Detail Pool Progress w/ Pics
HURRAY!!! After lurking long and posting some, it's finally my turn. I couldn't have even
began this process without all of the wonderful information and pictures that I found on this forum. It was WAY too overwhelming. I found the post by tresw to be especially helpful. They did a great job of documenting the entire process. So...I am going to attempt to follow their example to benefit all the sequential analytics in the group like myself. If it's too many pics for some, maybe you can skim over a few. I just know that I wanted to see pictures of every step in the process. So, I hope some of you enjoy it. Also, PLEASE provide feedback for anything you see. I am certainly a novice at this, so if you see anything you think I should investigate or ask about, don't hesitate to let me know.
Background:
After paying off our house, we decided to live a little and finally do some landscaping around the yard. While spending a little time in the yard, trying to make some decisions about what to do with it, the thought occurred to build a pool. We tossed it around for several weeks before calling three pool companies to submit bids for the job. We have decided to complete the following projects, hopefully to be complete by July 4:
1. Pool
2. Outdoor Kitchen
3. Sprinkler System
4. Landscaping w/ sod (front and back)
5. Storage Building
6. New Fence
Pool Specs:
After much thought and several bids, we signed a contract with Pulliam Pools. Below are the pool statistics:
Pool Size: 20' X 38'
Pool Depth: 3.5' X 6'
Perimeter: 99'
Pool Area: 674 sq
Pump: 2HP 2 Speed
Pool Filter: 60 SQ FT DE
Pool Cleaner: Polaris 280
Main Drain: Dual
Skimmer: Two
Return Line: Four
Plaster: Blue Lagoon PebbleTec w/ Abalone Shell
Coping: Light Oklahoma
Decking: Washed Aggregate - 668 SQ FT
Love Seat: 6' X 18"
Light: 2 Jandy Color Lights
Aquapure Salt System
10'X 12" Raised Beam (Austin Nicotine Stone)
16' X 18" Raised Beam (Austin Nicotine Stone)
3 Waterports
4' X 8' X 6" Sunshelf
Turbo Twister Slide - Sandstone Right Turn
Kitchen Specs:
This is a picture of an outdoor kitchen that looks just like what I want. Mine will have rock columns instead of cedar and will face the pool long-ways.
Although I am not building in the grill, I am getting the KitchenAid beverage station with matching components like below:
Pre-Dig:
Since the sewer line and underground electric line went right across my backyard, we had to have it relocated.
Day 1 (5/12/2008) - Excavation:
The excavation was a sight to behold. The huge machine they brought in made us feel like we were witnessing some prehistoric creature tear through our yard. Very thrilling.
Day 2 (5/13/2008) - Plumbing & Steel:
It was amazing to watch these guys work. They were obviously very skilled and experienced.
Day 3 (5/14/2008) - Electrician installs Copper Wire:
I'm not entirely sure what this step was for. I can only assume that this wire grounds all of the electric components to the pool so we don't all get electricuted. My guess.
Day 4 (5/15/2008) - City Inspection:
All I can say is - PASSED! I don't guess you want to see a picture of the green tag. ;-) Well, that brings us up to date. Tomorrow they are scheduled to gunite. VERY exciting day. I can't wait. Until then.....
Comments (61)
smbnobles
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRelated Discussions
Living Room Remodeling Progress (w/Pics)
Comments (8)Why thank you! We pulled up that carpet about 2 hours after the tenant's last walk-through. It was one of those moments where you just sorta say "wow" quietly...and then rush to the other room to rip up a corner of carpet in there! It's been a ton of work - much of it redundant or unnecessary as we learned - but very rewarding. I'd guess: 2 hours to rip up the carpet 2 hours for the tack strip 8 hours (?) for all the staples - God, the staples! 4 hours to reglue the loose pieces of inlay 4 hours to cut new pieces for the missing ones 2 hours to cut and place plugs for the larger holes 30 minutes to do it again with white oak 8 hours of sanding with the big-boy sander 3 hours of hand sanding under the rads 6 hours of applying finish Somehow, 39.5 hours doesn't seem like enough, given that it's been a 6-month process...I guess when you isolate just what went into the floors, that's about right, though. MPEDrummer...See MoreNew Pool Under Construction(w/pics)
Comments (38)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....See MorePool Build for 3 Excited Little Swimmers (w/pics)
Comments (79)Glad to hear it's all coming together for you momof3. I do wonder if all the problems began after GM's "departure" but consistent lying and not not showing up to the job site and leaving our backyard in shambles have left us no choices and now we are moving on and getting things done our way. Never said it was your fault Jimbar...Just expressing what we are going through, with the same people who you worked with...with very different results..consider yourself very lucky. We have learned from several contractors that our PB is well known for taking on way too much, he's short staffed and has several cases against him for lack of finishing the job, he subs everything out despite his website claiming "no subs"...so, we wait on subs to finish other jobs to get to us and are lied to consistently - he blames everyone else and keeps blaming GM (he was in sales he's not a builder) it shows MW's inexperience and immaturity as a business man - he screws people, plain and simple. These delays will cost him in the end, as you can see from this forum (and there are others where I have read about CB) his reputation is exactly what we are going through so I am happy for those few who can claim a a good experience, there aren't many of you jimbar. ..thanks for your time and input....See MoreKitchen progress pics (a 'little Redroze' kitchen!)
Comments (20)Wow, it looks fabulous! I can see why you chose all those redroze elements, they just look so good together - I can't imagine anything looking better (but then, I bet that granite does shine in any kitchen). You must be so happy! You beat me by 2 days - I made breakfast on Sunday, and I made dinner and served it in the new dining room on Sunday night. We *could* have been eating on 8/7, but friends had us over for dinner, and I still had a ton of painting and cleaning to do, so Saturday ended up being pizza. I didn't feel right about making a meal and not having anywhere to serve it, so it had to be the kitchen AND dining room ready. Here's a picture of us eating:...See Moretresw
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agosusannap2
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agosmbnobles
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agoThanks susannap2. Yes, the blue tile is the waterline tile. I sure hope it all looks good together.
As for Sunny the cat, I'm not sure what kind of cat he is. We moved here a little over a year ago and he actually belongs to the neighbor a few doors down. He has really bonded with my family and spends a lot of time with us. He is such a funny cat and has a really neat personality. He is always right there with us, no matter what we are doing outside. I tell everyone he is the supervisor. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he jumps right in the pool when it gets finished. If not, he will surely be right on the edge watching us.
Ok, so everyone posts their dog pics, so here is my kitty pics. :-)
susannap2
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agotresw
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agotresw
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agoDay 19 (5/30/2008) - Deck Set
Ok, one more step toward the end. The crew was supposed to come on the 29th, but never showed up. They had an inspection scheduled for the 30th and the deck pour for Monday. Needless to say it will all be delayed a bit. Oh well. I don't know if it is too optimistic, but I'm thinking it sure would be nice to have water in the pool by next weekend. Probably early the week after that, but I can always dream. Here are some pics.
stonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agoDay 23 (6/3/2008) - Slide Assembly
They finally came today to put together our Turbo Twister Slide. We were really excited to see it go up. They are supposed to come on Thursday to pour the decks. I'm not sure when they will actually set the slide. We can almost see water at the end of the tunnel. lol The supervisor almost guaranteed me that we would get plaster next week.
smbnobles
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agosmbnobles
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agosusannap2
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agoDay 25 (6/5/2008) - Deck Pour
Oh, happy day! They finally came to pour the decks. I was afraid they would cancel since the wind was blowing about 1000 miles an hour all day. Crazy! Anyway, I think they did a great job. It's wonderful to look out there and not see mounds of ugly dirt, sand, and debris. They are telling me that they will plaster a week from today. Oh, what agony!! LOL Let me know what you guys think.
smbnobles
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agosmbnobles
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agojmck_nc
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agobirdbath
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agoDay 32 (6/12/2008) - PebbleTec Application
The light just opened up at the end of the tunnel. I've nearly made myself sick worrying that it wouldn't get done, but now, I have a beautiful application of PebbleTec. It is Blue Lagoon with Abalone Shell added. The process was very interesting and took around 4 1/2 hours from start to finish. From my understanding, they will return tomorrow to acid wash the pool. All of the cleanup and slide installation is scheduled for tomorrow as well. It looks like we will have some water to swim in this weekend. BTW, the supervisor told me that we could swim in it as soon as there was a couple of feet of water in the pool. Does this sound right? We are hoping to schedule the start-up on Monday. Is it ok to swim all weekend (just the 3 of us) with no chemicals?
susannap2
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agosmbnobles
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agosmbnobles
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agoOk, we've been filling up for 24 hours now and still have about a foot or more to go. This morning we ran out and swam from 8:30 until 11:30. It was SO relaxing. I was in heaven. Here are a few pictures of the PebbleTec acid bath and fill-up. My husband said our new Margaritaville mixer will get fired up tomorrow as we spend a wonderful Fathers Day outside.
smbnobles
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agobirdbath
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agonutmegri
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agotresw
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agosmbnobles
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agostonesmama
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agoOk, all is well in the world again. They came and put on a new pump and all seems to be working again. The pool looks so clean and clear. No more bugs and spiders floating on top. :P I can't wait until tonight to see it with the lights on. That has been one thing I've really looked forward to. I want to swim at night. Here are some pictures that show the final water color. I really like it.
nutmegri
14 years agolast modified: 7 years agosmbnobles
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stonesmamaOriginal Author