New Pool Build - Mansfield, TX

[TotalNerd]

I wasn't sure how to start this as I just found this forum. It would have been much better for me and the wife had I done so prior to signing the contract. That said please take a look at the plans, pictures, and details. Then tell me what you think I should be worried about and look at again.

We signed back on Nov 23rd and they're just now coming to dig on the 16th. Which yes, is not quite 4 months after the signature. I figured when we signed that close to Thanksgiving that nothing would happen until December and we'd be digging by the end of January. We got our plans and sent them to the HOA on Dec 15th. HOA didn't approve them until Feb 4th. Pool Builder, didn't submit the plans to the city until early January and we didn't get them back until Feb 10th. I yelled...a lot because we weren't on the schedule until the first of April. I yelled more, and now we're set to dig on March 16th.

I have no idea what equipment means so any help here is appreciated!

Pool Equipment:
Filter Pump - 2HP Jandy E-Pump
Booster Pump - (2) Jandy 120 GPM Feature Pumps
Cleaner Pump - PB4SQ
Filter - Jandy Cartridge Filter
Controller - iAqualink P8 w/ 4 Relays
Aqua Pure Salt Kit
5 Nichless LED Lights
Pool Miser Autofill
JXI 400k BTU w/ Heater Bypass valve
Cleaner - Polaris 280 w/Pump
Blower - Jandy 1.5 HP Blower

Features of the Pool:
Tanning Ledge big enough for a bubbler and 2 Ledge Loungers and an umbrella stand.
Tequila table with fire coming out of the middle (4ft table). It has a rolled neck and the walls are jetted just like a spa with 6 jets. 6 people can sit around it and the two at the end aren't reaching forever to get their drink.
Grotto big enough to hold 4 skinny people or about 3 people my size (5'10" @ 210 lbs). The grotto has a sheer water feature and a fire feature in it. The neck on this is rolled as well inside the grotto. There is also enough room in it to put some wine glasses in it.
Basketball Sleeves are buried in it as well.

Outdoor Living:
Pergola is 18'x14'x8' measured
The kitchen bar/island has a Bull 30" grill, with 2 drawers and a door beneath. It will be hooked to our natural gas.
1 Bull Outdoor fridge
Charcoal Leuder Countertops
It's depicted in the drawings as having 2 levels. It doesn't, its just a single level.

The pool plans and how it was sent to the HOA is attached so you can see ALL the details, but for those that don't want to look, here it is:

23'6" x 36' Free Form
592 Sq. Ft - Incidentally, its 38 sq. ft smaller than the apartment my wife and I moved into when we first moved in together.
21590 gallons, 101 Perimeter feet
Depth is 4' x 5.25' x 6.5' Its not a super deep pool, but it was a compromise between the wife and me. I wanted a play pool, she wanted something to dive in. We're going to increase the depth to 7'
2 Skimmers, 5 Returns

The colors in the pictures aren't accurate as it was difficult to render so i've added a picture of them.
Plaster is a black bottom, and the closest color from PebbleSheen is black onyx. The difference is it will have less brown and more blue.
Waterline tile is a darkblue (i'm going to have to get really good at pool chemistry!)
The rolled neck tile and step tile is a "shimery blue mix" as my wife likes to say.
The decking is a stamped concrete to look like natural rock. No color, as our house brick is a brown'ish grey so we stuck to colors to complement it. We can add color with the landscaping and lighting.
Coping is Charcoal Leuders
There is a black stacked tile going around the outside and inside of the Grotto. The tile will be stacked vertically.
This same tile is going on the kitchen bar/island stacked vertically as well.
Pergola is framed in Cedar except the long 18' spans which are LVL's clad in cedar. Stained a Walnut color.

Thoughts and opinions are welcome and appreciated!

 

[JJ_Tex]

Welcome and cool design. Good job on getting a salt system and starting your pool at 4' as many people try and go too shallow. I'll let someone who knows Jandy equipment comment, but I did notice that you have a total of 4 pumps. I would kill the polaris and its pump and go with a robot cleaner. The robots are newer technology, clean better, and just plug into the wall so you dont have to run you pump at the same time.

I cant tell on your grotto, can you swim back in there, or is it just a bench behind a waterfall?

Good luck on your build and let us know what questions you have.

 

[ryanjayblair]

Lookin good. I grew up in Mansfield with my parents moving there in 82. Love the area and your pool design.

 

[TotalNerd]

Welcome and cool design. Good job on getting a salt system and starting your pool at 4' as many people try and go too shallow. I'll let someone who knows Jandy equipment comment, but I did notice that you have a total of 4 pumps. I would kill the polaris and its pump and go with a robot cleaner. The robots are newer technology, clean better, and just plug into the wall so you dont have to run you pump at the same time.

I cant tell on your grotto, can you swim back in there, or is it just a bench behind a waterfall?

Good luck on your build and let us know what questions you have.

Its just a bench behind a waterfall. As far as questions go...I have no idea what to ask. We were just worried about aesthetics at the time and now that its about to become a reality I don't know what to ask or check for.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Pool school has several articles outlining the process of building a pool. I would start there:

Construction Archives

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[TotalNerd]

Ok, so I read most of pool school and it seems that we did a fairly good job of everything so far from a design perspective. How does the equipment look in terms of enough etc. I hear you about the robot vs. the skimmer. Not sure I'm going to want to come out of pocket another $600 right now as it seems I can always add one later and just not use the skimmer. Am I wrong there? Also, since we're scheduled to dig on Tuesday is there anything in the construction phase that I should be aware of? Things to watch out for etc?

 

[JJ_Tex]

I hear you about the robot vs. the skimmer. Not sure I'm going to want to come out of pocket another $600 right now as it seems I can always add one later and just not use the skimmer. Am I wrong there?

I'm not following you on this. Right now you have a Polaris pressure side cleaner, with a booster pump. That solution works fine, but is much older technology and requires the main pump to run as well as the booster pump.

With a Robot, it is newer technology and generally cleans better. They also plug into an electrical outlet, so no need for another pump or for your main pump to be running while it cleans. You just plug it in, drop it in the water and let it do its thing.

The total cost of a Robot should not be $600 more than the Polaris and Booster pump, and it should be a wash cost wise. Also, neither the Polaris or Robot have anything to do with a skimmer.

Also, I made comments on your equipment in red below, but I'm not an expert in Jandy equipment so I had to google most of it.

Pool Equipment:
Filter Pump - 2HP Jandy E-Pump - This is a variable speed pump, which is good. I only see a 2.2HP and 2.7HP model listed on their site, do you know which one you are getting?
Booster Pump - (2) Jandy 120 GPM Feature Pumps - I assume these are for running the grotto waterfall. Can you get model numbers?
Cleaner Pump - PB4SQ - Can be deleted if you get a Robot
Filter - Jandy Cartridge Filter - Bigger is better with filters. Do you know the size?
Controller - iAqualink P8 w/ 4 Relays
Aqua Pure Salt Kit - You want one rated for double the size of your pool. It looks like they have a PLC1400 rated up to 40k gallons, so that would probably work for your pool assuming it is not over 20k gallons. The PLC700 only is rated for 12k gallons, so dont get this unless your pool is going to be < 6k gallons, which does not appear likely from the pictures.
5 Nichless LED Lights
Pool Miser Autofill
JXI 400k BTU w/ Heater Bypass valve
Cleaner - Polaris 280 w/Pump - Can be deleted if you get a Robot
Blower - Jandy 1.5 HP Blower

 

[TotalNerd]

I'm not following you on this. Right now you have a Polaris pressure side cleaner, with a booster pump. That solution works fine, but is much older technology and requires the main pump to run as well as the booster pump.

With a Robot, it is newer technology and generally cleans better. They also plug into an electrical outlet, so no need for another pump or for your main pump to be running while it cleans. You just plug it in, drop it in the water and let it do its thing.

The total cost of a Robot should not be $600 more than the Polaris and Booster pump, and it should be a wash cost wise. Also, neither the Polaris or Robot have anything to do with a skimmer.

Also, I made comments on your equipment in red below, but I'm not an expert in Jandy equipment so I had to google most of it.

Pool Equipment:
Filter Pump - 2HP Jandy E-Pump - This is a variable speed pump, which is good. I only see a 2.2HP and 2.7HP model listed on their site, do you know which one you are getting?
Booster Pump - (2) Jandy 120 GPM Feature Pumps - I assume these are for running the grotto waterfall. Can you get model numbers?
Cleaner Pump - PB4SQ - Can be deleted if you get a Robot
Filter - Jandy Cartridge Filter - Bigger is better with filters. Do you know the size?
Controller - iAqualink P8 w/ 4 Relays
Aqua Pure Salt Kit - You want one rated for double the size of your pool. It looks like they have a PLC1400 rated up to 40k gallons, so that would probably work for your pool assuming it is not over 20k gallons. The PLC700 only is rated for 12k gallons, so dont get this unless your pool is going to be < 6k gallons, which does not appear likely from the pictures.
5 Nichless LED Lights
Pool Miser Autofill
JXI 400k BTU w/ Heater Bypass valve
Cleaner - Polaris 280 w/Pump - Can be deleted if you get a Robot
Blower - Jandy 1.5 HP Blower

Ok, so maybe I didn't understand as much as I thought I did or i'm just using bad terminology. When I say skimmer i'm referring to the "robot" that hooks into the pool and rolls around in the pool. I realize that is wrong, but I don't know the correct name unless its just called a pool cleaner?!?! As far as the robot i'll talk to the pool builder and see if they'll switch it out for me. Though to be fair, i'm not a fan of plugging in something and then tossing it in the pool...seems sketchy to me heh.

Filter is 460 sq. ft. My pool is just shy of 22k gallons so i'll need to get the exact piece of equipment. I'll get the model numbers of the equipment from the pool builder.

 

[Snoobug]

It looks awesome! Do you have easy access to a bathroom?

 

[JJ_Tex]

Here is a good article on suction vs pressure (Polaris) vs robot cleaners.

Automatic Pool Cleaners

Are you looking for the best above ground and in-ground automatic pool vacuum cleaners? Here are a few tips to your pools floor.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Your skimmer is the hole in the deck under a plastic lid...carries inside a skimmer basket which collects the leaves and such that float thru the water and on the surface into the skimmer.

Your planned cleaner is a *pressure side* cleaner. It requires its own booster pump ($) and cleaner ($) to use as such. Outdated and while adequate to a degree, doesn't perform near as good a the robots out on the market today.
Maytronics E/20 or the equivalent is a much better cleaner.... it not only cleans the floor but climbs the walls and scrubs the water line. Its all run off a power center that turns the power run to a very low current and safe in water.
I have this one: (except labeled by Pentair, the Warrior $699) Dolphin Active 20 Robotic Pool Cleaner - Maytronics
We never suggest buying from your pool builder unless you just want to throw him a bone. Marina Pool and Spa in Colorado sells *many* TFPers their 'bots on the phone, tax and shipping free. Worth checking her out and calling just to talk to Margaret or Seth.
They have fancier ones too that have an extra brush, a cart, WiFi, Bluetooth... look at them all.

I agree with wife- 7' give a person a dive...8' is safer though! I miss not being about to dive in my pool.

Maddie

 

[737mech]

Our robot is incredibly efficient at cleaning our pool far better than our old Polaris. Also, there's no loud booster pump using up a bunch of electricity either.
BTW...Your Texas pool will be hot in the summer with a black plaster.

 

[bmoreswim]

I could swim in that pool. But if you go with the pressure side cleaner, I’ll promise to keep you in my thoughts. Just no good reason to get one.

 

[TotalNerd]

It looks awesome! Do you have easy access to a bathroom?

Kind of. We're 30ft from the porch and you can go in 1 of 2 doors there. Option 1 goes into the kitchen/eatin area and the other option goes to our bedroom. So, guests I guess could go through our master to use ours or we could put them through the eatin and they can go to the bathroom right off the kitchen. Obviously when its just the wife and I we'll go to our bedroom.

 

[TotalNerd]

Our robot is incredibly efficient at cleaning our pool far better than our old Polaris. Also, there's no loud booster pump using up a bunch of electricity either.
BTW...Your Texas pool will be hot in the summer with a black plaster.

That was the goal actually. We (ahem...the wife) likes bathwater in her pool, so I do expect it to be warmer. The good news is we can use it earlier/later in the season.

 

[TotalNerd]

So, since the dig is tomorrow we went ahead and we're going to go 7' vs. 6.5'. that will cost an additional $410, but when the price of the pool is already as high as it is, what's another $410?

Here's the equipment model numbers:
All equipment is “Jandy” brand
Aqua Pure Salt system. PLC 1400
Cartridge filter. CV 460
Main pump, Variable speed. VSSHP270AUT
Booster pump. WFTR 120
Cleaner pump. PB4SQ

Here's what PB said about the robot:
Robotic cleaners are hit and miss with different people.

Pros
They drive up walls and brush the sides of the pool and tile line.
Filter fine debris better.

Cons
They are a little more expensive up front, and significantly more expensive to repair as they start breaking down.
And they do not pick up larger debris, leaves, etc… as well as the Polaris 280.
You should not leave them in the pool, they need to be manually inserted and removed for each use.

Now, my thoughts to the list:
1. I don't have any trees anywhere near the pool as this was a new house build in 2018 and we have done NOTHING to the back yard. So i'm not worried about leaves and large debris.
2. I really don't want to have a large repair cost and I think the Polaris will be easier in terms of toss it in the pool and forget about it. Also, I don't have a place to store the robot unless I lug it back and forth to/from the garage. I can't leave it outside because my dogs will destroy it. Plus I was thinking they were lots of money I'm not really worried about $700 if i'm displeased with the Polaris.

 

[bmoreswim]

Pros and cons to everything. My biggest con, and the reason I ripped out my pressure side cleaner and booster pump, and bought a robot, was the actual cleaning. The job, or lack thereof, it did on fine debris (dust like debris) and its coverage of the pool, were a big annoyance and I scrapped it after just a few years. Many also leave the robots in their pools despite what Maytronics says about it (they say conflicting things). I remove mine and store it in a small shed by the pool (it bugs me to see it sitting idly by in the pool). Many store them in a small deck box. PB comments about robots being hit or miss are not the replies we see here, with the possible exception being their collection of a high volume of leaves, or really big ones. But I do agree that it’s not a dealbreaker, and you can always switch if you aren’t satisfied.

It’s almost tomorrow!! Take lots of pics.

 

[TotalNerd]

So, just posting an update on the pool since we broke ground on 3/16. Its been about two weeks (13 days) and the dig has been completed. Luckily no rock. The day after the pool was finished being dug (took 3 days to dig and haul everything away) it rained pretty heavily and washed out our steel install. The following day, they came in and pumped out the water and did the steel. That took about 3 days to complete. The day after the steel finished it rained...hard...again. I wasn't all that worried because plumbers weren't scheduled until the 26th. The build PM came by on the 25th and noticed like I did that the walls behind the steel collapsed. So, they sent a crew out on Saturday for about 4 hours to "muck it out" and they didn't finish. That pushed plumbing back to today. As luck would have it, more walls collapsed over the weekend so they had to delay plumbing until tomorrow and sent the crew back out today to do the muck dance again. So, with any luck, plumbing should go in tomorrow.

Gas Install is expected on 4/8 and inspection is scheduled already for 4/9 which means gunite can start after that. PM said its normally taking a week to get in post inspection. Here's hoping I don't have anymore holdups...

 

[angelaintx]

Hey TotalNerd- I’m in Mansfield too. Curious about your builder. I sent you a message.

 

[TotalNerd]

GUNITE DAY!!! Finally! After what seemed like months, we're finally in the gunite stage! Thank goodness. We have something resembling a pool now! I've attached pictures for you to view. The crew is still here spraying it and I musst say it looks good to me. Shallow side is big enough to enjoy basketball and the deep side is big enough to float around. On the grotto picture you can see the level with the pipe. that pipe is actually an LED light. Next level up is the bench, the level above that is a ledge to place drinks on and it has a rolled neck. I'll post more tomorrow so you can look at the what i'm referring to as a "Texas Spa". So happy!