New member pool planning in N. Atlanta - Construction Completed 7/2022

[darkrider]

So I'm still awaiting boulder placement for the waterfall, but it's looking like it will probably happen tomorrow. The gas and electrical both passed inspection, and I got my gas meter upgrade this morning!

 

[kimkats]

Tomorrow???OH YEAH!!

 

[darkrider]

The boulders will extend about 6' behind the wall and are going to continue down the wall onto the boulder ledge, so they are currently building a footer pad behind the wall using cement block, rebar and concrete. This will prevent the boulders from settling, and provide a base for the waterproofing membrane and a special sealant. The base and waterproofing should be completed today, so boulder placement will actually be tomorrow!

 

[darkrider]

Guess what day it is!?!? It's BOULDER DAY!!! They used a boom hoist for the first two large boulders, which I missed completely, since I was in meetings. However, I was promised it will be back tomorrow for the large spillway rocks tomorrow. The rest they have been setting with the track hoe, since it's more maneuverable. Without further delay... pics!

 

[kimkats]

It's BOULDER DAY!!!

OH YEAH!!!!

a boom hoist

and you missed it??? gurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr bad meeting, BAD!!!

 

[darkrider]

Not only did I miss it, I was lied too... They never needed the boom hoist today! On a positive note, the waterfall boulder wall looks amazing! The pics don't do the scale justice at all. The ledge inside the pool is 12' wide, and the waterfall itself has to raise about 10' in the air. I am going to have a lot of fun jumping off this! They're not completely done, but they'll finish this evening.

 

[kimkats]

OH what fun to watch!!!

 

[darkrider]

OH what fun to watch!!!

It was both exciting and nerve racking, especially watching the boulders dangle above the pool shell from a chain! They literally were playing full size Tetris! I'll see if I can host some video of it...

So, the plumbing is 3" Schedule 40 going back to the equipment pad and a dedicated 2 speed pump with an adjustable diverter valve. I can't wait to play with water flow and see how loud it's going to be! The outflow is hidden behind the 2 smaller boulders near the top flat rock, right near the top. The drop from the outflow is a littler over 2', with the 1st ledge drop being roughly 18", and the drop into the pool about 4 1/2'. It was plumbed to the left side of the waterfall, and should provide easy access, should I ever need it. Based on reading here, I like that the spill design is direct runoff with no pooling, which should avoid a lot of algae growth. If anyone is curious what waterproofing material they used on the ledge was a 2 part Laticrete waterproofing membrane (black layer on boulder ledge) and a 2mm rubber liner. Both also have MicroBan in them to help with algae control as well. They also used a special mortar that is rated for underwater use, and individually pointed every boulder.

 

[darkrider]

One final pic of the waterfall. It looks like they finished it off and did some testing while I was in the office yesterday. I am very happy with how it turned out. This coming week, they tackle the wall to the right of the waterfall and start the paver decking! In the interim, I'll try and coordinate landcape lighting and fencing as well. Then it's on to Pebbletec and fill... Probably another 4-6 weeks total. The end is in sight!

 

[kimkats]

Love, Love, LOVE it all!!!
Are the smaller rocks glued into place?

 

[PCR]

The boulders will extend about 6' behind the wall and are going to continue down the wall onto the boulder ledge, so they are currently building a footer pad behind the wall using cement block, rebar and concrete. This will prevent the boulders from settling, and provide a base for the waterproofing membrane and a special sealant. The base and waterproofing should be completed today, so boulder placement will actually be tomorrow!

I'm curious - looking at the pictures in your next post (post 144), it's difficult to see a concrete pad. Did they do this in the end, and does it extend so that the bottom layer of all the rocks behind the wall is sitting on it?

 

[darkrider]

Love, Love, LOVE it all!!!
Are the smaller rocks glued into place?

Everything is anchored except the river rock and smaller flat rocks in the spillway.

I'm curious - looking at the pictures in your next post (post 144), it's difficult to see a concrete pad. Did they do this in the end, and does it extend so that the bottom layer of all the rocks behind the wall is sitting on it?

They had already backfilled with a little less than a foot of dirt at this point. It's not a traditional pad. It is primarily concrete block that runs the majority of the back wall mirroring the boulder shelf and extends back about 4' or 4 rows. The first row against the wall is 3 blocks high, second row was 2 blocks, and third and fourth were just a single row deep. They drove rebar down and filled the cavities with concrete. The top of the waterfall, they just flattened, tamped and did a direct layer of concrete before they placed the boulders.

 

[PCR]

Everything is anchored except the river rock and smaller flat rocks in the spillway.

They had already backfilled with a little less than a foot of dirt at this point. It's not a traditional pad. It is primarily concrete block that runs the majority of the back wall mirroring the boulder shelf and extends back about 4' or 4 rows. The first row against the wall is 3 blocks high, second row was 2 blocks, and third and fourth were just a single row deep. They drove rebar down and filled the cavities with concrete. The top of the waterfall, they just flattened, tamped and did a direct layer of concrete before they placed the boulders.

Thank you! I'm asking because I have a large boulder waterfall as well. They used dirt from the excavation to make the hill and then drove a machine over it to compress it but did not form ANY sort of base for it at all besides that before digging out some flat tiers and placing the rubber membrane and then boulders. It has settled some, which is frustrating, and I am just trying to understand whether what my builder did is common practice. So far in looking through builds, every boulder waterfall I've seen has been built on some sort of base, which makes sense! Whether I can do anything about mine now ..... who knows. Your pool and project are beautiful! Good luck with the rest of the project.

 

[darkrider]

Thank you! I'm asking because I have a large boulder waterfall as well. They used dirt from the excavation to make the hill and then drove a machine over it to compress it but did not form ANY sort of base for it at all besides that before digging out some flat tiers and placing the rubber membrane and then boulders. It has settled some, which is frustrating, and I am just trying to understand whether what my builder did is common practice. So far in looking through builds, every boulder waterfall I've seen has been built on some sort of base, which makes sense! Whether I can do anything about mine now ..... who knows. Your pool and project are beautiful! Good luck with the rest of the project.

Sorry to hear that you're having settling issues. Is it just some cracking in the mortar, or is it bad enough that it's impacting flow or appearance? I'd recommend at least reaching out to the PB. I doubt they'll remove and reinstall, but they may come out to do some leveling and repoint any mortar cracks.

With our clay soil base, I wouldn't be surprised to see some settling even with the blocks, but hopefully the base will keep the movement to a minimum, and prevent any forward movement toward the pool. Our PB said we will definitely see settling in our pavers due to the clay. They use a crushed black rock as an underlayment for the paver decking that helps isolate it, but they said they always plan to come back after a year to fix any settling issues. After that first year, they said they seldom see additional settling.

 

[Smalone]

Looks great! Did you do any lighting shining up into the waterfalls?

 

[darkrider]

Looks great! Did you do any lighting shining up into the waterfalls?

One of our pool lights will point in that general direction, but we are also doing integrated landscape light as well. Should we have them do a dedicated light for the waterfall, and if so, what type/placement do you recommend?

 

[darkrider]

The masonry crew is back today today to start working the last retaining wall and drainage/paver decking. The only other progress to report is that I got my TF-Pro with Salt in the mail. Are we ready to fill yet?

 

[kimkats]

LOL SO ready but not yet....You can and should test your fill water so we can help you figure out the first steps to getting the water ready to swim in when the time comes!

 

[darkrider]

They made some progress on the last retaining walls. They are doing 2 walls to minimize potential for any runoff into the pool. They're also finishing the field stone caps.

LOL SO ready but not yet....You can and should test your fill water so we can help you figure out the first steps to getting the water ready to swim in when the time comes!

Here are the measurements for my initial fill water:
pH - 7.8
CH - 50
TA - 30

 

[kimkats]

Yeah I can see how run off could be a concern! Best to fix it before it needs it and they are doing the work already!

You are going to need to push you TA up when the time comes to balance your water. Look in my siggy below for the Recommended Chemicals to see what you will use for each item. Do NOT buy anything just yet. I just want you to be ready if the PB does not take care of it.