This is going to be a pretty pool I noticed a few things that may warrant some considerations. A Clean & Clear Plus 520 square foot cartridge filter is better in arid locations. You won't blow off water backwashing and it is a better match to the pump's capabilities. The sheers and lams don't need an Intelliflow. Too much pump and since these are infrequently used, that's a lot of money! A single speed will do quite nicely, properly valved and extra returns in the pool to take any overflow unless the sheers are four foot wide each. They should have their own filter too unless the suction outlets are in the wall where they can't pick up debris on the bottom. Make sure the autocover has all high grade stainless hardware. Often, they come with galvanized. Does that include a spool cover that can accommodate matching coping. This is how the service crews get to the cover's mechanicals. Is the spool to be above or below ground? Are the cover's tracks under or over the deck? How long is the fabric warrantied for? The Texas sun is powerful and it's UV rays will have an effect on the vinyl's life expectancy. Find out what the current cost is to replace the fabric and ask what the cost was five years ago. That may help you to estimate what the cost will be when the fabric does need replacing down the road. Pricing Diamond Brite with Pebble is the same? Here in NJ, there is a significant delta in pricing. While I like the negative edge look of a spa entirely in the pool, in this case, it seems like wasted space near the two walls. It also makes for a long reach to a spa-side controller, something I highly recommend. The iS-10 control will allow you to turn on the spa, raise and lower the pump speed and temperature, and turn on your your lights and water features. These controls, I should note, are water resistant, not water proof and should not be submerged but rather deck mounted. Why only five spa returns? An eight foot spa can easily accommodate eight and the IntelliFlo can certainly drive them with enough pressure. I would also expect the cover to rub on the other two edges when it opens and close. Auto covers depend on the water for support. They aren't drawn tight like a spring loaded safety cover. This will create a lot of additional wear on both the edge material and the cover material. The only one that will lose in that situation is you since the cover and the edge repair costs will likely come out of your pocket Scott

Hi - I have a SWG and have a stacked flagstone weeping wall, as well as a stacked flagstone spa spillover and neither have shown any signs of erosion, corrosion, or pitting despite water running continuously over these things 6 hours each day. I've had the pool since August of 2006. I have done quite a bit of research on this topic, and much of what's out there is very anecdotal, even the stories written about in the link that kurtv provided. However, given my research and personal experience with these things, this is what I know: - many people forget that chlorine is just as much a corrosive as salt is! In fact, what makes salt (NaCl from High School Chemistry) corrosive is the Cl (Chlorine) part of the molecule. - many SWG owners are under the impression that having a SWG means no longer having to watch their water. I hear so many SWG owners say that their pool is so great and worry-free that all they have to do is dump a bag of salt in once or twice a season! If you don't watch your water, it could turn into a really corrosive agent! - another thing to watch out for - stabilizer (CYA or cyanuric acid) levels. Stabilizer is required in outdoor chlorine (yes, salt pools ARE chlorine pools as well) pools because it helps reduce the breakdown of chlorine via the sun's UV rays. But more importantly, one side-effect of not having enough stabilizer is that it magnifies the corrosive effects of chlorine! For example, with little or no stabilizer, chlorine at normal levels (4-5 ppm) actually becomes a 30x STRONGER disinfectant AND oxidizer! Now guess where the corrosion comes from? Having said all this, my conclusion? Enjoy your SWG, but PLEASE watch your water! Having a SWG doesn't mean you don't have to watch your water, but in fact the opposite. I test my Cl and pH levels every 2 days, and test TA, CH, and CYA levels weekly. I know people who take their water to Leslie's for testing only every month or so!

I've tried for the past few weeks to get used to the awful brown mortar on my flagstone, but I just can't live with the mortar......I've had multiple contractors come out for various things unrelated to the pool and 3 have commented on the "odd", "strange" mortar color without me even mentioning my opinion of it. Very shocking but really why was I surprised. It's kinda nice to finally realize I'm NOT crazy for hating it. It toned down slightly as it cured, but it's still hideous. :( I'm going to start working on a resolution, going to be a pain but I just can't live with this color......infurates me that my PB picked this color for me without asking me what I'd like. I'm sharing all of this in hopes that it will save at least someone from getting slapped with a bad mortar color----I've never seen a pool as far as I can tell that didn't have buff or just regular light gray mortar----so I had no clue to specify especially when all my my PB's pools looked to be to be a buff shade of mortar. All of their gallery pics and the 4 pools of theirs I visited.

We normally make up our own grout, with a mixture of (1) 94 # bg. of white portland, 14 -15 shovels of mason sand and color from the Cast Stone manufacturer. This allows us to match the grout color to the stone. You can use a SMS grout color that comes in a 25# bgs. as provided by the tile supplier, or Home Depot., and pick the color you like; or have your designer pick it out for you. We always make up a batch of color and allow it to dry, as it is considerably lighter when it dries than when it is wet. If your tile is uneven where it meets the bottom of the stone, you will need a 3/8" grout jt. in order to lay the travertine level. You can lay a 1/4" th. grout joint, however it is more difficult to install. Most stone or brick is tuck pointed after it is used for coping. Tuck pointing allows for the grout to be pushed into the joint and leave a nice tight finish, and eliminate any voids. One little trick that you can try that will give you a little more time, and make the grout, either by hand or premixed bagged, is to add a tiny bit of KARO syrup. This makes the grout more flowable, and allows more time to work the grout. As soon as you add the KARO syrup to the grout, you will notice a creamer consistency.. A lot of the travertine paver( 1-1/4" thick) is sand set here in Florida. A couple of reasons. Eliminate the expense of forming, pouring and paying for concrete, which could crack and causes a transfer crack(s) to anything placed on top of it. If you place 4" crushed concrete(which is recycled concrete) instead, it is considerably less costly. Place a 1" leveling course of screening sand.( In Florida it is made from crushed limestone), then place the travertine paver on that. The perimeter will be mud set, so as to secure the border. If at some point you decide to add to the deck, you just need to repeat the process and it will not look like an add on. NO CRACKS EVER on your sand set pool deck. They do make a special polymer sand to place between the joints of the travertine pavers. I prefer tumbled travertine pavers as opposed to the chiseled edge. Ivory colored travertine makes for a beautiful clean look. Tom A from South Florida