New pool in SoCal

[fyton2v]

See this little retaining wall? This wasn't in the original plan. Due to the slope grade in my backyard this wall will keep dirt and water (mud) run-off away from the pool decking. Not exactly sure what it's costing me at this point but it's many more linear feet of flagstone. This entire job is blending together into one big total since i'm paying the masonry guys by the day instead of by the job. Everything is in scope. This crew works hard and it doesn't feel like money is just going out the window, but the job keeps getting a little bigger all the time.
Me: "Can you add a pilaster here.. and here?"
Him: "Sure... we're going to need more material. Square or round?"
Me: "Round"
Him: "Seriously? Ok, but that's hard man."
[attachment=2:2l3medi3]P1010105.jpg[/attachment:2l3medi3]

Here is a close-up of the ledger stone spillway; I've lost track of the tons of flagstone I've used. I think I'm up to 12 tons. I have it in receipts but I'm hesitant to add it up .
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The equipment! The plumber I chose was really difficult to work with, but at least he can run PVC in a neat an tidy fashion. I went with all Jandy equipment and procured the equipment through a local plumbing place that sells only to pool contractors. That was another pain. Their prices weren't as good as you'd think, but it was all slightly cheaper than I could get from the cheapest place on the Internet.
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[rv4hess]

Looking good
I can't imagine how much money you will have in this build but I believe it is one that will really increase your home's value.
Love the design...That is going to be an awesome backyard!

John

 

[linen]

I can't imagine how much money you will have in this build but I believe it is one that will really increase your home's value.

That brings up a question I have...up here (Minnesota) having a igp can be/often is a detriment to selling you home (in some cases reduces the offering prices). How much do you guys in warm climates recoup...I guess percent wise...of what you spend when/if you sell?

 

[Patrick_B]

I cant wait to see this one finished up. Looking better all the time.

 

[fyton2v]

This is my second pool. I'd say they add very little value to the home and are one of the worst investments you can make as a homeowner. If it looks really nice it can help you sell your home, but at best I think I'll only ever realize a small fraction of this money through a sale. I'm not made of money, but I wanted to avoid putting in a pool that will make potential home buyers turn and run. When I was looking for the home I'm currently in I saw quite a few houses where the existing pool was a deal breaker.

So, IMHO the same rules apply down here, but I think to a somewhat smaller degree. Many people in SoCal like having pools since you can virtually use them year around. However, the only people who seem to pay a premium for the experience are the lucky folks who own the pool first.

I can't imagine how much money you will have in this build but I believe it is one that will really increase your home's value.

That brings up a question I have...up here (Minnesota) having a igp can be/often is a detriment to selling you home (in some cases reduces the offering prices). How much do you guys in warm climates recoup...I guess percent wise...of what you spend when/if you sell?

 

[popo]

Looking good fyton. Keep the photos coming. Where abouts in SoCial are ya? I'm in Orange County and about to embark on a new IGP. Did you contract with a PB or are you building yourself? Can't wait to see your finished pool.

 

[fyton2v]

I'm in Thousand Oaks. I'm running the project myself and subbing out most of the work. Honestly, it's not all that easy, or fun, even though I'm more construction oriented than your average civilian. To do this yourself: you'll really need to be ready and capable of digging into the finest details of pool construction. If you're the brave sort, and mechanically inclined, go for it. You'll save a little bit of dough, but maybe not as much as you'd think. I might be saving at the far outside 20%. I'm not too sure at this point because 1) my scope has increased from when I solicited bids from a couple of PBs, and 2) I'm not done yet.

Looking good fyton. Keep the photos coming. Where abouts in SoCial are ya? I'm in Orange County and about to embark on a new IGP. Did you contract with a PB or are you building yourself? Can't wait to see your finished pool.

 

[fyton2v]

Still going... It's been very hot the last couple of days and I feel sorry for the masonry crew. I think some amount of beer is in order on Friday.

The back wall is almost finished, but they still need to add the cap stone. Both pilasters are finished and I think they came out really well. I'm going to get this lamp (just below) from a place called Sandwich Lanterns in Maine. They have a base that can be used to mount on a pilaster vs. a post. I bought some for my last house and they worked out well. In SoCal garden lights are all the same and pretty mundane. These onion copper lights are very unique.

Wide angle shot of the pool. Sorry, it's shady back there at the moment so the pics didn't turn out that well.
[attachment=2:3w2yctus]P1010284.jpg[/attachment:3w2yctus]

Against the advice of those more knowledgeable than me I'm going to do flagstone at the waterline. I know! I've lost it! The stone I'm using is very dense and hard and both my mason and the folks at the stone yard think it'll work out fine. They advised me away from other flagstone, but this one should be solid. I hope it holds up for a decade, but perhaps I'll be posting here in 5 years about my wrong turn.

We'll be adding stone into the beach entry for about 3 feet or so.
[attachment=1:3w2yctus]P1010285.jpg[/attachment:3w2yctus]

Here is the incomplete coping work on the raised spa. I decided to forgo stacked stone on the back of the spa and the little retaining wall. Going stacked everywhere would really drag out the project and having some flagstone face in there compliments the decking pretty nicely. It's about 25% stacked mix.
[attachment=0:3w2yctus]P1010286.jpg[/attachment:3w2yctus]

 

[fyton2v]

Here is a sideways shot where the spa transitions from stacked to non-stacked at the boulder.
[attachment=0:13fvqp7r]P1010287.jpg[/attachment:13fvqp7r]

And another shot from the pilaster on one side of the decking.
[attachment=1:13fvqp7r]P1010288.jpg[/attachment:13fvqp7r]

 

[spillmar]

Looking really good. Love the lamps.

 

[Patrick_B]

I am really loving the stone work. It is truly going to be stellar. The flagstone in the water may not be great, hope it holds up well for you though. Thanks for the update.

 

[fyton2v]

Still going, but the end is finally in sight. I need to figure out a fence situation so I can proceed with plastering. I'm in an older home with chain-link fence all around the back yard and some sections don't meet the 5ft minimum required by the city. I'm either going to surround the pool with a removable fence, or add 5ft sections where the chain-link is only 4.5 feet. Need to figure out this part fast... I should've solved this weeks ago, but I just didn't have time.

On to the slide show:

Rant on... Here's something that drives me crazy. Built in BBQ's really are unnecessary when it comes right down to it. It's a complete luxury item, and as a luxury item the components are completely over priced. Why does a 36" grill cost more than your primary stove? These things are easily north of $3000... to grill up some hot dogs. Wouldn't it be great if a grill vendor could strike a balance among materials, quality, workmanship, AND value? I'm pretty sure they struggle with the value part. Same goes for those tiny built-in refrigerators! They can cost more than your primary fridge. Rant off...
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[attachment=1:3sva1db2]P1010299.jpg[/attachment:3sva1db2]

We added a stone pathway from the patio to the pool decking. I generally do my own landscaping so we're going to be dirt for a while. I don't have a landscape crew coming in to turn my yard green in a few days. I might need to rethink this strategy because I'm not getting any younger.

This is my younger daughter who has been very patient during construction.
[attachment=2:3sva1db2]P1010300.jpg[/attachment:3sva1db2]

 

[fyton2v]

And more pics. The stone is dusty and needs an acid wash. I'll do this after plastering and then seal it to give it a wet look. It's really amazing looking when the stone is wet. Great color.

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[fyton2v]

Added some more boulders to help manage the natural slop of the yard and the flagstone at the waterline is done. I know... I know... I'm doing flagstone anyway .

[attachment=0:2sfr6t5k]P1010304.jpg[/attachment:2sfr6t5k]

[attachment=1:2sfr6t5k]P1010305.jpg[/attachment:2sfr6t5k]

[attachment=2:2sfr6t5k]P1010306.jpg[/attachment:2sfr6t5k]

 

[fyton2v]

Here is the stone at the beach entry. All this stone will meet up with Midnight Blue Pebble Tec... hopefully soon.
[attachment=0:233hjvtb]P1010307.jpg[/attachment:233hjvtb]

Hey... while the sub contractors were working hard on the pool I built a chicken coop... for the chickens. The kids wanted chickens and I like eggs so we all get something out of the deal. I call it "Fort Chicken".
[attachment=1:233hjvtb]P1010308.jpg[/attachment:233hjvtb]

 

[fyton2v]

I'm stuck in limbo for 1.5 weeks while I wait for All-Safe to install a pool fence. The city won't approve my existing 40 year old chain-link fence that surrounds the backyard. I either need to replace sections of the fence or put in a pool fence, and the yard fence is too many linear feet to deal with right now. I was really surprised that my city will sign off on one of these removable pool fences. They're pretty flimsy and it'll be uninstalled the moment the inspector leaves the property. What a complete waste of money just so an inspector can put his initials next to the safety box on the permit. Now if it were actually permanent and safe... that would be understandable. As it stands it's just silly.

Well... Hopefully this means I'm just 1.5 weeks + 1 day before we finish the pool... and I'll be a little more poor than I originally expected.

Oh yeah... I realized something else this week. My gas meter is undersized for the 400K BTU heater. This wasn't completely unexpected, but I'm worried the supply line from the street to the meter may be too small. It's tough to tell the pipe diameter because it's under cement. I have SoCal Edison scheduled to come out in the beginning of October to swap it out for a larger unit. We'll see what they say about the supply line. I forecast another $3000 dollar expense headed my way for SCE to trench and install a new line. I really love pools.

 

[Melt In The Sun]

They're pretty flimsy and it'll be uninstalled the moment the inspector leaves the property. What a complete waste of money just so an inspector can put his initials next to the safety box on the permit. Now if it were actually permanent and safe... that would be understandable. As it stands it's just silly.

Code is code, as silly as it may seem sometimes. The fact of the matter is, your chain link won't pass the test because it's easily climbable. If you take down your pool fence and a kid climbs your fence and drowns, you're screwed. You better leave that dinky fence up until you can replace your chain link.

 

[bts]

Hi Fyton,
I live in TO and am looking at going do the same path as you and do this pool myself. After getting various quotes i can't see using a PB. I would like to find out about a few of your sub's that you did like....
By the way pool is looking good!
Thanks

 

[fyton2v]

They're pretty flimsy and it'll be uninstalled the moment the inspector leaves the property. What a complete waste of money just so an inspector can put his initials next to the safety box on the permit. Now if it were actually permanent and safe... that would be understandable. As it stands it's just silly.

Code is code, as silly as it may seem sometimes. The fact of the matter is, your chain link won't pass the test because it's easily climbable. If you take down your pool fence and a kid climbs your fence and drowns, you're screwed. You better leave that dinky fence up until you can replace your chain link.

Well the inspector in my city would've approved the chain-link fence it it were 6" higher in a couple of areas. How useful is this code again?

I do understand the safety implications. I don't agree with the hypocrisy. Code is silly sometimes.

 

[CraigMW]

Actually, I agree with the point about leaving the fence up. It is not so much to prevent outsiders from getting into your pool, but for peace of mind when you have a party with lots of kids. We have an All Safe fence set up, and it helps to keep the little kids out. Of course, we always make sure at least one person is keeping an eye on the action beyond that fence.

As for your gas line... two issues. First, does SCE provide your gas service? We have the SoCal Gas Company that services ours here in OC. Second, are you really sure you need a bigger gas line? If you are referring to the gas line that comes to your gas main from the street, this is under high pressure, so it does not need to have the large diameter that the low pressure pipes that service your house and pool heater would need. On the low pressure side, you need 1 1/4" PE line run from the gas regulator to the heater, unless this run is over 150 feet or so. We have 1 1/2" PE that was recently installed to replace the rusted black pipe that was in the ground when we bought the house. Now our 400K pool heater works great, even when I run my NG BBQ grill that is T'd off that line. No problems with the main gas regulator either (e.g. other gas appliances seem to work fine when we run the pool heater).