Small Pool Under Construction in League City, TX

DanielHobley

Active member
Apr 19, 2019
36
Houston, TX
Howdy, howdy:

My family is building a small pool at our home in League City, TX -- boy, has the process been stressful! I literally wake every morning, take a look at our mess of a yard, and wonder what I was thinking! Anyway, here are some details on what we're hoping to be swimming in soon!

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Our pool journey began back in March. I did my research and finally selected a builder in May. A contract was signed on May 21st and this is what has followed:

May 30: Crew arrives at our home to begin work on re-routing our buried electric line.

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June 13: Crew completes re-route work (coordinating between the crew and Texas New Mexico Power was painful, to say the least).
June 14: Visited our builder's showroom to select finishes for our simple, smaller pool. Tiramisu colored travertine coping, Marina Bay Black porcelain tile, and Stonescapes Tropics Blue pebble.

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June 14: Builder arrives to mark yard/create pool outline.

Rain, Rain, Rain...

July 1: Excavation crew arrives at 7:30 a.m. and digs out the pool by noon. Rebar crew arrives and works their butts off. All is done by 6 p.m.

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July 2: Rebar inspection first thing in the morning. Passed! Next, a bit of plumbing to prepare for gunite.

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July 3: Gunite crew arrives at 1:00 p.m. and finishes by 6:45 p.m.

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Fourth of July Holiday, Some Rain...

July 8: Plumbing crew arrives and rips up the yard, installs pipes, and hooks up the pump. Electric crew arrives mid-day and finishes up by 5.

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Nothing was done on the 9th, nor are we expecting anyone today. Tomorrow is supposed to be tile and coping, though! Really hoping things continue to move smoothly. Right now, my only issue with the build is a lack of communication. The owner of the pool company specifically stated we should know what is happening every single day of the build (meaning, the construction manager would reach out with the plan or an update every morning), but that just hasn't happened. We almost always have to reach out and ask for the update ourselves. That said, we do get a response right away 99% of the time!

Just figured I'd share a little of our journey. This forum was instrumental in me making a choice and getting things moving!
 
Daniel, The tablets/pucks that go in the tubes add extra stuff to your water. Most add CYA aka stabilizer. Some add calcium hardness. Both are needed BUT too much of either one is NOT a good thing. The only way to remove them is to remove and replace some of your water. They are okay for vacations and such but foe day to day maintenance they are not so good. Instead there are a couple of other ways to take care of the chlorine needs of a pool.

SWG- Salt Water Chlorine Generators - Trouble Free Pool The BEST and easiest way to add chlorine to your pool.

Liquid chlorine/bleach-This is what I do. I add some liquid chlorine each day to my pool. It is just a part of my daily life in the evening.

Kim:kim:
 
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Daniel, The tablets/pucks that go in the tubes add extra stuff to your water. Most add CYA aka stabilizer. Some add calcium hardness. Both are needed BUT too much of either one is NOT a good thing. The only way to remove them is to remove and replace some of your water. They are okay for vacations and such but foe day to day maintenance they are not so good. Instead there are a couple of other ways to take care of the chlorine needs of a pool.

SWG- Salt Water Chlorine Generators - Trouble Free Pool The BEST and easiest way to add chlorine to your pool.

Liquid chlorine/bleach-This is what I do. I add some liquid chlorine each day to my pool. It is just a part of my daily life in the evening.

Kim:kim:

Thank you for the explanation and link. I still have a bit to learn before this is all done!
 
You are in the part of your build where I share a set of links I put together for new pool owners. I think you will LOVE these!

Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule

Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

Trouble Free Pool

Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

You also need to think about how you are going to test the water of this new beauty. Pool stores are there to sell you stuff so it is MUCH better for you to have your own test kit. Here is a link about the different home test kits: Test Kits Compared - Trouble Free Pool I will tell you the TF-100 is the best bang for the buck as it has more of the regents we use the most. The next best one is the Taylor 2006C.

Kim:kim:
 
Welcome neighbor!

I can tell you now that you really need to consider a salt water generator. I see they have your equipment set but it’s not too late to change. If you’ve read through pool school, then you know you need to ditch that chlorine tab feeder and either use liquid chlorine or a salt water generator. A SWG makes chlorinating your pool much more convenient. If you’re unsure about anything, ask here. Good luck with the rest of your build!
 
Hi, new pool owner here also. The tab feeder was loaded once. It works very poorly in my experience.

I quickly switched to liquid chlorine (the method here) and need to sell off my tabs to someone lol...

Our swg was installed last week (new plaster waits 30 days before salt). I haven't added chemicals since! It is fantastic.

I really am happy with it so far, and recommend you ask about one.
 
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Hi, new pool owner here also. The tab feeder was loaded once. It works very poorly in my experience.

I quickly switched to liquid chlorine (the method here) and need to sell off my tabs to someone lol...

Our swg was installed last week (new plaster waits 30 days before salt). I haven't added chemicals since! It is fantastic.

I really am happy with it so far, and recommend you ask about one.

Hello, there!

Our tab loader emptied a few days back and I switched to the liquid chlorine method as well. So far, I've been pretty successful at managing the chemicals myself (well, with TFP's guidance, of course). The PoolMath app and pool school articles have been super helpful!

I will have to circle back to a SWG at a later date. Our builder is totally not interested in discussing it, and, honestly, I am feeling pretty DONE with the entire build/builder process. Really, really can't wait for us to be completely done.

Grateful for all the feedback. Thanks!
 
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I forgot to post an update! The pool was filled about 11 days ago. So far, everything appears to be running smoothly. We've got nice, clear water and plenty of movement. The whole thing is so small that we've affectionately named it our Watering Hole, haha!

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The pebble is a bit rough in some spots, but daily brushing has helped tremendously. Other than ditching the tab feeder and switching to liquid chlorine (and eyeing a SWG for the future), I think we're doing okay. I do have some questions about the pump itself, but I'll post that to the appropriate forum.

Up next is the final inspection, the burying of our Comcast cable (finally), and some landscaping!
 
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Well that is the prettiest watering hole I have every seen! It fits just right in your yard!!

I hope you will go over to this thread Pool Finish and Color Viewing Room...TFP Member Sound Off to share that pretty plaster! Take a pic looking down at the shelf and steps as well as down at the deepest area. This will show off how the color changes at different depths.

Kim:kim:
 
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Well that is the prettiest watering hole I have every seen! It fits just right in your yard!!

I hope you will go over to this thread Pool Finish and Color Viewing Room...TFP Member Sound Off to share that pretty plaster! Take a pic looking down at the shelf and steps as well as down at the deepest area. This will show off how the color changes at different depths.

Kim:kim:

Thank you very much! It's the perfect size for our family of 3. :)

I'll definitely update that other thread! Thanks!
 
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