Need Advice on Structural Foundation for Our New Pool

[markdpratt]

Hello TFP,

This is my first posting since finding this forum over a month ago. I have learned so much from this site in the last few weeks and learn more everyday. It’s refreshing to find a site with experienced members willing to give you their advice and suggestions based on their extensive real world experience.

Let me apologize in advance. I am a retired engineer and love to research things extensively - my wife call me an “enginerd”!

A little background. My wife and I are retired from the oil industry and moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana last summer (just in time for both hurricanes!) to be closer to family. We are in the process of building our retirement home. We plan on incorporating a pool into our back patio.

Our new home lot is located beside a small lake and, due to concerns about soil stability, we had a geotech soil survey performed and had a structural engineer design the house slab and it was poured per the engineer’s recommendation as a post-tension slab.

The house construction is advancing and we are now working with a local recommended pool builder on planning the pool and rear patio foundation and details (the lot slopes down to the lake from the back of our house). The lake is not shown in the attached 3-D renderings. We are wanting to keep the rear patio/pool at the same elevation as the rear of the house. The PB and I both decided it was wise, due to the partially elevated pool and rear retaining wall height, to have that rear patio/pool designed by a structural engineer using that original geotech survey and we have just received his engineered foundation design.

We, of course, will follow the structural engineer’s foundation recommendations but wanted to ask you who have had pools built in challenging soil locations for your learnings and advice as to foundations and retaining walls.

Once we have the foundation designed, I will come back to you with our recommended pool design and equipment details for your comments and suggestions.

Thanks,

Mark

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mark,

I can't help with your question, but I like the idea of having an engineer look at the rear wall structural design..

While pretty, I would do coping on the top of the wall rather than the glass tile.. I am not much of a fan of small glass tile, as it has too many grout lines for me.

Keep in mind that you will need to be able to get a brush and/or net along the back wall.. I would want to be able to walk around the entire edge of the pool.

How do you plan to chlorinate your pool??

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[markdpratt]

Jim,

Good point on recommending coping on that back wall and being able to access it for brushing. Would you also be concerned if we used a larger ceramic tile instead of the small glass tile? Any issues on walking on that ceramic tile for brushing and netting?

We plan on using Pentair’s IntelliChlor Salt Chlorine Generator for chlorine generation. My wife wants travertine coping - see any issues with that? I plan on coming back in the future with a proposed detailed equipment list for comments.

Thanks,

Mark

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mark,

I love my saltwater pool and suspect you will also..

I just find the missing coping on the back wall odd.. I suspect you are trying to have a pseudo infinity edge...

For me, the less grout lines the better... That said, you should get some feedback from others here and then decide what makes the most sense for you.. Just because I don't like something, does not make me right..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[hosseisemi]

I’m in the process of doing something similar and just got the engineered plans stamped. The pool builder elected to put on piers prior to engineering review. Biggest change was to move from #3 rebar to #4 and increase gunnite from 8” thickness to 12”. In all, it was about a $3500 upgrade which to me is piece of mind. Good luck. I’ll be following and will offer advice as my is scheduled for dig next week.

 

[markdpratt]

I’m in the process of doing something similar and just got the engineered plans stamped. The pool builder elected to put on piers prior to engineering review. Biggest change was to move from #3 rebar to #4 and increase gunnite from 8” thickness to 12”. In all, it was about a $3500 upgrade which to me is piece of mind. Good luck. I’ll be following and will offer advice as my is scheduled for dig next week.

Hosseisemi.

Yes, our structural engineer is recommending similar as to the foundation. Are you on Lake Conroe?

One other item that has been recommended to me with our retaining wall, raised planting bed, and any wall with soil behind it - in addition to the French drain at the base of the wall, is to waterproof the backside of the wall to minimize efflorescence.

I look forward to your your advice and learnings as your build advances.

Mark