We got the CS150. Kinda small but to be honest, we have a screen enclosure and when I clean the filter, there is hardly anything in there. I did buy a new filter element after about 3 months as the original one was beat up pretty bad with construction material like pebbles, plaster, and gunite.
Florida woman needs help...my head hurts looking at these quotes!
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We got the CS150. Kinda small but to be honest, we have a screen enclosure and when I clean the filter, there is hardly anything in there. I did buy a new filter element after about 3 months as the original one was beat up pretty bad with construction material like pebbles, plaster, and gunite.
Rattus Suffocatus
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Those quotes don't look terribly bad, especially with some high end stuff like the Travertine added. If you picked a different type of decking the price would come down a lot, but I am biased because I personally don't like Travertine. I agree with the SVRS. All you are doing with that is giving the builder less plumbing to do, and taking something simple and making it complicated. I could see that on a retrofit but not a new pool.
But really those quotes are probably less expensive that we would get in Arizona. The days of $25K pools I think are gone for good.
As for doing it yourself. (Maintaining the pool.) It's daily if you use bleach (liquid chlorine) -- but you figure out quickly the fixed amount you need for maintenance. That can go to weekly if you add a SWCG, especially if you have soft fill water.. for me in a high TA fill area I have to add acid about 3 times a week, but if I miss one, I can make up for it.. so practically I could go two weeks in an emergency if need be with the risk of scaling up the cell if I do. So once you get into the groove of TFP (especially with a SWCG) then really it's only an hour a week or so normal maintenance plus every few months a filter cleaning. You can do it, not have it take up a lot of your time and have better results. The pool services want to be in and out in 10 minutes once a week. You'll spend an hour on a Saturday or Sunday and then maybe 10 minutes daily with Bleach or 2-3 three times a week with a SWCG and do a smaller test and chemical addition. And your pool will look 10x better then your neighbors.
Best of luck with it. The build is a lot of "fun" but it'll turn out in the end. Enjoy.
But really those quotes are probably less expensive that we would get in Arizona. The days of $25K pools I think are gone for good.
As for doing it yourself. (Maintaining the pool.) It's daily if you use bleach (liquid chlorine) -- but you figure out quickly the fixed amount you need for maintenance. That can go to weekly if you add a SWCG, especially if you have soft fill water.. for me in a high TA fill area I have to add acid about 3 times a week, but if I miss one, I can make up for it.. so practically I could go two weeks in an emergency if need be with the risk of scaling up the cell if I do. So once you get into the groove of TFP (especially with a SWCG) then really it's only an hour a week or so normal maintenance plus every few months a filter cleaning. You can do it, not have it take up a lot of your time and have better results. The pool services want to be in and out in 10 minutes once a week. You'll spend an hour on a Saturday or Sunday and then maybe 10 minutes daily with Bleach or 2-3 three times a week with a SWCG and do a smaller test and chemical addition. And your pool will look 10x better then your neighbors.
Best of luck with it. The build is a lot of "fun" but it'll turn out in the end. Enjoy.
@Rattus Suffocatus Thank you! The time breakdown is was really helpful. I am not too worried, I think my husband on the other hand just does't want to deal with it. I assume it is much easier now than 20 years ago when he took care of a YMCA pool as a life guard. We will maintain ourselves and hopefully it is much easier to do with time. And its probably the best way to learn about your pool too. And we are doing SWCG too.
I was told that concrete with cool decking was not that much cheaper than pavers so going with pavers. I really want artistic pavers, but that is another 4500 and at least right now I am thinking we can live with white pewter flagstone pavers. For the coping they quoted travertine but when I looked at the options its an upgrade to the white color. I will have to decide if I want the white or use the flagstone coping which would mean I save a little money. I have a feeling I will splurge for the white travertine. Most of the quotes were very close, some with more features, some with less, but all around the same. I think if I got a pool 10 years ago it would have been much cheaper for sure!
I was told that concrete with cool decking was not that much cheaper than pavers so going with pavers. I really want artistic pavers, but that is another 4500 and at least right now I am thinking we can live with white pewter flagstone pavers. For the coping they quoted travertine but when I looked at the options its an upgrade to the white color. I will have to decide if I want the white or use the flagstone coping which would mean I save a little money. I have a feeling I will splurge for the white travertine. Most of the quotes were very close, some with more features, some with less, but all around the same. I think if I got a pool 10 years ago it would have been much cheaper for sure!
@kimkats @bdavis466 Something like this is what I was wanting. It looks to only be a foot deep. I looked at my notes again and they will make it 4 ft high, with 2ft sheer, and 18 inches deep. I wish it could be just one foot so more walkway. Otherwise will only have a foot and a half to walk in that one spot which should be fine too.
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Rattus Suffocatus
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It's not quite a "piece of cake" but compared to a commercial pool it's very easy. You can run your free chlorine a little higher and you have some control of the idiots you let swim in your private pool!
Well.. I suppose that depends on how cheap the labor is there. Poured concrete has higher material costs, but much less labor. Especially if the crew doesn't put in an adequate paver base first and has to redo it. . You might want to have a look at what happened to us and evaluate if you want to ask them to put in a slightly better base, which where you are at is probably more important that ours was. Look around page five in the thread posted below...
So, we have what most would consider "dark" pavers... actual concrete pavers-- and I have shot them repeatedly with my IR thermometer and they are at about (+/-) or within 5F of the gravel we use here in Tucson ("Xeroscaping"), and the sidewalk in the front yard-- so the reports of the decking burning your feet are greatly exaggerated, honestly. They maybe are a little bit of an issue on a 105+F day here, but I just splash a pitcher of water on the deck into the shallow end and it's fine after that.
So I would recommend using what you want to look at. White is only going to buy you a minimal amount of cooling. I agree with the "cool deck" it's expensive also and somewhat ugly, IMHO. If you want to see what I used in Southern Arizona... and how "dark" it is without us having any issues with it being "too hot" whatsoever... see this picture in my build thread. The build thread is very detailed because I wanted to document this somewhere for my own use but I also thought it would be helpful for the world to see too. This is the sort of stuff you have to look forward to. It gets there eventually though... This picture is the most recent one that shows the pool, the deck and the huge chicken floaties...
Continuation of an odyssey (middle of the page)
But people were telling me I'd be 30F hotter than the sidewalk out front.. and it's untrue.. it's just about the same temperature--very close... and it looks nice. If you worry about it then put an extra silcox in for water and spray it off before you go in on a bad day. That is THE one thing I wish I would have added-- a hose bib/silcox near the pool deck for multiple reasons.... The one thing I wish I wouldn't have bought? The LED light. For as much as it's actually on, the Halogen would have been fine, and you can put LED conversion bulbs into them as well for much less $$$. I am happy I did the SWCG myself. That saved about $2K.
@Rattus Suffocatus Thank you! I will read every page of your build! I will then double check with builder on the base. I wanted concrete base but I guess that is not what they do. They use crushed concrete I believe and then the sand. I asked my husband who deals with this and he said as long as done correctly the crushed concrete works well. I also do like the look of pavers more than the cool deck or plain concrete. The concrete on my driveway is cracked in multiple places and I am sure that would happen by our pool. The one paver I like is white pewter and it is grey with white and the most neutral to me. The artisitc is just prettier in my opinion, but I think the white pewter will be fine. We have grey tiles in my house so it would actually transition nicely as also putting in lanai. I have walked in the middle of the day on my hot concrete to grab something in my car barefoot and no issues with the heat, so I think the pavers will be fine. I also checked with my friend who lives close by with the tanner pavers and she doesn't have issues either, and no screen on her pool. Luckly I do have a hose right there by pool. Since it is on the side of the house it will be right there. Its on a reel thing so may end up moving it to look prettier, but withing 6ft of the pool.
Oh the lights!! So torn on those. Everything I read is they do not last. But the option is to get big old fashioned bulbs which I think won't looks as nice. I would definitely do the swapping out for an LED light bulb, that seems great, but then I have the big bulb verses the smaller LED looking ones. So need to make a final decision on that part. Warranty is 3 years so at least it is a decent amount of time.
Thank you!!
Oh the lights!! So torn on those. Everything I read is they do not last. But the option is to get big old fashioned bulbs which I think won't looks as nice. I would definitely do the swapping out for an LED light bulb, that seems great, but then I have the big bulb verses the smaller LED looking ones. So need to make a final decision on that part. Warranty is 3 years so at least it is a decent amount of time.
Thank you!!
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Rattus Suffocatus
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Tell them you want "ABC" base. (look it up, it does have a lot of different names that vary by region in the US.) Maybe even with a little Portland cement mixed in (mixing in some Portland cement with the soil below the base doesn't hurt either). It's what is used for road beds (highway) on asphalt roads. I would agree that concrete under pavers is extreme overkill except for special cases (like maybe on hillsides). Honestly, they tried using just a sand base for me and it washed away. Redoing the job cost them a lot more than using the proper base first. With pavers or stone or whatever, that is one thing to be "picky" about. That and stuff you can't get at after the pool is built, like the plumbing.
You'll eventually find the pavers dropping into the sand base they tried the first time. That didn't cost us anything (but that made them lose money on our pool, honestly) but it added probably three weeks to the length of the construction. If I had been there the day they were laying the pavers this would have been avoided for everyone involved. Really, that is the only thing that went wrong in our construction. You do have to be patient with the guys laying the pavers though.... it's a LOT of work and takes a long time. That is one advantage of a poured deck or even the wooden ones in northern climates... they take a lot less time to do. Look into adding polymeric sand after a year or two to really lock in the pavers. I still having done mine but I will once it goes on sale in the winter here this year.
We picked the colors we did to match the browns that everything are by decree here in Southern Arizona (and mostly are that way in Phoenix too)... it's part of the desert "Xeroscaping" or natural look, supposedly... I guess... I get tired of everything here, including commercial buildings, looking almost exactly the same, though. The occasional pink or blue building is a refreshing sight IMHO here.
Since we are stuck with never changing the colors of the house at all, we made the pool match. We are glad we did. There are a lot of "cool deck" blue plaster pools here and they literally clash with the rest of the mandated stuff.
In Florida you have more options, really. Enjoy picking it all out... that is the the fun part of the build. It really is... that and jumping in for the first time.
You'll eventually find the pavers dropping into the sand base they tried the first time. That didn't cost us anything (but that made them lose money on our pool, honestly) but it added probably three weeks to the length of the construction. If I had been there the day they were laying the pavers this would have been avoided for everyone involved. Really, that is the only thing that went wrong in our construction. You do have to be patient with the guys laying the pavers though.... it's a LOT of work and takes a long time. That is one advantage of a poured deck or even the wooden ones in northern climates... they take a lot less time to do. Look into adding polymeric sand after a year or two to really lock in the pavers. I still having done mine but I will once it goes on sale in the winter here this year.
We picked the colors we did to match the browns that everything are by decree here in Southern Arizona (and mostly are that way in Phoenix too)... it's part of the desert "Xeroscaping" or natural look, supposedly... I guess... I get tired of everything here, including commercial buildings, looking almost exactly the same, though. The occasional pink or blue building is a refreshing sight IMHO here.
Since we are stuck with never changing the colors of the house at all, we made the pool match. We are glad we did. There are a lot of "cool deck" blue plaster pools here and they literally clash with the rest of the mandated stuff.
In Florida you have more options, really. Enjoy picking it all out... that is the the fun part of the build. It really is... that and jumping in for the first time.
@kimkats I was just looking at my sunshelf and its 6 feet. Is that too big for Adirondack chairs? I am wondering if I should make 4ft and then I can make the pool bigger since the swimming part is 26 feet. What do you think?
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I like your thinking! Here is what I want you to do..............make that sunshelf with rope or something to show you how big it will be at 6' and again at 4'. Put some chairs on the pretend shelf as well as laying out on the pretend shelf to see which size "fits" better and go from there.
Kim
Kim
Will do!! Thanks!I like your thinking! Here is what I want you to do..............make that sunshelf with rope or something to show you how big it will be at 6' and again at 4'. Put some chairs on the pretend shelf as well as laying out on the pretend shelf to see which size "fits" better and go from there.
Kim
Rattus Suffocatus
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I wish the small sunshelf we built was even smaller, honestly. They are a cost savings for the builder... so they push them..... You won't use it as much as you think especially if you are in an area that gets windy often....
@Rattus Suffocatus I was the one that asked for the sunshelf. Besides my dog that we don't know if she will actually want to swim, ever, it is more for me. I wear a tubeless insulin pump. They actually have done many commercials for the same pump but for chemo (Neulasta) so you may have seen on TV. It basically stays on for 3 days at a time and then you toss and replace. But when I am in the pool for a long time or even several hours the tape starts to peel which means the whole thing might need to be replaced prior to the 3 days and it is very expensive. With the sunshelf I can probably be partially in the water without fully emerged and be ok. I usually place on my thigh so that was my thought process for a sunshelf. I read many here do not use it and did feel it was not necessary. I am just not sure if I need all 6ft. I need to measure to figure that part out.
Rattus Suffocatus
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Well, that is up to you. We find ourselves sitting at the edge of the pool dangling our legs in more than using the shelf, but I suppose it's because we grew up that way. Ghetto by the side of the public pool, right?
The builders like to sell big sun shelves because there is less excavation needed for a pool of a certain surface area. So it seems like you are getting a bigger pool with less labor. Now there is no advantage to it for gunite use and plaster, obviously. I will be honest and my own feelings about it and me talking with all of my neighbors and their "new" pools in the "new "construction are we are in, never once did I hear "I wish I had a larger sun shelf". I have heard the opposite from almost every one of them.
The one thing I might have done differently with a "big" sun shelf is to set up the area better for a pergola over the shelf eventually (You can further sun shade a pergola with a "Cooleroo" or equivalent if needed). We have an umbrella holder in (for over)the shelf but we are lucky if we can use it one out out of every five times we go out because of the winds. It'd make it 5 minutes tops today, for example!
I do know that in Florida and Texas a lot of people actually build little buildings around the whole pool. (Like greenhouses, I don't know what they are called.) I suppose if you are doing that then what I said doesn't apply....
I'm quite familiar with the insulin as well, but I am not the sort that a pump would likely help, unfortunately. (I'm the fat kind, if you get my drift.) A pool and even a spa is good for circulation, and is good for us, contrary to years of the experts trying to prove otherwise! Be extra careful to test the deck temperature no matter what type you get before walking out on it barefoot on a sunny day. (Leave some sort of shoes or sandals close too) My suggestion of a hose bib by the entrance of the pool is probably extra good for us. It doesn't take a lot of hosing the deck off to cool it 40+F.... IF you do a spa, detached or otherwise, make sure it's under 105F or so with a good thermometer, too before hopping in.
The builders like to sell big sun shelves because there is less excavation needed for a pool of a certain surface area. So it seems like you are getting a bigger pool with less labor. Now there is no advantage to it for gunite use and plaster, obviously. I will be honest and my own feelings about it and me talking with all of my neighbors and their "new" pools in the "new "construction are we are in, never once did I hear "I wish I had a larger sun shelf". I have heard the opposite from almost every one of them.
The one thing I might have done differently with a "big" sun shelf is to set up the area better for a pergola over the shelf eventually (You can further sun shade a pergola with a "Cooleroo" or equivalent if needed). We have an umbrella holder in (for over)the shelf but we are lucky if we can use it one out out of every five times we go out because of the winds. It'd make it 5 minutes tops today, for example!
I do know that in Florida and Texas a lot of people actually build little buildings around the whole pool. (Like greenhouses, I don't know what they are called.) I suppose if you are doing that then what I said doesn't apply....
I'm quite familiar with the insulin as well, but I am not the sort that a pump would likely help, unfortunately. (I'm the fat kind, if you get my drift.) A pool and even a spa is good for circulation, and is good for us, contrary to years of the experts trying to prove otherwise! Be extra careful to test the deck temperature no matter what type you get before walking out on it barefoot on a sunny day. (Leave some sort of shoes or sandals close too) My suggestion of a hose bib by the entrance of the pool is probably extra good for us. It doesn't take a lot of hosing the deck off to cool it 40+F.... IF you do a spa, detached or otherwise, make sure it's under 105F or so with a good thermometer, too before hopping in.
Hi! So we went with the 3rd builder (Pentair). I asked about the manual valve and the builder explained that we would have to walk over and manually turn the bubbler and the sheer water decent on and off (we added one sheer). It is $295 each to make it automatic so we can control from our phone. He also said these things stay on all the time, it is rare to turn off. I am thinking 600.00 might be worth it but wanted to double check here that this is something to have them do or is this something I can add on my own later for a lot less? And is it true that they stay on all the time so not necessary to turn on and off? Thanks!C,
Just depends on what they mean by "manual" valve.. If they mean a ball valve then your automation will not be able to control it.. If they mean a Jandy valve without an actuator, then it would be manually controllable, but you could add an actuator and then control it via your phone. You almost never what any ball valves for anything..
Most likely this will be a 500 watt white incandescent 120 volt light... The pros are they last forever and are easy to change if the bulb ever goes bad.. The con is that it is white.
You could upgrade to color changing LED lights for a price.. The pros are that they look "cool".. The cons are they last about micro-second.. Ok maybe little longer, but they have poor reviews here just because they die after a few years.. Some sooner and some a little longer.. You have to ask yourself why you want a light.. Is it because want to swim at night, or is it because you want to impress your neighbors and friends. For me it was a pretty easy choice.. I never swim at night, don't care about impressing my neighbors, and have no friends..
Thanks,
Jim R.
@Rattus Suffocatus Funny you bring up the feet. I have been a juvenile diabetic for over 30 years and I went out to my back yard this weekend, I wanted to feel the pavement while all sunny. It felt hot to me, and if it feels hot to me I have to wonder what it would feel like to a non diabetic. I had my husband put his feet on it too, this is just a painted concrete sidewalk. It was not unbearable, but it was hot. We do have a hose right there thank goodness. But I plan to get the samples of pavers to make a final decision. Want to do a foot test on the pavers. Worse case we have to use slippers. Lucky it was an easy decision not to get a spa. Insulin is not supposed to be in hot water for more than 5 minutes so that removed the need for a spa for me .
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Rattus Suffocatus
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So.. you and I shouldn't rely on it just feeling hot, but you know that. I am Type 2 and have been for close to 30 years as well. I probably am 50% in my toes, but the rest of my feet are okay. Still if something were to get injured there, it would take longer to heal. So be careful with that. It's too bad with your situation with the insulin because therapeutic type hot tubs are good for circulation...
As for automation. If you really want it you can do it. (And you could probably add it yourself later too if need be.) It's probably the most expensive extra you can do to a pool, and depending on who you are it's either a big waste or you love it. I have my light automated but I did it myself for about $50 total (And Alexa usually takes two tries to get it right anyway!). The SWCG I decided to put on a timer instead. Walking over to the pad only sucks at night when you are cold getting out of the pool. I am glad we did less instead of more with the equipment, honestly.
As for automation. If you really want it you can do it. (And you could probably add it yourself later too if need be.) It's probably the most expensive extra you can do to a pool, and depending on who you are it's either a big waste or you love it. I have my light automated but I did it myself for about $50 total (And Alexa usually takes two tries to get it right anyway!). The SWCG I decided to put on a timer instead. Walking over to the pad only sucks at night when you are cold getting out of the pool. I am glad we did less instead of more with the equipment, honestly.