We have a hole in the ground! New O/B in Queen Creek, AZ

[Arizonarob]

I have gravel all the way around my house, so drainage should be fine. You do not want to plant bushes/shrubs/plants etc, due to termites.
Your decking should slope away from the pool towards the gravel, to make sure when it rains (and when splashing) that it doesn’t flow back to the pool.

Like Kim said, you need to get the water out of those pipes the best you can. If it’s sitting in the main drains in the deep end, then use a shop vac to suck it up.

 

[kimkats]

That is going to be a big box checked off the list when that gets done!!!

Are there any color changes in the decking and coping or are they all a solid color? If there is any chances then think about digging through the boxes to find any "ugly" ones to hide so they will not be used LOL

I would go ahead and get as much of the water out of the deep end out so you will have less to do if/when you need to do it due to the burrrr

Kim

 

[Copperhed51]

Thanks for the suggestions all. The forecast is up to 30 for a low. It would be nice if that comes up a few more degrees.

The travertine should all be one solid color, but you know how it goes with natural stone. I’ll do my best to get rid of any uglies.

My latest mistake is I didn’t realize the plumbing inspection is separate from the pre-gunite inspection and I should have scheduled that at the same time. Since the GloBrite will be pulled tomorrow, I’ll get the plumbing/electrical inspection done Friday so I can go ahead and cut the plumbing if I need to for the freeze. I wish the city spelled out what the inspections actually cover. There’s very little information on any of that. The plumbing has held pressure for over a week now, so at least there’s that!

 

[Copperhed51]

Electricians came and pulled the GloBrite today. I programmed all of the lights in the EasyTouch aaaaannnnnddddd...nothing worked. I assumed it was something I programmed wrong. I tried everything I could think of to get them working, but nothing helped. I headed out to the EasyTouch panel to check out what was going on with the wiring. I still couldn't figure out how the lights were supposed to get any voltage at all. I tested the line side of each light relay and they were getting nothing. I finally traced a wire back from the line side of one of the relays and realized it is attached to the GFCI outlet on the side of the panel. The GFCI was tripped so I reset it and voila, all of the light relays had 120v. I tried all of the lights again and they fired right up. All is well in the wiring/lighting world. They still didn't rearrange my relays per the panel sticker, but that's a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things. I'll do it later if I truly can't stand it. Once I get everything set up, I doubt I'll be inside the panel for quite a while.

Does anybody have a recommendation for the metal plate that spans the skimmer gap and has the coping set on top of it? My decking sub has given me a great price, but I'm responsible for supplying all of the materials, including that piece. I assume I'm going to want a piece of aluminum or stainless steel, but I'm not sure how thick it should be or the size. I'm waiting on a reply from him but figured I'd ask here in the meantime.

Temps are still forecast to get below freezing a few times in the next week, so I'll be cutting and draining the pipes before that happens. I ordered a submersible pump and am waiting on that to arrive before I work on it. It can be a hassle going the owner builder route, but I'm really enjoying the process and am happy with the results thus far. This forum has been an invaluable resource, so thank you all again for your help along the way.

 

[kimkats]

I will do a shout out for the skimmer piece question.

I bet you were all when nothing worked!!! Did your heart skip a beat?

Kim

 

[bdavis466]

Aluminum would be a poor choice, go with stainless. Most people just use a piece of rebar...

Forgive me, what is the coping material?

 

[Copperhed51]

I will do a shout out for the skimmer piece question.

I bet you were all when nothing worked!!! Did your heart skip a beat?

Kim

Haha, I just figured I was too dumb to program the EasyTouch! Once I checked the relays and saw that they had no juice, it was a pretty quick fix.

Aluminum would be a poor choice, go with stainless. Most people just use a piece of rebar...

Forgive me, what is the coping material?

That would be too easy. I’ve got plenty of rebar laying around the yard at the moment. The coping will be 12x12 travertine. Would the mortar under the travertine encapsulate the rebar enough to keep it from rusting? I’ll attach a photo or what I’m talking about in a minute when I’m at my computer.

And a gratuitous shot of the plumbing being drained. I wanted to wait until I got the submersible pump, but I want the water out of those pipes sooner rather than later. Gotta head out with the shop vac and get the water out of the main drain line.

 

[JamesW]

Rebar will rust and it's somewhat soft.

I would suggest stainless steel at 5/16" or 3/8".

 

[Copperhed51]

Stainless does seem like the best option. Aluminum will oxidize, but not rust, so I'd be comfortable with it as well, but the .025" plate I've been able to find is just too flimsy to get the job done. The hardware stores have plenty of steel plate, but I haven't run into any stainless yet. I'll have to keep looking or order it online and have the coping guy wait on that section until it arrives. Are there any other options besides a metal plate? I hadn't even thought of this until the guy mentioned it.

UPDATE: The decking sub is going to pick one up for me. I guess they sell them at the tile shop. Problem solved.

Also, the main drain pipes have been vacuumed out and they have some sexy red Solo cups capping them off. Whatever water is left in the pipes shouldn't be enough to cause problems. I feel better.

 

[Copperhed51]

I plan to buy a robot for the pool. Do I have to wait a couple of weeks after filling to run the robot or will it be ok since it’s on tracks?

 

[kimkats]

Good job on getting the water out and the cute red skirts on lol

It is suggested to wait 30 days before using any thing with wheels. The worry is they can leave tracks in the new plaster :sad: I say every pool need a manual vacuum for spot cleaning and such. They have short bristles so can brush and vacuum at the same time.

Kim

 

[Copperhed51]

It's been a bit since I've updated things, but we're still making progress over here. A good amount of rain put the brakes on things for a couple of days. I've been playing the part of mason, assembling the back wall on the pool. I have a youtube level of knowledge, but things are coming together pretty nicely. A wall this short (height and length) is pretty forgiving, so it's a good project for somebody like me to tackle.

Here's a picture from yesterday after working on the wall on the left

And a couple of pictures from today

 

[kimkats]

Interesting how the light/no light really changes how the decking looks. That is really looking good. I do see one block (lower, slightly to the right) that needs to be replaced. It has quite a chip in the bottom corner.

Looks like you are doing a good job with that wall. LOL on your level of knowledge!

Kim

 

[Copperhed51]

Yep, there are 3 or 4 pieces that have chipped corners so far. They look like perfect candidates for pieces that need to be cut shorter somewhere else

 

[kimkats]

Call me puzzled why they would even put that piece in Talk to them about it when they show up next and I bet they will use more care with the rest.

 

[Copperhed51]

Made more progress today. There were a couple of issues I had the decking guys address. I had them swap out the ugly, chipped pieces I found. I plan to go out and mark any others I find so they can swap them before the polymeric sand goes in.

The more pressing issue was that the deck was not sloping away from the back of the house on one side. It sloped toward the sides of the house, which was good, but it was sloped so all the water on the deck would run toward the house. The other side of the house had the deck sloping away from the house and the pool so it met at a low point a foot or two from the house. I pointed out the issue to them and they pulled the travertine up right away and corrected it. So, they didn't do things perfect, but they don't get upset when they have to fix their mistakes. I guess that's all I can really ask for.

Here are some pictures of progress from today

As always, feel free to point out any big problems you guys spot. Kim, I know I can count on you! Of course, keep in mind it is still a work in progress. I noticed that it looks like water is seeping into the pool from the area around the light niche. You can see it in one of the photos. Is that something to be concerned about or should I expect the plaster to finish the waterproofing in that area? We had quite a bit of rain a couple of days ago, before the grading was done, so a lot of water was directed toward the pool.

After looking at the picture some more, I'm thinking maybe the water came from the aerator line that is directly above the light. It probably made its way out when they were running the plate compactor. It's hard to say for sure.

 

[kimkats]

Very glad to hear they are so responsive to your requests. SWEET!

How did you figure out the sloping problem? That is awesome you found it now! I am going to use your response in future builds so please share details so I can pass the what and hows to others!

I do notice (2nd to last pic) there are some pieces that have extra large holes in them. I now there will be some but there is one that really stands out to me as it really looks deep. That is a dirt/yuck trap and I worry about how thin it is under the hole. Plus it is unsightly so.............

Will you be putting gutters up? I worry rain water coming off the roof will mess up the decking where it hits. It could wash out the sand and such. Where will the rain water go during a big rain? (Thinking you have a plan for that but want to make sure.)

Kim

 

[Copperhed51]

For the sloping problem, I first just went out and eyeballed things. It didn’t look quite right, but I knew my eyes could have just been playing tricks on me. I grabbed a level and checked the patio in each direction it should slope. I wasn’t looking for exact numbers on the slope, but rather that the slope existed and was going the right direction.

The slopes were all going away from the pool like they should. Everything also sloped toward the side yard as expected. When I tested the section close to the house, it was still sloped toward the house. From there, it was just a matter of trying to relay the problem in Spanish. I speak enough of it to get myself in trouble, it hand gestures and some basic words got the point across. Now it is fixed.

As for the pieces with the big holes, I do plan on having them replace them. They just got here and started working, so I’ll give them a few minutes to get in the groove.

I have definitely thought about drainage/gutters. Eventually, I would like to put them up around the whole house, but the budget is getting tight. Right now, I am thinking I will just put gutters across the back sections of the house and extend to at least over the pool equipment. I think it should be a requirement the house be built with gutters, but oh well. It should be a pretty easy DIY project.

 

[kimkats]

Thanks for the follow up on the slope. With as slight as the slope should be I can see how you would be hesitant to trust your eyes but the level does not lie. Good job getting the point across and good for them for listening to you.

Gutters-I SO hear you on that! It is a NEEDED item for each and every house! We had to do some work on the ones on this house when we moved it as they had not been cleaned or cared for by the previous owners

Good job seeing the big holes and waiting for them to get in the groove before you bumped the progress.

Kim

 

[Arizonarob]

Gutters out here are far and few between. We get so little rain, that they don’t automatically install them when building houses.

With that being said, I can see the need for them if you have poor drainage issues. IMHO I would not do the DIY approach, rather have someone do it so you can have seamless ones installed.