Putting a pool in...
May 11th 2012, 7:10 pm
#16
Rootbeeraholic
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 2,280
Re: Putting a pool in...
Whereabouts in Houston are you? We built ours out in Katy 3 years ago, so happy to compare notes on specific companies if you are in the same area and interested.
I expected to install a salt system as that was what everyone was recommending the few years previously. When we eventually got round to it, all of the pool companies we saw (about 8 in all) had moved on from salt and were recommending ozone and chlorine, a recommendation that was amplified for people installing a natural coping, particularly any type of flagstone. We went with the chlorine/ozone and its been fine, and easy to look after. We run a very low level of chlorine (about 1ppm or slightly less) and the ozone does the rest. The wheel has obviously turned again, as a few neighbours are building at the moment, and they are all going with straight chlorine systems.
Brother in law up in Austin avoided the problem totally - he got a fliter on, but no sanitation system at all. Every night he goes out and checks his water, and manually adds acid/baking soda/bleach as required. Definitely some OCD going on there....
A few things to watch out for....
Where the lights are! It is the one thing I would change on our pool....if we have the lights on when we're not in the pool (which is rare), you can see them from the house. I wish we'd had them a few feet further round the walls so that you could see the glow, but not the actual light unit itself.
Plan on safety/access. A lot of HOA's insist on a breezeway fence so you can't walk directly from the street up the drive and through to the pool without encountering a barrier. Then make sure your gates are always locked.Get a pool safety fence or net if you've got little kids. And make sure you are insured properly in case the worst should happen. There are multiple cases in the papers every single swim season
Stick to your guns on your design...we wanted the spa in the back corner away from the house. Some of the companies simply refused to put it there
Hold on, I'm the customer, thats where I want it!
No you don't, you won't like it!
Well, guess what, thats where I wanted it, thats where I got it and I love it!
When you're working your design, remember that most of the excavation contractors charge based on perimeter and depth. Going over 120' perimeter ( I think) ratcheted the cost up quite considerably. Our original design was about 5' over the limit, and just by squeezing it a bit we knocked over 5k off, without significantly changing the design. We put an 8' deep end in as well - there was an additional payment for every 6" over 5'6", but we wanted the kids to be able to dive without cracking skullls.
Watch the payment schedule - they all (obviously) try to front end as much of the payment as possible. It is negotiable, so try to tie it in with the big chunks of cost/progress a bit more, just in case.... That being said, there will be a few days in the middle when you feel like you're signing a check every day because there are a few major milestones close together.
If you're not into the water features, sheer descents and the like, don't do them. They give them the hard sell, because there's a big markup and an extra pump etc. We put the spa at the back, installed 4 outfalls from it that run all the time the pool is on, so only have the pool pump (Pentair Intelliflo VS3050) and an auxiliary cleaner pump.
Go with someone who knows what a theodolite is and offers to shoot the levels on your yard (rather than being asked to). Half the companies that we spoke to just eyeballed the yard and said it was fine to build it "flat" with no raised beam at the back. The other half surveyed the yard properly and deemed we needed an 18" raised beam at the back. The latter half were correct. If we had built without, we'd have backwashed landscaping into the pool with every rain.
If you want them to do the landscaping, get their pricing up front. They tried to bury it in the early stages, and once they showed their hand, it was clear why - totally outrageous costs from all of them, and I ended up doing it myself for a fraction of the cost.
Make sure you discuss the method of access for the digger. I just assumed they'd come up the drive, but on the day of the dig they announced they were taking the fence down and coming in the side. No problem with that, and they put everything back together fine, and resodded etc. But some neighbours didn't have room to do that, so they had to use the drive and their concrete got pretty badly cracked. They got in a big argument over who's problem it was and all building stopped for a couple of weeks. In the end, the pool company picked up the tab, but that would have been a lot easier to sort out if discussed in advance.
Double and triple check their plans...we had a dispute over the outfall from the pool overflow...the contract said something along the lines of "150' drains to front of house per HOA requirements" which we discussed and I was told that meant drained to street. They installed a drain that ran towards the front of the house, but stopped 50' short of the kerb. It gave me a massive muddy patch whenever it rained or we used the pool. It took a while (as I didnt pick it up till we started swimming) but in the end I persuaded them to install it properly all the way to the street.
Check location of things like any spaside valves etc, and the in wall cleaner connection. A friend can only reach his from actually in the water as it is located in the pool wall below a 2' raised side!
Err, sorry, long brain dump there.....pm me if you want any info on Katy pool cos we spoke to.
I expected to install a salt system as that was what everyone was recommending the few years previously. When we eventually got round to it, all of the pool companies we saw (about 8 in all) had moved on from salt and were recommending ozone and chlorine, a recommendation that was amplified for people installing a natural coping, particularly any type of flagstone. We went with the chlorine/ozone and its been fine, and easy to look after. We run a very low level of chlorine (about 1ppm or slightly less) and the ozone does the rest. The wheel has obviously turned again, as a few neighbours are building at the moment, and they are all going with straight chlorine systems.
Brother in law up in Austin avoided the problem totally - he got a fliter on, but no sanitation system at all. Every night he goes out and checks his water, and manually adds acid/baking soda/bleach as required. Definitely some OCD going on there....
A few things to watch out for....
Where the lights are! It is the one thing I would change on our pool....if we have the lights on when we're not in the pool (which is rare), you can see them from the house. I wish we'd had them a few feet further round the walls so that you could see the glow, but not the actual light unit itself.
Plan on safety/access. A lot of HOA's insist on a breezeway fence so you can't walk directly from the street up the drive and through to the pool without encountering a barrier. Then make sure your gates are always locked.Get a pool safety fence or net if you've got little kids. And make sure you are insured properly in case the worst should happen. There are multiple cases in the papers every single swim season
Stick to your guns on your design...we wanted the spa in the back corner away from the house. Some of the companies simply refused to put it there
Hold on, I'm the customer, thats where I want it!
No you don't, you won't like it!
Well, guess what, thats where I wanted it, thats where I got it and I love it!
When you're working your design, remember that most of the excavation contractors charge based on perimeter and depth. Going over 120' perimeter ( I think) ratcheted the cost up quite considerably. Our original design was about 5' over the limit, and just by squeezing it a bit we knocked over 5k off, without significantly changing the design. We put an 8' deep end in as well - there was an additional payment for every 6" over 5'6", but we wanted the kids to be able to dive without cracking skullls.
Watch the payment schedule - they all (obviously) try to front end as much of the payment as possible. It is negotiable, so try to tie it in with the big chunks of cost/progress a bit more, just in case.... That being said, there will be a few days in the middle when you feel like you're signing a check every day because there are a few major milestones close together.
If you're not into the water features, sheer descents and the like, don't do them. They give them the hard sell, because there's a big markup and an extra pump etc. We put the spa at the back, installed 4 outfalls from it that run all the time the pool is on, so only have the pool pump (Pentair Intelliflo VS3050) and an auxiliary cleaner pump.
Go with someone who knows what a theodolite is and offers to shoot the levels on your yard (rather than being asked to). Half the companies that we spoke to just eyeballed the yard and said it was fine to build it "flat" with no raised beam at the back. The other half surveyed the yard properly and deemed we needed an 18" raised beam at the back. The latter half were correct. If we had built without, we'd have backwashed landscaping into the pool with every rain.
If you want them to do the landscaping, get their pricing up front. They tried to bury it in the early stages, and once they showed their hand, it was clear why - totally outrageous costs from all of them, and I ended up doing it myself for a fraction of the cost.
Make sure you discuss the method of access for the digger. I just assumed they'd come up the drive, but on the day of the dig they announced they were taking the fence down and coming in the side. No problem with that, and they put everything back together fine, and resodded etc. But some neighbours didn't have room to do that, so they had to use the drive and their concrete got pretty badly cracked. They got in a big argument over who's problem it was and all building stopped for a couple of weeks. In the end, the pool company picked up the tab, but that would have been a lot easier to sort out if discussed in advance.
Double and triple check their plans...we had a dispute over the outfall from the pool overflow...the contract said something along the lines of "150' drains to front of house per HOA requirements" which we discussed and I was told that meant drained to street. They installed a drain that ran towards the front of the house, but stopped 50' short of the kerb. It gave me a massive muddy patch whenever it rained or we used the pool. It took a while (as I didnt pick it up till we started swimming) but in the end I persuaded them to install it properly all the way to the street.
Check location of things like any spaside valves etc, and the in wall cleaner connection. A friend can only reach his from actually in the water as it is located in the pool wall below a 2' raised side!
Err, sorry, long brain dump there.....pm me if you want any info on Katy pool cos we spoke to.
We're towards Cypress in the Copper Lakes area (Barker @ West).
Just trying to get ideas at the moment into costs and what we really want as we're sitting down trying to plan out finances for it. I know that whoever we go with has to liaise with the HOA for approvals etc too so I need to research companies that will do that as part and parcel.
One of the things I would like (I may have to reconsider this pending costs) is the ability to control the pool from the house, without having to go outside and faff with the valves etc.
I'm not that fussed about additional features etc although would like a spa and I would like an outdoor kitchen... I may just have them leave me space to put it in myself though.
May 11th 2012, 8:03 pm
#17
.
Joined: Nov 2002
Location: Where bad things rarely happen in movies
Posts: 8,933
Re: Putting a pool in...
Pentair do a remote control system on their pumps called Intellitouch or Easytouch that lets you do everything from the inside. Am sure Hayward will have similar. The pool companies are bound to quote with those.
We built the pool and a patio cover one year, then the next year realized we wanted an outdoor bathroom rather than have wet kiddyfeet running through the house, so we started planning for a simple bathroom. Ended up with a 10x 20 extension off the back of the garage with bath/steam shower/sauna and outdoor kitchen. Wasn't a problem doing it in stages, but the only thing I would have done differently was get the gas line to the kitchen run before we put the pooldeck in. Afterwards it was a prohibitively long run to go around the pool, so we ended up with a propane powered grill. No biggie.
We built the pool and a patio cover one year, then the next year realized we wanted an outdoor bathroom rather than have wet kiddyfeet running through the house, so we started planning for a simple bathroom. Ended up with a 10x 20 extension off the back of the garage with bath/steam shower/sauna and outdoor kitchen. Wasn't a problem doing it in stages, but the only thing I would have done differently was get the gas line to the kitchen run before we put the pooldeck in. Afterwards it was a prohibitively long run to go around the pool, so we ended up with a propane powered grill. No biggie.
May 11th 2012, 9:55 pm
#18
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: May 2010
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 9,662
Re: Putting a pool in...
Thanks, that's a great help!
We're towards Cypress in the Copper Lakes area (Barker @ West).
Just trying to get ideas at the moment into costs and what we really want as we're sitting down trying to plan out finances for it. I know that whoever we go with has to liaise with the HOA for approvals etc too so I need to research companies that will do that as part and parcel.
One of the things I would like (I may have to reconsider this pending costs) is the ability to control the pool from the house, without having to go outside and faff with the valves etc.
I'm not that fussed about additional features etc although would like a spa and I would like an outdoor kitchen... I may just have them leave me space to put it in myself though.
We're towards Cypress in the Copper Lakes area (Barker @ West).
Just trying to get ideas at the moment into costs and what we really want as we're sitting down trying to plan out finances for it. I know that whoever we go with has to liaise with the HOA for approvals etc too so I need to research companies that will do that as part and parcel.
One of the things I would like (I may have to reconsider this pending costs) is the ability to control the pool from the house, without having to go outside and faff with the valves etc.
I'm not that fussed about additional features etc although would like a spa and I would like an outdoor kitchen... I may just have them leave me space to put it in myself though.
We have a Tandy controller in the kitchen. From it we control the pump cycle, lights, spa, temperature setting etc etc. There is also a duplicate control panel at the equipment area.
The one in the kitchen is a godsend - my neighbor who has an older pool has to go down to the equipment area to turn things off and on.
One more thing - this might be something you may or may not need.
We have rains in the winter which can be quite heavy - inches per hour. If the pool is already full there is a likely hood that with heavy and continuous rains it can "overfill". On our equipment there is a tap which we can open, and, by turning on the pump we can pump some water out of the pool to stop this overflowing risk.
We have used in nearly every winter we have had the pool. Again, a friend who does not have this option has to go out with a portable pump to lower the levels.
May 11th 2012, 11:17 pm
#19
.
Joined: Nov 2002
Location: Where bad things rarely happen in movies
Posts: 8,933
Re: Putting a pool in...
Most of the pool companies round here fit a pumpout valve, but most of them fit it with a standard faucet. Worth getting that upgraded to a 2" line so you can pump quickly if needed. Also, check on you piping plan that they are NOT tieing the pool overflow in to the area drain line.....when it rains, it rains hard and you'll be glad you got separate / dedicated lines.
Mar 1st 2013, 11:51 am
#20
Rootbeeraholic
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 2,280
Re: Putting a pool in...
So, nearly a year on and I'm still looking into this. It's just so bloody expensive!
Note to self - buy a house with a pool already installed!
Note to self - buy a house with a pool already installed!
Mar 1st 2013, 12:00 pm
#21
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,448
Re: Putting a pool in...
And you may need to install or upgrade a gated fence to meet local code or insurance requirements.
Mar 1st 2013, 2:46 pm
#23
Member
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,049
Re: Putting a pool in...
Since you're still in the thinking phase of the project, don't forget to factor in the need to buy your own beer rather than drink theirs. Makes the cost of gas a wash?
Regards, JEff
Regards, JEff
We're looking into getting a pool put in our yard, are well aware that it isn't going to recover its cost if/when we sell. Given that we both love to be in the pool during summer and plan on staying at this house for a decent period of time, we're willing to accept the cost and enjoy not having to go to my wife's parents to use their pool all summer (not that we mind being at thier house it would just be nice to not have to jump in the car every time we want to go in the pool).
Mar 1st 2013, 3:14 pm
#24
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 8,106
Re: Putting a pool in...
We just had a fence installed on our pool since we have a little one in the house now. It's one of those mesh fences that you can actually take down if you want to.
About $1400 all told. They run about $15-20 per linear foot, where they really get you is with the gates at around $350 each. We ended up only having one gate after originally thinking it might be nice to have three.
http://azchildproofers.com/ if anyone needs a Phoenix metro recommendation. They're very nice.
They did a whole home audit for about $50. Drew up a list of things they would recommend like a million latches on kitchen cupboards and what not. $900 in total, I think we'll manage without.
But the fence is great.
About $1400 all told. They run about $15-20 per linear foot, where they really get you is with the gates at around $350 each. We ended up only having one gate after originally thinking it might be nice to have three.
http://azchildproofers.com/ if anyone needs a Phoenix metro recommendation. They're very nice.
They did a whole home audit for about $50. Drew up a list of things they would recommend like a million latches on kitchen cupboards and what not. $900 in total, I think we'll manage without.
But the fence is great.
Mar 1st 2013, 4:10 pm
#25
Rootbeeraholic
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 2,280
Re: Putting a pool in...
Thanks! 
Lol! I'm good - I bring them beer and leave it there - I know how to keep my FIL happy! 
Thanks - I think we will go with something similar on the fence. I self installed kitchen latches etc. Spent maybe $50-60 on various latches, socket covers etc etc.
We just had a fence installed on our pool since we have a little one in the house now. It's one of those mesh fences that you can actually take down if you want to.
About $1400 all told. They run about $15-20 per linear foot, where they really get you is with the gates at around $350 each. We ended up only having one gate after originally thinking it might be nice to have three.
http://azchildproofers.com/ if anyone needs a Phoenix metro recommendation. They're very nice.
They did a whole home audit for about $50. Drew up a list of things they would recommend like a million latches on kitchen cupboards and what not. $900 in total, I think we'll manage without.
But the fence is great.
About $1400 all told. They run about $15-20 per linear foot, where they really get you is with the gates at around $350 each. We ended up only having one gate after originally thinking it might be nice to have three.
http://azchildproofers.com/ if anyone needs a Phoenix metro recommendation. They're very nice.
They did a whole home audit for about $50. Drew up a list of things they would recommend like a million latches on kitchen cupboards and what not. $900 in total, I think we'll manage without.
But the fence is great.
May 30th 2013, 6:37 pm
#26
Rootbeeraholic
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 2,280
Re: Putting a pool in...
So we have 2 pool companies coming round next week to give us quotes. Hoping it doesn't cause me to have a heart attack!
Would be really nice to actually be able to use our yard in summer. We were hardly out there last year as it's just too hot to be out there without being in water!
Would be really nice to actually be able to use our yard in summer. We were hardly out there last year as it's just too hot to be out there without being in water!
May 31st 2013, 2:14 am
#27
Account Closed
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 0
Re: Putting a pool in...
So we have 2 pool companies coming round next week to give us quotes. Hoping it doesn't cause me to have a heart attack!
Would be really nice to actually be able to use our yard in summer. We were hardly out there last year as it's just too hot to be out there without being in water!
Would be really nice to actually be able to use our yard in summer. We were hardly out there last year as it's just too hot to be out there without being in water!
Don't you know that we are all waiting for our BE meet-up at your place (with Pool)...by the time you get one some of us will be too old to swim and the rest will have moved back to the UK
May 31st 2013, 2:23 am
#28
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 68,280
Re: Putting a pool in...
So we have 2 pool companies coming round next week to give us quotes. Hoping it doesn't cause me to have a heart attack!
Would be really nice to actually be able to use our yard in summer. We were hardly out there last year as it's just too hot to be out there without being in water!
Would be really nice to actually be able to use our yard in summer. We were hardly out there last year as it's just too hot to be out there without being in water!
May 31st 2013, 2:25 am
#29
Rootbeeraholic
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 2,280
Re: Putting a pool in...
If only it weren't so damned expensive it would be done already!
May 31st 2013, 2:28 am
#30
Rootbeeraholic
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 2,280
