In the interest of getting everything in the same thread, here's the pic you posted in the other thread:

{{!gwi}}

It looks like you've got more than enough room for something like this. You could actually get a small pool in, but I seem to remember your posts from a while back and that you didn't really want a pool. This is a neat alternative, almost like a fountain that you can also splash around in. If you use brick for the surround it is going to give it a more formal appearance than this photo though. It really depends on what kind of a look you're going for. Personally I like the mini-oasis look of the photo with natural stone and growies around it :-)

tresw, thanks for putting the second pic on here - that makes it a lot easier! As far as the brick for surround, I was just thinking that since the fireplace and home are brick, it might look nice, and more pulled together if it was also the same brick. Either way, I hope we can make it work. And yes, it would be like a dipping pool or splash pool, with built in benches also in the water to sit and cool off, watch the golfers, have a beverage or two....

Your house & yard looks beautiful! I'd love to see more pictures of it!!

tropical, thank you so much for the compliments. We are very happy to be in it. We just moved in in November. (We lost everything in Katrina, so it's taken a little while to make this new place a "home," but I think we've done all we can do for now. (Except for the "spool" - and the pool guy comes this afternoon to see what he can come up with.) I'll try to take some new pictures soon and post them. Thanks again.

Quote: "As far as the brick for surround, I was just thinking that since the fireplace and home are brick, it might look nice, and more pulled together if it was also the same brick."

Sure, that makes sense. Something that might be cool is to wrap a curved masonry wall around part of the spool that also ties into the fireplace, then on the inside of the curve incorporate a stone waterfall similar to the 2nd photo. Then the spool would have partial privacy and still have a view to the golf course too.

tresw, thanks again. I'll let you know how this afternoon goes.

I wanted to tell you how I loved the pics of your kids, especially your son, checking out the pool! And the one where you barely see your son's head in the background. Are they excited or what!! about the new pool!

This is spa built outside of a brick house. I personally love the way bluestone and all red brick mixes together.

racket - that is beautiful! Thanks!

wodka,
Sorry to hear you were a victim of Katrina. I can't imagine what that must have been like. Did you stay in Louisiana? I'm in B.R.

tropical, thanks for your concern. We lived in Long Beach, MS. Had just built our house in 2001. Really loved it there - this picture is what it looked like "after." I'll try to find the "before" and send it to you.

We evacuated to one of my husband's company's plants further inland, but once we found out we lost everything, I went to Jackson, MS and stayed with family and friends, my husband stayed here and worked, and I came back when his company loaned him a camper trailer. We did not receive a FEMA trailer (now I can say thank God!, but then it would have been a blessing.) We rented a terrible apartment for almost two years until we built this home and we're so grateful and happy to be here. Here's the "after." {{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

I'm sorry, I guess I'm guilty of what a lot of other people across the country are, forgetting that Katrina effected Miss. as well as La. It's still absolutely amazing to see the before & after pictures. I'm glad things are working out.

tropical, please, no need to apologize. I won't lie that it still bothers me how certain media just portray one angle of the storm and its victims. It's such a bigger picture, and affected so many different people and walks of life.

On a much lighter note - since you live in Baton Rouge, I'm sure you are familiar with the A. Hays Town style. Our new builder was a big fan of his, so we used a lot of brick, cypress, hardwood floors in our new house. Even though I would have preferred not to lose my home and belongings in Katrina, I really do like this house so much more and hope we can hold onto it. It has a lot of warmth and character.

Baton Rouge took in a lot of Katrina families, so you must be proud of your city. One of my Long Beach neighbors, who passed away not long before Katrina, moved here from Baton Rouge. She loved it and I went with her once to shop and spend the day. It's a beautiful city!

Back to pools. The pool guy ought to be here in about 30 minutes. I hope he doesn't think our idea is too small a job for him......

Wodka:

I'm very interested to see what the designer comes up with. If you don't mind me asking, which company is it?

You have a gorgeous home. I assume it is in the Oaks? I worked there during summers in high school, before the housing development took off. I used to know the course/trails like the back of my hand.

Not to hijack, but my family was also completely wiped out. So I can empathize with you. I don't have any before pics handy, but this is me standing atop the peak of the debris of our house:

And the new house:

I too, get a bothered that the media forgets about MS at times. What really irritates me is that North MS seems to be the worse at realizing the devastation that the southern part of the state took. Oh well, not to get on my soap box and opine any further.

Good luck and keep us posted!

olemissrebel - yes, that's where we are now, The Oaks. Your pictures are heartbreaking. No one can imagine, can they, unless they've been through it or come down and seen the area personally. Still a lot to be done....

BUT, your new home is beautiful, did you rebuild on the same lot? - what a fantastic porch! I love your red door, and the cool blue of your house. Very pretty. Where do you live?

I know what you mean about the other part of our state - sometimes I feel betrayed by our own governor,who has made some decisions lately that made my blood boil, concerning Katrina money being used in N. Mississippi for items totally unrelated to the storm. Too much to go into here - back to "pools..."

The name of the company referred to us is N2H20, out of Picayune, MS. A neighbor across from us used them and were very pleased with his work. He's running late, trying to finish with one pool before the rain comes, so I hope he makes it today. We called one company several times that does a lot of advertising and perhaps it's just as well they never called us back, because we have since heard some bad things about them. Don't want to get sued, but company name begins with an "F."

I'll let you know what happens. One more thing, my husband is an Ole Miss Rebel, too. (I went to Miss. State, sorry.)

I do love the A Hayes Town style. I have a book of homes he built on my coffee table!

I'm really interested in seeing what your pool guys comes up with.

Wodka:

We tried as well to get in touch with the 'F' pool builder that advertises heavily. We had the same response; go figure. I have not heard of N2H20, but I have heard of some fantastic pool builders out of the Picayune area.

We did rebuild on the same lot. It has been in my family since my grandfather purchased it in 1959. We live off of Menge Ave, just north of the PC city limits on Bayou Portage. I would love to take credit for the house, but I'll pass the compliments along to my parents ( although I did make my opinion known whether warranted or not). I consider myself their 'business manager' right now, dealing with the house construction/pool construction as I hopefully will be attending law school in the fall.

I won't say too much about MS politics other than northern MS has extremely nice roads paid for by southern MS revenue monies. I don't completely agree with some of our governor's decisions, but I'm glad we have him in our back pocket instead of the ex-gov of our neighboring state to the west.

No one is perfect, so I won't hold being a state grad against you. My dad is a bulldog as well. My sister and I stabbed him in the back by going to Ole Miss. Egg Bowl is always a fun time for us!

Wow, you two, I can't begin to imagine what you guys have been through. I'm in Florida, and you guys have been through my worst nightmare. I'm glad all is on the mend as you continue to rebuild what Katrina wiped out. Best wishes!

I can't sign off, though, without throwing out a " Go Gators!" ;-)

Wow!! That is stunning devastation on both counts, so glad to hear that you've both recovered!!

Quote: "I wanted to tell you how I loved the pics of your kids, especially your son, checking out the pool! And the one where you barely see your son's head in the background. Are they excited or what!! about the new pool!"

Thank you! We're all loving the pool although we can't actually get INSIDE it yet, LOL! It's a great spot to hang out. Actually my wife and kids were the ones that wanted a pool. I wasn't big on the idea, but decided if we were going to do it we might as well make a backyard focal point out of it. That's why we ended up with the big waterfall and grotto. I'm warming up to the idea of splashing around in it though :-)

Quote: "I hope he doesn't think our idea is too small a job for him......"

Shouldn't be a problem since many PBs will install projects that are spa-sized, but if he has a problem with it then I'm sure you can find someone else that'll do it. It could be a fun little project to take on!

jmas65, thanks for your well wishes. I pray that no one experiences a storm like Katrina again, but people thought that of Camille, so we just have to be as prepared as we possibly can, evacuate with every threat, etc.

As far as you being a "Gator" - we also have "Gators" in the family - my husband's aunt and uncle are HUGE Gator fans. Husband also has Tennessee roots - so we're just one big old SEC family...

The first PB came out yesterday afternoon. Very, very nice guy who spent a lot of time with us. Basically, we need to check with the County and the Homeowners Association to confirm what our restrictions are, etc., then come up with a plan. PB contestant #2 is coming out today.

I'm already beginning to get cold feet about it all. The entire time we were out in the yard by the proposed site, those darn gnats/no seeums were attacking me. I thought how in the heck can we have a spool with these darn bugs. The spool would be backing up to the golf course "rough" which I'm sure is full of these bugs, so I just don't know.

The other issue that concerned me is that in our conversation with the PB, he said that although our plan was small, that there are "minimums" to be met in the pools supplies and stuff, and that we might consider going ahead and doing more with our plan, since it would end up costing us anyway, to meet the minimum. I appreciate his honesty and telling us upfront, but it kind of dampened my enthusiasm. I don't want this little pool to become a money pit.

I was naive to think this would be a simple procedure. Depending on what today's guy says, I might be looking into a fountain instead.

No need to get discouraged at this point. Unfortunately, nothing is simple anymore and the more you discuss/brainstorm with your family/PB's, the more you'll refine what it is that you are explicitly looking for.

As for the gnats, they usu. become the most bothersome an hour or two in the morning after sunrise/before the sun warms the air and an hour before and after sunset. Likewise, they are the worst in the spring/fall (the weather right now is perfect for them). Living on the water, they are esp. bad so we would always gauge our outdoor time appropriately given the time of year.

I found in trying to find PB's, that most of them have pool minimums that have a set base price. For example, a base pool package would be 400 sq feet, 3.5'-6' depth, coping, 400 sq ft of decking, and the basic filter/pump/chlorinating system costing $X. This is their base formula that minimizes their cost, and maximizes their profit. Once you deviate from their base plan, by adding top of the line equipment, additional pool depth, water features, etc, the price will go up accordingly given their markups, added cost of material, etc.

As an aside, both a housing and pool contractor once told me that they actually look at the type of cars, property, boats, etc, that a family has and adds a markup based on his perception of the family being able to afford whatever it is that they want done. Its sad, but I'm sure it happens more regularly than not.

Anyway, although there are minimums, I would think that any PB would be able to look at the scope of the work done and price the job accordingly whether it falls within his 'minimum cost/max profit' formula or not.

As for the fountain, when the gunite crew was out doing our pool, the foreman told me they do various size projects from large, olympic pools to small fountains. Whatever you come up with in your plans, someone will be able to do the work for you given your budget requirements and other constraints.

We do alot of fountains also, and they are not that much cheaper than a pool to build.

PB # 2 came out yesterday. We liked him alot, too. (olemissrebel - I cringed when he said we had a beautiful home, after your remarks how they look at cars, houses, etc. and up the price. Perhaps I'm getting a little paranoid about this whole process.)

We gave him some pics of what we have in mind, along with a pic of the part of the yard where we want the spool/fountain/whatever. He's going to draw up some plans and get back with us. He's done several pools in the neighborhood and surrounding area. Only possible drawback - if the utilities are buried down the center of the backyard, we're out of luck, end of story. Waiting to hear on that.

Racket, do you have pics of your work/fountains? I'm a little surprised that fountains would cost almost as much as pools, but I am very ignorant as far as water features go, I'll admit.

The only difference between a pool and fountain are depth, the heater, and sometimes size.

You have the same amount of mobilization. A little bit more excavation, and concrete.

Not much else is different.

First of all, I confess, I am probably the biggest tightwad/cheapskate known to man. That being said, we just received an estimate and proposal from PB #2. I would appreciate opinions on to whether this price is "normal." Please refer to my earlier post and pics so you can see what we are working with. This is PB's proposal, with no prices broken down - just one lump sum at the end:

12 x 16 fiberglass pool
Brickwork and wall to raise
Fountain on rear of pool (medallion or lion head jets - 3)
Fiberoptic light
18" pool coping, brick
Salt System
Remove portion of fence and section of existing stamped concrete to fit.
Labor, materials, inc.

Total: $33,550.00

Holy cow that seems high! That's about the price of our 16x32 with grotto, 11' waterfall, mosaics, 350 s.f. of decking, etc. Maybe you need to put on some raggy clothes the next time you get a bid and park some old junker in the driveway. Did you see that episode of the Cosbys where the dad was going to buy a new car and dressed in old clothes full of holes so they'd think he was broke? LOL! Seriously though, I'm sure you're paying a premium for it being so small because as was mentioned above you still need the equipment of a bigger pool. Plus they have to mobilize the same construction equipment whether it's a big pool or small pool. That said, I still think it's too high!

That seems high, but the prices to build pools in our area is relatively higher than other parts of the country. I know from research/talking with a friend that the pool we are building would have cost significantly less (~33%) if it were being built in Texas where we thought about relocating after the storm. Likewise, knowing what I know now and after finding this forum, I could have built it myself with considerable cost savings.

The best thing to do to gauge PB #2's quote is to get other quotes from other companies given those specifications (if happy with that design). Also, don't be afraid to call supply warehouses to see what materials costs (I can tell you that concrete is running $100/cu. yd right now), to see if the PB is over inflating his profit margin.

tresw and olemissrebel, thank you both for your replies. We will definitely get a few more estimates because this is a big chunk of change to spend for such a small area.

tresw, you got your money's worth with your pool - it is such a great layout and looks so inviting and fun.

olemiss, your family's pool is beautiful, too, but gosh, what a drastic difference in costs between here and Texas - 33%??? Does your family ever regret not moving?

We might just have to run the sprinkler system longer for our water feature entertainment this summer, until prices go down! ha.

wodka, I think we regret moving at least once a day. Post-Katrina it seems that for every one step forward, you move two steps back and pay twice as much for everything. I know the 'southern' way of life isn't face-paced, and everything moved slow before the storm, but now, its just a crawl.

Thank you for your kind words about the pool. I hope it is even more beautiful once it gets done(if it ever does). You asked me if I would recommend my PB before, and I can tell you w/out hesitation that the answer is no. He might build a great pool, but we are beyond being frustrated with him to downright infuriated with his lack of communication/customer service.

rebel, I was just talking to a good friend who lives in Jackson and ironically, we were discussing how life here after Katrina is just a continuing struggle, even for those of us fortunate enough to have a home again and just wanting and willing to pay for a few small "luxuries" in life.

She's been to our new house several times and in fact was the one who suggested how a small, dipping/tanning pool/water feature would really complete the landscape. When I told her what we had been quoted, she was shocked - she's also looking into a standard pool for her big backyard in Jackson and said the price was just about the same for our small one!

If I can drag my husband, I think we might go to this weekend's home and garden show, since pool people are supposed to there. Have you or your family ever done that, and is it a waste of time?

I told my friend, who can do anything (lay tile, renovate homes, paint, etc.) that she needed to go into the poolbuilding business - there's apparently a huge need for talented, honest, reliable people in this industry.

Wodka: Can't say that I have ever been to the Home and Garden Show. It's probably a great venue to go to and meet many of the builders and get ideas, but I look at it as just one big sales pitch. I can guarantee that the "F" pool builder will be there in force. I don't think it would hurt to go; you might just find someone there that can do exactly what you are looking for within your price range.

It's not just the pool industry that needs talented, honest, and reliable people, but the entire construction industry. For every good builder, there are four bad ones. I've had people suggest I try my hand in the construction industry b/c of my penchant for finance and my building experiences, but I hate it. I'd rather sell used cars, then become a builder of any sort. It's not worth the headaches and aggravation.

rebel, did I tell you the "F" pool guy finally got around to returning our calls last week? I told him thanks, but no thanks. He was so "slick" on the phone, he sounded like a taped commercial! His tune and tone changed drastically when I told him "not interested."

Oh, well, if anything changes, or we find a PB who comes closer to meeting our needs, I'll let you know.

Wodka and OleMissRebel,
Wish I'd seen this thread earlier. I'm in Gulfport and we are about 2 weeks from moving into our new home, rebuilt on our original lot. This time we built all concrete - floors, walls, ceilings - went higher and added an elevator. Our pool is 12 feet off of the ground! We put in a spool. Its a fiberglass pool by Viking called a Hydrozone. Its about 8.5x18 and has a motor so that you can swim and exercise against the current. We couldn't even find a pool company who seemed to "get" what we wanted and we ended up with a nice guy from Navarre Beach, FL. I have to tell you though, that the price you've been quoted is very much in line with what we paid for the pool. Unfortunately by the time we built the pool off of the ground we've spent more like $75,000 all together. Nevertheless, we won't worry about flooding and we have almost complete privacy. If you would like some more info, or to see photos, send me your email. You can even come over and see the pool if you like. I'm still waiting on the water feature, but you can get a good idea. The reason that we went with the Hydrozone was because we wanted a pool that was 5' deep. It just didn't make sense to us to put in a 3 ft pool.

Dear Swatts1 --
I would love to see a pic of the pool you have built. It sounds perfect.
Thanks,
Di