New Build in New York underway - Started in Dec 2020

steve_NY

Well-known member
May 22, 2020
56
Long Island, NY
Pool Size
17000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
So we are finally underway with our build in NY.
I appreciate all of the advice and feedback I have received on this site.

We are building a 16 X 36 concrete walled pool. (rectangular)
Construction started last week.
Hole was dug.
Forms for the concrete were set up.
Inspection today.
Now waiting for weather to cooperate so they can pour the concrete for the walls. Possibly tomorrow, but after that weather can be an issue until next week.

Here are some pics of the process and progress so far.
 

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Nice start, Steve :)
If I ever put in a vinyl lined pool, I'd have them do it with those concrete walls like they do on L.I.
That is about the only place I've seen builds here on TFP doing that thick wall.

Keep up the pics please!

Maddie :flower:
 
So we are finally underway with our build in NY.
I appreciate all of the advice and feedback I have received on this site.

We are building a 16 X 36 concrete walled pool. (rectangular)
Construction started last week.
Hole was dug.
Forms for the concrete were set up.
Inspection today.
Now waiting for weather to cooperate so they can pour the concrete for the walls. Possibly tomorrow, but after that weather can be an issue until next week.

Here are some pics of the process and progress so far.
Nassau or Suffolk? Town of hempstead inspector are delayed. It took them 2 weeks to come for mines.
 
Here is an update of recent work.
They poured the concrete yesterday.
Today the removed the forms.
Below are some pics of the walls after the forms were removed.

I also included some pics with the forms on, showing some cracking from an overhead view.
Pool builder said that those cracks are fine and nothing wrong with that happening.

Does anybody have any thoughts on that cracking?

Hopefully builder is correct and the cracks are normal and fine.

We are getting some (maybe more than some!) snow tonight going into tomorrow morning. Hopefully that is not bad for the recently poured concrete.
 

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Stuff on top is the cream it happens they aren't fussy with it while pumping the forms. You dont want any on the faces. See what it looks like in a few days and look over the face amd backside. Any idea if theres fiber or rebar in the form?
 
Project is progressing. Steps and tanning ledge were poured.
Same with deep end (not that deep, 5 foot 6) bench and deep end stairs.

I was just checking heights of stairs and deep end bench/tanning ledge and looking at other threads that I will link here.

1st step is 8 inches down from top of pool.
Next step down to tanning ledge is around 10 - 10.5 inches down, making tanning ledge 18.5 inches down from top of pool.
This is also same depth as deep end bench.
Pool builder said water gets filled to around 6 inches from top of pool, making water height on tanning ledge around 12.5 inches deep.
 

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Just popped over from another thread where you referenced this one. Couple ideas to consider...

Your water level should be halfway up the skimmer opening. You can use a tape measure to transfer the measurement from the midway point of the skimmer opening to the ledge and the step to double-check where the water will be above those two surfaces. You have to compensate for the thickness of the finish that has yet to be applied. You can ask your PB (or the finish subcontractor) what that dimension will be.

Will your pool have an auto-fill and overflow control system? My pool has a PoolMiser (http://poolmiser.com), which is both in one unit. The water level, and the level at which the overflow kicks in, are both independently adjustable. By adjusting each close together, you control exactly where your water level will sit: never above or below that level. This is a great feature to have when the depth of your ledge is important to you. Otherwise evaporation and subsequent manual refilling of the pool will play constant havoc with the depth of your ledge.

So depending on how fussy you think you're going to be about that ledge depth, you could consider an auto-fill/overflow system (if you don't already have one). It is late in the process to add one, but not impossible. Think about it...
 
I do not think I have an auto fill feature included in my contract. I do not recall that being mentioned, and do not see it.
In fact, until now, I didn't even think about how the pool would get filled with water.
I guess the answer is a hose!
We will have an auto cover, which we will have closed when the pool is not being used. Supposedly this will reduce the amount of evaporation of the pool water.

In regard to skimmer opening, I just measured that. It is approximately 6 inches from middle of the skimmer, to top of pool (pre coping). The bottom of skimmer is around 9 inches from the top, and skimmer opening is around 6 inches. We haven't finalized coping/decking yet, but are planning on having pavers.

Our backyard is not completely level, and we were told when that for rain runoff purposes, they had to make the pool about 2 inches higher than the sliding door from house to pool area. We do not want a step in the pool area, so they said masonry people can adjust for that 2 inch or so slope. We have a second floor deck that is over that area, and will be using that as a covered patio. There is currently an old concrete patio there that will be removed for the pavers. Guessing there is some consideration to that in coping thickness, and height pavers get installed at.

Once the pool itself is completed, we need to figure out the best order to do things. Guessing the sprinklers probably need to be done first, as those originate in back of house, and were severely damaged/destroyed from the dig. Need to figure if we should add conduit for any future need of sprinklers. We also need to have sprinklers run to some landscaping we plan on installing near the back of pool.
We also want to have conduit for outdoor speaker wire.

There is just so much decision making and planning on a project like this.
Unfortunately we don't have a huge backyard to do everything we would love in this project.
 
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I mentioned the skimmer because it really doesn't matter where the top of the coping/pavers are relative to the water level. It's the skimmer that determines where your water line is going to be. You can fudge that a bit, up or down, but skimmers work best when the water is halfway up, so that's where your water line is going to be. Which means that's what's going to determine how much water is over your ledge, not the pavers.

I do believe a cover will reduce evaporation. But even with that, I wouldn't want to own a pool without an auto-fill and overflow system, like the one I mentioned. If you have neither fill or overflow, you'll be doing both manually: pumping out water when it rains a lot, and filling the pool with a hose. You won't be able to add either system later. It's a nice convenience, but in your case it's also going to help with keeping the water depth over the ledge just how you like it. Keep in mind that a covered pool still needs to breath, so you should uncover it some amount of time (UV is good for pool water, and pools need to off gas chlorine byproducts). So you will be getting evaporation even when you're not swimming everyday. I don't cover my pool so I'm not sure about how often you have to uncover it. Daily would be my guess, others here will know. @mknauss?

Regarding conduits and pipes... Yep, now's the time to plan for all that, because once the pavers go down it'll be too late. A partial list, plus whatever else you can think of:
Water:
- drip irrigation lines
- sprinkler lines
- hose bib (for watering or washing down the deck "from the other side of the yard"
- a line to fill your fountain (that you might have someday)
Electrical:
- garden lights circuit
- bistro lights circuit
- other lighting circuit(s)
- bug zapper circuit
- spare outlet circuit(s) to plug things in, like power tools, pool robots, etc
Media:
- video cables (surveillance for security and "pool watch" while away
- speaker wires
- ethernet cable (to extend wifi)
Other:
- Gas line for BBQ or space heater(s)

Sky's the limit. Now's the time.

The good news is, you don't have to decide everything right now. Just run extra pipes and conduits and drip lines and stub them up above ground, before they backfill and install pavers. You can later decide what you want to use the pipes for (drip or sprinklers or hose bibs) and you can pull just about anything electrical through the conduit later. Just throw down a lot of each, plus a few spares, and they'll be there when you need them. PVC is relatively cheap. You could do some or all of that yourself.

For water you use regular PVC 90s and 45s to get around corners. For conduit you use the sweeps (see below) so that you can later pull wire through them. The less bends you have in a run the easier it's going to be to pull wire through. Four is the max, less is better. White PVC for water. Grey (electrical) PVC conduit for electrical. Use the correct type glue and primer for each. Use larger diameter conduit then you'll think you'll need, to allow for adding more wires later. Keep 120V wires separate from low voltage stuff (separate conduits). EZPZ.
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I have an equipment question.
We are supposed to get all Hayward Equipment.
Our contract says Hayward 4820 filter and variable speed pump

We are did a change order and added Hayward Omni Logic Automation.

Today they are installing the equipment on the pad. I see in front of my house a box (filled with garbage) that says Jandy DEV48 filter

any feedback on this? IS this an issue?
 
Sorry, I don't know anything about either filter, as in: which is better. But pool filters are one of the components that are "brand independent." Some things, like pumps and SWGs and automation, work better together if they are of the same brand. Filters don't follow that rule, so nothing to worry about in that regard.

The only other possible consideration I can think of: Pentair upgrades your warranty if you buy enough of their gear all at once. I believe their filters are part of that promotion. So if Hayward offers something similar (which I don't know), then a non-Hayward filter could affect your warranty. Perhaps that's a question for Hayward tech support, should you want to pursue that. Unless someone else here knows...
 
The PB's response was that the Hayward 4820 filter has been out of stock, so the used the Jandy product instead, which they said is comparable, and will work with all of the other equipment. The label on the box says Jandy DEV 48 - Diatomaceous Earth Filter. They said it would be noted on our account (whatever that means).
Is it typical for a PB to swap things like that without asking? It only came up when we spoke to the office and mentioned to them.
I thought the crew had gone out to lunch, but seems they may have packed up and left for the day. I will get some pics of the equipment pad and what they did today and add to the thread for feedback.
 
So, we were not expecting the PB today, but they had a bunch of guys here today, and did some work, including setting up the equipment on the pad, and dewatering. People from the auto cover company are here as well, so it was very busy this morning.

Anyway, here are some pics of the equipment pad, I tried to get some different angles. They said there will be another pump that goes there for the water feature, but they didnt have that with them today.

Any feedback would be appreciated, since I don't really know what I should be looking for.

(Plumbing for gas line for heater will be done in early Feb. Not sure when the equipment will be hooked up to electrical)

Thanks,

Steve
 

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Is it typical for a PB to swap things like that without asking?
Typical? Probably. Cool? No. It's not even legal in CA. They should have issued and had you approve a change order. But most contractors don't even offer up a legal contract these days (according to the letter of the law) and tend to treat state contractor law as more of a guideline. At least that's been my experience here in CA. Maybe they thought you wouldn't notice? Or maybe they were going to get around to telling you? Who knows. So consumer's have to arm themselves with some knowledge of the law, and then keep a sharp eye on a construction project to make sure everything gets done correctly, and to spec. Exactly how you are doing, so kudos!

Did you want a DE filter? I don't know much about them. A cartridge filter works great for me, but that's all I've ever owned. I think the different types all filter equally well, but they each have their own pros and cons. Ask about them here if you're not sure of all the implications.

I don't like that the equipment is hanging off the pad. And I don't like that flex pipe. Was that used underground? There are a few here that claim that is no good. Though I'm not certain why, or if the why is subject to climate. I seem to remember it has something to do with rodents? Can't remember.

Where is the other pump going to go? Right in front of that lower port on the filter? Is that port something you need to be able to get at easily? Will the 2nd pump be in the way?

I guess Feb is not that far off. Not sure why they couldn't wait for the filter. Or why your equipment has to sit out in the winter for an extra month, but I may be just nit-picking.

Sorry, I guess I asked more questions than I answered. Stay vigilant!
 
In response to : "Did you want a DE filter?" Honest answer - I don't even know! My wife took the lead on this project, since she wanted a pool and had been trying to talk me into a pool for a few years. I kind of went along with it this past Spring with all of the Covid stuff going on. Today I pulled out the paperwork and it said Hayward 4820, and by looking that up, seems that is a DE filter as well. Based on google search of price of each, it did not seem like all that much of a price difference between the 2 in the scope of the project (less than $100)

Search Results : Products : 4820

In regard to the equipment hanging off the pad, it didn't look right to me, but it seems that the equipment has feet that are on the pad, and other part is overhanging it. I will attach a pic of that I just took. Not sure if that makes the situation any different or not.

For the flex pipe comment - are you referring to that white pipe? I am not sure what that is for, but it seems to go underground. It seems sturdy - I tried to take pic of labeling on it, it mentions pvc solvent cement on it - I will attach some other pics of that here.
The black piping sticking out of the ground on a curve is what I think is for the 2 sheer descents which are related to the other pump that was not yet put on the equipment pad (wherever it will be placed, I am not sure.)

They did most of the backfill today (which I was not expecting at all, in fact wasn't aware they were showing up until I heard the trucks this morning)

In regard to the piping used underground, I took a few pics while they were installing it today. I will share privately with Dirk, as well as anybody else who would like to see. (Not sure what forum rules are in regard to mentioning PB's, but they all have the company sweatshirts on!)
 

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