First off. This forum, and TFP website is awesome. A lot of great information, and a responsive forum community.
I am working on refinancing the house to build a pool, and take advantage of low interest rates.
This will be our very 1st pool.
We had set a $50k budget. Over the summer we meet with 6 pool builders in the area. Like everybody else. $30-$40k intro price quickly turned into $70-$100k. Especially after visiting my house.
We narrowed the builders down to 2. And then decided to put them both on hold. I found this website, and BYOP, and other owner-builder websites.
So far we know we want salt water, a spa, a rectangular pool, year round (Arizona), and full automation.
Here come the questions.
1. Engineering vs designing. Are both needed to build a pool or one over the other?
2. We have 4 huge Ash tree's in our backyard. When the leaf's drop, we get about 25-30 50gal yard bags full.
With that said, I am expecting a lot of leaf's in the pool...The pool builders recommended their best systems. Paramount PCC2000, and Blue Square Q-360. Are in floor systems any good now a days? Are they even available to owner builder? Get both a robot, and in-floor system?
3. Bugs. Do you do anything special to keep bugs out of your pools? I think the entire state has a Cicada problem, and my kids are scared of them. Will the salt water / chemicals just keep them at bay?
4. Water drainage. One of the builders wanted to raise up the pool 12" at a $10k charge. Others said we were fine. Another wanted $1k for a 45 l.f. hidden drainage system in the travertine pool deck. Is this common? Is one drainage system better than another?
5. Salt...IC40 vs IC60. Does it make a difference if the pool is < 15k gal?
6. Salt system with a Ozone system? Will this truly extend the life of the salt cell?
7. There are a million paver options. my head is spinning from looking at all the different options. How in the world did you decide which ones to go with? Just let the wife pick the pretty ones that she likes?
8. How can we jazz up our design without breaking the bank?
My wife thought about doing stone fire pillars around the outside of the deck...and tying that into the propane tanks, and the automation...but that sounds like an expensive nightmare.
Thank you again for your thoughts and ideas.
Scott
I am working on refinancing the house to build a pool, and take advantage of low interest rates.
This will be our very 1st pool.
We had set a $50k budget. Over the summer we meet with 6 pool builders in the area. Like everybody else. $30-$40k intro price quickly turned into $70-$100k. Especially after visiting my house.
We narrowed the builders down to 2. And then decided to put them both on hold. I found this website, and BYOP, and other owner-builder websites.
So far we know we want salt water, a spa, a rectangular pool, year round (Arizona), and full automation.
Here come the questions.
1. Engineering vs designing. Are both needed to build a pool or one over the other?
2. We have 4 huge Ash tree's in our backyard. When the leaf's drop, we get about 25-30 50gal yard bags full.
With that said, I am expecting a lot of leaf's in the pool...The pool builders recommended their best systems. Paramount PCC2000, and Blue Square Q-360. Are in floor systems any good now a days? Are they even available to owner builder? Get both a robot, and in-floor system?
3. Bugs. Do you do anything special to keep bugs out of your pools? I think the entire state has a Cicada problem, and my kids are scared of them. Will the salt water / chemicals just keep them at bay?
4. Water drainage. One of the builders wanted to raise up the pool 12" at a $10k charge. Others said we were fine. Another wanted $1k for a 45 l.f. hidden drainage system in the travertine pool deck. Is this common? Is one drainage system better than another?
5. Salt...IC40 vs IC60. Does it make a difference if the pool is < 15k gal?
6. Salt system with a Ozone system? Will this truly extend the life of the salt cell?
7. There are a million paver options. my head is spinning from looking at all the different options. How in the world did you decide which ones to go with? Just let the wife pick the pretty ones that she likes?
8. How can we jazz up our design without breaking the bank?
My wife thought about doing stone fire pillars around the outside of the deck...and tying that into the propane tanks, and the automation...but that sounds like an expensive nightmare.
Thank you again for your thoughts and ideas.
Scott