Having a pool built and need advice

[Newdude]

I'm trying to prepare for any easy-to-overlook expenses from now until I jump into the pool for the first time

Check to see if you have tier rates for gallons used. If the pool puts you into the next bracket, (or 2) all water used after it will also be more. If your water cycle is on 3 months like many, that can equate to a bunch depending on the timing

*dang it Marty beat me. Lol.

The online calculators usually miss this. My Heat Pump didn’t cost as much as it did by itself. But once we were already in the higher bracket with the ACs running, it cost a small fortune.

 

[voidpointer]

I don't get the Dec/Jan/Feb thing. I don't know what a "wastewater average" is. But maybe I'm over thinking this. I was off a little on the price, so looks like a more reasonable expectation would be $130

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I don't get the Dec/Jan/Feb thing. I don't know what a "wastewater average" is. But maybe I'm over thinking this. I was off a little on the price, so looks like a more reasonable expectation would be $130

Many municipalities use an “average value” to calculate how much water you discharge into your city sewer system. No home measures outflow of water (waste) only inflow (use). So if your city charges for waste water recovery they have to know how much waste you discharge. They assume that if you are using XX gallons of water each month then you’ll be discharging a large fraction of that into your sewer line. In order to be fair to you, municipal suppliers look at your lowest use water months (typically winter months of Dec-Feb) and then calculate the sewer charge based on that use and use it for the entire year. So, in order to keep your sewer portion of the bill as low as possible, you want to minimize the amount of water used during the winter. So no draining or refilling during those months.

Some municipalities just apply a flat charge to homeowners for sewer use. In that case, the above description does not apply. Typically you find these types of tiered charges and calculated sewer rates in western states because State governments have to report water usage to the federal BLM in order to get water allotments from river sources like the Colorado River.

 

[convan23]

So no draining or refilling during those months.

For the municipalities that bill this way, you might be able to call them and let them know you were filling a pool and they will credit you or take that into account for their rate calculation. At least that's what a pool builder that builds a lot up here in North East Dallas suburbs told me (I'm on septic so no wastewater charges)

 

[JoyfulNoise]

For the municipalities that bill this way, you might be able to call them and let them know you were filling a pool and they will credit you or take that into account for their rate calculation. At least that's what a pool builder that builds a lot up here in North East Dallas suburbs told me (I'm on septic so no wastewater charges)

City of Tucson water only gives you a “pool credit” on the first fill after the build is complete and you have to send them proof of build (usually the PB does this as a courtesy). After that, there are no credits and the only exception is for water leaks where you have to show proof of the fix. And even then, you only get to use the water leak credit once every 3 years. With annual irrigation leaks that cost hundred of dollars in excess water usage, it’s not terribly helpful. That is why I have shutdown my irrigation system and let everything that isn’t native and drought tolerant die. I got tired of paying the City of Tucson hundreds of extra dollars every month.

 

[convan23]

With annual irrigation leaks that cost hundred of dollars in excess water usage

Dang ... have you considered adding a master valve so your entire irrigation system isn't under pressure 24/7? That should help with $$ due to leaks (and totally off-subject of this forum). I had a secondary master valve installed (I have two independent irrigation systems) and the work was less then $100....

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Dang ... have you considered adding a master valve so your entire irrigation system isn't under pressure 24/7? That should help with $$ due to leaks (and totally off-subject of this forum). I had a secondary master valve installed (I have two independent irrigation systems) and the work was less then $100....

A good idea but I still wouldn’t do irrigation here. It’s too costly. If I do install a new system (we’re getting quotes to remodel our front yard) then I would only install a very simple system with buried sch40 PVC and risers to avoid using the garbage black poly tubing that all the landscapers around here love using. That and a WiFi controller with a flow sensor to shutoff the system when an excess flow is detected. But until then, everything DIES

 

[voidpointer]

So here is the new equipment list from the PB. I checked it over and seems to have all the changes you all suggested. If you see anything wrong let me know. Again thank you SO much for the help. You all have really made the difference between this processing being enjoyable instead of frustrating.

TLD-10-2133_____ 1 EA
VSSHP270DV2A 2.7HP 115/230VAC EPUMP VS PUMP W/ 2 AUX RELAYS

TLD-10-2010 1 EA
SHPM1.0 1HP 115/230V UR STEALTH SERIES PUMP

TLD-05-118 1 EA
CV580 580SQF CV SERIES CARTRIDGE FILTER

LAR-15-500 1 EA
JXI400N 400K BTU NG IID LOW NOX HEATER

JDY-85-8041_____ 1 EA
PSB220 2HP 240V SPA AIR BLOWER

JDY-30-1412 1 EA
6614AP-L PURELINK LOAD CENTER W/ XFMR

JDY-45-1405 1 EA
PLC1400 40K GAL PURELINK SCG CELL KIT

JDY-30-9209 1 EA
IQ30-RS IAQUALINK 3.0 UPGRADE KIT W/ RS-PS8 PCB

JDY-30-1705_____ 1 EA
RS-PS6 AQUALINK RS6 POOL & SPA CONTROL SYSTEM

JDY-30-0706 4 EA
JLU4C12W100 12W 12V 100' RGBW NICHELESS LED LIGHT

SPG-251-1183 4 EA 4
25575-509-000 1.5"FPTxS CLEAR WATER STOP ADAPTER FITTING

INT-30-749 1 EA 1
PX100 100W TRANSFORMER

POL-20-483______ 1 EA
F4TR QUATTRO SPORT IG PRESSURE SIDE POOL CLEANER

POL-20-506 1 EA
PB4-60 .75HP 115/230V BOOSTER PUMP

SDI-25-0004 1 EA
WF420 CLEAR WATER LEVEL SYSTEM W/10" POUR-A-LID

PS200 BRUSH 1 EA

PSL-40-4096_____ 1 EA
PS132S 8'-16' DELUXE SERIES RIBBED OUTER LOCK TELEPOLE

PSL-40-0651 1 EA
PS871 SUPREME SERIES LEAF SKIMMER W/ TUBE FRAME

AQC-47-800 1 EA
541604APP 6/CS 50CT SELECT 7-WAY TEST STRIP KIT

CTM-27-0624 2 EA
25577-230-000 2'x6" LIP WHITE NATURAL WONDERS WATERFALL

SPG-25-0217_____ 6 EA
25552-104-000 1.5"MPT 3/8" EYE BLACK EYEBALL FITTING

SPG-25-0234 8 EA
25552-404-000 1.5"MPT 1" EYE BLACK EYEBALL FITTING

SDI-25-3403 15 EA 15
DC401C 12/CS 4" ROUND CLEAR POUR-A-DRAIN DECK DRAIN

WWP-90-1003 4 EA
540-6709-BEI BEIGE VOLLEYBALL POLE HOLDER ASSY

 

[ajw22]

JDY-30-1705_____ 1 EA
RS-PS6 AQUALINK RS6 POOL & SPA CONTROL SYSTEM

I would get the 8 rather then the 6. Having extra relays gives you future flexibility. It should not be a big cost difference.

 

[voidpointer]

I made the request to them for the 8.

Thanks again everyone. My excavation starts on the 16th. Looking forward to seeing this pool get started. The superintendent sounded hesitant when I asked for a timeline (understandable, everything is crazy right now). But I just wanted a rough idea. He said a general rule of thumb is $1000 a day. So for a $130k pool, that'd be 130 days to complete it. But he said he's going to aim for 100 days.

Could be 2 years like another commenter suggested here, but I really am hopeful it'll be done by summer. In the meantime, I need to learn as much about pool maintenance as I can so I'm prepared when it's done. I don't want to be clueless last minute.

Should I just tackle Pool School from top to bottom?

 

[ajw22]

But I just wanted a rough idea. He said a general rule of thumb is $1000 a day. So for a $130k pool, that'd be 130 days to complete it. But he said he's going to aim for 100 days.

Could be 2 years like another commenter suggested here, but I really am hopeful it'll be done by summer. In the meantime, I need to learn as much about pool maintenance as I can so I'm prepared when it's done. I don't want to be clueless last minute.

That $1,000/day makes no sense and is coming out of his rear orifice.

In normal times a builder can knock out a pool in 2 to 3 months. The builder had to keep the build moving with getting one trade to follow right after another. In normal times the PB does the project management and scheduling. Now they just blame it on COVID and have big gaps when nothing is done.

The dig is a few days, follow by rebar which is 2 days, followed by a few days of plumbing and electrical to get the hole ready for gunite. Gunite takes a day. Then let the gunite cure for 1 to 2 weeks. Then tiling and coping depend how complex your design is. Plastering is 2 - 3 days. While tiling and coping is being done the equipment is installed. Then final pluming and electrical hookups and add water after plaster. You add it up. All the rest is wasted time waiting for contractors to show up.

Should I just tackle Pool School from top to bottom?

You will forget half of what you read by the time your pool is in.

Read forum threads and what interests you in Pool School. Start with the links here...

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[voidpointer]

Dig started!

 

[voidpointer]

Ok so there's a pretty major issue right now. When the PB did the original design, they did not account for a retaining wall needed along the fence. See the picture below. There's a wall of dirt that's going to wash away and cause damage to my neighbor's yard if there is no retaining wall installed. I figured ok, mistakes happen, just tell me how much it is going to cost. He came back today with a quote for $11,500 which is just insane to me. Wife went off the rails and got mad at the superintendent.

In my opinion, this is a big oversight by the pool builder. I don't expect stuff for free, and I'm happy to pay for the additional work and materials, but for nearly a year I planned financially for the contract price of the pool. I can't just write a 5 figure check. What should I be doing to work through this issue with the PB? In what way should they take responsibility for this oversight?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I’m not at all shocked at that price as block walls are expensive and “retaining” walls have a very specific meaning - they must be engineered with a proper footer in order to hold back, or “retain”, the ground that is behind them. At least around here there is a distinction between a landscape block wall and a structural retaining wall.

You might tell the PB to hold off on anything until they are done and start getting quotes on your own. Then you can be more sure of the actual price.

Why did the PB dig so much of that ground out? That fence line appears to be level with the pool’s coping. Were you trying to create a wall there??

Typically speaking, there are usually setbacks from the property lines required in a design. Your pool seems to be far enough from the property line but all that digging is not. So, no matter what, you have to fix what was taken away.

Not sure how you can get the PB to eat much of the cost though if the design called for that much over digging.

 

[ajw22]

Did you discuss with the PB how the retaining wall will be built? Concrete? Structural blocks? Does ne need to dig down a foundation for the wall?

How long will the wall be?

I would expect the PB to do the wall at his cost - materials plus labor but no profit.

Get some other quotes and ideas how the wall can be built. You don't need to use the PB to build the wall and what you learn will let you have a more knowledgeable discussion with the PB.

 

[voidpointer]

There's a steady slope from the back patio to the back of the fence. They knew about it from day 1 when the design was done. That's part of what makes this frustrating. I don't really know what the original plan was in terms of dig depth. I expect the PB to work out those details.

The plan for the spot between the back of the pool and the fence was some landscaping. I think they're going to fill it back up to a certain point, but it shouldn't be that deep when it is done. That's my understanding at least.

 

[voidpointer]

Superintendent said it's about 80ft of wall. Going from 6" at the lowest point to 24" or so at the highest. It'll tapper out at the edges, because you can see the wall doesn't need to be as high up at the ends. So it will sort of have a moon shape is the best way I can describe it.

The materials will be the same as what is used to build the high retaining wall behind the pool itself.

 

[voidpointer]

Downside to letting another company do it is they probably won't be able to match the pool materials. I'm not sure if they need to match, but just sharing that thought.

 

[ajw22]

80 feet is a long wall. The wall needs to be anchored into the ground so that the pressure of the soil does not push the wall over.

Let's see if @jimmythegreek knows what ballpark such a wall would be in.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Only one data point but -

How Much Does It Cost to Build a Retaining Wall?

Retaining walls are a force against gravity and erosion. Here's how much it'll cost to build one on your property.

www.homeserve.com

$3k to $8k range depending on materials and type of wall.