New Build in Central Texas - Patio Build Out

[Stoopalini]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the input and info

So I got the auto fill plumbing all installed, and ready for the crew to tap into the 1/2" line for the Paralevel. I decided to put a spigot on the side of the back flow preventer ... I figured it would be convenient to have a soft water source at the equipment pad for filter cleaning, general spray down, etc ...



I have a 14"w x 19"l x 12"h irrigation box being delivered today. It'll go over the cutoff, PRV, and shark bite connections .... then I'll back fill dirt around the irrigation box leaving the PVC coming up out of the ground. I also need to get some pipe insulation for the exposed PVC, and I'l get one of these pressure vacuum breaker insulating bags for freeze protection in the winter.



I haven't heard from the builder today, so I'm guessing the crew won't be out until tomorrow (he did say Wed or Thu when I spoke to him).

 

[Stoopalini]

So I finally got the water softener loop fixed, and also now have my TF100 test kit .. so I ran some tests against our coop water, and also against the water after it goes through our treatment system.

Untreated coop water:

• pH = 7.3
• FC = 1.5
• CC = 0.5
• CH = 300

Treated Water:

• pH = 7.3
• FC = 0
• CC = 0
• CH = 0
• TA = 160

I also used our API fish tank test kit to run a GH (general Hardness) test on the untreated water, and it read around 260ppm.

I ran the GH test to try and determine if my coop water had any other hardness besides calcium in it (metals, etc ...). With a TF100 CH result of 300, and the API GH result of 260, it appears my coop water really only has calcium in it for hardness.

So I'm thinking for the initial fill, I use two hoses ... one from a hard spigot and one from a soft spigot. Assuming equal flow rates, I should end up with a CH around 150 after the fill. Then after the initial fill, the level will be maintained with the Paralevel connected to a soft water source, so I would need to add calcium to bring it up to target.

I also have decided we will switch over to a Pentair IC40 after a few months, but during the plaster curing phase, I was planning to use tabs.

Does this sound like a good plan? Or should I use just the hard water for the entire fill, considering the TFP CH target range is 350 -550? I was just concerned the hard water would have other hardness in it other than calcium.

 

[Stoopalini]

The steel was finally done today .... They put plenty of bricks under the steel, so I was glad to see that. This is #4 (1/2") rebar on 10" centers.

Does anything look off, which I should make the construction manager aware of?

Should there be supports under the rebar at the waterfall support? That's the only thing which seems to jump out at me, although since the gunite workers won't step on that steel, maybe it's not needed?





Waterfall:



Skimmer:


Deep end bench:

 

[Stoopalini]

Plumbing was done today ... I thought it was strange they put the SWG dummy cell so low .. is this normal placement for a SWG?

They pressurized the system to 35PSI before they left, and said they'd be back tomorrow. They're also bringing another pre-form pad, as I want an 8ft long one, to account for future equipment.

Anything particular I should check for at this stage?







Water bond

 

[agjr85]

Is the waterfall the only feature your pool has?
We did a 4 ton waterfall and I think it was the perfect amount of rock used.

 

[Texas Splash]

Is that the dummy cell low & horizontal at pad level right after the filter? Well, it is low, but as long as there is some ground clearance for you to get to it later I guess it's okay. Good thing you asked for more pad. That one shrank fast.

 

[Stoopalini]

Is the waterfall the only feature your pool has?
We did a 4 ton waterfall and I think it was the perfect amount of rock used.

Ya, the waterfall is our only water feature. It's spec'ed at 3 tons, with the dimensions being 8ft wide, 2.5ft high, 3ft deep. We wanted more of a feature where the water is cascading down into the pool water rather than falling in ... if that makes sense.

Is that the dummy cell low & horizontal at pad level right after the filter? Well, it is low, but as long as there is some ground clearance for you to get to it later I guess it's okay. Good thing you asked for more pad. That one shrank fast.

It is, ya. I wondered why they didn't come out of the filter and just turn right? Instead, they turned down, then right. Is this to prevent backflow into the filter maybe?

Definitely a tiny pad. It's 2ft x 4ft. With two of them, it'll still only be 2ft x 8ft. I plan to build limestone walls in an 'L' shape, to hide the equipment. Will probably build it 4ft x 9ft, and fill around the pad with crushed stone/gravel ... Then build a cover over the top, leaving a good 6" or so for air flow.

 

[Stoopalini]

Just heard from the construction manager ..... gunite is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

So now I'm racking my brain to see if there's any last minute things which need to be done before hand, but I think we're good to go. The only thing which I'm unsure of is the 3/4" overflow drain. A friend who lives close by, who used the same PB and also has a 3/4" overflow, said her pool only overflowed one time since 2017 (when it was built), and it was during hurricane Harvey. So That kind of put me at ease.

I debated just grabbing some SCH 40 1.25" PVC I have on hand, and swapping it out .. but I think it may cause an issue with the drain grate which goes in the pool. I would ask the build to increase it, but he'd have to call the plumbing sub back to the site, and I'm sure that would take a few days or a week, considering how backed up they are. So in not wanting to add any delays, we're sticking with the 3/4" overflow.

 

[Texas Splash]

I think you'll be fine with the 3/4". Good luck tomorrow. Hopefully clear skies long enough to get it all sprayed.

 

[Stoopalini]

It's begun ... pump truck and 2 concrete trucks with 200ft of hose. They tell me they'll be done in 4 hours.

The crew was meticulous in leveling the skimmers, setting up protective sheeting, etc, etc ... I was pleased to see their attention to detail

 

[Texas Splash]

Looks to be a gorgeous day as well. ☀

 

[Stoopalini]

Looks to be a gorgeous day as well. ☀

Indeed it does! The sky is cooperating and the temperature is perfect. We have a 40% chance of rain at 2pm, but they should be finished around lunch time.

I know I need to water the gunite twice a day for the next 10 days ... Do I start that today, or wait for the gunite to sit for some time (24 hours?) before starting the watering process?

 

[Texas Splash]

Do I start that today, or wait for the gunite to sit for some time (24 hours?) before starting the watering process?

That's out of my league. I suspect your builder will clarify. @bdavis466, what is your experience please?

 

[bdavis466]

Absolutely start today

 

[Stoopalini]

Absolutely start today

ok, will do. They just left about 5 mins ago. The bottom is still a bit malleable. The foreman said to start tomorrow morning, but I've no issue with starting today.

He said he left the three holes in the bottom as weep holes, in case we get a large rain storm between now and when the plaster will be installed; so the shell doesn't pop out.

 

[spd500]

Looking good! I wish I were that far along!

 

[Texas Splash]

Nice!

 

[Stoopalini]

More progress being made. The coping, tile, and decking sub arrived yesterday. I had to refuse the flagstone, as it didn't look good at all. Hardly any browns in it (mostly white) and the pallet was crushed as well as a lot of the stones split horizontally. The foreman of the crew completely agreed with me. He said even if the color was right, most of the stones on the pallet wouldn't work anyway, since we have the "select" package and he wouldn't be able to get enough 2ft single pieces out of the broken stones.

Yesterday they just cleaned up the surfaces, and put a skim coat on the waterline tile, boulder coping and waterfall locations. He said they will place a waterproofing seal on this coat where the waterfall and boulder coping will be placed.

I also found out today it's $1200 more to change from the single body of water "EasyTouch P4" to the pool+spa "EasyTouch PS4-Salt" model (with the IC40 cell included) ... so I authorized this, considering it would cost me $1100 for the IC40 cell and standalone transfromer if I stick with the P4 non-salt model. Sems a no-brainer to have the control and transformer integrated into the EasyTouch instead of stand alone, and the PS model will give me extra relays for any future automation I may want to add.

Here's the pallet of flagstone I refused. I think it actually fell off the forks when he was taking of off the truck



Moss boulders for the waterfall and coping look good though!



Forms removed and bond coat in place

 

[Stoopalini]

Yesterday not much happened ... today though, the electric crew showed up and banged it out in 3 or so hours! Coping/tile/decking crew is also here getting it done ... this is really making great progress!

I had the crew mount the landscaping light transformer I purchased (Intermatic PX300) right next to the pool light transformer, and route the conduit from both over to the lighting junction box. Then each pool light has a home run to the junction box, and for the landscape lights, I just had the crew run a PVC pipe out and into the trench, then cap it off in front of the irrigation box. So when I get ready to install the landscape lights, I can simply dig down to the cap, and run my direct burial 12AWG wire through to the junction box and connect up there.

They confired Aux1 for the pool lights, and Aux2 for the landscaping lights.



Here's what I mean by just capping off the landscaping light conduit. I was really happy they did this work, considering I did not purchase any landscaping from the PB.



Everything looks nice and tidy



The pump connections look good



Probably one of the easier jobs they run across. There's another pre-formed equipment pad being delivered as well, which will go right next to the existing one.



Now I'm watching the boulder coping come together ... it really looks great!

 

[Texas Splash]

Really starting to take shape. You might still get a couple months out of it this year.