Does this sound off to you?

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Novcruisin

0
Jun 3, 2015
59
Dallas. TX
We met with a PB and during the discussions, my husband (who is a project manager and has experience building multifamily properties with pools in Texas) asked about whether the PB puts crushed rock under the gunite to help mitigate movement, he looked at us like we were crazy and said he wasn't sure if they could do that but would have to check. He then said "well that's usually only done if you have an engineer come out and say that it needs it" and that engineers are paid to say stuff like that, it basically that it keeps them in business!

Wouldn't that be standard (not cost wise, but building wise)?

Shouldn't that be done always?

I don't want to completely dismiss a PB due to a weirdo sales guy, but he clearly seemed like he was new and hardly knew more than us about construction...:shock:
 
I am not sure I have ever seen a pool build on the forum that had crusher put below the gunite. Usually just the rebar inside the dirt hole.

You have to realize the guy is a salesman ... he likely know very little about the actual pol build and certainly knows even less about how to chemically maintain them in the future.
 
I've only seen references of crushed, washed gravel used for fiberglass pools, but even then not in all cases. My research indicated its use (gravel) depended upon the soil condition and its susceptibility to shift and/or deteriorate over time due to climate changes (drought, saturation, etc). Certainly sounds as if that salesman could have handled the question better and more professionally. As the buyer, those are the kind of situations that make the hair stand-up on the back of your neck.
 
jblizzle said:
I am not sure I have ever seen a pool build on the forum that had crusher put below the gunite. Usually just the rebar inside the dirt hole.

You have to realize the guy is a salesman ... he likely know very little about the actual pol build and certainly knows even less about how to chemically maintain them in the future.
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Texas Splash said:
I've only seen references of crushed, washed gravel used for fiberglass pools, but even then not in all cases. My research indicated its use (gravel) depended upon the soil condition and its susceptibility to shift and/or deteriorate over time due to climate changes (drought, saturation, etc). Certainly sounds as if that salesman could have handled the question better and more professionally. As the buyer, those are the kind of situations that make the hair stand-up on the back of your neck.
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Perhaps we are being a bit too expectant...at least I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that its not that abnormal not to have "crusher". At first, naturally, I panicked! :)
 
That's okay. You have every right to panic. It's a huge investment, even in the most modest of pools. After the pool is done and you're sipping drinks pool-side, then you can relax - until the pool payment comes in. :)

Feel free to post questions any time something just doesn't seem right. That's what TFP is here for. I wish I would have done that here before my pool was installed. :)
 
I thought it was a great question! You guys are far ahead of where I was at that point!!!

I think I have seen one or two gunite pools with crushed rock in the bottom, but I can't remember which thread. I wondered when I saw them if I should have had that. But most gunite pools I've seen do not.

Now along those lines, what my rebar crew did which I see on other gunite pools is the placement of small brick pieces wedged under rebar intersections on the pool floor to keep the rebar in position before they shoot the gunite. Maybe that does some of what the crushed rock is for - just guessing.....

Congratulations on your new pool! With your husband's experience, you guys are in great shape!!!! I can't wait to see your plans and pictures of your build!!! Take care. Suz.
 
Our PB also did crusher under the shotcrete. Maybe it's a Florida \ Texas thing, given the propensity for the ground to shift in our states. If your husband feels strongly, it should be easy to arrange with your PB.

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One thing to keep in mind is different areas have different soil conditions, in the case of Dallas I suspect there are probably half a dozen very different types of soil conditions in the greater DFW area, ranging from fairly soft plains soils that are easy to dig, to heavy rock baring soils that you would almost need a pick axe to break, to vast amounts of red clay soil just below the surface.

ps see Geology of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 

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SuzfromTexas said:
I thought it was a great question! You guys are far ahead of where I was at that point!!!

I think I have seen one or two gunite pools with crushed rock in the bottom, but I can't remember which thread. I wondered when I saw them if I should have had that. But most gunite pools I've seen do not.

Now along those lines, what my rebar crew did which I see on other gunite pools is the placement of small brick pieces wedged under rebar intersections on the pool floor to keep the rebar in position before they shoot the gunite. Maybe that does some of what the crushed rock is for - just guessing.....

Congratulations on your new pool! With your husband's experience, you guys are in great shape!!!! I can't wait to see your plans and pictures of your build!!! Take care. Suz.
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Thanks Suz!

currentking said:
Is this what you are referencing?
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Yes!

Isaac-1 said:
One thing to keep in mind is different areas have different soil conditions, in the case of Dallas I suspect there are probably half a dozen very different types of soil conditions in the greater DFW area, ranging from fairly soft plains soils that are easy to dig, to heavy rock baring soils that you would almost need a pick axe to break, to vast amounts of red clay soil just below the surface.

ps see Geology of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Thanks for that link!

jblizzle said:
I would not think a "dusting" of stone like that would do much for structural integrity.
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IDK, may do it just to be safe if it's not too much extra $$!

txnole said:
Our PB also did crusher under the shotcrete. Maybe it's a Florida \ Texas thing, given the propensity for the ground to shift in our states. If your husband feels strongly, it should be easy to arrange with your PB.
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Yea, I'm okay with the sales guys lack of knowledge if in the end we still have that as an option. What would turn me off completely is if he said just flat out no. At least he said he would look into it.
 
It all depends on the soil conditions under the pool. We had to have a soil engineer come out and $ay our soil under the pool was OK. If there was an issue and a layer of crushed rock would fix it, then we would have been required to do that. The issue is that the PB is only working off the pools built in your area. If you want to know for sure (or at least another opinion) you would have to hire a soil engineer with experience of pool requirements. The amazing thing to me is a 20,000 gallon pool has like 167,000 pounds of water in it! 83 tons of water! Wow!
 
Novcruisin said:
Thanks everyone!!

Is anyone in Dallas that could possibly chime in? Since soil varies so differently by location.
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We are in North Texas/Dallas. Prosper, Texas.
We did have the crushed rock put in prior to gunite. We built with Claffey Pools and they touted this as an included upgrade to account for soil movement that you would pay for with other builders. I'm sure we paid for it, just not in a separate line item!

We love Claffey, by the way.
 
slappie said:
We are in North Texas/Dallas. Prosper, Texas.
We did have the crushed rock put in prior to gunite. We built with Claffey Pools and they touted this as an included upgrade to account for soil movement that you would pay for with other builders. I'm sure we paid for it, just not in a separate line item!

We love Claffey, by the way.
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Thanks slappie! I checked them out, and they look like a good prospective builder...but their website shows they don't service my area :( BOOO!! I still sent them a request for a quote asking if they might reconsider servicing my area, but I won't hold my breath! Most PB are so busy right now I can hardly get them to come out if they DO service my area. Thanks again for the recommendation though :)
 
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