pool assistance, part II

[shrike]

You know, I think we found a good builder. He is working up a design that will work well with our yard...something I cant do.

Anyway, I really need to do this now, if for nothing else than my own health. IT would be a great workout that I would enjoy with the kids.

Anyway, what features do you think are important, would spend extra t have, and what are not worth it now that you have it?

Plain plaster vs diamond brite? (not that crazy about pebble tech...think I would rathar spend that $$$ on other things....or am I wrong?)

Saltwater system...

Waterfall?

Hot tub?

(the builder says he would rather me spend a few grand more $$ and get a hot tub than have a unheated pool with a waterfall...I always thought a spa would be more attractive to a buyer, than a nice but unheated pool....my budget will not allow both...nice for the builder to suggest somthing I had thought in the back of my mind... the other builders were wanting me to spend more making a fancier pool with more features, but without a hot tub or heater)

I am also wanting:

diving rock and 8.5' deep end

tanning ledge with water bubbler....thought it would be kind of like a kiddy pool....

pool cleaner like Polaris?


Sorry for all the questions!

PJ

[shrike]

you got to be kidding...almost 100 views and not one reply?

[GraceByDesign]

OK, I'll bite!

(((keep in mind I have no pool, and when I get one it will be AG. But here are my thoughts anyhow.)))

If I had to pick and choose from your list, and could not get everything, I would do the following:

-Plaster (diamondbrite is gorgeous, but I'd rather put that money elsewhere; maybe a tinted plaster)
-salt system (high priority)
-spillover spa (best of both the spa and waterfall - 2nd priority)
-deep end, but skip the diving rock (most rock work is $$$)
-tanning/kid area
-Polaris if I had a lot of trees/dirt nearby, otherwise wait on that.
-have extra lines plumbed/electrical done now for potential future improvements

Hope this gives you some insight.

[No Need]

We went with the salt system
18" deep reef area.
spill over spa (this was for me)
2 rock features
3m for color.

Lots of choices to choose from.
Good Luck!

[dawndenise]

Of course, I wanted everything except the jump rock (no kids) for my pool, but money WAS a consideration :D .

Really wished we would have added either a spillover spa or a heater, as I really missed getting into the pool when the weather turned cooler. But money WAS a consideration so we opted to have enough electrical brought out to the equipment pad to install a heater at some future date. For now, I have to wait until maybe sometime in March to get back in the pool :( .

We did get a waterfall for pure aesthetics; it's centrally visible from several rooms in the house.

We have a Polaris 280 (pressure side) which works great for us, despite the kinked hose that may have something to do with the cold weather. Just be sure your return connection is in an easily accessible place and NOT centered underneath your waterfall!!!:eek:

Definitely worth the money to go a full 40' in length, which was about the most we could go on our lot, as that makes lap swimming do-able. I wish we had gone a bit deeper, maybe 7' or 8'. We contracted for 6' but the actual depth might be just a bit shy of that. It's still deep enough for me to tread water for water aerobics, but deeper would have allowed us to jump in and maybe not hit the bottom.

The cozy corner/deep water swimout was worth it and gets used a lot.

Salt water chlorinator is great and I don't regret getting it.

The one thing we got that was an absolute must-have (for us) was PebbleSheen. We had to jump through a few hoops to get an applicator to come out our way, but it was so worth it in the end. If we had not already had gunite when we found out that Pebble might not be an option, we might have scrapped the pool entirely. I know you stated you're not a fan of Pebble, but you also wanted to know what we'd spend the money on and I'd definitely get Pebble (either Tec or Sheen) again.

We will probably sell this house within the next 5 years, so we wanted the pool to have an impact over other pools in the area, if possible, for our budget. In our area, the waterfall, the overall pool size, and defintely the Pebble Sheen are visible features not found on other pools.

Good luck.

[mas985]

A couple of considerations.

First a waterfall or spillover will not only increase evaporation but will also raise the PH in the pool. SWG pools also seem to raise PH so you will be using a considerable amount of acid when dealing with both. So if your water is expensive, as is mine, I would shy away from water features but it is a personal choice. I would go with the SWG since it really has a lot of advantages but not many disadvantages.

Also, I have kids and the deep end with a jump board was a key buy for me. They are on it all the time and spend very little time in the shallow end.

I went with plain white plaster since I wanted a light pool anyway and did not think the other materials were worth the cost for extra life. At the time is was twice the cost for twice the life and they will probably have better materials by the time I need to replace my plaster. I would stay away from colored plaster as that will molt and fade over time so if you really want color then it would be worth the cost to go with the higher end materials.

Hot tub for me was worth it and the kids spend a lot of time in there when not on the jump board. It is especially nice in cooler temps since I can easily heat that without heating the entire pool.

One thing I would really suggest is pay attention the pool plumbing. Most pool builders do not have a good handle on hydraulics. A couple of tips:

It is nice to have separate suction lines with ball valves for each skimmer and the main drain all the way back to the pad so you can not only adjust the flows but also easily empty the pool when needed. I would suggest at least 2" lines if they are separate and 2 1/2" if combined.

It is not necessary on the return lines to be separate but again it is nice to have to be able to adjust the flows. One thing that separate lines does provide is low head loss. This is important to keep the flow at maximum and run time at a minimum.

If go with a spa, I would suggest either a 2 speed pump or a 3/4 HP circulation pump combined with a higer HP pump for the spa jets. Do let the builder talk you into single speed 2 HP pump for both the spa and the pool as this will cost you big bucks in electricity.

In generally, I always believe that both energy and water effiiciency should be top considerations when building a pool. Costs will only go up in the future.

[shrike]

I can not thank you enough for your replies.

there are indeed so many considerations, it is quite overwhelming. I really appreciate the third party opinions.....

[shrike]

I know you stated you're not a fan of Pebble, but you also wanted to know what we'd spend the money on and I'd definitely get Pebble (either Tec or Sheen) again.

Good luck.

Thanks - I am not against the pebble coating, I just do not know much about it, and it sounds really expensive.

[shrike]

OK, regarding the jump rock on the deep end - about $350 down here in Dallas. A diving board is about the same, but I would get my homeowners insurance canceled. the rick is not considered a diving board...go figure.

Regarding the spa - hot-tub.....how many jets ?

[No Need]

My spa is 8' it has 8 seats and 2 have stacked jets.

[divnkd101]

PJ,

Looks like you have asked some really good questions. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Welcome to the hardest part of a pool build. You mentioned that you think you found a good pool builder. Can I suggest that you go and take a look at some of his/her work. Specify some of the things in a pool you would like to see to help you make your decisions.... i.e. pebble tec finish, plaster, spa dimensions, number of jets, cleaning units, etc. That will also give you an idea of what the workmanship of the builder will be. Ask the pool owners as many questions as possible... How satisfied with builder? How long did the build take? If you could change anything, what would it be?

As for my system:
22 x 36 with 9' wide tanning ledge (21k gallons) Deep End = 6.5'
Plaster
SWG system
8' spa with 8 jets (2.1/2" piping)
Polaris 280
Cool Deck Finish

Good Luck :) :)

[shrike]

anyone do pebble tec and wish they didn't?

or wish they would have spent the extra for it?

[No Need]

My Brother has Pebble Tech, his Family doesn't like it, too rough. He says if they stay in the pool too long, the Kids get scrapes from the Pebble Tech surface.

[mas985]

My Brother has Pebble Tech, his Family doesn't like it, too rough. He says if they stay in the pool too long, the Kids get scrapes from the Pebble Tech surface.

I had heard the same thing from many people which is one of the reasons I did not go with that. However, the sheen and fina products are suppose to be much smoother but more $$.