Can't wait to see more pics. Same design I'll be going with and hopefully we start digging tomorrow. Any reason you opted to put the water fall there. Our thinking was to put it on the arch of the middle ring.

Great job on the pool. Keep the updates coming. I especially like the pic of your dog. We also have a Golden Retriever. Your dog is going to LUUUUV the pool :-)

It stormed pretty hard Thursday night/Friday early AM so it was a good job the PB flashed the pool. It was miserable weather yesterday, but they completed the gunite, and I have included some pics below. It was interesting to watch. True artisans at work...

Lancer - Congrats on the pool; I look forward to seeing yoru pics/updates. We placed the water feature there to hide/muffle the noise of our pool equipment and our neighbor's pool equipment. We also live on the water and did not want to block the view. We originally were going to have a 4' shear decent on the 2' middle teir, but we are considering adding 2 3' shears on either side.

Aquaman - Not only do we have a Golden, but we also have a yellow and black lab. All of them have been eying the 'hole in the ground' since the dig. While the house was under construction/before we had the fence up, I couldn't keep the dogs out of the bayou or our neighbor's pool!

Here is a link that might be useful: Pool Construction Photo Album

I love your freeform design, it's going to be a beautiful pool! I am amazed and, admittedly, jealous of the fast progress you're making - you should be swimming in no time :).
You mentioned the pool build threads - aren't they great?Packed with information (and great pictures). We have gotten some great advice on this site. Wish we had found it sooner!

Thanks for the clarification. Progress looks great.

I'm guessing your overall if squared up would be about 17'x34' as my layout would be about 400 sf at 15'x30'.

Once again, looks great and keep the pics coming.

Thank you everyone for the kind comments.

The gunite has cured (we religiously wet the shell 3X a day) and the plumbers showed up today to run the pipe. Not really all that exciting, but we are one step closer to the finished product.

We have encountered our first hurdle so-to-speak. When the PB shot the gunite, he did so without the inspector's approval. Inspector obviously found out, told us the issue, and reassured us that he would not hinder the progress of our project b/c he realized that in the end, the people getting hosed, are indeed us. Needless to say, we were a bit disappointed in the PB for his blatant disregard of a stop work order as well as not being completely honest with us. It is now b/w the PB and the Building Code office, so there is not a whole lot we can do but move forward.

Likewise, I have mentioned/sought advice in another thread about adding (2) 3' sheers on either side of the pre-planned 4' sheer. The PB quoted an absorbent price to upgrade to a bigger pump/add the sheers. I have yet to discuss with him the option of a booster pump instead of upgrading to a larger pump. If the additional sheers don't work out, we are still perfectly happy with the 4'. It was just after seeing the tiered wall in person, we thought it might look more appealing to have the additional sheers.

Aqua: I can not keep my golden out of the pool. He sees the water in the deep end and is constantly wet. Not only do we have the same taste in dogs, but I think we have chosen the exact same waterline tile as you have!

Lancer: The pool is roughly 17'x 36'(if squared). If money were not object, I would have the biggest and deepest pool this side of the Mississippi. Unfortunately, my name isn't Warren Buffet so keeping everything within budget is a must.

Once again, thank you for the comments. I'll keep the updates coming as the pool progresses.

rebel, who did your pool? Are you still happy with him? Would you recommend his company or did the recent "hurdle" make you a little wary of him?

It looks gorgeous, by the way.....and golden retrievers are my all-time favorite dog. I would kill for your backyard (well, not "kill", maybe....) It's huge, compared to our little postage stamp.

Oh, and our pool guy hasn't showed - 6:40 p.m. His wife did call and say that he was trying to finish up another client's pool, but that he would call. Disappointed. I'm beginning to think they're all a little "shady."

Wodka:

To be completely honest, I cannot answer your questions just yet as we are in the beginning stages of the build.

To give a little bit(a lot, actually) of history, we decided to start to look into building a pool to replace the old one destroyed by Katrina approx. a year ago. After numerous attempts of contacting local builders such as the 'F' builder you mentioned in your thread, I found through the internet numerous builders in the greater NOLA area. I contacted a few, sent them pics of the property, a rough budget given to me by my parents, and some of the features we were looking for. Two builders out of four called back, one of them being our current builder (Gibbens Pools). The other PB blew me off after telling me he would work on a design.

Our current PB's designer came out to the property, took measurements, listened to the family's ideas/requirements, and designed our pool. It is pretty much what we are building now. We met with the designer to go over the plans and get the pricing. My parents were a bit sticker shocked at first. During this time, we were also having problems with our house contractor who subsequently left the job after receiving monies and not completing our house. We had to fire the contractor, hire new subs to complete the house, and pay twice for something that had already been paid for. A pool was not in the budget any longer.

Fast forward to the present; we completed the house and the pool idea came back to life. My parents decided that it was time to start enjoying the house/property and after number crunching, decided that a pool was in the game plan again. We called the designer, who still remembered us and had our original plan, and got the ball rolling. Until the recent hurdle, the design/build phase was a smooth process that went better than expected. Our PB came highly recommended from numerous people. The quality of his work is impeccable; but his bed side manner is a little to be desired, as of right now.

I will be able to better gauge his company as the pool build progresses and I can actually talk to him about the stop work order/sheer descent issue. Truth be told, I am a little disappointed in his actions regarding the stop work order. But, I do recognize that the code office can be a PITA. As a consumer, I am the one ultimately stuck in the middle and don't appreciate being misled. The pool is progressing, so I can not gripe too much though. None-the-less, he will readily admit that he is a higher end PB and in doing so, his pools minimally come in around $44k (given certain sizing, etc). I can appreciate that, but my issue right now is him putting such a premium on an addition to a water feature which should not cost nearly as much as he wants to charge. If he couldn't be bothered by changing it, tell me. Don't try to make the price so high that I immediately turn it down esp. forums such as this one that offer a vast amount of knowledge from great people that know the ins and outs.

In a nutshell, that is the reader's digest condensed version. Everything seems to be progressing nicely. In looking for PB's, or contractors in general, I will give this piece of advice - a contractor is only as good as his subs. Finding a pool contractor, esp on the MS Gulf Coast can be a bit daunting, b/c there are bad ones around. A postive sign about the potential builder you're dealing with is that he is willing to stay late to finish up a project so the weather won't interfere/delay the next step.

I may be young(mid-20's), but I can honestly say that Katrina has afforded me a lifetime of real-world knowledge in a short amount of time.

olemissrebel's quote: "I may be young(mid-20's), but I can honestly say that Katrina has afforded me a lifetime of real-world knowledge in a short amount of time."

You sound very smart to me - Ole Miss and Katrina have taught you well!

Your housing contractor ought to be shot....there were so many like him lurking the coast after Katrina, taking advantage of people trying to get on with their lives. Good for your parents that they forged ahead and found someone to finish your home. Life is way too short.

Although we really liked our builder, we probably could have and should have waited another year before building our home. Insurance is astronomical, probably paid too much for our home, etc., but we were so ready to start living again and get out of the dangerous apartment complex where we were paying $1200/mo rent.

So we may be in debt, and my husband will probably be working until he's 100, but we're happy, and that's all that matters.

Pool guy comes today at 3. Stay tuned.

Thanks Wodka, let's hope the law school admissions board has the same feeling you do!

I won't go into too much detail about the house contractor on here, but its sad that my family is not the only family along the coast dealing with unscrupulous contractors. Almost every person I talk to has their own horror story or knows of someone with a horror story about their rebuilding projects. Luckily, we have a great lawyer and faith in the judicial system.

Hindsight is always 20/20, and we too probably should have waited to start the rebuilding process. We were living in two RV's (which are for sale btw) on our property, so everyone was anxious to get back into a house. My Mom wanted to keep the property and move to a lake in TX; the rest of us did not. We won out, but ironically, both parents are thinking of selling and moving that way in 5-10 years. Only time will tell I suppose.

Funny you mention debt. I know my parents read the forum, so they'll be glad to hear others are in the same boat. My dad jokes about going to the bank every Monday and tapping the arm for one more pint of blood. I've come to the conclusion that instead of making money the old fashioned way by inheriting it, I'll just have to go out and earn it! Hence law school(hopefully) and the finance degrees.

Good luck with the pool guy. I'm sure the forum will be able to help finalize/brain storm more ideas as your plan progresses.

Thanks for sharing the photos, you're a bit ahead of us, we're having steel laid today and hope to have the gunite on Friday. We're getting ready to pick out our tile and colors that day as well. Will be going with a dark pebbletech but not sure which one yet- how about your finish, what's the plan?

Thanks.

davemartin88:

Its a great time of year to be building a pool. Hopefully both of ours will be ready for swim season.

I wish you the best of luck on your build. Hopefully you'll post pictures along the way as well.

Here are the specifics of our pool:

Color Quartz Blue Bayou Plaster (its a blend of two colors)
Burgundy Brick Coping
National AZ606-Cobalt Water Line Tile
Santa Fe (El Darodo) Stacked Stone

Starite System 3 Modular Cartridge Filter
Goldline SWCG
Goldine Automation Controls
Goldine Wireless Table Top control with RF base station (installed and purchased by me)
(2) Pentair Intellibrite LED lights
Legend Platinum automatic pool cleaner
Pentair Automatic Water Level Filler

We will have 2 skimmers, 4 returns, 2 main drains and as of right now (1) 4' sheer descent on the stacked stone wall. I am considering the option of purchasing a booster pump (2hp, based on another forum member's recommendation) and (2) 3' sheers for either side of the 4'.

I have some pictures(although not the greatest) of the color choices. I will try to upload them later tonight.

Hey olemissrebel. I live in Madison, Mississippi. My son is a freshman at Ole Miss. Just wondering where you live and who you got to build your pool. thanks!

cword: Hotty Toddy! I'm sure your son is having a great year, I know my freshman year was a blast. If only I could go back. Some of my best friends live in Madison and went to MRA.

I live on the coast in Pass Christian. Our pool builder is Gibbens Pools out of Mandeville, LA.

Not a whole lot to update on, other than we are beyond frustrated with our PB. Nothing has changed in the two and a half (almost three) weeks since the plumber finished. The building code office has not inspected the work, nor have any of the trenches been filled. We thought we would be wrapping this project up by now, instead of still looking at the concrete hole in the ground.

Trying to get in touch with the actual PB is hard. I can get in touch with his wife/secretary or answering machine, but all she can say is that "PB" will have to talk to you about your concerns. Likewise, the PB will call when I am almost always unavailable/unreachable, and choose to not leave a message; filling the square of calling me back but not really accomplishing anything at hand. Everyday we become more and more infuriated with our PB and disgusted with the entire project.

There is no doubt in my mind that once the pool is complete it will be well built and a beautiful addition to our home, but getting to that point is an uphill battle. Even our neighbors are frustrated with the process, not b/c it is inconvenient for them, but b/c they want to see the finished product and see us enjoy our new home (as well as enjoy the house warming /annual forth of July blowout we throw).

I know 3 weeks is insignificant compared to the 9 months that Birdbath has endured in getting her pool, but this a great place to vent frustrations b/c I know others have been there before us, and hopefully others can learn from all of our experiences (both good and bad).

I can't believe it's been almost a month, and I haven't updated. The good news is that they have finally installed the coping, tile (3 weeks ago), and decking (yesterday). The bad news is that the pool build is taking quite a bit longer than we were led to believe and we are starting to question if we will even be swimming by July 4th.

A few pics:

When the PB physically came out to our house (had been 1.5 months), he admitted that the sheer decent wall was in the wrong place. He was quite crass about the entire ordeal. He admitted that he had known for quite some time that it was laid out wrong, and thought if he ignored the problem it would go away. His bedside manner is infuriating to say the least. On top of that, he wanted to take $750 off the contract to leave the wall where it was. We told him NO and that he had to fix his goof-up. He was not in the least bit happy and that is where we stand as of today. He needs to reshoot the gunite, remeasure for the sheer descent, replace/install the coping/tiles, run the electrical, set the equipment, plaster, and apply the Sun Decking.

According to the PB it will take another week for the gunite to cure after the subs reshoot it and 2 weeks for the customized sheer descent to be made at the factory.

We signed our contract Feb 1 and were told it was going to take 6-8 weeks for the build from start to completion. We are a month behind schedule and the pool is holding up the landscaping, etc, etc. It's quite frustrating and disgusting. Our pool build was supposed to be easy and enjoyable, but right now, everyone (even the neighbors) becomes disgusted at the lack of progress/communication and blatant disregard the PB has in honoring his commitments/obligations.

Hey, I like your shape...
Here's ours...

Wow. Sorry you're having to deal with that. You and Birdbath have a lot in common, it seems. :-(

I consider myself very, very lucky. Our PB has been nothing short of wonderful.

Hopefully your next update will be a positive one!

olemissrebel, I was afraid y'all might be experiencing some problems when I would check here and see nothing from you. Sorry that you're having such a tough time - it really will be a beautiful pool when your PB finishes.

As far as our dream to have a small pool, it "died." We tried having more conversation with PB #1, who built a beautiful pool for our neighbor, but his wife just had a baby, and with it being the busy season and all, he hasn't called back yet, although his last words were he'd look into it. He lives in Picayune and I imagine gas prices, being what they are, make our project even less inviting to him.

Olemiss, sorry to hear your frustrations, I understand though, even though we are acting as contractor, the crews never seem to go fast enough for us... Don't worry, you will have a pool soon. I keep reminding my girls that they aren't even out of school yet, summer isn't officialy here and when it does get here, they will be in the water. Keep your chin up and keep thinking happy thoughts....

Hey, we have a golden, and a cement pond too.... ha ha!

Sorry to hear about the issues you are having. When I saw where your pool was at when I started mine, I really figured I'd see yours finished first and get an idea what mine may look like. Hang in as it will be great when it's finished.

I like the way they struck the joints in the decking. Gives some structure to the free form shape of the pool.

If you still can, take a whack at the bond beam to release some frustration.

Thank you all for you words of encouragement. Our build/related problems seem insignificant to what Birdbath and her family are going through right now with their build. We went through it when rebuilding our house, so I can truly empathize with her.

After multiple emails and calls, our PB finally got the message that progress had to be made. It looks like we are penciling in a completion date sometime in the beginning of June (my pessimistic outlook is more towards the end of the June), so we shall see.

Tuesday, the PB/subs reshot the gunite sheer decent wall and placed the equipment on the pad. The PB was hoping that the gunite would be cured enough to replace the tile this Saturday, but it looks like it will be Monday instead.

Two interesting asides. Our contract called for the PB to be responsible for bringing in fill dirt for the decking around the pool. He used the dirt we requested to keep instead, which wouldn't necessarily be a problem, but our contract said the pool was to be raised 5 inches above ground level not the 13 inches it was built to. We had not planned on having to bring in nearly the amount of fill for landscaping. After discussing this issue and pointing out his blunder, he gave us (reluctantly) a load of fill dirt (as you can see in the background of the equipment picture).

Secondly, in inquiring about the pool equipment/automation system the PB told us that we were responsible for getting power from the main power panel feeding the house to the pool pad. The contract does not address this and his 'What to expect during your pool build' book states that the PB will provide electrical service up to 75' from the main panel. Apparently, this is a misprint in both the contract and book (which I'm sure will soon be corrected!). I could fight this battle, and win, but in the long scheme of things, its not worth my time or energy to pursue. We just want our pool completed! Instead of hiring an electrician to do this, I am undertaking the project on my own. I have wired many projects in the past (just completed the sub feed/lighting to our docks, wired the house, etc)so this will be my way of moving the project along while saving a buck or two.

As always, here are a few pictures. Nothing too exciting yet. I can't wait for the day to showcase the finished product!

It's looking great! Glad to see they moved your wall, it looks a lot better in the revised location!

That is one gorgeous building supervisor that you have there!

Sorry to hear of your troubles with your builder. It just amazes me that some contractors treat their clients so poorly. I guess some of these builders don't need past customers to provide positive referrals to potential customers.

Thanks happymrsf! He's has been involved in EVERY aspect of the pool build, whether he was needed or not. His name is Ajax, in honor of my fav. bar/home cooked diner in college (not the cleaner). I think he, and his other siblings (two labs, two mutts) are more anxious to have the pool done than we are!

tresw, you have no idea how glad I am to hear someone other than my family say that. It was like talking to a wall when trying to convince the PB.

I went and picked up the wire tonight to start my electrical project tomorrow. 120' of #2 wire (2 conductors, 1 neutral, 1 ground) was $655, and that was just the wire! I am getting the conduit tomorrow morning and will get my frustrations out by digging the trench the old fashioned way. I decided to utilize the full potential of the PS4's 100A sub panel. I will eventually add a heat pump and what not, so I figured it is worth the cost now, rather than having to redo down the road.

I have a building supervisor that looks a lot like yours, but mine loves to scare the you-know-what out of me by standing ever so close to the edge of the pool. I'll be so glad when there's water in it so I don't have to worry about her!

We are almost finished! I ran the electrical to the equipment pad two weekends ago and the tile crew showed up yesterday and completed the sheer descent wall. It looks awesome. The PB was out today to place the umbrella/volleyball sleeves. The only things left to complete are for the electrician to come out and finish his work (lights, PS4, etc), plaster, and cool deck. Fingers crossed that it is all done and we are filling by mid week next week.

For the past week, I have been planting palms/flowers in the yard. This past weekend, I graded around the pool to prep the yard for sod this Friday. I have also been running low voltage wire/lighting throughout the yard for the past month. I have a few more odds and ends to finish up, but the grounds are finally starting to take shape.

As always, here are some pictures:

Your pool is going to be fabulous once done. I am sorry that you are having problems with the PB and glad that they are finally getting on it. Love your dogs.

WE HAVE WATER!!!

I never thought it would take this long to get to this point but the pool is filled, initial startup was yesterday, and we have been using the pool all day today (water is around 90 degrees, already)!

It has been a hectic 10 days since my last post. The sod was laid last Friday, the electrician came out Tuesday/Wednesday, and the pool was plastered on Wednesday. We began our fill Wednesday at 5pm and the pool finished filling around 12am Friday morning.

The startup man came out Friday. We were told that no one had to be home, but I am glad I had the day off. The pool tech was amazed at the clarity of our well water and said the pool had a pretty decent initial chemistry. He added muriatic acid, put 4 chlorine tabs in the skimmer, and turned the pump on. They still have to come out and take the plugs out of the skimmers, add the eyeballs to the returns, plumb in the SWCG, add the valve actuators, and bring the floor cleaner(even though it can't be used for 2 weeks).

I am a little disappointed in that the skimmers and returns aren't working, b/c the pool is not circulating as well as it could. I am having to run the sheer descent 24/7 to properly circulate the water. Pool tech blames the PB for, but what can you do? I'm just happy to be swimming.

I am brushing the pool 2X a day, as well as adding acid to keep the Ph in check. The pool turned cloudy/greenish in color late this afternoon, so I had to shock the pool (sooner than what the pool tech told me to).

Overall, the PB still has to do the Sundek, clean the gunite off of our black fence, and clean plaster/concrete from the coping/stacked stone.

Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to take a daytime picture of the fully filled pool. I will tomorrow morning and update accordingly.

Here are some pictures:

Beginning Fill

I was hoping the night time picture would turn out better, but we love the Intellibrite LED's. The blue is such a deep , rich color in the pool and by far our favorite so far.

I want to thank everyone on the forum for your well wishes and support/advice.

Looks great, can't wait to see more pictures!

As promised, here are some completed pictures, albeit later than what I had anticipated.

We put some of the furniture out so we could use the pool, realizing we will have to move it for the SunDek installation. Also waiting on our offset umbrellas to arrive.

Looks wonderful! So glad that everything worked out for you! I love the shape of your pool. Is that medium gray plaster that you went with?
We have a canine supervisor like that also, except now that our pool is complete, she won't go near it!!! So no dog hair worries for now at least....

Very pretty! Congrats!

Wow! It turned out great! I'm sure you're glad it's almost over!

Thank you all for the kind comments. We are very thankful to be able to use the pool, seeing as its soooo HOT and it's not even summer yet.

susannap2: the plaster is actually called color quartz blue bayou. It's a custom blend of two plaster colors.

Unfortunately, the plaster is two shades of blue (light in 3/4 of the pool, dark by the steps). The PB hasn't been out to look at it as he has been out of town. Best case scenario is that the pool becomes a uniform color over time. Worst case is that we have to drain and acid wash. We shall see.

Our dogs, esp my golden, were not allowed in the fenced in yard for the first day or two (ironic seeing as we specifically put the fence in to keep them in that space). We are now letting them go near the pool, but it is killing them that they can't jump in and go swimming. Don' want to mar/scratch the plaster.

Very nice. Love the pool water color.

so if you had to do it again would you use gibbens pool. The reason im asking is i got a quote from them and im thinking of using them , but now that ive read your story i may have to do some more research and ask alot more questions. Does this PB'er have a completion date that he sets because whoever i go with im thinking of having them put in a completion date in the contract with penalties if not finished and if they cant agree to it i may have to find someone who does. Are you satisfied with the finished pool? I know about the headaches with contractors because i live in st bernard and ive also been dealing with them too. its a nightmare to say the least. Any info you can give is appreciated.

jaymaneul:

Honestly, I would not use Gibbens Pools again and I would not recommend them at this time. We signed our contract in February and we are still not finished. We were told 6-8 weeks completion time from the time we signed and we are still waiting for the pool to be complete.

We had to get the pool replastered due to color discrepancies. They finished it this past week and although it looks fantastic, there are two areas where water sat in the shallow end/dripped down the walls(didn't blow out the skimmer equalizer line) as the pool was filling up, leaving unsightly discolorations. Gibbens has not addressed this issue yet.

Working with Gibbens has been an uphill battle. Their subs (other than the plasterers) have been nothing but excellent, but dealing with the owners of the company has been like talking to a brick wall (Gibbens subs everything out, btw). Our pool will be great once the issues are worked out, but working them out is taking forever. Example: when they shot the pool, the gunite overspray got over everything, most importantly our black, iron fence. We called the company the following day to let them know. They said it would be cleaned. This was in March. To this day, we still have gunite all over the fence. After talking to a fence installer, he said that the fence will have to be replaced. It seems as if they ignore the problem, it will just go away (the sheer descent wall was the same way).

I can tell you from talking to the subs, that we are not the only ones that seem to have difficulty with this company. Maybe not to the extreme we are experiencing, but a majority of the complaints from other pool owners is the amount of time it takes to complete the pool.

As for your contract, Gibbens (as many construction type businesses) uses a typical 'builder's contract'. Essentially, it is a contract written in their favor. Many builders (home, pool, etc) expect a bonus if they complete a project before the deadline, esp. if you stipulate a penalty clause (I doubt Gibbens, or any other pool company, would go for that type of contract).

I don't want to harp on the negatives too much, because when it is all said and done, we will have a gorgeous, well built pool (thanks to the subs). Likewise, there are two sides to every story, and I'm obviously biased. If you need any additional info, let me know. Good luck with pool build.