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Elevation of pool too high

14 years ago

My Pool ended up being 4 inches higher than my existing patio so now I have a steep slope from the pool to the house. They couldn't put area drains in because they would have been too deep for the patio. Instead they put channel drains between the patio and new decking. Is this normal? Is 4 inches too high?

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Sunset Designers & Builders Inc.

8 years ago

I'm sorry to hear this and it happened to me too when I bought a home like that. So I decided to remodel the pool and even raise it high to be a bench seat. At Sunset Designers and Builders they call it an elevated pool. Check out this link http://www.gosunset.net/gallery/pools-spas/nggallery/pools-and-spas/elevated-pools

Cheers, JZ

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Comments (8)

golfgeek
14 years ago
michelle09,
Channel drains are common. Pool decks usually slope at 2% or 1/4" per foot. In your case the pool would need to be 16' from the patio to be a perfect 2% slope.
4" too high is a rather large error. Good luck.
huskyridor
14 years ago
quote" 4" too high is a rather large error. "quote

Only if her pool is under 20' away from the pool.

I use a different rule of thumb on my slope for concrete.
Sloping from coping to grass 1" on 8', and sloping from coping/expansion joints to a drain centered in a quadrant 1" on 5'. I try to keep my quadrants around 100 sq/ft in open areas.

IMO, Michelle's pool coping should have been level with the existing patio and the drains should have been centered in the quadrants. The only reason I'd of finished with a 4" raise to an existing patio over 10' away, and placed channel drain would been that a portion of the pool's deck would have come in below the natural grade of their yard. This is an easy way to raise a pool's final level to keep the sidewalk up out of the ground. I run across this frequently on yards which have a lot of slope and the buyer doesn't want to pay for my cost of a machine and operator to regrade the yard, or the upcharge of raising the pool beam on the problem side and adding a step up to the new raised decking.

A pic would be very helpful on this thread. Your builder might have encountered what I just described and placed your level up intentionally.

See ya,
Kelly
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Update! Thanks again everyone for all your info. PB has taken responsibility and is in the process of tearing out new pool. pool demo from shallow end He has taken out the gutter for the infinity edge, the walls of the shallow end, weir wall and the splash deck. PB is requesting to leave the walls that are pictured below, and frame around or inside of them. He said he wants to do this so he can reuse the plumbing. The walls he wants to keep are the wall with the light in the deep end and the wall where the skimmer was placed. skimmer wall & light wall This will change the size and design a bit which is not huge for us, but it pushes it to with in 6' of the trunk of a 100+ year old live oak. We are concerned with the gutter/catch basin being so close to a tree who is notorious for root invasion, especially since the basin will be in the ground, with the coping just above yard level. Any thoughts on if it is ok to keep those walls and plumbing, and if you would be concerned about a catch basin that close to the tree. The original design has the pool a little over 10' from the trunk. To save $ on the rebuild, we offered to omit the 10x10 splash deck and instead integrate it into the shallow end of the pool. Would this in fact be a cost saving for him? Thank you!!!! shellip
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I have an overflow drain, but at the moment it's installed just below the coping near one of the skimmers. It's a small overflow with an opining of about 1/2 inch... and the whole opening is above the top level of the skimmer so it's not going to work very well. It just feels like I need to change the elevation of the coping somehow to make an accommodation for a lower waterline.
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My goodness, that is pretty. Did you get a picture of the basin before plaster? That drain concern is significant. I find it hard to believe that the plaster team plastered over it. These guys are pretty skilled at doing this. I suspect something else may have happened. What size pump is driving the weir? That is a fairly substantial length. Are you looking for a sheer effect into the basin or expecting the water to run down the wall and into the basin? The edge needs to be withing a 32nd of an inch of level for a minimal amount of water to be needed. That looks like it's only within a 1/4" at best and possibly under powered. If the drain issue is real, that may also have an effect as the drains may be partially blocked and an insufficient flow may not be possible until the issue is corrected. It may also present an unsafe submerged suction situation. What did you use to plaster? Different finishes have different start up procedures. Getting your own proper test kit is something I encourage all my customers to do. I have found pool store tests to be less than accurate on many occasion. Hand held electronic testers really don't cut it for homeowners. Adding di-chlor and stabilizer is a great way to overshoot desired stabilizer levels in a pool. I personally prefer to use unscented bleach such as Clorox or other brand that is labeled 5 or 6% for elevating the FC level after the 1st few days and for the next couple weeks during a new plaster start up. If you have an erosion feeder, then tabs are appropriate. The use of added stabilizer is discouraged in this situation as tabs add this as they erode. The type of plaster finish is important here though. While builders can build some beautiful pools, that doesn't mean they can care for them properly. I know of several that are like this. They don't want to know. They would prefer to turn on the system and move on to the next project. Purple Stuff may not be needed if there are no metals in the water. Wasted money if that is the case. Test for iron and copper first. If it is present, find the source. If the test indicates the presence, then it's appropriate. Know the raw chemistry of your fill water. This will help you predict your usage need for certain balancing chems as you go forward. Knowing your pools needs will help you maintain a safe, refreshing, and sanitary body. As I mentioned before, a proper test kit will be crucial for your pool's needs. It will also help you measure a weekly service's ability to maintain your pool should you decide to go that route. Hiring a service does not absolve you of the responsibility. It is still your pool and not all maintenance teams are equal. Scott
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khelton4
8 years ago
we had a pool guy layout our pool area yesterday. By eye it looks pretty level from the porch( on which I was standing) to the red park patio directly behind. We have 65 feet between the two areas, were going to install a 20×40 pool dead center with concrete patios on both sides to meet each patio. When he shot the grade, he said the concrete would be over a foot y'all at the house side. Now we don't know what to do. Is there any way to move dirt to decrease the 12 inches of concrete that would be up against our existing landscaping?
julieleek
8 years ago
I hope so, Khelton4. I wouldn't like that either. Please keep us informed on what ends up happening. Sorry I couldn't help, but surely someone who knows more than I will speak up.
loriaultman
2 years ago
I'm thinking about putting an offer in on a house that has an inground pool in the back. The problem is the concrete decking around most of the pool is narrow (about 36 inches) and has a dramatic 7" slope to the ground. I know that decking SHOULD slope away from the pool, but this is extreme. Any ideas for building up the decking to make it look more level or making it more attractive? I've already thought about landscaping, but don't know if that will help.
HU-343498791
2 years ago
I am having a pool completed and the plans state to set the pool 6 inches below the benchmark. The benchmark being my back patio. Issue is I have to pour concrete in a large area from house

to pool. They told me that coping was suppose to be 6 inches below benchmark. Not sure

if that is correct? Now they are finished with coping and we are only 2.5 inches below patio. Issue is now I have to back fill with to bring level in yard up or pay for an additional 20 yards of

concrete to fill that 3.5 inches. So is this correct that the top of the pool coping is set right? Or is it suppose to be 6 inches, not 2.5 inches? Just a note. Pool is out of the ground at least 12 inches.
Abby Anderson
28 days ago
I am having the same issue now. Can you show me what you did to fix it?

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