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sdkath

San Diego Sunshine Poolbuild -- Thread 2

sdkath
15 years ago

I have decided to start a new thread because the old one had so many pictures it was starting to be really slow to load. The old thread's link is posted on the bottom of this message if anyone is interested in going back to the initial drawings and the pix of the first half of the build. It's a sunny 75 degrees here in late February (and the kids are off swimming at a friend's house) so I have time to post the latest pix.

The waterfall is now done, as are some of the accent stones around the pool perimiter. They are going to be working on the beach entry next as well as some decking and landscaping. No equipment yet.... I am about 90% sure we are going to go with Midnight Blue PT but I asked the PB to take us around to a few pools with it installed so we can see it in person again. They also still have to do the whole solar and the artificial turf (which comes at the end of course). So there is plenty of work to be had. FYI we started in early December and had about 3 weeks or rain delays but otherwise we have had someone here working almost daily.













Here is a link that might be useful: Previous Thread of our Poolbuild

Comments (85)

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Wow, truly a small world! Yes, it's been gorgeous here for weeks! We went up to Disneyland this weekend and swam in their 85 degree pool for hours! I can't wait for our PebbleTec. Our decking is done and unless it rains (hard to believe because I was laying out in the sun at 6pm) we are on for the install next Tue! YIPEEE.

    Katherine

  • ncounty
    14 years ago

    sdkath and arielitas, we should do a del mar pool tour! My place is still a mess because of all the other work; I'm doing a complete exterior remodel. Many stressful nightmare stories....you guys can e-mail me at about2140@mypacks.net. I don't know how to contact you.

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  • arielitas_mom
    14 years ago

    Ncounty,

    I'm game if you are. Happy to say my remodeling/pool building days are behind me...I know how stressful it can be.

    To send a message, I think that you can click on the person's username or Mypage on the posting tag and that lets you send someone an email.

  • ncounty
    14 years ago

    It worked for sending that email....I just sent you one, arielita. I'll try to coordinate a del mar pool tour with you and sdkath.

  • loves2read
    14 years ago

    so are you swiming in your pool Kath

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Not yet but almost! It's in the 80's here in San Diego this week so I WISH we were done. But according to our super, we will have PT by mid-week and water by late this coming week. The decking just got done as well as lots of landscaping (reconnecting gas to our fireplace, BBQ, sprinklers, lights, etc). Still cooking is the solar and the artificial turf. We also decided to surface the steps and benches inside the pool with the quartzite because when we swam at our neighbor's house last week, we noticed that you can hardly make out steps with darker PT surface. We wanted to make sure the steps were visible.... Here are a few pix with just about everything done but the pebble. More to come later this week I am sure! Katherine




  • tresw
    14 years ago

    Hi Katherine, I'm not new here but haven't posted in a while so haven't seen your pool until now, it's beautiful!!! I love the way you located the rock waterfall next to the beach entry, it looks great plus it'll be a neat play area for kids. We've got a large rock waterfall and we're constantly having to tell the kids not to climb on it, but that's the only way they can get to it to play in it. If I had it to do over again I'd make it more accessible like you did!

    I can't wait to see it all finished, you're going to have a real backyard showcase!

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    We got Pebble'd today!!! Yipeeeee. I saw the "formula" for midnight blue too. It is 2 bags "midnight blue" and 8 bags "black pearl"!!! I thought they were making a mistake when I saw all those bags on the truck so I started to whine and complain -- until they showed me the mix. I hope it turns out nice! We get our acid wash tomorrow and then water!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Katherine







  • ncounty
    14 years ago

    it looks gorgeous, sdkath! is the water filling right now? You know to let it fill continuously, I'm sure. I can do the pool tour this Saturday morning after 10 am if you're free. If not, we'll pick another weekend.

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks! We are so excited not to see grey concrete anymore!!! No water yet though -- they have to come back and acid wash the surface to get the pebbles exposed. I believe they are doing that today and then water overnight. I heard that I can't heat the pool for 2-3 weeks because sudden temp changes are bad?? Is that right?

    Katherine

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Well, we have good news. After a rocky start to the pool filling (see the thread here: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pools/msg0413435531323.html?13), we are finally filling with water today. Also, the Endless Pools swim machine is in! It's not the blue one we asked for but it is going to be covered with a special top that will allow us to put the quartzite above it, which I have a feeling will cover it up enough to look inconspicuous. I can't wait to try it!

    Here are a few pix early on and after about 6 hours of filling. Unfortunately, the fog has rolled in from the coast so these are not sunny pix, but I will take some more tomorrow....





  • ncounty
    14 years ago

    looks gorgeous, Katherine!

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks! Sorry I can't do the pool tour this weekend. We have a whole bunch of stuff to do. Next weekend??

    Katherine

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    And we are full!!! YIPEEEEEEE. Waiting for pool guy to come to help us start up. The PT looks incredible! I am so glad we went with Midnight Blue. The water seems just slightly green to me so far but there are no chemicals or anything in it yet. Even the way it is though, I LOVE it! It's also not too dark, which I feared after seeing all the Black Pearl pebbles mixed into it.... So here we are today after about 22 hours of filling with 3 hoses:




    PT at beach entry:




  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Forgot my favorite. Our Berner Bailey bemoaning the loss of all that grass she could destroy before the pool went in:

  • tsunami
    14 years ago

    Wow! It looks really nice!

    Looks like by the time you get the landscaping and solar done, and the SWG and pool cleaner up and running, the swimming season will have just begun. Perfect timing!

  • joanneswimsct
    14 years ago

    Absolutely STUNNING!!!!!!! Congrats! There's nothing more I can say except I wish it was mine!
    Joanne

  • loves2read
    14 years ago

    very nice
    very nice, indeed...

  • ncounty
    14 years ago

    looks fabulous,kath! a gorgeous blue color already....it took mine a month to get to that color but I did plaster, not PT. I don't see any green in yours but mine after filling had quite a bit of green initially, which I really liked actually, but it went away.

    Let's try for next weekend.

  • ncounty
    14 years ago

    my place will be a workzone next weekend. They are installing my outdoor kitchen cabinets (redwood) plus other work like windows etc. Can we try our pool tour for the weekend after, ladies?

  • ncounty
    14 years ago

    ttt re pool tour

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Sure! Let's plan on May 9th then? We can set up via email if that's ok.

    On another note, looks like we HAVE A LEAK!!!! AAAAAH. Pool and spa levels are both dropping. We refilled 3x so far since last Friday and consistently The water level drops below the tile into the pebble tec. City inspector due to come today -- I wonder if we will pass despite the leak! My PB is aware but so far not much activity. Me -- I am freaking out. Katherine

  • ncounty
    14 years ago

    OH NO, Katherine! Yikes, I am so sorry to hear about the possible leak. Get the PB out tomorrow!!! this is crazy, he should be more concerned. What did he say?

    May 9th should be fine with me for our local pool tour. I lost both your email addresses; you can email me at about2140@mypacks.net.

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    OKAAAAAAY. So let this be a lesson to all: yes we passed our final city inspection despite having a leak in the pool with the water level below the level of the tiles and into the pebble tec. Boy, my fate in government oversight just plummetted.

    Anywhooo, the leak supposedly came from the waterfall area and the rocks, which they supposedly sealed today. So we were told to keep pumps off and not refill till the sealant is dried. So we shall see how the water level is tomorrow.

    The pool overall looks beautiful and everything otherwise is working fine. Solar is almost complete and the artificial turf has been laid around the edges. It has added much needed "green" to our otherwise heavy on the concrete backyard. We will get plants in a few days also. I will take more pix this weekend but overall things look great.

    Fingers crossed for the water level to remain constant tonight. It is times like these that I am glad we chose a professional company to oversee the poolbuild (rather than doing a DIY rig where no doubt people would be pointing fingers at eachother right abought now). Katherine

  • ncounty
    14 years ago

    Glad to hear it was an easy fix, we hope. The artificial turf is a very interesting idea....I have a lot of hardscape around my area as well.

  • endlesspools
    14 years ago

    Hi Kath,

    The pool looks absolutely beautiful.

    Have you had a chance to turn the Fastlane on yet?

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hi!

    Thanks, we are thrilled with the way things turned out. I will take pix again this weekend now that our landscaping is being finished.

    We got our solar up today and turned the swim machine on briefly tonight but have not been able to get into the pool yet to test it out. I can't wait till we can swim and try out the machine. I am excited to see that it came with 2 wireless remote controls. I thought the controls were only on the machine.

    I am itching to get in!

    Katherine

  • sandiegolew
    14 years ago

    Hi Kath..we are in the process of choosing our coping and ledger stone too and we love the Red Sockeye at KRC that you chose for the coping. What stone did you use for the ledger stone around the spa? I thought you said it was also Red Sockeye, but I havent seen it over there.

    Thanks!

    Lew

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hi there!

    It's the same stone. They just cut it down to size. :) I loooove the way it looks wet. It gets a bit more deep and rich in color, which I adore.

    We are still waiting for plants to come. I'll take more pix when we have things complete. Should be any day now...

    Katherine

  • ncounty
    14 years ago

    Are we still on for the pool tour tomorrow, ladies?

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hi livingood!

    We LOVE the midnight blue!!! It is even prettier now than 2 weeks ago. The greenish tint is gone and has settled into a beautiful, rich, midnight blue. I was VERY concerned that it would be too dark (and possibly dangerous for my kids since people say you can't see the bottom, etc). Turns out that the color IS a deep blue but not black and by no means too dark. DH and I absolutely love it! It is perfect with our quartzite as well.

    I will post pix again on the weekend. I am working late these days and don't get home till around sunset...

    Katherine

  • livingood
    14 years ago

    Hi Kath,
    Hope you're enjoying the pool, we did decide on Midnight so thanks again for all your posts. Looking forward to more of your pictures as we are working through our pool build...deck soon to come, then electric, equipment...well, you know the drill.

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Conrats on the decision! You won't be sorry. I have not forgotten about my promise to post more pix but believe it or not, we have been fogged in for 2 weeks now. We are in coastal San Diego and this is the time of year when we don't see sun for weeks! "May Grey and June Gloom" as they say. So I didn't want to post pix of the pool looking grey because I didn't think that would help. As soon as we get a sunny day, I will put some new ones up.

    We LOOOOVE the Midnight Blue Pebble Tec! It's perfect for us. You will love it too! Katherine

  • endlesspools
    14 years ago

    Hi Kath!

    So how is the Fastlane working?

  • ericvde
    14 years ago

    Hello,
    Your pool looks fantastic!!! my family and I are in the market for a pool contractor, and was wondering who you used and if you would recommend them, we live in Carmel Vally right next to ya.

    Eric

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hi Eric,

    We used Mission Valley Pools. Feel free to call them and ask them to set up a viewing. :) Our landscaping is done and as soon as the darn fog lifts (yes, it's been foggy for almost 2 months now), I will post final pix including our waterfalls, artificial turf and swim machine, etc.

    Katherine

  • loves2read
    14 years ago

    I think your pool looks awesome as well

    was wondering if you were worried that the stone you used on your steps would start to flake off and decompose being submersed in water 24/7 -- aren't those fairly rough compared to regular pool interiors?

    and if your leak which PB said was in waterfall/spa area was taken care of successfully?

    enjoy your summer...

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hi there,

    The leak was fixed just fine. It was behind the light in the spa. We have not had a problem since, thank goodness.

    As for the stone that is submerged, we found an extremely hard quartzite that the PB assured me would stand up to the test of time. We have not had any problems so far but our pool is only a few months old. Ask me again in 10 years. :) However, my parents have had a similar stone in their pool in Los Angeles for the last 7 years without problems. Just make sure you don't use the usual flagstone, which is soft and flakes easily....

    Katherine

  • doublespiral
    14 years ago

    Katherine,

    Do you have any more pics of the Midnight Blue after the color has settled. I think I've heard that the green tones go away over time and settle into a deep blue, but I still see some deep green in your photos above? Does it not look that green in person? Any chance you have photos that show it as blue? Does it change a great deal depending upon the weather/sky conditions?

    Thank you,

    Erik

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hi there,

    I will take some more pix and post them in the next day or so. There is still definitely a green tone to it even after 2 months of balanced chemicals. THe pool we saw before ours with the MN Blue also had the green tint to it. By no means is it truly green water, but it's also not completely blue either. I'll try to capture the color tomorrow morning (if the fog lifts) before work so you can see it in full sun.

    Katherine

  • waterslidefamily
    14 years ago

    Hi Katherine....I am late coming to this thread but if you check back...we are just starting with MVP (Mike too!) and I am glad to hear you are so happy. It is an amazing looking pool! Is there anything in retrospect you would tell me to watch out for? We have the pool dug and two guys are here putting in these long metal rods all over the bottom in grid fashion today. Don't know what that is? I am really a layman but trying to learn. I recognize all the terms you used as Mike threw them at us in the beginning. If possible, could you contact me at thequotegal@yahoo.com so that I might ask you a few other things?

    Thanks!
    Stephanie
    (La Costa resident)

  • jenno_tx
    14 years ago

    You have the most incredible pool! It's stunning!

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Sorry to be so late on the replies. We've been busy swimming in our new pool EVERY DAY! LOL. The kids are splashing around outside as I type this. The pool is 88 and I actually had to turn off the solar at 10am today to keep it from getting warmer. :)

    Stephanie, I sent you email just now. Jenno thanks for the sweet complement. And Erik, here is a long overdue pix of the pool now that the color has settled. We LOVE the Midnight Blue PT!

    Happy swimming! Katherine

    True Color:

  • doublespiral
    14 years ago

    Thanks so much, Katherine. That color looks beautiful - and doesn't seem to have any of the green that I had seen in other photos (yours and elsewhere). I really like the shade of blue.

    Again, thank you for the follow-up.

  • ericvde
    14 years ago

    Pool looks great Katherine!! Were at the stage of waiting for HOA to approve plans here in Carmel Valley and I was wondering the cost of your solar system? Our PB quoted us $6700 for about the same size pool as yours.

    I hope we can break ground by the end of August.

    Eric

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    It's about the same as yours. I got 100% coverage, which is just right. I would not settle for less given the coastal fog we often get. I also got an "outside" solar quote from a neighbor's solar installer and it came out to $7000 so we are all in the same ballpark. If you can, do it with your PB so you can point finger only at 1 person in case something goes wrong...

    Which pool company are you using? Katherine

  • ericvde
    14 years ago

    Sundancer. I understand Mission Valley uses the same Solar contractor.

    Eric

  • sdkath
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    We were very happy with our solar guys. They came and installed in 1 long day (and we have some steep roofs due to a 3rd floor play room). The owner came back the next day and spoke to us at length about what is the best way to use solar for the pool, how to save energy, pump speeds, noise, etc. He then instructed the guys to install a wind shield around the thermostat on the roof because of the coastal breeze. It's been working perfectly since then. I actually turned it off last week because the pool was getting too warm (high 80s).

    My neighbor has 115% coverage and his pool is in the 90s all the time. He likes it toasty with 3 kids under 5. I find it actually unrefreshing after a point so I am glad we didn't do the overkill and oversize.

    Katherine

  • peustis
    12 years ago

    Hi Katherine,

    Your pool is gorgeous! I have no idea if you're still monitoring this, but I came across your post while searching for information about installing a fastlane in a niche for our pool installation. Our PB has never installed a fastlane before and they are unsure about how to cover it inside the niche. Do you have any information about how this was done with yours, and what the cost of the cover might have been? The niche and supports have been built in our pool, and the PB says they can have a stainless steel person create a cover for the niche, but they will charge us $1000 just for the cover. Seems a little high to us! Any information you can provide would be very helpful! We're REALLY far away though - in North Carolina! Hope you're still enjoying your beautiful pool.

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