Fresno Pool Project - Construction Starts 7/30 (photos / time lapse)

[RS220]

First time poster, so glad I found this forum.

We’re about to pull the trigger on our new pool, and I appreciate any advice or things we’re missing. I did a read through and used a lot of the advice found in other threads in the design such as it is.

Here’s the decisions we’ve made so far, PB is currently drawing it all up. Excuse the truly rudimentary drawing, it's all I have to work with at the moment. This is not to scale, just to give you an idea.


POOL BASICS:

• Shape: L shape with short L facing the house as an entry
• 12” deep *10 x 8 tanning ledge along short L
• Size: Approx 16 X 40 *36 (plus extra for tanning ledge)
• Shallow End: 3.5’ maybe 4’?
• Deep End: Probably 7’ *8' we won’t be diving but kids will be cannon balling
• Stamped Brushed concrete deck and patio
• Pebblefina finish in Bella Blue
• SWG – undecided on brand / model
• Leaning towards Cartridge filter but undecided
• Variable speed *Pentair pump, undecided which model

EXTRAS:

• Plumbing for future water slide along the back
• Two lights, one on each end of the long L
• Two *One bench / swim out on either side of the deep end
• Light at equipment pad
• Extra electrical for future portable spa mister system and just future growth in general
• Above ground stand alone spa on patio
• Two lighted bubblers on the tanning ledge (seems too dark without them?)
• Extra return on the tanning ledge to keep it cleaner

Please let me know if you spot something that would be troubling, which of the “extras” we should make must-haves vs. nice-to-haves, and any opinions or answers about the "undecided" section. Please also do include any suggestions! We don't want to spend a ton of money on this in terms of upscale finishes and the like, but we regularly entertain 12+ people and hordes of children and this pool will see lots of use. We need it to stand the test of time and be very functional.

We live in Fresno, California, right smack dab in the middle of the state. Long hot summers, dry climate, not sure what else you may need to know. We have solar already, more power than we can use so that should be good. Backyard is huge, so size is not an issue. Picture is of our lot from Google Earth, pool is going to start approximately where the old above ground pool was (that was 16’ diameter if memory serves)

 

[RS220]

Additional pictures of what we're starting with.

View from the back doors towards the yard, and view from approximately where the far edge of the water will be looking back to the house.

 

[kimkats]

You are doing my FAVORITE shape of pool!! I LOVE an L shaped pool as it is the best of both worlds. The shallow "foot" for watermelon ball and such play then the deeper "leg" for swimming down to the bottom for toys and such.

I would go 4' to help with the transition from the shallow to the deep. Maybe even 4.5' if the leg is shorter. Talk to your PB about the slope of each one.

Umbrella sleeve-I think a good cantilever umbrella is better as it can be moved as wanted/needed. The sun is always moving so your shade needs change hour to hour and season to season.

SWG-the salt turns into chlorine so it is not "salt" like the ocean. It will NOT be a problem with any part of the pool or area.

That is the extent of what I can talk about. I will leave others to pick up on the other stuff.

Kim

 

[RS220]

So over the holiday weekend I discovered SketchUp and was able to bring my vision to life. I was super pleased to find that our existing Ikea furniture was already in the 3D Warehouse ready to just plop down. The posts would support the (as yet to be built) patio cover, but having it there got in the way of my planning so I deleted it.

After much discussion with the hubby, we're opting out of the umbrella sleeve and bubblers. We're going to end up needing that money for palm tree removal, and the more I thought through it the more I realized I want the surface of that ledge to be completely smooth. I don't want little fingers or feet getting injured or pinched. We also changed to just one long deep end swim out/bench near the house, and an inset shape in the far corner to help accommodate the (future) slide. The PB is recommending we drop from 40 feet to 36 feet in length to keep costs down, and turn the tanning ledge so it is 10 X 8 instead of 8 X 10. I changed the tanning ledge in this picture, but have yet to shorten the entire length of the pool.

Looking at it this way...it's a LOT more concrete than we initially thought it would be, but I'm not sure what else to do with the weird angles our lot and house positioning give us. If the pool ran parallel to the house we would have a weird extra wedge along the back fence. We're toying with the idea of plopping the spa where the current firepit is, but still undecided there.

 

[kimkats]

I would not move the spa to there. It will block the sight view of the pool from the house. I like what you have done! I would leave it like you did it.

Kim

 

[SukiMonster]

Great design!
Who is the builder?

Mod note: Please take any naming of builder to PM. Thank you

 

[RS220]

Equipment started arriving today, Project Backyard Oasis officially starts tomorrow! I'm really excited!




I've got an old phone with a time lapse app loaded on a tripod in the upstairs window so should be able to post dailies. If all goes well, we could have a Labor Day party!

 

[kimkats]

Are they there???? It is TOMORROW!!!!!!

 

[RS220]

Day 1 is done! No real digging as there was more grading work than expected. They took down the yard 4 - 6 inches and now have a nice level surface to start with tomorrow. It was impressive to watch the guy in the bobcat, he really knows how to maneuver that thing around.

Tomorrow they plan to dig down a few feet and get the steps, ledge, and bench all carved out, maybe the deeper stuff if there's time.

Also signed a contract today for the patio cover, $9250 which is more than I wanted to pay but probably the right decision in the long run. Including price to help other people comparison shop. I always appreciate seeing other people's quotes. Details below.

• Insulated aluminum (strong enough to mount additional solar panels on later)
• 26' x 14' (runs the length of the second story)
• Mounted at 8' (though I'm wondering if it should be 9' or even 10' - thoughts?)
• 4 support pillars - each with an outward facing light and inward facing extra outlet
• 3 ceiling fans on a switch
• Extra outlet near the top for string lights and a future projector (switch controls the string light plug)
• Extra outlet along the exterior wall of the house
• Rain gutters
• We provide ceiling fans and light fixtures

Time Lapse - Day 1

Day 1 Progress Picture

 

[kimkats]

LET the MUD begin!!! I love to watch a person that can handle big toys like that!!!

Kim

 

[bmoreswim]

Just a few comments. The higher the patio cover is the less shade it will provide directly under the cover. Get the scale right to the house. I'd go 8 or 9' at most. For visual reference, our pavilion is 7' 10" to the bottom of the beams as seen below. I'm quite happy with the height. But the inside may seem higher since the one gable end is open. I'm quite happy with ours. Only other comment is about how much I love the deeper section of our deep end bench. I use it all the time for hanging out while chatting, playing catch, etc. It is 36" deep. Ideally I might have preferred 40" deep. We have them in both corners. They can be done with no dirt left in place, just extra gunite.

2016-06-25 13.04.25.jpg

• bmoreswim
• Mar 7, 2019

 

[RS220]

Excellent insight about the bench - thank you! I'll have them add one in the corner where the slide is. The big shelf is 12" of water, the deep end swim out bench is 18"of water, I'll make the new bench 24", so then there's underwater seating for all heights. Not sure what those measurements translate to from the deck, I think it's 6" of deck and waterline tile or thereabouts. Higher than that and most people I know will be underwater.

I'll probably go 9' on the cover. With the ceiling fans I still want it to feel roomy underneath, and with the hope of potentially using that wall as a projector screen for outdoor movies I want to have plenty of room.

 

[RS220]

Day 2 is complete! The form is done, and it's really starting to take shape. They dug down to ~27" and anticipate maybe 1, possibly 2 more days of digging.

I'll admit it looks larger than I realized, but I'm pleased overall. The scale fits nicely with the yard, and I don't think many people ever wished they had less space in their pool.

Day 2 Time Lapse:

Day 2 Progress Picture:

 

[kimkats]

Nice clean dig so far! Here is hoping for NO rain!!

Kim

 

[Oly]

Rain? Usually the first significant rain here happens in October during the fair. Should be swimming by then.

 

[RS220]

Rain is definitely not a problem, I had to laugh to myself a little at even the thought.

Day 3 went well, they dug everything down to 52". They're anticipating hitting hardpan starting around 5', and then the process slows down as they have to break out the jackhammer. Not sure if hard pan is a regional issue or everyone deals with it.

The dogs are having a blast in the giant new dirt pit they think we dug for them. We have one who likes to play in dirt, and she's just having the time of her life with all the loose soil on the ramp out of the pit. She doesn't dig with a purpose, more of like how a toddler plays in a ball pit.

Day 3 Time Lapse:

Day 3 Progress Picture:

 

[Oly]

Ah hard pan. Have you been to Underground Gardens?

https://www.undergroundgardens.com/

Mr Forestiere had his life shaped by hardpan.
A Fresno gem and a CA Historical Site.

 

[RS220]

Ah hard pan. Have you been to Underground Gardens?

https://www.undergroundgardens.com/

Mr Forestiere had his life shaped by hardpan.
A Fresno gem and a CA Historical Site.

I'm Fresno born and raised so it comes with the territory. Several school field trips, but I appreciated it a lot more visiting as an adult. We've even got a friend who started working there this year. For some reason I always thought the hardpan was a valley specific thing, like tri-tip and bierocks.

 

[SukiMonster]

It’s looking great so far!! I just had gunite done last Monday and waiting on tile to get here on Monday or Wednesday.
It’s so hot here in Fresno we were watering our gunite 3-4 times a day. We eventually bought a sprinkler/tripod from HomeDepot and centered it in the pool to get even coverage.

 

[RS220]

Day 4 - Deep end is done, and they removed the sad little inadequate patio that came with the house. We should be a go for plumbing next week and done with excavation until they come back to pour all the concrete.

It’s so hot here in Fresno we were watering our gunite 3-4 times a day. We eventually bought a sprinkler/tripod from HomeDepot and centered it in the pool to get even coverage.

That's a great idea - thanks for the tip! It's still going to be plenty hot when we get to that stage. The hubby has a rig of PVC pipe with a few sprinkler heads, we can hopefully use that.


Day 4 Time Lapse:

Day 4 Progress Picture: