New Intex 32x16x52 build with deck (lots of pictures)
- Thread starter Brett S
- Start date
Finished the second step, and with that the flooring is completely finished.
The gate is under construction
And the rails are beginning to look more like rails.
Lol, I haven’t even begun to think about lighting, but those are both great ideas. I think the lightning may need to wait for a little while though because I’m gonna need a little break after the deck is finished
AveMaria472
Gold Supporter
I really enjoyed reading through your entire build! It is very similar to our build (prepping ground, pool install, paver patio, deck), except we did ours over two spring/early summer seasons. You can view our build at the link in my signature. I can't wait to see pics of your railing and the whole project completed! Keep up the good work!!! You'll be swimming much sooner than we will up here in northern KY. Our pool won't even be uncovered for another month.
Yes, you deserve a much needed break after all that (great) work! Do you plan on staining it or leaving it in it's "natural" state?Lol, I haven’t even begun to think about lighting, but those are both great ideas. I think the lightning may need to wait for a little while though because I’m gonna need a little break after the deck is finished
And it is basically finished
. I have some lattice to put on the two exposed sides and I need to put some mulch down around the pool, but otherwise it is doneHaha, thanks. I think I’ll sleep for the next few days. Maybe for the next week
I don’t think I’ll stain it. I might put a sealant on it, but probably nothing more than that.
Its usually best to wait about a year for it to dry out first so it will accept the sealer/stain for deeper penetration. The trick to know when is to sprinkle water on it occasionally after a while. Once it stops beading up into drops and starts to soak into the wood, it is ready to accept the finish coat. In the same fashion, when the water stops beading up again after a season or two, it’s time to reseal it.
Also, if you go with a sealer like Thompson’s, it is best to do 2 very light coats, as much as a miserable chore that it is. It is very easy to use too much and the excess stays very oily on the surface. You will track it into the pool or the house for months.
That’s great news
I’m pretty sure that I’ll be ready for another big project in about a year. Maybe not much before then
Loooooooooooooool. You’ve earned a minute off for SURE. Maybe a few minutes even.That’s great news
Its getting there. It was at 74 today and it seems to be gaining about 2 degrees a day, so I’m hoping it will hit 76 tomorrow. That’s a bit cooler than I’d prefer, but warm enough that I might still swim for a bit
I haven’t updated this thread in a little while, but I have gotten some upgrades. First, I replaced my intex auto cleaner with this:
I really loved the intex auto cleaner in my old 15’ intex pool, but I think this pool is just too big for it. It got maybe 80% of the stuff off the bottom of the pool, but even running for 8 or 10 hours a day the pool was never totally clean. I went back and forth about whether I wanted to spend the money on a robot or not, but I’m so glad that I did. I was absolutely amazed that after the robot’s first 2 hour cycle the pool was cleaner than it had ever been with the intex cleaner. Plus the robot will brush the sides of the pool for me. I don’t regret the purchase at all.
I’ve got the controller mounted on the wall by my equipment and I might try to bury a conduit or something for it’s cord so it doesn’t get stepped on.
And you can see my second upgrade in that pic too. I have added a real skimmer:
This was actually a side effect of getting the robot. I was reasonably happy with my intex over the wall skimmer, but I discovered that since the robot cleans the sides of the pool it would go up the wall and run into my intex skimmer and push it to the side, so I figured it was time to upgrade to a real skimmer.
I may try to install a drain in the skimmer as well to help keep the water level from getting too high when it rains.
. First, I replaced my intex auto cleaner with this:I really loved the intex auto cleaner in my old 15’ intex pool, but I think this pool is just too big for it. It got maybe 80% of the stuff off the bottom of the pool, but even running for 8 or 10 hours a day the pool was never totally clean. I went back and forth about whether I wanted to spend the money on a robot or not, but I’m so glad that I did. I was absolutely amazed that after the robot’s first 2 hour cycle the pool was cleaner than it had ever been with the intex cleaner. Plus the robot will brush the sides of the pool for me. I don’t regret the purchase at all.
I’ve got the controller mounted on the wall by my equipment and I might try to bury a conduit or something for it’s cord so it doesn’t get stepped on.
And you can see my second upgrade in that pic too. I have added a real skimmer:
This was actually a side effect of getting the robot. I was reasonably happy with my intex over the wall skimmer, but I discovered that since the robot cleans the sides of the pool it would go up the wall and run into my intex skimmer and push it to the side, so I figured it was time to upgrade to a real skimmer.
I may try to install a drain in the skimmer as well to help keep the water level from getting too high when it rains.
What model cleaner is that? I'm sort of already regretting getting the Intex auto cleaner. It's better than not having a cleaner, but not amazing. And it wraps itself around the Intex ladder, and becomes worthless.
What model cleaner is that? I'm sort of already regretting getting the Intex auto cleaner. It's better than not having a cleaner, but not amazing. And it wraps itself around the Intex ladder, and becomes worthless.
It’s a Pentair Warrior SE. I got it from marina pool spa and patio, which seems to be the place to get them from.
I had to build a little thing with PVC (and filled with sand) to keep my intex cleaner from going under my steps:
It worked well for the intex cleaner, but I’m a bit concerned that my new cleaner will still be able to get stuck under there since it can climb the walls. So far it’s been OK, but if it gets stuck I might need to build something more.
The intex cleaner worked great in my small pool, but I think this one is too big for it. Yours is pretty big too, so I’m not sure how it will work out for you.
I got a Confer 7200 on order which already has a block so kids can't swim behind the ladder, but I'm not sure when it will ship. The PVC is clever though, I may need to do that if that takes a long time.
The Intex cleaner works okay, but it easily fills up with leaves. Once my skimmer gets here and I install that will help. The hose is too short for the cleaner to reach the far side, I was expecting that and going to try and extend the hose.
Well, after having a real skimmer installed for a few days, I now take this statement back. The real skimmer is installed in nearly the same place that my intex over the wall skimmer was installed, but it is so much more effective at skimming than the Intex one was. I was having a lot of problems with flower petals falling into the pool, to the point where I was seriously considering getting a solar breeze to help remove them, but the new skimmer is doing so much better than the Intex one was that I don’t think it will be necessary. It’s not getting 100% of the petals, but it’s probably getting 80 or 90% and the intex skimmer was more like 40 or 50%. I kind of figured that a skimmer was a skimmer, but apparently that’s not the case.