New Pool Build- Sienna Plantation, TX

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mjkelley611

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Jul 7, 2015
16
Houston, TX
Hi TFP!

My husband and I have spent the better part of 2 months studying up on here and I think we are finally ready to share our progress (or lack thereof!) so far.

We both grew up with pools and have been saving up for ours for the last few years. We had 5 builders out, strongly considered 3 and decided to go with the mid-priced builder who gave us the best customer service. Really hoping we made the right decision here!

A little about our design:
15X30 Inground Gunite pool
7X7 Spa (not raised)
4X8.5 Baja shelf (16inch depth)
Travertine coping
480 Sq ft. Sundek, plus covering 150 ft of existing deck
18 inch raised wall across the back, covered in white marble split face travertine
Glass tile
Wetedge Satin Matrix in Aqua Blue with Abalone Shells
3 led lights in pool, 1 in spa
2 Bubblers
2 3ft rain descents
All Jandy Equipment
2HP VS Pump
Booster pump for water features
Polaris 9350 Robot cleaner
400K BTU Heater
IAqualink System
*I’m sure there’s stuff I left off, but this is a good idea of where we are heading.

If any one wants info about our builder, who else we got quotes/designs from, and how much this is costing, I’m happy to share in a PM.

And now for Pictures!!



 
We signed our contract on August 10th and since then we have gotten HOA approval and called all the utility companies to come mark where the wires and such are. This has caused some issues.

First, gas and electric are running through where we would like to put the spa. We had been warned by a few of the builders who gave us bids that this might be an issue so we are prepared to move those. What we aren’t prepared for is the Comcast conduit that runs directly through our yard. We don’t even have Comcast!

We have a 8 ft. easement on the back of our lot and thought that this type of thing was supposed to run through that. We aren’t really sure what to do from here. Is this our responsibility to move since it shouldn’t even be there??

We have a meeting with our builder on Thursday, technically do do our layout, but it is also the first time we will meet our construction manager so I’m hoping that he has some insight on next steps.

Has anyone experienced this before? I would appreciate any insight or advice as this is really making us nervous and worried about the extra cost if this is our responsibility to fix!
 
mjkelley611 said:
We signed our contract on August 10th and since then we have gotten HOA approval and called all the utility companies to come mark where the wires and such are. This has caused some issues.

First, gas and electric are running through where we would like to put the spa. We had been warned by a few of the builders who gave us bids that this might be an issue so we are prepared to move those. What we aren’t prepared for is the Comcast conduit that runs directly through our yard. We don’t even have Comcast!

We have a 8 ft. easement on the back of our lot and thought that this type of thing was supposed to run through that. We aren’t really sure what to do from here. Is this our responsibility to move since it shouldn’t even be there??

We have a meeting with our builder on Thursday, technically do do our layout, but it is also the first time we will meet our construction manager so I’m hoping that he has some insight on next steps.

Has anyone experienced this before? I would appreciate any insight or advice as this is really making us nervous and worried about the extra cost if this is our responsibility to fix!
Click to expand...

The problem with Cable companies is they pay people very low wages to run cable. They will run it where ever they want to run it. The easement covers major stuff but not individual comcast lines. I am guessing they found a shortcut to your neighbor's house through your yard. You'll have to call them to have them move it.
 
Welcome to TFP.
Looks like a great project.
Love the angles of the far wall.
Are you going with Salt or traditional chlorination?
What is the depth range?
 
ummgood said:
The problem with Cable companies is they pay people very low wages to run cable. They will run it where ever they want to run it. The easement covers major stuff but not individual comcast lines. I am guessing they found a shortcut to your neighbor's house through your yard. You'll have to call them to have them move it.
Click to expand...

Do you know if that will be at our own expense, or should they cover that?

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ozdiver said:
Welcome to TFP.
Looks like a great project.
Love the angles of the far wall.
Are you going with Salt or traditional chlorination?
What is the depth range?
Click to expand...


Thank you!

Ah, yes, those little details! We are going with traditional chlorine and the depth are going to be 3.5-5.5-4
 
The conversations often goes like this...
You "There is a cable cutting through our yard outside the easement and it's not our service. Can you move it?"
Them "Wellll, we can send out someone and it will cost you $$$ to relocate it. We can fit you in in 2 weeks time."
You "What happens if it get s cut by accident?"
Them "Ohhh, wel we send out the repair crew and they get is fixed."
You " How much does that cost?"
Them " Nothing."
 
I just had my yard flaged and AT&T was running there line diagonal through where my pool is going. I called them they sent someone out. Of course they wrote the wrong ticket. This was a repair guy. He was nice enough to go out there and was going to move it for me. And it wasn't even a live line. So they left it. Nice pool. Love the lay out!
 
ozdiver said:
The conversations often goes like this...
You "There is a cable cutting through our yard outside the easement and it's not our service. Can you move it?"
Them "Wellll, we can send out someone and it will cost you $$$ to relocate it. We can fit you in in 2 weeks time."
You "What happens if it get s cut by accident?"
Them "Ohhh, wel we send out the repair crew and they get is fixed."
You " How much does that cost?"
Them " Nothing."
Click to expand...


EXACTLY what happened to me in Cypress with AT&T. After it was marked, they would not move it for free unless it was cut. So, you know the rest of the story! I was curious as to why they bother to pay someone to come out and mark the phone/internet line, since they have no intention of moving it until it's cut. Silence was the only answer I got.

We also had to have our gas line re-routed. It took 3 weeks, but..... CenterPoint (not sure whom you have) was exceptionally professional about it. Gave me the entire process, what to expect, specific payment instructions, etc. I believe it cost $350. I just marked it off as one of those unexpected pool build expenses I expected. It was either pay for it to be moved or have the luxury of jumping out my back window right into the pool.

Excited to see another Houston area pool build! It looks like it is going to be great! I LOVE the white marble split-face travertine; it is gorgeous!!! I seriously considered using that on my short raised wall.

Take care,
Suz.
 
SuzfromTexas said:
EXACTLY what happened to me in Cypress with AT&T. After it was marked, they would not move it for free unless it was cut. So, you know the rest of the story! I was curious as to why they bother to pay someone to come out and mark the phone/internet line, since they have no intention of moving it until it's cut. Silence was the only answer I got.

We also had to have our gas line re-routed. It took 3 weeks, but..... CenterPoint (not sure whom you have) was exceptionally professional about it. Gave me the entire process, what to expect, specific payment instructions, etc. I believe it cost $350. I just marked it off as one of those unexpected pool build expenses I expected. It was either pay for it to be moved or have the luxury of jumping out my back window right into the pool.

Excited to see another Houston area pool build! It looks like it is going to be great! I LOVE the white marble split-face travertine; it is gorgeous!!! I seriously considered using that on my short raised wall.

Take care,
Suz.
Click to expand...

Hi Suz! Thank you so much. It makes me feel much better that other people have been through this and now have beautiful pools! I read your whole build thread and your pool is amazing. Especially your glass tile!

We are meeting with the construction manager on Thursday and we will come up with a plan from there. The good thing about building at the end of the summer is we have all fall and winter to get it done :)
 

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Hi everyone!

Sorry it has been so long since my original post, it has been whirlwind of action around here.

When we had our construction manager out for layout, they looked at the Comcast line and figured it wasn't a big deal. We would hit it, they would run a temp line and no one would have any problems. We moved the gas and electric lines (not too expensive since they didn't need to move more than a few feet) and then we were on our way with the dig!!

A few hours into the dig we got a text from our construction manager saying that the Comcast line was actually the main line for the neighborhood! He had never seen that before since it was a solid 4 feet outside of the easement! We went through several steps to try and figure this out and fix it, but no one seemed to see it as a big issue, so we moved ahead with our build.

Rebar went in the next day and then stub plumbing. Pics below

 
Next was Gunite Day! our builder got us from dig to Gunite in only a week, even with all the cable issues.

First step was to have the Gunite guys cut out the line. They cut through both ends and got to work! Several hours later a Comcast guy popped over the fence poking for a cut line. I guess it wasn't actually cut when they hit it during dig. Gunite was done by about 5, but the Comcast guys were in the yard until after 9 that night trying to repair the line. They have a temporary one in now, but we aren't sure what the long term plan is. We decided just to move past it, be excited about our pool and let Comcast figure it!

Gunite pictures!!


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Everyone loves the Gunite!
 
Poor Comcast.
It doesn't matter how much you try to help them, they just can't help causing themselves issues.
The shell looks great.
What's the PB's next step?
 
Honestly that is what they get for having the main line for the neighborhood not in an easement. You have the right to use your property within reason for things like pools, etc... and that is why there is an easement for utilities so you can use the rest for what you want.
 
Thanks Ozdiver and Ummgood. We're glad to move on from the Comcast issue! Our builder has been great with working around it and keeping things on schedule.

We are now in the middle of tile and coping. I'll post pictures of that this evening. So far I really love how all of our choices are coming together! I'm hoping that they will also get the plumbing done this week.
 
Hi Everyone,

Tile and coping are mostly in. They haven't finished the grout or the coping on top of the raised wall, but the builder when ahead and did the plumbing. We're hoping to have the equipment in, electric done this week and hopefully a layout meeting for the decking.

I love my tile! it looks so different in different light and at different times of the day. Super glad we upgraded here!
 

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