Bud4598, sorry for the tardy reply, I don't hang out here as much as I used to. I actually had to refer to some photos to answer your question because I had forgotten that detail. Yes, you are correct. There were pipe stubs that came through the gunite for the airflow, but the actual air grid is laid in after the gunite but before the pebble application. Aqua Man, I greatly enjoyed your comic books growing up in the 1960's. I read lots of Superman and Justice League comics, too. My brother had a fantastic collection. I don't think I have any other specific pictures of just the camphor tree, but so far I like it a lot. I also love the white birches back there. They're a little messy in the fall, but only for a couple of weeks and they haven't been that big of a deal. Cheers. Jeff

Stacy, sorry to hear our tile is hard to come by. Master Tile had a similar tile like ours called 'NOR LAT BOT 6' from the Latina Series. lala2874 used it with travertine and it was very pretty. Looks like wamaha is using Pearland Pools for their build. I don't expect they will have a problem. I referred them to a very good friend of mine as we made the mistake of not using them for our build. Their build has gone smoothly even though they are very busy. They are a very professional and a timely builder of beautiful pools.

PoolguyNJ...Lots of questions. I will do my best. My answers are in blue What size was the rebar? Looks like its #4 with a 12" On Center grid. I honestly do not recall, but I had engineering and it met code. How many salt cells? If it's only one, I'd say it's just barely adequate if it a 40K cell. If it's larger, ever mind. I seem to remember AutoPilot's units can put out more chlorine than most other cells. I have a Pool Pilot Total Control System with a CC-15 commercial cell and an acid feed tank Does the VF take one of the loops i the spa? And the VS gets the other loop? No, the VS+SVRS does both spa loops This question is based on the the above questions answers being YES. Does the AutoPilot cell reduce it's output in spa mode? In the last picture, is the man shoveling out rebounded gunite? It looks very dry. Its not rebound but the scrapings from leveling the seats & walls The previous picture showed 3 valves that look like splice valves but aren't what I am used to seeing. Who makes them? They are waterway valves (P/N 600-2370) that I am using to adjust the sunshelf bubblers Is the fire pit getting a gas line? NO Is blue glue code? I like using clear glue when working above ground. I'm surprised the plumber didn't use rags to wipe off excess. The Inspectors did not seem to care what color glue was used. I asked, and yes clear glue and clear primer would also have been ok above ground. How much friction loss do you think you saved by using the sweep 90s? The best info I found suggested a 35% reduction in fitting head and a 10.4% reduction in system head, but the study used Long Sweep 90s that had much shorter radii than what I used, so who knows. Given the amount of space they take, would you use sweep 90s again? Well, there will never be an again for me (I hope), but the use of large pipes, large valves, and straight pipe between valves and fittings seemed to take more space than the actual sweeps. As I live on 6 acres, space was not that big of an issue Did you have a bypass installed for the heater? Your pump can push more water than it can handle. YES, there is a 3-WAY Jandy Valve (in the picture above the heater) that I will adjust to handle bypass. The bypass flow and heater output combine @ a 3" Wye fitting before the jet control valves In spa mode,, I would expect the VF to be running at capacity give the number of jets you have. It is the VS+SVRS for the spa. The valves are set up so I could use either upper (10) or lower jets (8) or both, and Yes, I expect to fully crank the pump if using both, hence, the use of sweeps, etc to get the last bit of performance as the VS tops off at 160GPM with no head. I also do not intend to often have all of the jets full open

Ok it's been a while but the PB is also been taking his time away :) Here is the decking. I went ahead and added another 400 sqft which totaled just over 1100 sqft. I already had 700sqft slate patio. Here is a few photos: I chose the lighter pattern so it would not be so hot on my daughter's feet. Almost there thank god. I think I see a little light at the end of that very long tunnel . :)