Travertine decking, pillars with stacked stone, fire woks, all add to the cost of a basic pool. You have a lot more than a pool in the posted design.

Have you got at least 3 bids?

Have you asked the builders to breakout where the cost is?

The in floor cleaning system adds cost and complexity to the pool. You can do just as well without it and a good robot cleaner.

Ask if Prologic automation will be less cost then OmniLogic.

Consider a large cartridge filter instead of the DE filter.

Stack stone is not a good finish for the front of a spa spillover. It will get salt and calcium on it due to water evaporation and be difficult to keep clean and looking good. Smooth tile is better around a pool.

 

[BMK]

Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a 'sit and spin' spa? I dont believe ive heard that term before.

 

[Blueice89]

We have pool cleaning person we were advised the big 60 de filter would be good . Any idea why you recommend cartridge ?
Sit and spin means it’s kinda low to ground such that you can sit and spin your body and your in a spa not sure .

 

[ajw22]

We have pool cleaning person we were advised the big 60 de filter would be good . Any idea why you recommend cartridge ?

Pool Filter Comparison

Your pool's filter is a vital part of your equipment pad. We'll take a look at each type of filter and list the pro's and con's of each.

www.troublefreepool.com

A cartridge filter filters just about as well as a DE filter is lower maintenance and likely needs to be cleaned less often. Your pool maintance person likes a DE filter since he can quickly backwash out the DE and load fresh DE in as frequently as needed.

 

[kimkats]

I have some ideas for this pool. I will share them when I have a couple of extra mins! This one is going to be fun!

Kim

 

[ajonesaz]

Did you get more than one bid, yours seems very high. I am in the same city as you and while my pool is not quite as big as yours, it was about a 3rd of the price. I had bids all over the place for the same pool. The big builders were much more expensive. If you want to save some money, cut out the in floor system. I talked to all my neighbors who have them and they hate them because the sprayers are always clogged.

 

[Blueice89]

Did you get more than one bid, yours seems very high. I am in the same city as you and while my pool is not quite as big as yours, it was about a 3rd of the price. I had bids all over the place for the same pool. The big builders were much more expensive. If you want to save some money, cut out the in floor system. I talked to all my neighbors who have them and they hate them because the sprayers are always clogged.

most my neighbors used cal pool and rave about their customer service and warranty commitment . Basically I was okay paying. Little more .

before we added stuff were around 57k for pool.
Then we added spa this added about 23k and heater this brought us to 80k
Then we added fire pots that was about 5k
The we added pcc3000 paramount cleaner the most expensive cleaning system exclusive to cal pools bout 7k
Then. I added deck jets and bubblers that pushes us over 100k.

at your price did you get same features as me ?
I think most people on average pay 40k for basic pool .

 

[Blueice89]

I chose Omni logic cause neighbor showed me how ez to control in iPhone and the app looked more polish this added cost but I believe it was necessary .
All my neighbor had Imin floor cleaning and the ones that had vac all wished they went ifc.

I think newer ifc is better than older systems more reliable

 

[Blueice89]

Here is updated plan :

 

[kimkats]

I have some time now so lets get this party started!

-Depth-3' is too shallow. You cannot do a crawl stroke without scraping your knuckles. It is also not a very good walking around depth either. Hold a tape measure up to yourself. Where does the 3' mark hit you? OH and make sure it is WATER depth. Some PB do the depth as from the floor of the pool to the bottom of the coping. Where WATER depth is the floor of the pool to half the way up on the skimmer opening. I would go 4' to 6'. This will also help lessen the slope as well.

Light-I see you have a light at the end of the pool. I would move it to the side away from the house. If it is on the end anyone swimming laps will have the light in their face and if they do a flip turn them might kick the light. If it is facing the house anyone sitting on the patio will have the light shining in their face. Is there a light in the spa? How about by the shelf? You could get a bubbler with a light in it BUT make sure you can turn on just the light without the bubbler going if you want to do that.

Spa-have different heights for seating. There will be different heights of people using it and it is nice to be lower or higher in the pool depending on what they are looking for in the spa. I would also ask for a small step on the bench on the right side of the spa (the one in the pool) so it can be used as a step to get in&out of the pool right there by the spa.

I like everything else about your design.

Kim

 

[setsailsoon]

Blue,

Here are my comments:

• Going sole source is OK if you're 100% comfortable with the builder and the cost. This approach always adds cost no matter what the builder tells you.
• The devil's in the details. For example: exactly what model of pool control. How many channels and what's installed initially. All major brands offer a WiFi app. How much power is supplied to the sub panel? The top line offering of all manufacturers is expandable. But this is limited if you don't have enough power and spare breaker slots.
• A builder with a great reputation is a great way to start. But don't let your guard down because of this. What are the terms and conditions in your contract. Even though this appears to be a great builder you have to know your obligations and recourse. The first-draft of his contract is very often one-way in his favor. Make sure it's not. Make sure you understand everything. Sounds like this PB has done a lot of great pools. When things go very well the contract terms don't matter that much. Pool building is complex construction and things do go wrong even for the best builders. In those cases the contract can be a life-saver to both parties. If it's in his favor though it can be your worst nightmare. Things to look for include:
  • Fair payment terms. Never pay for the entire pool before a performance test is complete.
  • Well-defined and clear performance test.
  • Warranty must be specific and not just "structure is warranted for X years"
  • Clearly identify your obligations for items such as site access.
  • Fair treatment of "hidden obstacles" and clear terms on how they are dealt with
  • No one-way provisions such as "time is of the essence for the builder". If this or any similar provisions are included they should apply to both parties.
  • Builder should be responsible for all work including permits, site prep, all construction, site clean up etc. If not, you own the interface and are responsible for delay costs to all parties and other impacts.
• Floor cleaners don't seem to be a favorite of our experts. I'd check the comments they will make on this. Have you considered a robot? That seems to be much preferred.

As I mentioned earlier, starting off with a great pool builder is fantastic and critical. You're off to a great start by asking for input and feedback here. We sell nothing so we are absolutely not conflicted. There is almost no other place that you'll get advice from that isn't trying to sell you something.

I hope this is helpful and good luck with your pool!

Chris

PS In case you're wondering about my contract comments, I'm not an attorney just decades of construction management experience. I learned much of this the hard way and from people that I think are the best in the industry.

 

[Blueice89]

I have some time now so lets get this party started!

-Depth-3' is too shallow. You cannot do a crawl stroke without scraping your knuckles. It is also not a very good walking around depth either. Hold a tape measure up to yourself. Where does the 3' mark hit you? OH and make sure it is WATER depth. Some PB do the depth as from the floor of the pool to the bottom of the coping. Where WATER depth is the floor of the pool to half the way up on the skimmer opening. I would go 4' to 6'. This will also help lessen the slope as well.

Light-I see you have a light at the end of the pool. I would move it to the side away from the house. If it is on the end anyone swimming laps will have the light in their face and if they do a flip turn them might kick the light. If it is facing the house anyone sitting on the patio will have the light shining in their face. Is there a light in the spa? How about by the shelf? You could get a bubbler with a light in it BUT make sure you can turn on just the light without the bubbler going if you want to do that.

Spa-have different heights for seating. There will be different heights of people using it and it is nice to be lower or higher in the pool depending on what they are looking for in the spa. I would also ask for a small step on the bench on the right side of the spa (the one in the pool) so it can be used as a step to get in&out of the pool right there by the spa.

I like everything else about your design.

Kim

Thank you so much for the feedback I wanted to get some suggestions on what you said.
Currently my kids are 2 years and 4 years , old they are okay swimmers, so I was thinking for a little bit, also if we have another kid, the 3ft would area would be a good training area for them. Also that 3 ft leads to the Spa, so I was thinking you could stand up on to the bench and climb into the Spa.

Light wise, the lights face away from house on both baja, and in deep end. Our house where the pavers ,pointing up.
There is a light in the Spa. I think since baja step has light, bubble doesn't need a light. And I heard deck jet lights were more.

Spa -- I was wondering about this statement, how do you do different heights?

 

[Blueice89]

I am updating design to 600 sq ft Cartidge filter cause I don't want to deal with DE

 

[kimkats]

The guys shooting the shell will be the ones to make the steps and seats in the pool and spa. To make different heights in the spa they will shoot the gunite in the area you want the high spot how ever high you want that area to be and finish it. This will serve you well in the future for the kids and other people.

Depth+kids=they will only be small for a couple of yrs until they are big enough to tip toe then walk in the shallow end. I always say to begin with the end in mind so................that is the reason for saying 4' to 6'. While they are small they will use the spa as a small pool as well as the shelf will be there play area.

Seems as if you have the lights all set up. NICE! Don't forget to have them install one over the equipment pad. You will thank me the first time you have to go out there at night!

Kim

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Deck jets are something fun for about 45 minutes. That is a good thing to ditch if you're looking to trim the budget. I'd also ditch the in-floor cleaner as they *do* get to be troublesome and hard to fix. A fancy robot (and you can find great ones that are cheaper still) will cost $1k and work far, far better....and not require the pump to be running (cha-ching! saves on electricity costs!) to work. They also help you by brushing the walls.

Example of fancy robot- Dolphin M400 Robotic Pool Cleaner - Maytronics

Agree with Kim....3' is ridiculous.

Maddie

 

[Blueice89]

We changed the spa to have 2 sizes . 21 inch and 27 inch .
The depth I still think at 3 - 6 is good for littles still thinking. You all are suggesting start at 4 or 3.5 is 3.5 good . And would that be a good size near the spa the depth ?

 

[Blueice89]

 

[kimkats]

At least 3.5'. I suggest you hold a tape measure up to you and see where 3.5' and 4' hit you and your wife.

Good job on making different heights in the spa. That will give everyone chooses depending on how tall they are and what they are looking for in the spa.

Kim

 

[Blueice89]

Do you guys recommend salt vs the ozone and uv combo ?