Hello! Brand new — Early planning stages

[BriBry521]

Hi, This is such a great group! We are in central Florida and bought one of the rare homes without a pool in our neighborhood. We love our home and don’t want to leave so we are in preliminary stages of planning. Our initial draft is out for its first quote. I am someone who likes to know everything there is to know to ensure I’m making the right choice (and not missing something I will learn about too late and spend the rest of my wishing I had chosen it instead). We have three young children — oldest is just about to enter school, youngest is a baby.

Here’s an overview:

-Trying to get at least 15x28 with a 6x10 sundeck on the north side of our home (running west to east). Is this small or average? I know it’s not big.

-Pool will be a saltwater custom gunite sports pool, with 42(?)” and 48” water levels at each end and no deeper than 5’ in the middle, with swim jets on the west end.

-Tanning deck on the north side will be 6x10. Is this too small? Thinking 9” of water but welcome feedback.

-Pool deck will butt up against existing patio slab that is 17’ x 24’ and will hopefully be tiled over to be consistent decking

-Having a hard time debating putting a pavilion over the existing patio or leave it open and caging it in along with the pool

Things current of concern:

-should we go with on builder to do it all or price our pool and cage separately?

-talk swim jets to me. How much are we talking? I WANT swim jets. It’s like top on my list. But I’m afraid it’s not common and of problems.

-steps and entry points: Not a fan of handles, ladders, etc. but need to be practical.

-underwater lights for aesthetics? Tips? Must dos/words of caution?

-want to heat it for longer use and are thinking solar but unsure about that.


That’s it for now. I welcome thoughts on everything!

 

[HermanTX]

Welcome to TFP

rying to get at least 15x28 with a 6x10 sundeck on the north side of our home (running west to east). Is this small or average? I know it’s not big.

This is just over 13,000 gals which is nice. You did not mention spa so assume it is just a pool with a sun deck. Pool size and depth directly impacts the budget and also need to consider your available area. Get the maximum pool to fit your area and budget.

Tanning deck on the north side will be 6x10. Is this too small? Thinking 9” of water but welcome feedback.

Since you have young children the 9" may be ideal. Depths range from 6 to 18 inches depending if you wish to have lounge chairs, or just have the kids play there Try to have a umbrella holder or have one that extends over the sun deck to keep the UV off of the kids.

Pool will be a saltwater custom gunite sports pool, with 42(?)” and 48” water levels at each end and no deeper than 5’ in the middle, with swim jets on the west end.

The absolute minimum depth should be 3.5ft (42 inches). I would consider going a little deeper to 5.5 ft or even 6ft. Need to plan for the future when those kids are jumping in the pool or playing pool games.

should we go with on builder to do it all or price our pool and cage separately?

That depends on your builder. Some are good at both while others can barely complete the pool. Do your research on each. If you do separate companies then you will need to become the project manager between the 2 companies. You only want to dig 1 trench to lay pipes or conduit, etc.

steps and entry points: Not a fan of handles, ladders, etc. but need to be practical.

It may be best to show a picture of your layout to get feedback on your specific points. If you plan to have grandparents or other elderly people then consider a handrail.

underwater lights for aesthetics? Tips? Must dos/words of caution?

Place your lights on the wall closest to the house or patio. That way they shine away from the sitting area.


Need to have your contractor list out the equipment such as variable speed pump, ask for a large cartridge filter, ensure your salt water chlorine generator (SWCG) is rated 2x your pool volume (i.e. around 30,000 gal), do you plan to have any automation to control schedules, lights, heat, etc.

I am sure others will chime in.

 

[BriBry521]

Welcome to TFP

This is just over 13,000 gals which is nice. You did not mention spa so assume it is just a pool with a sun deck. Pool size and depth directly impacts the budget and also need to consider your available area. Get the maximum pool to fit your area and budget.

@HermanTX thank you so very much.

No spa. Absolutely on maximum pool for area/budget—I’m constantly rethinking, but that’s why I’m here and very early in the process.

Since you have young children the 9" may be ideal. Depths range from 6 to 18 inches depending if you wish to have lounge chairs, or just have the kids play there Try to have a umbrella holder or have one that extends over the sun deck to keep the UV off of the kids.


The absolute minimum depth should be 3.5ft (42 inches). I would consider going a little deeper to 5.5 ft or even 6ft. Need to plan for the future when those kids are jumping in the pool or playing pool games.


That depends on your builder. Some are good at both while others can barely complete the pool. Do your research on each. If you do separate companies then you will need to become the project manager between the 2 companies. You only want to dig 1 trench to lay pipes or conduit, etc.


It may be best to show a picture of your layout to get feedback on your specific points. If you plan to have grandparents or other elderly people then consider a handrail.


Place your lights on the wall closest to the house or patio. That way they shine away from the sitting area.


Need to have your contractor list out the equipment such as variable speed pump, ask for a large cartridge filter, ensure your salt water chlorine generator (SWCG) is rated 2x your pool volume (i.e. around 30,000 gal), do you plan to have any automation to control schedules, lights, heat, etc.

I am sure others will chime in.

Any downsides to in-pool umbrella holders? What about bubblers? We’d want room for a lounge chair or two in the tanning deck area.

Thanks for feedback on minimum depth. Glad to know we aren’t crazy to question 42” and may go 48” on each end. Doubt we will go 6’, but will consider 5.5’.


Good lighting tips for us to remember. I’ll post a drawing when we get the latest rendering back.

We’d like automation but haven’t gotten that far. Any things to think about before we start discussing?

 

[HermanTX]

We’d like automation but haven’t gotten that far. Any things to think about before we start discussing?

If you have automation, then best to have same mfg that supplies your variable speed pump and saltwater chlorine generator (SWCG). The filter is dumb so that is not an issue and heaters are normally just on or off with the pump but some newer heaters are linking to automation for better controls. Jandy, Pentair and Hayward are the big 3 that supply all the equipment and have automation systems of varying options and capabilities. suggest you have an automation system that allows you to access via phone app as well as via PC to set schedules and control lights, pump, etc. When you get to that stage then post what the PB is proposing and get feedback from the forum. Since you are going with saltwater pool ensure it is rated 2x your pool volume (> 26,000 gals). So as a minimum, always ensure the mfg is the same for the automation system, VS pump and the SWCG as that provides the best interface and control.

Any downsides to in-pool umbrella holders? What about bubblers? We’d want room for a lounge chair or two in the tanning deck area.

Since you have young kids, need to keep the sun off of them. Just ensure the cap on the umbrella holder can be removed after then apply the plaster.
Bubblers are nice, some have lights with them as well. That is personal preference. Some have said they can be noisy but others enjoy the sound, especially if you have no other water feature.

 

[TampaKathy]

When you are researching PB's, ask what their draw schedule is...you don't want to be paying too far ahead. Also, ask if the price is fixed or if it can go up if their costs go up (that seems to be something that is getting added to contracts now). Also, ask if the PB's build the pool completely inhouse or do they sub stuff out. Probably most sub out but keep in mind, they have limited control over the timing of the subs and the build will take forever...they'll say they can do the build in 11 weeks but next thing you know, you're a year in and still not done (no, I'm not bitter ). If they do it all inhouse, it will probably be faster but also more expensive.

You don't need a ladder if you have steps.

 

[BriBry521]

When you are researching PB's, ask what their draw schedule is...you don't want to be paying too far ahead. Also, ask if the price is fixed or if it can go up if their costs go up (that seems to be something that is getting added to contracts now). Also, ask if the PB's build the pool completely inhouse or do they sub stuff out. Probably most sub out but keep in mind, they have limited control over the timing of the subs and the build will take forever...they'll say they can do the build in 11 weeks but next thing you know, you're a year in and still not done (no, I'm not bitter ). If they do it all inhouse, it will probably be faster but also more expensive.

You don't need a ladder if you have steps.

@TampaKathy thank you. Your handle sounds likes you’re nearby us. Were you a victim of that one company that was all over the news this last year? Thanks for the tips. I will make note of all of them. If you think if more, please share. And if you have rec’s for builders to look into or completely avoid, do let us know!

 

[BriBry521]

If you have automation, then best to have same mfg that supplies your variable speed pump and saltwater chlorine generator (SWCG). The filter is dumb so that is not an issue and heaters are normally just on or off with the pump but some newer heaters are linking to automation for better controls. Jandy, Pentair and Hayward are the big 3 that supply all the equipment and have automation systems of varying options and capabilities. suggest you have an automation system that allows you to access via phone app as well as via PC to set schedules and control lights, pump, etc. When you get to that stage then post what the PB is proposing and get feedback from the forum. Since you are going with saltwater pool ensure it is rated 2x your pool volume (> 26,000 gals). So as a minimum, always ensure the mfg is the same for the automation system, VS pump and the SWCG as that provides the best interface and control.


Since you have young kids, need to keep the sun off of them. Just ensure the cap on the umbrella holder can be removed after then apply the plaster.
Bubblers are nice, some have lights with them as well. That is personal preference. Some have said they can be noisy but others enjoy the sound, especially if you have no other water feature.

So help @HermanTX Thank you.

 

[TampaKathy]

@TampaKathy thank you. Your handle sounds likes you’re nearby us. Were you a victim of that one company that was all over the news this last year? Thanks for the tips. I will make note of all of them. If you think if more, please share. And if you have rec’s for builders to look into or completely avoid, do let us know!

No, thankfully I was not involved with them! That's what I remind myself when I get irritated!