Re: New Build in Red Stick
You're one motivated dude Lershac. This is going to be monumental.
You're one motivated dude Lershac. This is going to be monumental.
New Build in Red Stick- **pic heavy** 3-25 update
- Thread starter Lershac
- Start date
Re: New Build in Red Stick
Thanks Spillmar, I need the words of encouragement - feels like a monumental task I have bitten off at the moment!
spillmar said:
Thanks Spillmar, I need the words of encouragement - feels like a monumental task I have bitten off at the moment!
Re: New Build in Red Stick
Another torrential downpour and more mud in pool dig. Sigh. This time with rebar blocking the dig out. At least two more weekends to complete rebar before I can shoot. Good thing my hair is short or I would pull it all out. Will post pics when I can.
Another torrential downpour and more mud in pool dig. Sigh. This time with rebar blocking the dig out. At least two more weekends to complete rebar before I can shoot. Good thing my hair is short or I would pull it all out. Will post pics when I can.
Re: New Build in Red Stick
Lershac, Don't know how I've missed this thread. AWESOME job, man. I really enjoyed your post about the 7 y.o. helping you out - while I've never taken on a job like you're undertaking, my youngest will come out to check on me and bring me a cool drink at just the right moments - Best feeling in the world when it happens!
I trust the finger healed up ok?
Lershac, Don't know how I've missed this thread. AWESOME job, man. I really enjoyed your post about the 7 y.o. helping you out - while I've never taken on a job like you're undertaking, my youngest will come out to check on me and bring me a cool drink at just the right moments - Best feeling in the world when it happens!
I trust the finger healed up ok?
Re: New Build in Red Stick
Oh yeah, I got seriously lucky on the finger. It's 100%. Thanks for the compliments
Oh yeah, I got seriously lucky on the finger. It's 100%. Thanks for the compliments
Re: New Build in Red Stick
ugh. 4" of rain in a couple of hours. 3 foot of water in the pool/mudpit. will I ever get to finish rebar?
I dropped a serious 1800 gph pump into the pool to drain it. Looks like I have a couple of serious cave-ins off the sides.
Only good news is an in-law reached out to a vac-excavation firm he knows and they have agreed to come out and get the mud/dirt out. But it wont be cheap.
As soon as I can I am going to get the rest of the rebar in and get this thing shot so I can stop dealing with this crud.
ugh. 4" of rain in a couple of hours. 3 foot of water in the pool/mudpit. will I ever get to finish rebar?
I dropped a serious 1800 gph pump into the pool to drain it. Looks like I have a couple of serious cave-ins off the sides.
Only good news is an in-law reached out to a vac-excavation firm he knows and they have agreed to come out and get the mud/dirt out. But it wont be cheap.
As soon as I can I am going to get the rest of the rebar in and get this thing shot so I can stop dealing with this crud.
Re: New Build in Red Stick
Send the rain this way! We have had 4 inches of rain in 8 months compared to the usual 20 + inches. Hope you get everything finished before the next downpour.
Send the rain this way! We have had 4 inches of rain in 8 months compared to the usual 20 + inches. Hope you get everything finished before the next downpour.
Re: New Build in Red Stick
You can have it.
I am sick of it! in one week I have pumped enough water out of that pool to fill the finished pool twice!
You can have it.
I am sick of it! in one week I have pumped enough water out of that pool to fill the finished pool twice!
Re: New Build in Red Stick
Its muddy, its gonna rain, I DONT CARE, I AM GETTING ON THIS REBAR!
Its muddy, its gonna rain, I DONT CARE, I AM GETTING ON THIS REBAR!
Re: New Build in Red Stick
Just don't hold on to the Rebar in lightning while standing in a puddle Lershac. We like you too much.
Just don't hold on to the Rebar in lightning while standing in a puddle Lershac. We like you too much.
Re: New Build in Red Stick
You're the Terminator, man. You'll have it in gunnite soon and the aqua pura won't be that big a deal after that.
You're the Terminator, man. You'll have it in gunnite soon and the aqua pura won't be that big a deal after that.
Re: New Build in Red Stick
Thanks all, we took a few days in orange beach alabama to reset and rest, and am back and ready to get at it again with renewed energy and optimism. I got a few serious days of money work to catch up on my backlog but after that I will be attacking this with a vengeance. Lets hope the rains hold off for bit, it seems we have entered the "wet, hot" part of louisiana summers. I need a few more days of "dry, hot" to finish the rebar and get the gunite shot and then all will be well.
Thanks all, we took a few days in orange beach alabama to reset and rest, and am back and ready to get at it again with renewed energy and optimism. I got a few serious days of money work to catch up on my backlog but after that I will be attacking this with a vengeance. Lets hope the rains hold off for bit, it seems we have entered the "wet, hot" part of louisiana summers. I need a few more days of "dry, hot" to finish the rebar and get the gunite shot and then all will be well.
Re: New Build in Red Stick
So today was pretty busy. Had a good rest and recuperation, and a busy week at work so this weekend was the first I had to touch the pool project.
Rebar rebar rebar.
first, right before I left for vacation, we had a torrential downpour that exposed the weakness of the cheap harbor freight pumps I was using. The on/off float switch is a poor design, and they do not pump to rated capacity (not even close). so I talked to a city engineer about what brand pumps they use for "install and forget" installations like mine, and they were pricey, but considering the importance of the installation purpose, and the longevity of the pumps (they have some in service here from the late 50s) I think its a wise purchase. $400 later I got this the day before I left and installed it. using my electricity usage tracking software and hardware I installed last year, it cycled about 110 times while I was gone. It pumps about 100 gal per cycle, so it pumped over 10K gallons of rainwater out of my back yard. it cycles in about a minute and 5 sec. heres a pic. It weighs about 60 lb and is totally silent, the only way I can tell its on is the water gushing out the other end of the pipe. From a rough napkin calculation, it can handle up to 4" per hour rainfall on my backyard, moving all that water out to the street. It will also handle solids up to 2" in diameter (what?) I didnt have any billiard balls laying around so I tested it with a golf ball, and sure enough it passed it with zero problems and it shot out the other end of the pipe!
Now on to this weekend:
I need to finish this rebar so I can bring in excavation, get the fallen in dirt out, and get the gunite shot. I focused on the spa today, and I have it about 95% finished, with the remainder really needing to be done after the rest of the pool is finished. Its a little out of level falling down, so I am confident that can be made up during the shoot. What seems critical to me is that the rebar get encased in at least 3" of gunite on all sides. A little more on top to bring it to level wont hurt, we will just have to pay attention during the shoot to get it level. The levelness is a bit critical, as I plan for the walls that are in the pool to be just a hair under the intended water level at the top, with mosaic tile on top of those walls being submerged.
Pic of spa:
The part left to do in the spa is the second two rows of 1/2" #4 rebar below the first to rows in the bond beam. I want to wait to do those until i get the rest of the pool done and do them all in one go. Hopefully that will be tomorrow, given good weather and personal motivation.
Looking at the rest of the pool just makes my heart sink. SOOOO much dirt has washed/fallen/collapsed into the pool with the heavy rains we have had in july. Thumb math says there is at least 6-8 yards of unwanted dirt in there :grrrr:
The plan is to get a hydro-excavation truck in and suck the dirt out with high pressure water and vacuum. This will probably be pretty expensive, the truck and team go for like $2500 a day. Hand digging it out makes me want to shoot myself, as even now after a solid week of good hot dry weather its still muck. Then I will immediately get it inspected, then shot.
here are a couple of pics of the pool as of this evening:
Then while I am taking a break and typing this up, my thoughtful kind wife comes out and demands I eat something (I havent eaten all day, I frequently forget) and hands me this delightful looking salad! I love a salad after working on a hot sweaty day, as its light, filling, tasty, and pretty healthy. a heavy meal just makes me sick after working out in the sun all day. Isn't she thoughtful? Even after I have been neglecting for months due to this project. I Love her so much! Yay Hillary!
Pic:
So today was pretty busy. Had a good rest and recuperation, and a busy week at work so this weekend was the first I had to touch the pool project.
Rebar rebar rebar.
first, right before I left for vacation, we had a torrential downpour that exposed the weakness of the cheap harbor freight pumps I was using. The on/off float switch is a poor design, and they do not pump to rated capacity (not even close). so I talked to a city engineer about what brand pumps they use for "install and forget" installations like mine, and they were pricey, but considering the importance of the installation purpose, and the longevity of the pumps (they have some in service here from the late 50s) I think its a wise purchase. $400 later I got this the day before I left and installed it. using my electricity usage tracking software and hardware I installed last year, it cycled about 110 times while I was gone. It pumps about 100 gal per cycle, so it pumped over 10K gallons of rainwater out of my back yard. it cycles in about a minute and 5 sec. heres a pic. It weighs about 60 lb and is totally silent, the only way I can tell its on is the water gushing out the other end of the pipe. From a rough napkin calculation, it can handle up to 4" per hour rainfall on my backyard, moving all that water out to the street. It will also handle solids up to 2" in diameter (what?) I didnt have any billiard balls laying around so I tested it with a golf ball, and sure enough it passed it with zero problems and it shot out the other end of the pipe!
Now on to this weekend:
I need to finish this rebar so I can bring in excavation, get the fallen in dirt out, and get the gunite shot. I focused on the spa today, and I have it about 95% finished, with the remainder really needing to be done after the rest of the pool is finished. Its a little out of level falling down, so I am confident that can be made up during the shoot. What seems critical to me is that the rebar get encased in at least 3" of gunite on all sides. A little more on top to bring it to level wont hurt, we will just have to pay attention during the shoot to get it level. The levelness is a bit critical, as I plan for the walls that are in the pool to be just a hair under the intended water level at the top, with mosaic tile on top of those walls being submerged.
Pic of spa:
The part left to do in the spa is the second two rows of 1/2" #4 rebar below the first to rows in the bond beam. I want to wait to do those until i get the rest of the pool done and do them all in one go. Hopefully that will be tomorrow, given good weather and personal motivation.
Looking at the rest of the pool just makes my heart sink. SOOOO much dirt has washed/fallen/collapsed into the pool with the heavy rains we have had in july. Thumb math says there is at least 6-8 yards of unwanted dirt in there :grrrr:
The plan is to get a hydro-excavation truck in and suck the dirt out with high pressure water and vacuum. This will probably be pretty expensive, the truck and team go for like $2500 a day. Hand digging it out makes me want to shoot myself, as even now after a solid week of good hot dry weather its still muck. Then I will immediately get it inspected, then shot.
here are a couple of pics of the pool as of this evening:
Then while I am taking a break and typing this up, my thoughtful kind wife comes out and demands I eat something (I havent eaten all day, I frequently forget) and hands me this delightful looking salad! I love a salad after working on a hot sweaty day, as its light, filling, tasty, and pretty healthy. a heavy meal just makes me sick after working out in the sun all day. Isn't she thoughtful? Even after I have been neglecting for months due to this project. I Love her so much! Yay Hillary!
Pic:
Re: New Build in Red Stick
Nice of the wife, and it looks like she knows how to make my kind of salad. Keep it up man and thanks for sharing...really enjoying your build. I just wish you had some more help. I'm ready to see it filled already! :lol:
Nice of the wife, and it looks like she knows how to make my kind of salad. Keep it up man and thanks for sharing...really enjoying your build. I just wish you had some more help. I'm ready to see it filled already! :lol:
Re: New Build in Red Stick
Yummy! The smallest of gestures really add up. Rain rain go away, come again after the guinite is sprayed!
Yummy! The smallest of gestures really add up. Rain rain go away, come again after the guinite is sprayed!
Re: New Build in Red Stick
so I didnt finish the rebar sunday. I got some done, rebarred the steps horizontally which really straightened them out, and the pool side of the spa wall as well, and laid the longitudinal (SP??) rebar tying the spa half of the pool to the back end but the ones in the other direction are blocked by caved in dirt, so I will have to dig that out by hand to lay them in. Looks like next weekend hopefully, and I am not sure how busy I will be at work this week so maybe I can sneak in a half day of digging somewhere to get that dirt moved. I am a little concerned about the steps b/c the washed in dirt has them out of level and I want to level them before I tie the rebar as once its tied, they are pretty much set.
alot of work still before gunite shoot, but hey each stick I lay is one more stick closer.
so I didnt finish the rebar sunday. I got some done, rebarred the steps horizontally which really straightened them out, and the pool side of the spa wall as well, and laid the longitudinal (SP??) rebar tying the spa half of the pool to the back end but the ones in the other direction are blocked by caved in dirt, so I will have to dig that out by hand to lay them in. Looks like next weekend hopefully, and I am not sure how busy I will be at work this week so maybe I can sneak in a half day of digging somewhere to get that dirt moved. I am a little concerned about the steps b/c the washed in dirt has them out of level and I want to level them before I tie the rebar as once its tied, they are pretty much set.
alot of work still before gunite shoot, but hey each stick I lay is one more stick closer.
Re: New Build in Red Stick
Rebar finished. Nap then install lighting niches and stub out and cap plumbing for pressure testing. It's hot.
Rebar finished. Nap then install lighting niches and stub out and cap plumbing for pressure testing. It's hot.
Re: New Build in Red Stick
So the weekend report!
Rebar is finished finally!
Pool side plumbing is all ready for pressure test, spa is about half plumbed. Drains (4) are in and plumbed and returns are 1/2 done.
I think my estimating was a littl too close on the rebar, I have 1 4' section of 1/2 in left, 3/8 I still have a ton left coz I am rebarring the concrete under the paver deck.
I will finish up the spa plumbing this week and get my gunite guy to come take a look to estimate and schedule, and also get the vac excavation guy to do the same (I have a ton of fall in to pull out from the pool, mud and dirt cave ins from rain ). . As soon as I get plumbing and bonding done I will get inspection for the gunite pre-shoot ok.
Crossing my fingers to get the shoot done by end of the month. That will bring an end to all the mud and Crud yay!
So the weekend report!
Rebar is finished finally!
Pool side plumbing is all ready for pressure test, spa is about half plumbed. Drains (4) are in and plumbed and returns are 1/2 done.
I think my estimating was a littl too close on the rebar, I have 1 4' section of 1/2 in left, 3/8 I still have a ton left coz I am rebarring the concrete under the paver deck.
I will finish up the spa plumbing this week and get my gunite guy to come take a look to estimate and schedule, and also get the vac excavation guy to do the same (I have a ton of fall in to pull out from the pool, mud and dirt cave ins from rain ). . As soon as I get plumbing and bonding done I will get inspection for the gunite pre-shoot ok.
Crossing my fingers to get the shoot done by end of the month. That will bring an end to all the mud and Crud yay!