I want to thank all of you who posted in response to my questions around the workmanship of Seaway Pools in Markham, Ontario. This process is still ongoing. They have sent a new crew to replace the skimmer. They sawed out the concrete around the skimmer and replaced it with a new one. During this process we saw there is in fact no fibreglass mesh support in it. They then installed the liner and it didn't fit. They left it to dry in the sun for several days to shrink it. The liner manufacturer himself came to assist with the install. They got it in eventually. Last week they plummed the filter and pump. Seaway Pools refused to plum into my heater since I didn't buy it from them. Eventually the pool tech and the gas guy worked something out. Finally we were up and running. They are supposed to send someone to teach us how to use the pool, but no one has come out yet. They don't respond to calls or emails. Instead they have the pool technician call me back... sometimes. As far as they're concerned, the work is done. However, I emailed them asking if the pressure guage should be reading less than 5 psi... no response. From what I read it should be higher. So now I wonder if there is a leak in the lines... Needless to say I just wanted to follow up and let people know about my horrible experience with Seaway Pools in Markham and it's owner Gary Walters. I'm still working on this, but I've put a blog together so new pool owners can at least have an idea of what questions they should and what to get in writing before starting a pool renovation. http://seawaypool.blogspot.com/

I say go with whatever fits your space, use and budget. Brentr, apparently the party monster :>), is proof that any pool adapts to your lifestyle! Child of the 70's here, one of the first to have an above ground pool. Tacky now I know, but it was the neighborhood hot spot (too my mother's chagrin)and we loved it no matter how many kids were in there. Fast forward to now on the opposite coast we have an inground pool not too far off your dimensions. A modified rectangle (trapezoid?)about 40' long and it's about 10' wide on one end and wider on the other to incoporate the built in spa and stairs inside it on the end which makes the pool wider in the middle, maybe 15-18', not sure. So instead of a bump out we bumped in, by widened the one end to keep a clean line on the perimeter. Kind of hard to explain and I don't have a picture now, but by keeping it parallel with the back fence it looks retangular except bird's eye view from above. It's "play pool" depth: 3 1/2' on the spa end sloping to 5' in the middle and 4' on the other end. We have a small yard and our goal was to make it as long as possible and as close to the back fence as possible so we could perserve our green space and have a good size patio. Never wanted anything wider, but initially wanted to go 5-6' longer for laps, but our designer suggested scaling back so there could also be a small patio on the non spa end and we never regretted the decision. Husband knows how many "laps" it takes for a mile and he swims that often. Because it's linear it looks really long from the ends. Funny thing is every kid that comes here loves to hang out in the narrow side next to the spa, sit on the 3-4' stairs (my sun shelf) next to the spa, or go in the spa even if the bubbles aren't on. They like the little places. Like all those kids that hog the hotel spa thinking it's their own private pool. IMO your design is enough room for your kids to play and learn to swim and when they get bigger they'll probably want to go to the public pool with the diving boards and the billion kids anyway. Many people do not want pools so for resale and upkeep bigger is not always better. BTW I don't know how they price pools there or now, but back when we put ours in, linear foot was a big part of the $. Which is partially why designers loved kidneys and irregular shapes more than lap and rectangles. We didn't realize it at the time, but our bumping out for stairs and spa would have been more expensive than our widened the end to bump in. Good luck!

"6. Floor. Probably will be wood. I think there is pine underneath the old vinyl that is there now. Is it a mistake to just refinish the pine? Is that too soft for a kitchen floor? Rest of the house is oak." No. No. There are companies that do nothing but salvage sunken old growth pine from rivers. It is very expensive and rare. I've refinished old growth heart pine when renovating our 1910 Colonial Revival years ago. It is spectacular. Don't even think about replacing it or covering it up in a non-reversable fashion.

Okay, here are the 2 sinks I've narrowed it down to. Both are shallow enough for us. I think I'll start another thread to inquire if people have these sinks. I need to know what the finishes are like because I can't view one in person where I live. Please let me know if you have any information about either brand. This Kohler looks good, but we would be sacrificing the rear placement of the drain. Otherwise it looks good though, and it comes with colander and cutting board accessories. http://www.faucetdirect.com/kohler-k-3183-single-basin-stainless-steel-kitchen-sink-from-the-undertone-series/p166735 This Elkay has everything we want, except a good picture. I read somewhere (can't remember where) to stay away from Elkay sinks. hmmmm really? I am concerned about the finish being too shiny. It says this in the specs: "Exposed surfaces are hand blended to a lustrous highlighted satin finish. ELUH models have highlighted inside top bowl radius." http://www.faucetdirect.com/elkay-elu2816-single-basin-stainless-steel-undermount-kitchen-sink-from-the-gourmet-lustertone-series/p236254 Thanks if you can help. And I hope someone here can benefit from this info on shallow sinks. Here is a link that might be useful: Elkay sink