Yes: Pools are worth it....

[Fudbelty 2787]

Decided curved. Excavation just started! Stoked...

You commented on my view and now I’m absolutely jealous of yours.

[troph 24781]

On 7/6/2020 at 8:58 AM, Fudbelty said:

Pool and house go East/West. That is northeast view. We have a wrap around porch that creates a wind tunnel with the N/S winds.

ah I assumed that was late afternoon not a morning view.  neighbors?  far away or next to you?  I love my lake view but more than anything I need "a" view and big sky views are pretty awesome.  in a rental now with nothing and it's not my cup of tea.

Edited July 7, 2020 by troph

[Fudbelty 2787]

It’s late afternoon in the picture. If you walk straight ahead in the pic you’re going north East. We’re on 27 acres shared with FIL but he’s on the far other end.

Closest neighbors are 220yards away. You can see their roof right above the last kid to the left.

[troph 24781]

I apparently suck at reading shadows. and no close neighbors is big time. If it makes you feel better, we have close by neighbors.

[freyguy 4264]

On 7/7/2020 at 2:32 PM, troph said:

I apparently suck at reading shadows. and no close neighbors is big time. If it makes you feel better, we have close by neighbors.

No.  We still hate you.

[williemackgarza 1826]

I cant get my fuckin pool shot. Waiting on gunite or shotcrete. Even offered cash but no cigar.
Waiting is killing me

[troph 24781]

Waiting suuuuuuks.

[Poolflood 845]

9 hours ago, williemackgarza said:

I cant get my fuckin pool shot. Waiting on gunite or shotcrete. Even offered cash but no cigar.
Waiting is killing me

This has become a huge issue.   There are hundreds if not thousands of people in same boat.  Be patient.  This is a black swan type situation.  Gunite is a capital intensive business.   Smallest group of subs out there.  Be patient.  

[MonkeyDoughnut 10229]

On 7/9/2020 at 9:20 AM, williemackgarza said:

I cant get my fuckin pool shot. Waiting on gunite or shotcrete. Even offered cash but no cigar.
Waiting is killing me

We're almost done with our pool but our PB was saying gunite companies are scheduling into September already for first available

[texanbychoice 354]

Waiting suuuuuuks.

It’s the hardest....part.

[Buzzrock 14902]

Because somebody had an accident and died, and an insurance company got bent over in court.  Those old school diving boards that were super bouncy, in a small home pool, you could easily veer off course and bounce your skull on the side of the pool.

Ours is not bouncy at all.

11 year old birthday party today. Handful of neighborhood boys and a pool. Hours of entertainment.

[Buzzrock 14902]

I get the hate on polaris 280 because it is always there, but don't robotic cleaners have to be put in to clean and then taken out and stored?

My 280 runs a couple of times a day and I only have to empty the bag once a week. What advantages are there to robotic cleaners?

I’m with you. My 280 is great and lives in the pool until it’s time to swim. Parts are cheap. Robots sound like a pain in the ass.

[Tailgate 3021]

20 hours ago, Buzzrock said:

 

I’m with you. My 280 is great and lives in the pool until it’s time to swim. Parts are cheap. Robots sound like a pain in the ass.

 

I love my Dolphin robot. Cleans very well (never seen a missed leaf or object) and can even climb the wall high enough to scrub the tile along the waterline. I only run every couple weeks usually for two cycles at two hours each. I also have a wall around the back of my pool that helps keep a lot of debris out.

[joe dirt 285]

1 hour ago, Tailgate said:

I love my Dolphin robot. Cleans very well (never seen a missed leaf or object) and can even climb the wall high enough to scrub the tile along the waterline. I only run every couple weeks usually for two cycles at two hours each. I also have a wall around the back of my pool that helps keep a lot of debris out.

scrubbing the waterline is a big reason why i removed the 280 and booster from the build in favor of a robot. 

[BradInATX 9208]

What are my options in this incredibly detailed MS Paint mockup? Assuming that I want the pool deck to be level with the existing concrete patio? 

Can I drop a fiberglass pool next to it and build concrete decking around it? Some sort of above-ground modern solution that isn't tacky and shitty?

What am I looking at here? Considering making an offer on a house that looks like this, but I can't figure out the pool situation which is critical. Cost sensitive but not incredibly so - AKA $80,000 is good, $50,000 is better.

 

 

ETA - the concrete deck is maybe 3-4 feet off of the ground at the edge, sloping to maybe 5-6 feet where the pool would end. My picture is not to scale at all - the house is more than 8 feet tall.

 

Edited July 13, 2020 by BradInATX

[Dbeasy 15042]

What are my options in this incredibly detailed MS Paint mockup? Assuming that I want the pool deck to be level with the existing concrete patio? 
Can I drop a fiberglass pool next to it and build concrete decking around it? Some sort of above-ground modern solution that isn't tacky and shitty?
What am I looking at here? Considering making an offer on a house that looks like this, but I can't figure out the pool situation which is critical. Cost sensitive but not incredibly so - AKA $80,000 is good, $50,000 is better.
 

 
ETA - the concrete deck is maybe 3-4 feet off of the ground at the edge, sloping to maybe 5-6 feet where the pool would end. My picture is not to scale at all - the house is more than 8 feet tall.
 

I just don’t see how you can live in a gray house with no windows.

[Hate 20106]

What are my options in this incredibly detailed MS Paint mockup? Assuming that I want the pool deck to be level with the existing concrete patio? 
Can I drop a fiberglass pool next to it and build concrete decking around it? Some sort of above-ground modern solution that isn't tacky and shitty?
What am I looking at here? Considering making an offer on a house that looks like this, but I can't figure out the pool situation which is critical. Cost sensitive but not incredibly so - AKA $80,000 is good, $50,000 is better.
 

 
ETA - the concrete deck is maybe 3-4 feet off of the ground at the edge, sloping to maybe 5-6 feet where the pool would end. My picture is not to scale at all - the house is more than 8 feet tall.
 

Don’t be a pussy. Do it right or don’t do it at all. Spend the 80k and enjoy your pool for the rest of your time in the house. You can’t take it with you.

[BradInATX 9208]

Don’t be a pussy. Do it right or don’t do it at all. Spend the 80k and enjoy your pool for the rest of your time in the house. You can’t take it with you.

I'm happy to. Can I even put an in ground there? I mean I guess they could build a huge retaining wall and build the pool area up and drop an in-ground there, but I have no idea what that looks like. That's what I'm trying to figure out.

[Hate 20106]

Yes you can. They will build it up to the level you want.  Keep in mind though that you could probably save a little money by putting in some stair and have the pool be a little lower than the deck.  Personally, I like that look anyway as it add multiple levels to the deck...which is nice.  Something like this.

 

[Poolflood 845]

58 minutes ago, BradInATX said:

What are my options in this incredibly detailed MS Paint mockup? Assuming that I want the pool deck to be level with the existing concrete patio? 

Can I drop a fiberglass pool next to it and build concrete decking around it? Some sort of above-ground modern solution that isn't tacky and shitty?

What am I looking at here? Considering making an offer on a house that looks like this, but I can't figure out the pool situation which is critical. Cost sensitive but not incredibly so - AKA $80,000 is good, $50,000 is better.

 

 

ETA - the concrete deck is maybe 3-4 feet off of the ground at the edge, sloping to maybe 5-6 feet where the pool would end. My picture is not to scale at all - the house is more than 8 feet tall.

 

If you've got time call some local pools builders.  You're amazing rendition looks like 100+ build.  Have your survey ready.  Elevation if possible.

On fiberglass find aquamarine.  They're probably largest fiberglass builder in TX.

 

[BradInATX 9208]

This is the actual property as well as another professional CAD sketchup. It's probably not as bad/extreme as I described in my first post.

I'm assuming they could do an in ground here, yeah? Just build up the pool area and make some retaining walls?

 

[Hate 20106]

Yes they absolutely can do that.

[williemackgarza 1826]

Finally making progress

[BillyGoatHill 4312]

20 hours ago, BradInATX said:

This is the actual property as well as another professional CAD sketchup. It's probably not as bad/extreme as I described in my first post.

I'm assuming they could do an in ground here, yeah? Just build up the pool area and make some retaining walls?

 

Less digging and they will use the dirt/rock removed as  part of your buildup around the sloping sides....

[williemackgarza 1826]

Less digging but will say the raised bond beam is a structural wall and cost more.
As mentioned will make it easier as they can use the excavated material as backfill and not need to haul off as much.

[Rimbo 25911]

On 8/5/2019 at 5:54 PM, The Original CaliHorn said:

Rambo,

I’m in the market for a new pump myself. Can you let me know manufacturer and model number of what you purchased? I have a customer that is an installer that can get me discounted costing. Thanks in advance.

Sorry, i literally JUST saw this. I think it's a Hayward TriStar VS 950 Omni.

[El Tri 412]

On 7/13/2020 at 9:17 PM, BradInATX said:

This is the actual property as well as another professional CAD sketchup. It's probably not as bad/extreme as I described in my first post.

I'm assuming they could do an in ground here, yeah? Just build up the pool area and make some retaining walls?

 

my house is much sloped than that and we built an inground pool no problem. the back portion of the pool is about 4 feet off the ground.

i did have them put in footers all along the back of the pool because my yard is so sloped

 

[Spur08 382]

Well, we're buying a house that has a pool. Never owned or dealt with all the issues that accompanies having a pool. Does anyone have a resource where I can gain some knowledge and understanding?

I got the pool inspected. I wasn't too happy with the inspector but this is what I got. Thoughts?

 

 

Image 1 --  3.5 Visible Piping: There is a line on the pressure (return) side of the plumbing that isn’t labeled and doesn’t seem to do
anything within the pool when flow is sent to it. Ask the seller’s about this line to discover what function it serves.

 

 

Image 2 -- Easy fix? -- 3.9 Automatic Cleaning Equipment: The suction cleaner works fine when most of the pump’s suction volume is
dedicated to it via the diverter valve. This is common for suction cleaners of this type; they are volume hogs. The fitting
the cleaner plugs into at the pool wall is broken and doesn’t have the required cover. When the cleaner is unplugged,
the suction outlet is open and could injure pool occupants. Expect to pay between $27 and $41 online for a new fitting.

 

 

Image 3 -- I'm annoyed that he put what he did in the report.  I think I might have trouble getting a cash allowance at closing on it --

 

 5.0 Ozone Generator: This ozone generator didn’t seem to be working. They are designed to help sanitize the pool
water so that it requires less chlorine. Full disclosure: these devices aren’t that effective. Also, there is no minimum
water ozone content to achieve sanitation, let alone a way to measure water ozone content. Don’t bother replacing it.
Next time the system is to receive significant repairs or maintenance, consider having the system removed.

Edited July 15, 2020 by Spur08

[Poolflood 845]

58 minutes ago, Spur08 said:

Well, we're buying a house that has a pool. Never owned or dealt with all the issues that accompanies having a pool. Does anyone have a resource where I can gain some knowledge and understanding?

I got the pool inspected. I wasn't too happy with the inspector but this is what I got. Thoughts?

 

 

Image 1 --  3.5 Visible Piping: There is a line on the pressure (return) side of the plumbing that isn’t labeled and doesn’t seem to do
anything within the pool when flow is sent to it. Ask the seller’s about this line to discover what function it serves.

 

 

Image 2 -- Easy fix? -- 3.9 Automatic Cleaning Equipment: The suction cleaner works fine when most of the pump’s suction volume is
dedicated to it via the diverter valve. This is common for suction cleaners of this type; they are volume hogs. The fitting
the cleaner plugs into at the pool wall is broken and doesn’t have the required cover. When the cleaner is unplugged,
the suction outlet is open and could injure pool occupants. Expect to pay between $27 and $41 online for a new fitting.

 

 

Image 3 -- I'm annoyed that he put what he did in the report.  I think I might have trouble getting a cash allowance at closing on it --

 

 5.0 Ozone Generator: This ozone generator didn’t seem to be working. They are designed to help sanitize the pool
water so that it requires less chlorine. Full disclosure: these devices aren’t that effective. Also, there is no minimum
water ozone content to achieve sanitation, let alone a way to measure water ozone content. Don’t bother replacing it.
Next time the system is to receive significant repairs or maintenance, consider having the system removed.

First picture appears to be a line to drain the pool. The pipe opposite if the handle is closed in the picture.   If you rotate 90 degrees so handle is pointing up all the water will be going to the pipe that is currently closed.  My guess is that pipe going to left of the picture goes to either a p-trap that goes to sewer (and done for code reasons) or drains to street.

2nd picture is a hayward vac-lock fitting.  Buy on line.

3rd picture - description I agree with but I would bark that you need to lower chlorine levels for health reasons or skin condition or something.   But imo they're mostly trash. 

[williemackgarza 1826]

https://www.troublefreepool.com

[Rimbo 25911]

17 hours ago, Rimbo said:

Sorry, i literally JUST saw this. I think it's a Hayward TriStar VS 950 Omni.

Nope, @The Original CaliHorn -- it's this one: https://www.hayward-pool.com/shop/en/pools/com-pumps/variable-speed-pump-hcp3400vsp 

Edited July 16, 2020 by Rimbo

[SHOOTER12 8800]

On 7/13/2020 at 5:52 PM, Hate said:

Don’t be a pussy. Do it right or don’t do it at all. Spend the 80k and enjoy your pool for the rest of your time in the house. You can’t take it with you.

This^^^ although our situation wasn't as extreme with the differing elevations, build it up re-slope it and do it right.   If not you will have regrets.

[Hefeweizen 5310]

Ozone is crap.  Get rid of that thing, waste of money.  And this:

11 hours ago, williemackgarza said:

https://www.troublefreepool.com

Will save you a lot of brain damage.

[Quagmire 2147]

#2 is easy fix, had to replace those several times, it just screws in. Cheap too

[Spur08 382]

Ozone is crap.  Get rid of that thing, waste of money.  And this:
Will save you a lot of brain damage.

I guess what I'm asking is should I just ask for a flat out credit? If so, how much? $500, 1000?

Anyone have any idea how much it would cost to remove from the circuit?

[Hefeweizen 5310]

Get a pool contractor to quote it and do it.  If you’re in Austin, I like Bluebonnet but there are a bunch of good ones.  
 

I would guess removing and plumbing will run round 5 or 6 hundred but it could be less.

[joe dirt 285]

excavation started today. lady dirt’s on a real timeline to choose tile and shit now. 

[PantsTent 2002]

Joining the club. Just accepted a bid today.  I'll be soaking my nuts in the spa at least by Thanksgiving.

 

[Hefeweizen 5310]

Although I don’t envy new construction and the noise and dust, there are so many things i would like to change about my current pool it isn’t funny.  It’s old and was already when we bought the house, so I am making a list for when we resurface it.  
 

anyone have strong feeling on resurfacing, especially contractor recommendations in Austin?

[CooterBrown 18003]

So, how do you deal with the impervious cover limitations in Austin?

I have, what I thought was a large city lot at 10,400 sq ft. My house is only 1,850 sq ft.  However, with covered front porch, two-car garage, driveway, sidewalk, and a 20x16 shed, I'm at 4,381 sq ft of impervious cover or 42.13%.  That's excluding  the back porch which needs to be demoed and rebuilt anyway.  Even if I demo the back porch and don't build a new back patio and, instead, just have a 4'x10' walkway out the back door and the minimum 3' coping around a 15'x35' pool, it puts me at just over 45% impervious cover which is the limit for my current zoning.  That doesn't include the pool surface in the calculation.

How are all these new houses being constructed with a pool on interior lots? I have a lot of yard space so it was pretty shocking to actually calculate it. With my current back porch and patio, I'm probably at 55% right now.

Edited July 18, 2020 by CooterBrown

[PantsTent 2002]

1 hour ago, CooterBrown said:

So, how do you deal with the impervious cover limitations in Austin?

I have, what I thought was a large city lot at 10,400 sq ft. My house is only 1,850 sq ft.  However, with covered front porch, two-car garage, driveway, sidewalk, and a 20x16 shed, I'm at 4,381 sq ft of impervious cover or 42.13%.  That's excluding  the back porch which needs to be demoed and rebuilt anyway.  Even if I demo the back porch and don't build a new back patio and, instead, just have a 4'x10' walkway out the back door and the minimum 3' coping around a 15'x35' pool, it puts me at just over 45% impervious cover which is the limit for my current zoning.  That doesn't include the pool surface in the calculation.

How are all these new houses being constructed with a pool on interior lots? I have a lot of yard space so it was pretty shocking to actually calculate it. With my current back porch and patio, I'm probably at 55% right now.

Ha, I just finished calculating mine.  I'm at 37% and will be at ~43% with planned concrete decking and pool coping (and 24 sq ft for equipment slab).  My builder said one solution is to cut "lanes" into your driveway and fill with gravel.  Wood decking also gets counted at 50%.

 

[squib 1120]

Anyone ever install a salt/chlorine generator and regret it?  Using puck chlorine now and everytime I leave town for more than three or four days, I come back to a mess. What about the chloronator/ chlorine feeders?

 

 

[Your Mom 4805]

10 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

So, how do you deal with the impervious cover limitations in Austin?

I have, what I thought was a large city lot at 10,400 sq ft. My house is only 1,850 sq ft.  However, with covered front porch, two-car garage, driveway, sidewalk, and a 20x16 shed, I'm at 4,381 sq ft of impervious cover or 42.13%.  That's excluding  the back porch which needs to be demoed and rebuilt anyway.  Even if I demo the back porch and don't build a new back patio and, instead, just have a 4'x10' walkway out the back door and the minimum 3' coping around a 15'x35' pool, it puts me at just over 45% impervious cover which is the limit for my current zoning.  That doesn't include the pool surface in the calculation.

How are all these new houses being constructed with a pool on interior lots? I have a lot of yard space so it was pretty shocking to actually calculate it. With my current back porch and patio, I'm probably at 55% right now.

Pervious pavers. Basically concrete pavers but with just enough gap to be considered pervious. Have the pool built with minimal to no decking. Then add pervious paver deck afterward just to be safe. 

[conVINCEd 21469]

19 hours ago, PantsTent said:

Ha, I just finished calculating mine.  I'm at 37% and will be at ~43% with planned concrete decking and pool coping (and 24 sq ft for equipment slab).  My builder said one solution is to cut "lanes" into your driveway and fill with gravel.  Wood decking also gets counted at 50%.

 

So that’s why I am seeing those “lanes” on a bunch of newer build listings.  I thought it was some ridiculous new design trend.

[HouTex 1866]

Anyone ever install a salt/chlorine generator and regret it?  Using puck chlorine now and everytime I leave town for more than three or four days, I come back to a mess. What about the chloronator/ chlorine feeders?
 
 

Typically, the people that regret it have corrosion issues with soft sandstone. Your pool is probably over stabilized. Pucks continue to add stabilizer until it gets so high that you will need to drain water to get the CYA level down. As said above, check out troublefreepools.com. The forums there explain the science very well.

[HookEm 2463]

We have a new house with a pool in Leander. It is on a 1+ acre lot and the backyard is pretty bare of trees. We bought a bunch that will be installed this week. How far away would you plant live oak and crepe myrtle trees?

I figure on the SE side they will need to be at least 30 ft from the pool. On the NE and N sides of the pool it seems like they could be more like 20 ft since the wind blows everything away from the pool. Plus it will be 20 years before the oaks are even close to covering it. Thoughts?

[kmac30 416]

My FIL has crepe myrtles around his pool and it has caused him to go insane. He is outside all day skimming for blooms.

*a couple weeks ago he wanted to cut all the potential blooms off. We forgot and now he’s pissed b/c they’re bloomed our and all in the pool.

[El Tri 412]

Pervious pavers. Basically concrete pavers but with just enough gap to be considered pervious. Have the pool built with minimal to no decking. Then add pervious paver deck afterward just to be safe. 

This is what we ended up doing. We ended up at 44.96%. We couldn’t even put down a concrete pad for the propane tank needed for the spa.

I need to put down that glue to bind the black gravel. It fucking sucks stepping on one of those things coming in and out of the pool


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Yarbr 123]

On 7/20/2020 at 9:44 PM, kmac30 said:

My FIL has crepe myrtles around his pool and it has caused him to go insane. He is outside all day skimming for blooms.

*a couple weeks ago he wanted to cut all the potential blooms off. We forgot and now he’s pissed b/c they’re bloomed our and all in the pool.

Dear lord this. Keep the crepes at least 25' from the pool.

[Buzzrock 14902]

Pussies. I’ve got crepe myrtles, tulip poplars, sweet gums, pines, and various other flora and fauna debris in my pool all the time. But shade in Georgia is mandatory and skimming the pool is sort of my zen activity.