New SoCal IG shotcrete pool build - equipment set, Final Inspection Passed, Pebble Done! Salt added. Back deck in process

[Ahultin]

I am curious why the inspector would not allow the planter? I think a spot of vegetation there would look great. We put a small planter on the edge of the pool just for the skimmer basket but I really think it adds a lot having it there. Could you just get some faux plants to go with your faux rocks? Or maybe something in just a nice deck pot. If the planter is definitely out then it certainly does look like a great shower spot to me..

I saw his notes and he stated that he either wanted the engineering for the planter added to the plans and resubmitted through plan check or remove the planter. The planter was elevated with top of soil level being approximately 3/4 of the way up the new "cavity". As the planter was a pb addition and not in the original design and he had shotcrete already scheduled, he made the executive decision to remove it.

 

[Ahultin]

We made several sacrifices for function over fashion. Our patio and coping were one of them. We where going for the rustic natural pond look so a natural paver was the obvious choice. However we really did not want a rough surface to walk on and hold sand and debris (we both hate walking on grit) and especially wanted a smooth surface on the coping edge for sitting around the pool. So we went with a smooth paver and every time I walk out there I am so glad we did.... You can see the end result in the link in my signature..

Pavers where one of the few things with our pb that was an addition to cost so we are planning on going with concrete decking and breaking that up with the natural coping

 

[Rich D]

I saw his notes and he stated that he either wanted the engineering for the planter added to the plans and resubmitted through plan check or remove the planter.

Wow.. tough crowd out there.. I could see if he was trying to slip in a retaining wall or something of the sort but insisting for engineering for a planter seems a bit absurd....

 

[Rich D]

Pavers where one of the few things with our pb that was an addition to cost so we are planning on going with concrete decking and breaking that up with the natural coping

Hmmm .. In my humble opinion the mixing the concrete deck with the natural coping would seem out of place.. a nice bullnose concrete paver would flow much nicer. If you were looking to pop the lines of the pool deck a little bit you can do that with the color of the pavers. I have been in a few pools with natural stone coping and it is just too rough and just does not seem to belong on the edge of a pool.

 

[Ahultin]

Rock work and waterproofing continues
They have added landscape lighting wire throughout and are incorporating it into the rock work

 

[Ahultin]

Rock work continues
Found out today that they actually intend to install the low voltage led lighting and integrate it into the rockwork, while I like the idea of it being hidden, I dont get warm fuzzies about the fixtures not being repairable or replaceable without a jackhammer.

 

[Ahultin]

Did a little digging and found these Little Lou 12V LED Cast Brass / Composite Well Light - Louvered Face
12v led landscape fixtures that have a pvc sleeve that can be installed in the rockwork. That makes me much more comfortable with the integration. Also ordered a set of these bulbs to try out. https://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-Equ...6ec55&pd_rd_wg=eK30i&pd_rd_i=B093T5B1R2&psc=1
I have other items on smart life already and seems like a great way to control individual lights.

Was playing around with light fixture placement this evening

 

[Rich D]

Those look great. My wifi is spotty at the grotto location and would not work at all inside grotto, so I needed a hard wire solution. Where did you end up putting your grotto lights?

 

[Ahultin]

Those look great. My wifi is spotty at the grotto location and would not work at all inside grotto, so I needed a hard wire solution. Where did you end up putting your grotto lights?

I have decent wifi signal to the pool area but also hedged my bet and ran an ethernet cord to the equipment pad for the intellicenter. If I need to shore up the signal I'll just add another access point at the equipment pad.
For the grotto they ran the wire to left and right upper corners. I plan on four lights there, two washing the back wall and two facing the back of the waterfall. The wifi bulbs will be here today so I can test that those will get signal while there is still an opportunity to rework it.

 

[Ahultin]

Spent my Sunday running plumbing to the shower. Pb will be faux rocking over the pipes so I brought them in as close as I could given that this would have been much easier prior to shotcrete. The tube feeding the head will get supported running through a short piece of pvc that will also get faux rocked. Everything pressure tested good and since I was running pipe anyway I ran hot and cold to the future bbq island location.
Also received my amazon smart mr16's and temporarily setup one. They seem to work very well, I am cautiously optimistic that these no name chinese bulbs will last.

 

[Ahultin]

Accent lighting was installed today and really does look great

 

[Ahultin]

Those look great. My wifi is spotty at the grotto location and would not work at all inside grotto, so I needed a hard wire solution. Where did you end up putting your grotto

 

[Ahultin]

 

[Rich D]

That look great...awesome work...

But where did the shower go?????

 

[Ahultin]

That look great...awesome work...

But where did the shower go?????

Lol, the outdoor shower is not "permitted" (we are on septic and an additional fixture unit would require plumbing to the septic tank on the opposite end of the house and increasing the length of the leach lines) so the supply lines are hiding under a thin layer of concrete and a 4*8 piece of vinyl flat stock that will mysteriously get chipped out after final inspection. The rock above the valve where the exposed line feeding the shower head will pass thru is currently pretending to be an umbrella holder

 

[ShoZie]

Wow.. tough crowd out there.. I could see if he was trying to slip in a retaining wall or something of the sort but insisting for engineering for a planter seems a bit absurd....

We have extremely tough inspectors here in ask Cal. We had so many issues before we could even start. Between earthquakes and fires, I like to think it keeps us safer but who knows.

 

[kimkats]

I am just now finding this build. LOVE the grotto and slide area! SO glad you had a return added in there. LOL on the not shower

 

[Rich D]

Lol, the outdoor shower is not "permitted" (we are on septic and an additional fixture unit would require plumbing to the septic tank on the opposite end of the house and increasing the length of the leach lines) so the supply lines are hiding under a thin layer of concrete and a 4*8 piece of vinyl flat stock that will mysteriously get chipped out after final inspection. The rock above the valve where the exposed line feeding the shower head will pass thru is currently pretending to be an umbrella holder

Wow.... I Hope you have all the engineering specs on that umbrella holder...

 

[Ahultin]

Coping is underway and stacked stone is onsite to do upon completion.
We have also settled on a glass tile for the water (which I am hoping I dont regret) as well as the 1x2 version for step liners.

 

[kimkats]

I LOVE how they are doing to coping! NO triangles!! LOVE IT!!

That tile is one of my all time favs!!!

What color of mortar? There is white, light gray, and dark gray. Get some paint sample cards and lay them under the tile out in the yard to see which color combo you like the best.

What color grout? White will make each tile POP where gray (light to medium) will help them blend in together. Both are very pretty so you can go wrong. They should have grout sticks for you to play with to see which color you like the best.

Kim