New Pool -- Southlake, TX (near Dallas)
- Thread starter FirstPoolLastPool
- Start date
Ha! My neighbors aren't the generous type sadly - Sorry , didn't mean to highjack the thread!
Pool finally filled up at 1:00 AM today...............so 36 hours to fill 25,500 gallons.
PB on site today checked plumbing and turned on pump, activated water feature, and beginning start-up phase. So exactly five weeks ago today we started the dig on June 20, now we have water in the pool! Woo-Hoo!
I have been away from home all day at work (arghhh!) so I have not seen this firsthand and no new pics until tonight.
I am taking tomorrow off to get fully immersed (no pun intended) in what I need to know about start-up with this particular pool.
PB on site today checked plumbing and turned on pump, activated water feature, and beginning start-up phase. So exactly five weeks ago today we started the dig on June 20, now we have water in the pool! Woo-Hoo!
I have been away from home all day at work (arghhh!) so I have not seen this firsthand and no new pics until tonight.
I am taking tomorrow off to get fully immersed (no pun intended) in what I need to know about start-up with this particular pool.
Flatlander said:
Flatlander you ask a good question!
I think mostly we were lucky. I know we chose this PB in part based on references from other customers who said they were focused and organized with in-house labor and tightly controlled subcontractors, so I suspect this helped move things along. We thought their design and bid was fair but others have reported that this PB charges more than other very, very good PB's. So maybe their workload was a bit less. I really don't know.
The sales guy said it is 4 weeks of work to build a pool that will take anywhere from 5-10 weeks to complete depending on weather and whether..........whether they run into unexpected problems such as boulders or bedrock. Other than losing about 4 days to rain just before plaster phase we had none of that.
The construction supervisor said to plan on 8 weeks +/- 1 or 2 weeks. He agreed with the principle of what the sales guy said but wanted us to be prepared for reality of potential delays and snags. We told them we wanted it finished for a party we were planning in early August and for my daughter's birthday in late August. They said they'd try.
The payment draws were tied to major milestones so they had that incentive to move quickly but I think most PB contracts are set up that way. We did not negotiate special terms.
That is the best I can do to answer your question. We feel very lucky.
OK, came home to find a "real pool" instead of the project that started as a hole in the ground 35 days ago!
The pool is full, the pumps are running, the water feature is bubbling, it is real after all
Here is a photo
[attachment=0:yaewlsi8]pool is full and pumps are running!.jpg[/attachment:yaewlsi8]
The pool is full, the pumps are running, the water feature is bubbling, it is real after all
Here is a photo
[attachment=0:yaewlsi8]pool is full and pumps are running!.jpg[/attachment:yaewlsi8]
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FirstLast, nice pool. I am building with the same builder, they started the dig yesterday. Interestly, I told the construction supervisor earlier this evening that we hoped to host a birthday party here on labor day weekend. He said he was pretty sure they'd be done. He didn't "guarantee" it, but based on the progress so far, and your experience, I have a good feeling they'll make it.
I hope mine turns out as nice as yours. I'll post some pics when I figure out how to get off my phone.
I hope mine turns out as nice as yours. I'll post some pics when I figure out how to get off my phone.
Congratulations! It looks very relaxing and fits the surrounding environment quite well.
First time we had the pool light on. I regret not giving this more thought beforehand......this one standard light gives off a lot of glare right in your eyes as you look at the pool from inside or from on deck. Like driving at night on a two-lane road and the oncoming car has its brights on.
Anyone have any ideas for what I could do given that construction is now finished and water is in the pool? Has anyone tried a dimmer switch? Can these old-fashioned 500W lights be retro-fitted somehow to give off less glare?
[attachment=0:unenajlf]night shot with very bright lite.jpg[/attachment:unenajlf]
Anyone have any ideas for what I could do given that construction is now finished and water is in the pool? Has anyone tried a dimmer switch? Can these old-fashioned 500W lights be retro-fitted somehow to give off less glare?
[attachment=0:unenajlf]night shot with very bright lite.jpg[/attachment:unenajlf]
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I put one of those blue colored plastic lenses on mine.....it did cut down the glare...I think there about 10 dollars at leslies.
My pool light is also a 500 watt bulb. Check out the link below to see the blue lens installed in my pool.
pic-of-my-pool-at-night-4th-of-july-t66526.html
pic-of-my-pool-at-night-4th-of-july-t66526.html
FirstPoolLastPool said:
So did you get the water volume from the measurements of the pool? Or did you check your water meter before and after the fill up?
Beautiful!! Yeah, the light issue is something I was worried about too - we made sure it was pointed away from the house.
jv92red said:
Good question jv92red, I am embarrassed to say I had to use the estimated volume from dimensions in the plan. I REALLY wanted to use the water meter method to get an accurate and reliable measurement of the pool volume, but alas I was at the office when they finished the acid wash of the pebblesheen and they started two hoses mid-day and I did not get home until 6 hours later.
Best laid plans of mice and men I guess.
vanibrown said:
vanibrown you are wise......Doh! it never occurred to me. Rookie mistake by me.
Here is the culprit, the old-fashioned light that caused the glare in the night shot a few posts back. I'll need to track down the make and part number I guess to get the right type of plastic lens so it snaps on and stays on.
[attachment=0:3pwg8pd1]old-fashioned light that is SO bright at night.jpg[/attachment:3pwg8pd1]
[attachment=0:3pwg8pd1]old-fashioned light that is SO bright at night.jpg[/attachment:3pwg8pd1]
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Well the water quality (color) has improved a LOT in just 30 hours of running the pump after initial fill. The sun came out briefly this afternoon and I snapped this shot in between rain showers.
[attachment=0:15sygv9t]color improving now that pump has been running 30 hours.jpg[/attachment:15sygv9t]
[attachment=0:15sygv9t]color improving now that pump has been running 30 hours.jpg[/attachment:15sygv9t]
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Gorgeous, beautiful pool firstlast! I am as proud for you as I am envious. Nice to see it done and couldn't be happier for ya. Hope that is is all you dreamed it would be plus a little more. 
FIRST SWIM TODAY! A big thank you to everyone who posted here over the past six weeks. My family took the plunge today into our very own pool for the first time. What a feeling! 40 days from dig to diggin' it.