New member- Finalizing PB for new pool & spa in Tampa, FL

[katiejean13]

Within a week of deciding on our pool builder. Wanted to run our design and specs by this forum to make sure we aren't missing anything in our quotes. Looking at spending just north of $100k all in, so prefer not to have any unexpected surprise costs!

Footprint is going to be about 19.5'x38', with a 8'x8' sunshelf, another large bench depth area, with a bench height alcove with table & a bench running across each end of the pool. Spa will be 8'x8' partially inset with a spillover into the sunshelf (undecided if we will go with a small spillover section or partial negative edge- thoughts welcome!)

Also replacing our current screened in patio with a new elevated insulated aluminum patio cover, giving us a 26'x17' covered area right off the house. Expecting to spend $10k-$18k on this. Still determining if we should go through the PB for that, or contract it out ourselves. Prices and styles are all over the place, so welcome any suggestions in the Tampa area!

Pool:
Main swimming area 14'x26.5' with additional sqft for benches, sunshelves, table, & spa
Depth sloped 3'-5'
Abalone Shell Pebble Tec interior
2 Color Changing LED Lights
Bubblers included on each sunshelf
Umbrella sleeves included on each sunshelf

Deck
~1,600sq ft decking: Shellock upgrade
3" deck o drain

Spa:
8'x8' Square Spa
Raised 12"
Spillover style TBD
High Performance Spa
- 7 Jacuzzi Style Hi-Flo Jets
- 4 floor blowers
- Silencer Air Blower
- Eco Star Pump
- Back Massage Manifold
1 Color Changing LED Light

Equipment:
Pentair Ultra-temp 140HP Heat Pump
Pentair Intelliflo 2.5HP Pool Pump
Pentair Easy Touch/Screen Logic automation (4 settings)
4 Returns + 1 Dedicated Vacuum Line
Surface Skimmer/2x8" Main drains + Extra Skimmer
Pentair Cartridge 200sf
Pentair Salt Chlorine System

 

[TampaKathy]

3 feet is very shallow. I'm not clear on the screen...are you screening in the whole pool? Is that currently included in the $100k? How many quotes did you get? When did the PB say they could start? Make sure you know what level of PebbleTec is included in that price and/or ask for a list of prices for the upgraded levels.

 

[katiejean13]

3 feet is very shallow. I'm not clear on the screen...are you screening in the whole pool? Is that currently included in the $100k? How many quotes did you get? When did the PB say they could start? Make sure you know what level of PebbleTec is included in that price and/or ask for a list of prices for the upgraded levels.

Sorry for the confusion, no, currently just have a screened in patio area- tearing that out and replacing with just a roof. No screen anywhere on this one... We got 4 quotes... estimated completion ranged from 5-6 months to 9 months.
Thanks!
Think swimming area should be at least 3.5'??

 

[katiejean13]

3 feet is very shallow. I'm not clear on the screen...are you screening in the whole pool? Is that currently included in the $100k? How many quotes did you get? When did the PB say they could start? Make sure you know what level of PebbleTec is included in that price and/or ask for a list of prices for the upgraded levels.

Any reason to upgrade on pebbletec besides the color preference? They all come with a lifetime warranty if i understand correctly.

 

[mac_attack]

I'm pretty new to all of this, but at that price tag I would be making sure of the exact model numbers of the equipment items they are proposing. You should be getting a variable speed pump and make sure your salt cell is at least 2x the size of your pool. I would also want to increase the filter size since you are not going to have a screen over the pool area. We don't have a spa, but I think most people have a separate pump for it and/or water features. You also don't mention if you will have a traditional suction cleaner or robot cleaner or anything.

 

[kevin76]

Welcome from another Tampa pool build in progress...
I really like your design with the 2 level tanning ledge and the seating area table. Don't remember seeing that before.

My pb originally proposed a depth of 3ft-5.5ft but we changed it to 3.5-5.5ft.

We decided to add on auto drain and auto fill. For our wet florida summers, it was a pretty minor cost to not have to worry about draining the pool after every thunderstorm.

We are going to eventually get a pergola or pavillion. We aren't sure the exact placement and dimensions we want so we're going to live with the finished pool for a few months and decide. Otherwise, after trying to manage multiple projects this year at my house, it would of been kinda nice to let the PB coordinate and manage that build. Maybe could get it a little cheaper but to save that effort is probably worth it.

 

[TampaKathy]

Any reason to upgrade on pebbletec besides the color preference? They all come with a lifetime warranty if i understand correctly.

Just wanted to point out that the price could increase if the color or smoothness you want isn't in the quote...really just preference

 

[TampaKathy]

Oh yeah, what Kevin said...auto fill and overflow. I wish I had done 2 level sunshelf as well...looks like that will be nice. Random advice...if the PB's haven't given it to you already...ask what their payment terms are...like what % deposit and after each step...ideally don't make last payment until after the pool is completed or at the very least, you don't want to have your payments too far frontloaded. Given how busy the PB's are you may not have much room for negotiation here but you can factor it into your decision. Also, there have been equipment shortages so you might ask the PB's if they are having problems getting equipment. Good luck with your build!

 

[KCNM]

Design looks nice. I'm doing a renovation right now, and decided to skip adding the vacuum line in favor of just getting a robot. May not make much difference in your pricing, but I was getting quotes around $1000 to add the vacuum line, which is how much the high-end robots. I thought, why bother when I've always hated having to deal with the vacuum line robots. You either have to swim around their hose, or you have to go turn them off so that you can pull them out.

What are you thinking for tile and surface?

My PB had three pricing levels for PebbleTec. It didn't make a difference between PebbleTec or PebbleSheen, but the color chosen did. If you have a specific design in mind, you probably want to talk that over with the PB just to validate the pricing, as pointed out.

I see you mention abalone shell -- is it one of the PebbleTec surfaces that has the shell already, or is that something being added? If it's one of the PebbleTec ones, I would highly recommend looking at a sample first. It was definitely not as impressive to us as we thought it would be. I attribute that to being mixed in, as opposed to hand-broadcast on the top after laying the plaster.

 

[KCNM]

Oh, and regarding aluminum. My neighbor's son owns Pyramid Aluminum. They're in Pinellas and I don't know whether they service Hillsborough.

Aluminum Company | Pyramid Aluminum | Railings, Carports, Enclosures

Whether it's an aluminum pool enclosure, an aluminum railing, or aluminum gutters we got you covered. Your Pinellas County aluminum company!

pyramidaluminum.com

 

[katiejean13]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! We met with PB #2 yesterday, thought we knew who we were going with, but really liked what #2 had to offer, so back to the debating.
We will definitely go back and ask about autofill and overflow, didn't consider those.
We were thinking we would do standard surface and tile, but after looking at tiles, we may do a ~$1500-$3000 tile upgrade. All depends on what we decide to do with the spa

We are really undecided about the spa...
- we like the look of the raised spa, so we went with 12", BUT my other half wants to be able to have a line of sight, or at least be able to carry on a conversation between someone on the sunshelf and someone in the spa.
- We initially went with the partial negative edge, where the spa wall interior to the pool is all lower, making it more open to the rest of the pool
- But we like the idea of a spillover as a pseudo water feature, and don't really like the look of glass tile all the way around the exterior of the spa... so this option would allow for a stone around the exterior and just under the spillover, with tile just along the water line.
- She's worried just a 3 foot section with spillover would create a barrier in between the spa and the rest of the pool
- She is also concerned that the raised spa will be uncomfortable to sit in, if the wall is above our head/shoulders, you wouldn't be able to put your arms on the edge while in the spa.

Those of you with raised spas, do you have any pictures with people in the spa? Really not sure how this would actually function and if the concerns about the wall are valid or if a 12" wall isn't going to make much difference.

 

[poolnoobgrandma]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! We met with PB #2 yesterday, thought we knew who we were going with, but really liked what #2 had to offer, so back to the debating.
We will definitely go back and ask about autofill and overflow, didn't consider those.
We were thinking we would do standard surface and tile, but after looking at tiles, we may do a ~$1500-$3000 tile upgrade. All depends on what we decide to do with the spa

We are really undecided about the spa...
- we like the look of the raised spa, so we went with 12", BUT my other half wants to be able to have a line of sight, or at least be able to carry on a conversation between someone on the sunshelf and someone in the spa.
- We initially went with the partial negative edge, where the spa wall interior to the pool is all lower, making it more open to the rest of the pool
- But we like the idea of a spillover as a pseudo water feature, and don't really like the look of glass tile all the way around the exterior of the spa... so this option would allow for a stone around the exterior and just under the spillover, with tile just along the water line.
- She's worried just a 3 foot section with spillover would create a barrier in between the spa and the rest of the pool
- She is also concerned that the raised spa will be uncomfortable to sit in, if the wall is above our head/shoulders, you wouldn't be able to put your arms on the edge while in the spa.

Those of you with raised spas, do you have any pictures with people in the spa? Really not sure how this would actually function and if the concerns about the wall are valid or if a 12" wall isn't going to make much difference.

We have the elevated spa, like the look, and it doesn't impede conversations between folks in the spa and folks on the sunshelf. The wall isn't above your head and shoulders when sitting in the spa. We had them do two levels for seating in the spa. We have tall and short people in the family. I find the raised spa easy to get in and out of... Sit on edge and swing legs around.
Think about where YOU are going to sit to watch movies, etc. That higher seat for short folks ended up being the best seat in the house to watch movies, and I'm tall!
Pic shows hubby's head and shoulder height as he watches a movie with little dude.