IG Pool Completed ✔️ Build Thread 📸 FINAL THOUGHT

[Riddler0520]

Love this forum
It helps with the unknown and anxiety of being a first time pool owner

I’ve posted numerous questions under different threads but figured I would start a build thread and add to it over the next few months as we progress.

Thanks to everyone for providing thoughts and input around my many questions along the way

Initial pool design and layout plus waterline tile, flagstone coping, fieldstone for wall veneer and Ivory travertine

We do have a 5ft elevation change in backyard which is where we are putting the spa

 

[Riddler0520]

Dig Day

Only issue which we expected was we hit the water table

PB over-dug by 2-3 ft and we had to bring in a lot of gravel (few truck loads) to build up a thick solid base and help with water

 

[Riddler0520]

Framing and Rebar in
Measurements seemed right - hard to tell with waterline and measure depth but think it is good

First regret - we needed to add a 7th spa jet due to oversized spa - hoping it won’t be to bad once finished and water is in it

 

[Riddler0520]

6 week delay due to weather, Covid and Demand for Gunite shoot
Lots of stress and a few small cave ins

It took just over 70 yards of Gunite (7 trucks)
About a 12 hour day start to finish

The pool ended up filling up about 2/3 with rain and water coming in from a hole they made in deep end - that okay spraying down walls through curing process
It’s been about 1.5 weeks since the shoot

I don’t see any hairline cracks yet but not sure when those begin to emerge as it take 30 days to cure fully

 

[Riddler0520]

Form boards removed

Few issues such as the back of the Spa has exposed flex plumbing but PB said no issue as it will be covered in stone - others on this forum seemed to agree

Since the pool is lifted/elevated out of the ground about 18” around the front I did point out to PB that and exterior surface isn’t exactly straight up/down - like how they form and carve the interior shell

PB said they will level the surface for stone work and not to be worried - seems to me they should have formed the back of the wall like interior seeing it will be above grade but that’s an uneducated opinion
He said it was just the form boards shifting during Gunite pressure/shoot

First picture is an example of that - you can see a slight tilt on the exterior surface from top to bottom even though interior is perfectly level

Stonework will be placed on it

 

[Riddler0520]

Waterline tile completed

Up next up is delivery of stone Monday and to begin that work - there is ALOT of stone veneering to be done around the interior wall, outside facade of pool wall and separate retaining wall - both sides

Think he mentioned electrician and plumber soon as well

Update: we have a lot of drainage to install around perimeter - I did confirm we are backfilling with gravel

I might have a drainage company come out just to give another opinion and validate our approach seeing this is an important step in the build

 

[Riddler0520]

Drainage installed and I believe 16 ton of gravel backfill around perimeter with some clean dirt on top

Will likely put a nice earth tone pebble rock around perimeter a few feet to create a barrier to grass (any suggestions???)

Masons have been here all week and making good progress and think they are doing a great job

We have LOTS of stonework; they started Flagstone coping today and once all is finished will post more pics

Think they have a few days left if I were to guess then it is plumbing and equipment next

Going to have them install some low voltage soft lighting on stair steps and retaining wall for light illumination at night

Not sure how much longer we have ..... maybe 4-6 wks

Pool color undecided still - was thinking Pebblesheen Ocean Blue but that might a tad to dark as our yard is 1/2 shaded ..... 1/2 sun
We want that lagoon look
Any thoughts ????

 

[Riddler0520]

Drainage installed and I believe 16 ton of gravel backfill around perimeter with some clean dirt on top

Will likely put a nice earth tone pebble rock around perimeter a few feet to create a barrier to grass (any suggestions???)

Masons have been here all week and making good progress and think they are doing a great job

We have LOTS of stonework; they started Flagstone coping today and once all is finished will post more pics

Think they have a few days left if I were to guess then it is plumbing and equipment next

Going to have them install some low voltage soft lighting on stair steps and retaining wall for light illumination at night

Not sure how much longer we have ..... maybe 4-6 wks

Pool color undecided still - was thinking Pebblesheen Ocean Blue but that might a tad to dark as our yard is 1/2 shaded ..... 1/2 sun
We want that lagoon look
Any thoughts ????

Also,
I want to soften this sharp edge of the wall drop to coping
I am “thinking” of having him put a small Boulder there in-between skimmer and wall to soften up the edge

Any other suggestion to soften of the angle/edge of where the wall stops ????

 

[mknauss]

Looks beautiful. I would expect you will get lots of efflorescence with the walls having soil or pool water on one side and stone on the other. Did they apply a sealant to the concrete prior to installing the stone facade?

 

[ald2002]

We are neighbors! Good luck with the rest of your build. Your pool and spa will be beautiful.

 

[Riddler0520]

Equipment delivered today - any thoughts or changes prior to install ?

the water feature pump will control 2 bubblers, 24” sheer decent and spa spillover (4ft)
Is this the right pump for the job ?

Plumbing strarts today

 

[Whiskeyfox]

Get a quote for the ocean blue before you fall in love....it was $3700 over the lower pebble sheen colors like blue granite for me.

 

[Riddler0520]

Get a quote for the ocean blue before you fall in love....it was $3700 over the lower pebble sheen colors like blue granite for me.

I did
It was a tier 3 and upgrade charge
Need to see it in person or maybe Granite/Prism
And yard is part shade/part sun so I think medium will be darker, and dark darker for majority of the day which is a factor

 

[Riddler0520]

Plumbing underway
Anything unusual that I should ask about ??

 

[Riddler0520]

Plumbing underway
Anything unusual that I should ask about ??

@Dirk @kimkats
Copying in some expert users for insights, some reason can’t drive much feedback on this thread

 

[Newdude]

some reason can’t drive much feedback on this thread

Sorry Riddler, its feast or famine here like anything else. When you need *your* project critiqued, well, of course everyone is busy this week and its just you and the crickets chirping. All those other ones you've seen had people stepping over each other to help. Its just luck of the draw with the timing and definitely not personal, I promise. The pipes look good to me if it helps any. A few of them don't go anywhere, but I'm sure they have fixed that by now.

 

[Sparks22]

Equipment delivered today - any thoughts or changes prior to install ?

the water feature pump will control 2 bubblers, 24” sheer decent and spa spillover (4ft)
Is this the right pump for the job ?

Plumbing strarts today

How far from the equipment pad to each of the features?
What size pipe was run to each of them?
How deep is your tanning deck and how high do you want the bubblers to go?
What is the elevation change between the pump and each of the features (in feet)?

 

[kimkats]

Well lookie here! What an AWSOME pool and yard! I am not sure how I missed this wonderful build!! Well I am here now and am glad to say you are doing just fine! It all looks awesome!

The plumbing looks great to me. I love all of the great valves!

I do have to ask if that window by the equipment opens? What room in behind that window?

Now is the time I give you your own set of links! Better late than never!

Plaster links:
Ten Guidelines for Quality Pool Plaster Best one of all
All Plaster Finishes Should Last 20 Years
Not All Color Pigments are Good for Pools How to pick a good color for plaster.
A Plastering 'Watch List' | Professional Watershaping | Watershapes
Trouble Free Pool
Trouble Free Pool

Pool care links:
Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Trouble Free Pool
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry


I love, love, love all of you stone work! SO pretty and well done!

Kim

 

[Riddler0520]

Change Order Advice

have an question - not sure how to validate

we had lots of stonework done to pool, spa and retaining wall - see pics above

we made some onsite real time changes such as stoning all the stairs leading up to the spa vs partial (w/planter bed) and I think the back pool wall was a bit higher than plan

so here is my question :
Construction Forman says “we need more fieldstone than what was priced in the bid since we added more area to cover, we will work up how much and you can pay mason directly vs going thru PB main office and saves you money”

I know we used more material BuT...
- original contract doesn’t give sq ft just says “stone vaneer all walls”, we had probably a few pallets delivered initially just of fieldstone and then same with Flagstone

- he says we used about 250sq ft more material .... I’m not sure that equals the width of the stairs

so he throws out a number of $xxxx, how do I even know that’s in the right ballpark

it was all happening fast when the masons were here for 4 days and not sure I handled it right initially, and he could have said the same number then and I would be stuck just the same

so 250 sq ft of fieldstone installed would be about how much material ?
I/2 a pallet, full pallet etc ... I know what was delivered

not suggesting I don’t owe him some $, just have no way of knowing what is realistic vs taken advantage of

heck, for all I know they got main office to deliver more fieldstone just as part of the job and this is pocket money for them

any advice ???

 

[mguzzy]

Nice Pool design.. I really like free form pools, and free form spas are rare.. they are usually just round. I cant believe I missed your thread as well.

It should be easy to call a materials yard, one that sells that type of stone and ask them how much 250 sqft of stone in that type is.. So is he charging you more for the extra masonry work as well? They must have a rough per sqft rate, that doesn't include setup time.

Also I would have spaced the equipment pad out from the house wall more. Give your self more room to work back there in case you need to service something... AND as Kimkats implied.. less noise for whatever is on the other side of that window.