New Build in SE Texas

[Starplex]

Thanks TFP for all the valuable information. :-D
Well we are suppose to close on our financing this week. Hopefully we will be digging before the Holiday weekend. Specs are:
102 ft Perimeter, free form
Depth 3.5- 7.5 ft
Tanning Ledge w/ 3 gushers
Coping: Natural Stone, upgrade from Flagstone
Plaster: Wet Edge Satin Matrix
689 sq ft decking, cool deck later
2 Pool color Logic LED lights
Pump: 2 speed Hayward 2.5 HP
Filter: Hayward Cartridge 425
2 Skimmers
6 Adjustable inlets
Hayward 350K BTU NG Heater

SPA: Raised 12" Tile Veneer
Color Logic Spa Light
4ft wide stack stone (flagstone) spillover
1HP blower
7 Jets

18" raised jumping platform
3ft sheer decent out of jumping platform
Chopped Rock venner face of jumping platform
Swimout
All Jandy Neverlube Valves
Jandy PDS 8 Controls
3 actuators
Water feature pump Hayward Extra Super II 1.5HP
Sodium Tetraborates
No Salt, standard puck feeder
Trying to decide on the Polaris 9300 or Tiger Shark

Screen Enclosure & outdoor kitchen to follow later...

I'll post pics once excavation starts..

[attachment=0zy9jjkw]Brooks pool Final.pdf[/attachmentzy9jjkw]

 

[Butterfly]

Imagine that, another pool in Texas

We're waiting....... ::

 

[257WbyMag]

Imagine that, another pool in Texas

We're waiting....... ::

Too hot to not have a pool down here!

 

[Starplex]

Construction has started!

 

[Starplex]

Well, we haven't had rain here in about 3 weeks. Two days away from gunite and the sky falls out. My wonderful rebar job is now a huge mess!! :grrrr: I guess now I get to see how well the PB stands behind his contract. One of the sidewalls where the swimout was located collapsed pulling in the rebar along that wall and the sunshelf. So what are some things I should watch for in this repair? Someone told me if alot of the clay sticks to the rebar & then it is gunited it will leave voids in the gunite which may lead to problems down the road. Rain chances the next 2 days are 50%, thus it may not be over yet. I haven't seen rain like this in a long time.

 

[Jday92591]

Oh man i am so sorry!! Hope it gets better. lets see some updated pics when you get a chance please

 

[Starplex]

Okay, time for an update. So the pool was pumped out and all the bottom rebar & the wall where the mud caved in was removed. Bobcat came back in and re-dug, then new rebar. Day before gunite small rain came again and washed a little more mud onto the bottom corner wall (my trouble wall). Gunite guys cleaned it out prior to shooting gunite. So I have this huge void against this wall that goes right up to my patio deck. I convince the PB to shoot all of this with gunite as it is so close to the patio slab and I don't want either patio slab problems or deck problems later. He agrees. So as they slowly build this void full of gunite they get to the top and the gunite then falls off the rebar in this location. (I think this wall is posessed!!). I guess they had the gunite abit to wet? Anyway I would have thought they would have dug it out abit and re-shot it, but no, to my suprise they grab a bunch of rebar and basically build another wall out from the 1st rebar wall. I'm thinking yeah, this baby is going to be strong now!! (This happened really fast so I didn't get a pic of the second rebar wall). However, what I didn't realize at the time was my water feature pump suctions are in this wall. While one of these came out okay the other one is really really deep into the wall, like 9" deep. Keep in mind we have a wall of about 3 ft thick of gunite. I don't mind the look of it as it could actually work as a small step to climb up the wall. However, my main concern is how well will this get plastered and the risk of it causing me a leak point later down the road?? Also, they must have sloped the new rebar wall abit as the top of coping is only 14" wide (normal is 12), but at the pump suction is is like 9". Overall I'm very pleased with the work they have done. Also, I've seen a few small hairline cracks in the gunite on the bottom, possible where it was walked on when still damp. I assume this is normal just like any other concrete with hairlines. Thanks GUYS!!!!!!

After pumping out from 1st rain.

New rebar with plumbing

More mud from rain

Mud to be removed

Shooting Gunite

Filling in Void, note where pump suction is over right shoulder.

Almost there

Collapse of gunite

Finished wall with pump suctions

Measurement of suction wall depth

Finishing up

 

[Green1340]

Star,

I like what you have done so far. I like all the elevation changes around the edge.

Greenhaw

 

[Starplex]

(Thanks for the compliment Green!!) Coping has started to be installed, chisled ivory travertine/marble. The sample at the store did not have all the small pits/holes in the stone like alot of these do. It is okay as we like the look, (my wife is really pleased with the look!! which is what really matters right..) However, I got to thinking about the grouting of this stone. Currently we are down for gray grout, which if they only grout the grout lines will most likely be okay. But if they grout the stone like I have normally seen tile grouted, where they drag the grout over the entire lenght of the stone then all these pits/holes will be filled with grey grout. That will look worst than terrible!!!! Does anyone know how they normally grout these stones? If they show up today I will ask them. Just in case I'm thinking of going with an Antique White colored grout that will match the stone, just to be safe. Thus, if it does fill in the pits it will match and the grout color will most likely look alot better than gray anyway. The only problem I have then is 1). fading of the grout color and 2). the lighter colored grout showing dirt. Also, we are suppose to have chopped rock veener on the jumping platform as well as for the spa spillover. I was originally told this would be made from flagstone, but now I'm wondering if they are planning on doing it with this stone as they have a whole lot of it. Note the camera fogged up a little when I took these pics, high humidity...

 

[Starplex]

Coping, Tile & Stone are now complete. I think it turned out awesome and they did a really good job. Ended up going with the colored antique white grout for the coping. Looks so much better than the gray. Deck should start tommorrow. :lol: What do you think? (Still concerned about the deep pump suction in the wall!! any recommendations?? I've heard of a collar but don't think it would be long enough. Would a standard PVC pipe fit in the suction can as an extension?)

 

[Starplex]

Well we are now finished with the pool. I'll get some more photos of the shear descent with jumping platform & gushers another day and post. The Wet Edge Northshore Carribbean came out great. We have been enjoying ever evening such that I haven't really been able to post many photos. Patio work next, then application of Sun Deck, then hopefully screen enclosure.

Deck Work, made them remove the wooden 1X4 and dowel into the concrete & use plastic expansion joint. Came out looking much better too.

Plaster

Finished Plaster
Filling with green water

Close up of Wet Edge Northshore Carribbean after pool is filled and water chemistry right.

 

[Lershac]

very nice, how did that suction work out?

Water "blued up"?

 

[Starplex]

They ended up plastering the deep suction port back to the housing. Then plastered in the suction cover ring on the face of the wall. With the cover on now you can't tell there is a deep suction port. The PB did not recommend trying to plumb out to the wall edge, but had more faith in sealing the suction port walls really well with plaster. We will see as time goes by...

The color is much bluer early in the morning or later in the afternoon, or if it is overcast. In full sun it does look lighter with a slight hint of light green. If I had been told this w/o seeing it I probably wouldn't have chosen it, but now that it is installed we are very happy with it.