New geometric build - The Woodlands, TX

[Tjs011]

I'm a little late on the build thread, as our pool is probably only about 3 weeks away from completion - but I wanted to document it anyway, and I'm certain there will still be many questions to ask. Our vision for our first pool is clean lines, simple, contemporary style that's practical for our family with 3 kiddos under 10.. We went with a level zero edge spa (7'x7') and a 5' wide sun ledge, and lots of bench seating in the pool. We're also adding a free-standing pergola (14'x18') and an outdoor kitchen area (gas griddle, kamado joe grill, refrigerator) on the existing patio. Landscaping to follow... We interviewed 4 different PBs, but it was fairly straight forward because we had a very good idea of what we wanted, so it made comparing easy. Like many others, we found most of the PBs resistant to SWG, but I made it clear that was something we wanted.

Size: 33'x21.5'
Depth: 3.5' to 6'
Volume: 17K gal
Coping: Pre-cast concrete (Stone Creek pavers - thanks TFP!)
Plaster: PebbleSheen Blue Granite (?)
Water features: 3 bubblers on ledge, 60" Sheer on raised wall
Decking: Rock salt finished concrete
Tile: Charcoal porcelain tile on waterline and raised wall; glacier glass tile on spa spillway

Equipment:
Pump: Intelliflo VSF - 011056
Heater: MasterTemp 400 - 460736
Automation: Intellicenter w SWG IC40, i8PS - 521903
Sanitation: IC40, plus BioShield
Aux Pump: Whisperflo - 11774
Lighting: 3 Intellibrite 5G (2 pool, 1 spa) + 2 Microbrite (1 on ledge, 1 on uplight bench to light sheer)
Filter: Clean and Clear Plus 520 - 160332
Pre-Filter: WaterCo MultiCyclone 16
Spa blower: Jandy PSB215
Robot: TBD - leaning towards S200

Dig day was on a Tuesday, followed by rebar on Wednesday, inspection and plumbing stub-out Thursday, then gunite on Friday! It was intense those first few days. The next week was plumbing and electrical, then tile the following week. In the meantime the kitchen structure was built and posts were set for the pergola. Then we hit the Christmas/New Year break and waited on the coping to show up - which was today. Coping should finish tomorrow, then we will be ready for deck forming and drainage layout later this week. Overall, I've been very happy thus far with the PB and their management of our project. So excited to see this coming together!

A few pictures...

 

[Jimmie48]

Very cool and modern....cant wait to see the finished product. Any landscaping in mind?

 

[SinCityCJ]

Very nice! I like the design and the tile choices.

+1 on landscape plans?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Lovely! I particularly like the placement and height of the spa next to the pool. Will be fabulous!

Could have saved you some green on that Bioshield. Don'tcha get a mess of UV from the sun already? Is it too late to return that?

Maddie

 

[kimkats]

Someone took so time with the spa tiles! They did a great job with that corner!

Kim

 

[Tjs011]

Thanks for the feedback! Finished coping today and it looks great! Decking, pergola, and granite for the kitchen are up next.

On the landscaping, leaning towards a low maintenance desert style for around the pool.. we are having a 3’x8’ pad, with drainage, poured to the left side of the wall where we will have 3 large planters.. thinking maybe blue agave in those. To balance the wall, on the opposite side will be a smaller bed with some red yucca, succulents, etc. We will probably be putting 6-8 savannah hollies on the back fence line for privacy, maybe Japanese blueberry, redbuds..but that’s still up in the air..

On the BioShield, I’ve read all the posts here and know the TFP stance on UV sanitizers. I told my PB I wasn’t interested, but he was a big advocate and personal user on his pool.. it was one of the things that was “thrown in” when we closed the deal - so it didn’t cost me anything extra and wouldn’t have saved me anything to not get it, so I figured may as well...

 

[Timujin]

Wow amazing build.

 

[Tjs011]

So yesterday when the coping was grouted one of the spa returns was accidentally hit and the stub out cracked off all the way to the gunite. It’s going to require some chipping out in order to get enough room to repair. Is this something I should be concerned about? Would they need to patch the gunite after the repair to make sure it’s not compromised? Lighting was terrible, but you see the area circled in red..

 

[l1ltaral1l]

I have no idea about the accidental hit, but your build and materials look awesome so far!

 

[kimkats]

Easy fix! You can sleep good tonight! They can chip it out and fix the pipe easy THEN they will patch it with some cement. The plaster will go over it and you will never even know it happened!

Kim

 

[Tjs011]

Progress! Pool clean up tomorrow, plaster scheduled Friday. Pergola build starting soon.

 

[kimkats]

WHAT?? Man they have been busy!!! SWEET!

Plaster on FRIDAY??? That is the day after tomorrow!! Oh yeah!

Be there when the plaster truck shows up so you can make sure it is YOUR plaster and any extras you paid for. We had one pool a few summers ago where they switched trucks and the wrong plaster was put on both pools. Only one of them was a TFP pool. He got the raw end of the deal BUT because he was a member here we were able to say NOPE that is NOT the plaster and extras you paid for so they had to chip out the pool and redo the plaster. The other pool got a SERIOUS up grade in plaster.

New plaster-when they start to fill the pool make sure there is a sock on the end of the hoses and the ends are at the lowest part of the pool. This will help filter the water and keep the metal off of the new plaster.

@Dirk has a tip on seeing how many gallons are in your pool. It has to taking a picture of your water meter and such. He should be hopping in to share it with you when he sees this poke! HI DIRK!!

Do NOT stop the flow of water!!! If you do so it could cause a ring in the new plaster

Kim

 

[l1ltaral1l]

I'll say it again - I love your color scheme choices. Can not wait to see it finished (as I'm sure you can't either!)

 

[Tjs011]

Appreciate the feedback! We debated for a while on what direction we wanted to go with overall color scheme.. we knew we liked the contrast between the charcoal tile and lighter coping. We decided early on that rock salt concrete was our preference for the deck because it was more subtle and went well with the other colors, plus allowed us to save some money vs. natural stone or pavers.

The biggest remaining question for us is the PebbleSheen Blue Granite.. we weren’t planning on any upgrades there, but now we are trying to decide if the shimmering seas abalone upgrade is something worth spending the extra $650 on.. (seems pretty steep compared to others I’ve read about here). We have to make that decision today! Any feedback on that would be much appreciated!!

 

[kimkats]

No to the shells and here is why: Abalone Shell Chips and Brown Stains in Diamond Brite Plaster- Not worth the chance as much as I love the bling they can bring

 

[ajw22]

Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Ten Guidelines for Quality Pool Plaster

There are proper steps to follow for the making of durable pool plaster. There are also improper practices that can lead to early deterioration or discoloration. Following is a ten-point checklist that will help achieve a lasting and discoloration free plaster. 1. The best cement/aggregate...

www.troublefreepool.com

A Plastering 'Watch List' - Water Shapes

Taking control of the plastering process is within reach of any quality-oriented designer or builder, declares Kim Skinner. To help you on your way, he offers this step-by-step guide to managing what should happen on site before, during and after plaster

watershapes.com

 

[YippeeSkippy]

If at all possible, once the plaster is finished.. wait! Wait about 6 hours before you start filling the pool as our cement expert's research shows that this gives the plaster time to "firm up" before the pressure of water is put on it.

Now I'm curious- what is that white thing hanging on the fence??

Maddie

 

[Tjs011]

Now I'm curious- what is that white thing hanging on the fence??

Good question! That is a “doc box” that has signed and laminated copies of the final construction plan, 3D renderings, and inspection sheets so that the subs can see everything as they come and go. I had never seen one before, but out PB always uses them to make sure there are no questions about the design.

 

[kimkats]

That should be at EVERY build! It would stop a lot of problems!

 

[joepaiii]

Progress! Pool clean up tomorrow, plaster scheduled Friday. Pergola build starting soon.

Could you send some pictures of the deck and coping when it was dry? I am still trying to decide what to do for my pool, we are going with a salt cell and the pool is free form so not sure how the cast coping would look.