New Pool Project Oklahoma City - Dig Underway!

[AndrewTK]

Greetings all,

My wife and I built our house in 2019 with plans to put a pool in over the next few years, fortunately we were able to get ahead in our budgeting for the project and we are now ready to start. We were initially looking at fiberglass pool, specifically the new Barrier Reef Sydney Harbor as we liked the idea of both a built in spa and tanning ledges. We had our local dealer quote the project and it came in significantly higher than we thought it would be ($96k), and at that price point we decided to start looking at gunite pools as we think we can get more for our money. I have attached a general design that we are using to get bids with, our current plan is to do a variable speed pump, cartridge filter (open to sand but we back up to a lake so discharge may be an issue), heater, automation, and a salt water generator. The pool will primarily be used by my wife and I and our extended family, really like the idea of a sport pool that we can use to play volley ball and also swim laps in. My wife grew up with pools but this will be my first time as an owner, so I am spending a lot of time reading through the articles here right now. Wanted to say hi and see if anyone has thoughts/ideas/suggestions on our layout or equipment plans as we start getting bids for the project (Updated pool layout below).
Andrew

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Hey there Andy~! Welcome to Trouble Free Pools

That's a great sized pool -I love the 42' length!

One minor suggestion on the decking- add another foot to those 3'sections. You'll find that extra foot allows for people to pass each other on the walkway. It gives you another foot between grass mowing and the pool which is important if you're using a lot of chemicals on the lawn. You really want to avoid those clippings hitting the pool.

I'll also suggest that instead of both ends being 3.5', you do at least one end 4' or both ends 4' with the center 5'. 3.5' is pretty shallow. Especially since you'll have that tanning area and stairs area. If you're thinking its for little kids- they grow fast and can swim in all depths quickly. My babies would also float on noodles or floaties in the deep end.

Maddie

 

[AndrewTK]

Quick question for the experts, we are kicking around adding a dedicated swim lane to the pool plan. What is the minimum width that we should be looking at for it? Thinking about 50’ long and 6’-7’ wide. It would overlap the main body of the pool for ~36’ so it would really only be narrow for 7’ in length on each end. Is 6’ too narrow for this?

 

[HermanTX]

Quick question for the experts, we are kicking around adding a dedicated swim lane to the pool plan. What is the minimum width that we should be looking at for it? Thinking about 50’ long and 6’-7’ wide. It would overlap the main body of the pool for ~36’ so it would really only be narrow for 7’ in length on each end. Is 6’ too narrow for this?

For Olympics or competition swimming the swim lane is 2.5 meters wide or just over 8ft. This provides you some reference.

 

[AndrewTK]

Thanks for the feedback Herman, I think we are going to start with 7’ on the width. Here is an updated plan that we sent to several builders to get bids on, would love some feedback on things we may have right or wrong on this. 50’ is about the longest we can get away with and still have space on each side for the dogs and the mower to get by. Any potential problems with the shape?

 

[AndrewTK]

We are finally set to dig tomorrow (would have been today but there is rain in the forecast). Still finalizing options for equipment but excited to see some actual progress

Edit: Our builder did ask us about bubblers in the tanning ledge, what is the typical spacing on these? Our tanning ledge is 9’ x 14’ and we are trying to determine if we should put in 1 or 2

 

[HermanTX]

Our builder did ask us about bubblers in the tanning ledge, what is the typical spacing on these? Our tanning ledge is 9’ x 14’ and we are trying to determine if we should put in 1 or 2

Will you have just a bubbler or a lighted bubbler? You certainly have the width (14ft) to handle 2. Do you plan to have umbrella holders as well? Just need to think through how you plan to use the tanning shelf. Just another point - in other posts on construction, some have had the bubbler (no light) and the PB just made the pipe (3/4" or 1") cut flush with the plaster. It did not look very appealing. You may wish to ask your PB how he will "finish" the bubbler on your tanning ledge. If it is a lighted bubbler then that includes a total fixture which connects to your pipe.

BTW - your PDF on an earlier post showed your tanning ledge to be smaller - you may want to update your latest pool layout.

 

[AndrewTK]

Will you have just a bubbler or a lighted bubbler? You certainly have the width (14ft) to handle 2. Do you plan to have umbrella holders as well? Just need to think through how you plan to use the tanning shelf. Just another point - in other posts on construction, some have had the bubbler (no light) and the PB just made the pipe (3/4" or 1") cut flush with the plaster. It did not look very appealing. You may wish to ask your PB how he will "finish" the bubbler on your tanning ledge. If it is a lighted bubbler then that includes a total fixture which connects to your pipe.

BTW - your PDF on an earlier post showed your tanning ledge to be smaller - you may want to update your latest pool layout.

Thanks for the feedback Herman (I removed our original attachment, post 5 now has the current plan). We are planning to use lighted bubblers in the tanning ledge as there currently isn’t another light planned to illuminate it. Our builder mentioned an umbrella sleeve for it as well so we are leaning toward putting 2 bubblers in and putting the umbrella sleeve in the center.

We are also discussing what to do for lighting, the builder has Intellibrites in the contract but we are thinking about switching to Microbrites and possibly adding 1 or 2 more. We like that the Microbrites are a standard 1 1/2’ fitting and could be easier to upgrade/replace down the road.

 

[HermanTX]

We are also discussing what to do for lighting, the builder has Intellibrites in the contract but we are thinking about switching to Microbrites and possibly adding 1 or 2 more. We like that the Microbrites are a standard 1 1/2’ fitting and could be easier to upgrade/replace down the road.

I had read on this forum as well that Intellibrites do have reliability issues but I also read that most LED lights are not meeting the expectations. The Microbrite does seem to be a better selection if you possibly need to do a change out in the future.
I saw in another thread that Pentair recommends your total light lumens to be 4 times the sqft of your pool. So, for example, if your sqft is 800, then they recommend 800x4 = 3,200 lumens. You just need to work with the PB on what light he is providing and get the specs. Remember you want the lights to be on side nearest the home and shine away from the house or patio.

 

[AndrewTK]

Progress Update! After a couple of rain delays the pb was able to get the shell dug this week as well as get started on plumbing. We took some measurements along the way and most everything lined up perfectly, our only issues were the entire shell would up 6” closer to the house than we planned and the hot tub size was off (too wide and not long enough). We aren’t working about the 6“ spacing on the house, and we actually decided that we were fine with the hot tub being 10‘ long by 5’ wide (our plan was originally 12’x6’ but we didn’t really comprehend how big that was until it was dug. Most of the plumbing is in now, let me know if anything looks off from the pictures. We also finalized light placement and will wind up using 6 Pentair Microbrites in total (5 in pool, 1 in spa). The dogs have really enjoyed the mud so far, looking forward to being past this stage…

 

[TampaKathy]

For the 6 inches closer to the house, did you factor in the 6 inches that will be added back with gunite? I like the overhead pictures!

 

[AndrewTK]

For the 6 inches closer to the house, did you factor in the 6 inches that will be added back with gunite? I like the overhead pictures!

Yep, including the width of the shell we are 6” close. It makes it an even 12’ to the waters edge now, so we still have some room!

 

[AndrewTK]

Quick update, rebar is almost done (they actually ran out yesterday and had to go get some more). The PB stopped by yesterday and talked about equipment, unfortunately his supplier is saying most of the equipment he was planning to order is out of stock (some of it was saying September delivery). Might be re-evaluating what we use now, is anyone else hitting this problem currently? It looks like Polytec pools has the Intelliflo pump and the cartridge filters, but the Intellicenters are all out of stock. The easy touch systems are all in stock still, so we may have to go that way. Any real differences between the two that we may actually see?

 

[AndrewTK]

Another update: Rebar and plumping are done and we are now waiting on the electrician to do some work prior to submitting for inspections. After that we can get on the schedule for gunite, but unfortunately it looks like we may be dealing with some storms over the next week. Oklahoma wind and the tarps to cover the pool don’t mix very well….

 

[HermanTX]

Great overview pictures of your plumbing. Hold these if you ever need to trace a plumbing line for some issue.

 

[AndrewTK]

Gunite is done! We got a call on Sunday night that they would be at the house first thing Monday morning to shoot the pool, they wound up sending 2 crews and they were still there most of the day. Everything looks good so far with the exception that we completely forgot about putting a step in the spa, we will revisit that with the builder as I don’t think it will be a big deal to add before plaster. We have been watering the pool 3-4 times a day, I noticed today while I was watering it that it makes a fizzing sound when the water first goes on and we can see air bubbles coming up. Seems to die down as we apply more water but thought it was strange either way.

 

[nicolispicoli]

Wow what a great sized pool and view you have! Can't wait to see the finished project.

 

[AndrewTK]

Quick update, things have been progressing but are moving slowly right now. I have an issue/question that I want to throw out: our builder’s concrete guy came over and set up the forms for the decking, when they were doing so they said that they didnt advise doing the deck drain channel in the middle of the decking because the space between our spa and house was too narrow and they thought it would be too much pitch on the concrete. They decided to do the deck channel all along the brick of our house and slope the decking toward that, initially I didn’t think it was a big deal but the more I think about it I’m not sure I like the idea of sloping the water toward the house. The channel drain runs the full length and my thought was that we could seal the side against the house to prevent water from seeping down the back side but I am trying to decide if this is truly an issue or just me overthinking it. Our house is on a slab foundation so there is no basement to worry about, just wanted to throw this out to see what others thought. I have attached a picture of the how it will look at the corner where our patio and house meet.

 

[HermanTX]

Looking at your picture, I do not like that the channel drain is level to your brick line. If it hit midway of your foundation, I would be somewhat more comfortable. What happens if there is a blockage of some type, i.e. leaves, mud, etc over time and then a big thunderstorm. You could easily have water seeping into your brick. Your picture doesn't show it but down in Texas, about every 10 feet there is a weep hole between the bricks (above the foundation) for air circulation. They actually sell a plastic device to fit in that gap to keep lizards, and other small animals out, but water can easily flow into it if water rises above the foundation. That why garden soil should always be below your brick line, i.e. against the foundation.

Maybe they can trench it deeper, but I think I would move it a foot away from the foundation and have the deck slope towards it.

 

[AndrewTK]

Looking at your picture, I do not like that the channel drain is level to your brick line. If it hit midway of your foundation, I would be somewhat more comfortable. What happens if there is a blockage of some type, i.e. leaves, mud, etc over time and then a big thunderstorm. You could easily have water seeping into your brick. Your picture doesn't show it but down in Texas, about every 10 feet there is a weep hole between the bricks (above the foundation) for air circulation. They actually sell a plastic device to fit in that gap to keep lizards, and other small animals out, but water can easily flow into it if water rises above the foundation. That why garden soil should always be below your brick line, i.e. against the foundation.

Maybe they can trench it deeper, but I think I would move it a foot away from the foundation and have the deck slope towards it.

We also have the weep holes in the brick, they are every 10 feet or so as well. most will wind up behind the channel drain which is my primary concern with having it against the house. We could seal the gap along the back edge of the channel to prevent water from going behind it but I’m not crazy about that idea. Edit: the brick line actually extends down to the ground on the back side of the house, so the channel drain will actually cover about 1 and a half bricks as its currently laid out