Owner Builder SLC - Slow and steady progress

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Slow steady progress. Got the steps installed yesterday that lead up to the hot tub/upper level. They were pretty heavy, coming in around 480 lbs each! Ended up chipping the corners on a couple of them since there was only about 1/4" wiggle room. I'm sure the pro's would have put the steps in first, then built the walls around them.

Also got the deck jets installed, and pavers cut around them. They turned out really good too, and it feels nice to have all the pavers down on that side now.

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It's funny, when I first started this project I wanted everything to be perfect, but now small things like those chips don't bother me too much. They're small enough that you don't notice them at a glance.
 
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Haven't posted any updates in a while - partly because I was out of town on a vacation, partly because I've been swimming and not doing any actual work on the pool :D

Not a lot of updates, but I put in the retaining wall on the back edge, and started on the pavers up by the hot tub. Hopefully that means less dirt will be tracked around going to and from the hot tub.

Here's a couple of recent pictures:

You can see the stacks of pavers I still have to do and general disarray around the pool
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Pavers by the hot tub. My plan is to bring them over right to the hot tub, but I need to figure out how to build some kind of platform/frame for them to sit on. It needs to be removable if the hot tub ever needs to be serviced.
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Better picture of the back retaining wall (prior to pavers going down)
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Foxer said:
Haven't posted any updates in a while - partly because I was out of town on a vacation, partly because I've been swimming and not doing any actual work on the pool :D

Not a lot of updates, but I put in the retaining wall on the back edge, and started on the pavers up by the hot tub. Hopefully that means less dirt will be tracked around going to and from the hot tub.

Here's a couple of recent pictures:

You can see the stacks of pavers I still have to do and general disarray around the pool
View attachment 440672

Pavers by the hot tub. My plan is to bring them over right to the hot tub, but I need to figure out how to build some kind of platform/frame for them to sit on. It needs to be removable if the hot tub ever needs to be serviced.
View attachment 440673

Better picture of the back retaining wall (prior to pavers going down)
View attachment 440674
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Is there some sort of drain for the recessed hot tub area so it doesn’t hold water?
Also take into consideration that u need to easily be able to get to the drain plug for the hot tub. As purge, drain, & refill at least 2x’s a year is recommended. You can use a submersible pump for this but drain plugs/caps have been known to leak too so it should at least be somewhat accessible so u can check it.
 
kimkats said:
Now that is an update I love to read! Well done enjoying your hard work!!!

Talk a bit more about your idea of pavers and the hot tub. I am not seeing where you are thinking of putting them.
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The hot tub is recessed about 18" in a vault. My plan it to build some kind of support so I can put the pavers right up to the edge. A friend of mine had something similar done with a wood frame.

Here's a little better angle, hopefully it makes sense. Basically there's about 2 feet on those two sides of the hot tub that I want leveled with the other pavers so you're not stepping down just to step into the hot tub.
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Mdragger88 said:
Is there some sort of drain for the recessed hot tub area so it doesn’t hold water?
Also take into consideration that u need to easily be able to get to the drain plug for the hot tub. As purge, drain, & refill at least 2x’s a year is recommended. You can use a submersible pump for this but drain plugs/caps have been known to leak too so it should at least be somewhat accessible so u can check it.
Click to expand...
The pad is slightly sloped towards the pool, and there's an inch or two between the cement pad and the wall that has gravel the water can drain into the ground. We don't get a ton of rain here, I'm hoping it won't be too much of an issue.

I was planning on using a submersible pump, but will need to make sure I have access to the panel if any maintenance is required. Whatever I end up doing it will need to be (relatively) easy to get to.
 
Okay that is what I thought you were talking about. Man that is going to be hard to do AND still be able to get it out to work on the spa when needed.

So here is one idea I am thinking of. Make it all out of wood. The frame and the "walk way". Build it in such a way you can lift the walk way out of the way so like a hinged lid kind of thing. Just an idea that popped into my head. Lets see what else this crazy brain of mine comes up with!
 
@kimkats, A hinge is an interesting idea. I hadn't thought of that, but it would make it easier to access. I'll have to think about that some more and see if I can make that work. Thanks for the idea!
 
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Hinged with legs to support it that fold up 🤷‍♀️Or just like a bench type thing that fits exactly that u lift & move out of the way.
It has to be supported underneath so u can stand on it. Maybe use teak ? Light enough to move but sturdy & weather resistant.
 
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Haven't had a lot of time to work on the pool, but I have been enjoying it! I did get the heater hooked up since we had a couple of cooler days. I still haven't had time to hook up the intellicenter, so I'm just running everything manually which has been fine for now.

I'd like to get my IC60 set up - can I do that without hooking it all up into Intellicenter? I want to get that running quickly, then spend the time to get intellicenter all hooked up later when I have more time.
 
Foxer said:
I'd like to get my IC60 set up - can I do that without hooking it all up into Intellicenter? I want to get that running quickly, then spend the time to get intellicenter all hooked up later when I have more time.
Click to expand...

Do you have the separate IntelliChlor Power Center box or is it integrated in the IntelliCenter Load Center?
 
After not working much the last couple of weeks, I finally got some time to work on a few things.

Got my salt cell running, and I love it! I still need to bring my CYA up, but I'm running it at 40% right now and it's maintaining my chlorine levels pretty well, and I'm essentially just adding acid every few days to bring my PH down. It's awesome!

Started cutting and placing the wall caps on the retaining wall along the fence. Looks nice with the caps on. I need to run a few more wires, an get the hardscape lights in place then I'll glue them down.
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At the request of my wife, I also changed the shape of this area - much bigger now and all straight lines vs the planned curve. Made it easier since I didn't have to rent a saw to cut the pavers, but I also had to hand dig out a pretty big section since it wasn't originally planned for. In the end I really like it, and there's a ton of space there now! Still need to clean up the edges, put in the cement border around the pavers to hold it in place, and get grass planted, but small steps :)

Before:
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After:
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Here's a drone shot with the above area circled in red. Probably gained around 60 additional sq ft of deck, but it feels like a lot!

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Picking back up this from the fall. I opened the pool up a week and a half ago without too much trouble. Pool was still clear, and the chemicals were pretty good except for the PH, which was very high at around 9.2. I added 4 gallons of MA to bring it down, and things are looking good.

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I did have some weird roughness on the walls and the tanning ledge that was hard to brush off until the pool warmed up. It was almost like it was crystalized salt or something. Once I got the pool heated up it was easy to brush off though, and the plaster looks fine. Here's a picture of what it looked like:
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Other than that, I'm finally starting to get back to finishing the landscaping after a cold and wet spring.
 
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