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Yes: Pools are worth it....


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On 8/20/2018 at 12:39 PM, HouTex said:

I had to fire my GC several years ago when the guy took about 75% of my money and wouldn't/couldn't finish my pool.  He used my money to finish his prior project.  I was caught holding the bag.  My pool was stub-plumbed, gunited, and some of the electrical was done, but I had to do the rest.  I hope your pool worked out ok.  

When people ask me for a recommendation on a GC, I say go with a company that's been around a very long time.  Don't hire a guy in a pick up.  That, or make sure you pay about 50% at completion--but none of the guys I got bids from would do that.

No they won't.  There's too much upfront cost on the project.  70% by the time you get to gunite is typical.  What I will say is before anyone pays the gunite bill make sure your equipment is already in your backyard.  

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3 hours ago, Damor said:

Yeah, you have to think about your needs and how you'd use it, but for us the tanning ledge has been useful.  But at our builder's recommendation we made it deeper (12") than most, so you can set a lounger in the pool instead of sitting on the surface if you want.  He also put in umbrella sleeves to add some shade, though we haven't gotten one yet.  We also plan on being in this house when grandkids come along, so that's a little more playable depth for little ones (for now, the new pup likes it).

That said, they do take up space, so I can see how they might be a waste for some people.

So I have a standard tanning ledge with 6in water on one side and an "adult" ledge on the opposite side with closer to 18" of water.

On ledges, skip the bubblers and skip the umbrella holder.  Waste imo.  

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No they won't.  There's too much upfront cost on the project.  70% by the time you get to gunite is typical.  What I will say is before anyone pays the gunite bill make sure your equipment is already in your backyard.  

Exactly. Had I had the equipment I would have been close to break even. Knowing how these small pool builders operate I just wouldn't trust them with a pool build. They are constantly robbing the next project to pay for the last one. So long as you aren't the last project you might be OK.
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11 minutes ago, HouTex said:


Exactly. Had I had the equipment I would have been close to break even. Knowing how these small pool builders operate I just wouldn't trust them with a pool build. They are constantly robbing the next project to pay for the last one. So long as you aren't the last project you might be OK.

Just do the research and if you go with a smaller builder make sure they are local and imbedded in the community.  The smaller guys will often pay more attention to your project.  You may never notice it but you'll get a higher quality project at the end of the day.

Edited by Poolflood
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So I have a standard tanning ledge with 6in water on one side and an "adult" ledge on the opposite side with closer to 18" of water.
On ledges, skip the bubblers and skip the umbrella holder.  Waste imo.  


Why do you think the umbrella sleeve is a waste? Use mine all the time, especially with the kid , keeps him from baking. Wouldn’t think it would add much cost, but I’m sure pool builders are robbers
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On 8/20/2018 at 10:27 AM, mrhorn said:

We're in the process of bringing in contractors and hoping to start digging in December.  Our first pool and we pretty much know what we want.  What are some things that you wish you would've put in and what are some things that you have that you don't use / need?

Pay attention to the how the Sun affects where you are putting the pool, and then have them put some PVC sleeves in strategic places when they do the concrete. We can shade the majority of the shallow end in the morning and afternoon based on where we placed them which is good with small kids. Instead of a tanning ledge, have them put staggered width steps in. Every other step into our pool is 18 inches so that it is the place to sit rather than a tanning ledge.

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Interesting to hear all the negatives about a tanning ledge.  To be honest that is one feature that the wife and I wanted was to have an area to sit a chair in and chill.  The builder will put in 5 umbrella holders and we've got those placed just right as our backyard faces West.  We do have a 10 year old oak in the back that will be about 10 feet from the edge of the pool.  The builder recommends taking it out so we won't have problems with it later on.  We do have a neighborhood oak directly behind it that gives shade as well.  Any ideas on what to do with the young oak?  I would hate to tear it out.

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Just do the research and if you go with a smaller builder make sure they are local and imbedded in the community.  The smaller guys will often pay more attention to your project.  You may never notice it but you'll get a higher quality project at the end of the day.

I agree that the smaller guys can pay better attention and they can deliver a higher quality product. I did my research and I obviously felt comfortable enough to pull the trigger with my GC. But I still got burned.
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6 hours ago, HouTex said:


I agree that the smaller guys can pay better attention and they can deliver a higher quality product. I did my research and I obviously felt comfortable enough to pull the trigger with my GC. But I still got burned.

Yeah didn't mean to imply you didn't research.  Unfortunately there are many many instances every year of pool companies that fuck up.  If you don't mind saying who was the company?

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7 hours ago, mrhorn said:

Interesting to hear all the negatives about a tanning ledge.  To be honest that is one feature that the wife and I wanted was to have an area to sit a chair in and chill.  The builder will put in 5 umbrella holders and we've got those placed just right as our backyard faces West.  We do have a 10 year old oak in the back that will be about 10 feet from the edge of the pool.  The builder recommends taking it out so we won't have problems with it later on.  We do have a neighborhood oak directly behind it that gives shade as well.  Any ideas on what to do with the young oak?  I would hate to tear it out.

Have an arborist come out and inspect.  Young oak ten feet away really shouldn't be an issue.  Costs about 3k for inspection, treatment, pruning etc.

I'm building next to a 100 yr old oak right now.  Keeps me up at night.  I give the old girl 50/50 chance.

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How much are y’all spending on average per year for maintenance, supplies, etc?  
Way more than when I had salt.

Probably 50 per month on bleach and acid. Another 50 in electrical.

If I run the heater on the pool in the winter is about an extra hundred per month for weekends only.

I have a sinking fund for pool and deck repair that will need to be done in about two years.
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On 8/22/2018 at 8:10 PM, Chet Steadman said:

How much are y’all spending on average per year for maintenance, supplies, etc?  

My salt pool was extremely low cost--once you factor in the capital cost of the salt water chlorine generator.  In 2010 the generator cost about $800 IIRC.  The cell will last several years but it eventually will need to be replaced.  The salt was less than $50 at start up and then it was about a $5 bag of salt each year depending on the rainfall.  After that, it was just adding a quart or so of acid every two weeks or so to keep the pH in range (the SWCG naturally causes the pH to slowly rise).  I probably spent about $15 per month on pool supplies after the initial cost of the SWCG.  And with the Polaris, my pool was always clean.  It was so easy to maintain I didn't need a pool service.  We sold the house in 2015 and I really miss the pool and the spa.

Once thing to remember about a salt pool is that you need to be careful with soft flagstones around the pool.  The salt can eat it up.  I had hard stone coping around my pool and I sealed it every year.  I had no issues.

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  • 1 month later...

we've decided to build out a pool/spa and covered patio. Located in Austin

so far we're having Texas Pools & SPa, Denali Pools, California Pools, and Allied Outdoor Solutions coming out to give us budgets.

any other companies i should contact?

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6 hours ago, El Tri said:

we've decided to build out a pool/spa and covered patio. Located in Austin

so far we're having Texas Pools & SPa, Denali Pools, California Pools, and Allied Outdoor Solutions coming out to give us budgets.

any other companies i should contact?

We used Athena. Very happy.

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  • 3 months later...

So far I've called Athena, Cody, California, Denali, A&S and Blue Haven and only got a response by California with whom I'm meeting next week. How long until the other fuck sticks contact me? Granted, it's only been a day and a half, but I want this thing done by May.  

What kind of time frame am I looking at, initial meeting to splash down? I figure this was plenty of time to get it done by swim season, but now I don't know what to think since I cant get another returned call.

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25 minutes ago, Yarbr said:

So far I've called Athena, Cody, California, Denali, A&S and Blue Haven and only got a response by California with whom I'm meeting next week. How long until the other fuck sticks contact me? Granted, it's only been a day and a half, but I want this thing done by May.  

What kind of time frame am I looking at, initial meeting to splash down? I figure this was plenty of time to get it done by swim season, but now I don't know what to think since I cant get another returned call.

It depends on the size of the pool you want, features, access to your backyard, weather, etc.

Mine took fucking forever because they could only fit a Bobcat into my backyard. In Austin, you're hitting solid rock after about 4 feet, so a deep pool means weeks of jackhammering.

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I'm in Austin (Brushy Creek) and replaced my fence so I know these guys are going to hit some pretty solid shit at about 2-3 feet.  Access is also an issue with 5 foot build lines, my access is 10' minus the space my and my neighbor's compressors take up, add a smaller backyard so I'm guessing only one bobcat as well.

Just thought I was a big baller ready to scratch a big check, but it seems they don't want my money. I'm a homebuilder and if my agents took 2 or 3 days to get back to a potential customer they'd be fired.

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Give Texas Pools and Patios a call. I went with them because they were the only company that came up with a good design, worked with me on changes and didn't try to talk me into a cookie cutter rectangle/kidney shaped sport pool. My backyard access and impervious cover restrictions were too much of a PITA for most of the bids.

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We used Fielder Pools here in Austin.  Small company but have been building pools for a long time.  The owner did our design and was onsite a lot.  We had about 3" of soil and the rest rock.  They brought in a big backhoe and a huge air hammer and knocked it out if 4 or 5 days.  Loud as hell but quick.

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we signed up with Denali as did my best friend. I'm waiting for loan application to finish with RBFCU to break ground. Hoping to have that done in next 2 weeks and break ground.

my buddy's is going fairly fast. broke ground in december and they've finished gunnite coping and water tile. 

I called a bunch of companies and got a call back only from Texas Pools and Patios, Denali, KB custom pools, California pools, and Allied outdoor solutions.

Got final designs and estimates from the first 4. went with denali due to design and price. ran into a shit-ton of issues with designs because of impervious coverage limitations

Edited by El Tri
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Thanks rage, they called me back and I set something up, dude was very knowledgable.

And holy shit have some things changed since I was taking care of my folks pool 25 years ago. Anyone have the automatic in-floor cleaning and circulation system? Seems pretty badass, but is it worth it? Also is the robot cleaner worth it?

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1 hour ago, Yarbr said:

Thanks rage, they called me back and I set something up, dude was very knowledgable.

And holy shit have some things changed since I was taking care of my folks pool 25 years ago. Anyone have the automatic in-floor cleaning and circulation system? Seems pretty badass, but is it worth it? Also is the robot cleaner worth it?

Robot is worth it. in-floor cleaning generally is not as it is expensive to plumb and there are more things that could break.

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On 1/16/2019 at 12:06 PM, Yarbr said:

Good to hear, Denali called this morning and is coming over this evening.  I wonder if these guys see my addy as Austin and say fuck it cause they don't want to deal with the city? Thing is I'm in a MUD so no COA, thank god.

No, it's just that pool builders are busy as fuck right now. everyone trying to get their pool built by summer, including me. 

no on in-floor cleaning, yes on robot. it's only $200 more than the polaris vacuum, cleans the walls, and you won't need to run the pump for it to work.

i'm also having a gabled covered patio built and those guys are busy as fuck too. home improvement business in austin is booming

 

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On 1/18/2019 at 9:33 AM, Yarbr said:

Thanks rage, they called me back and I set something up, dude was very knowledgable.

And holy shit have some things changed since I was taking care of my folks pool 25 years ago. Anyone have the automatic in-floor cleaning and circulation system? Seems pretty badass, but is it worth it? Also is the robot cleaner worth it?

In-floor jets sound nice, but they'll run you abt the same cost as adding a spa.  So always go with the thing that will have a better chance of getting you laid.

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On 1/15/2019 at 3:19 PM, Yarbr said:

So far I've called Athena, Cody, California, Denali, A&S and Blue Haven and only got a response by California with whom I'm meeting next week. How long until the other fuck sticks contact me? Granted, it's only been a day and a half, but I want this thing done by May.  

What kind of time frame am I looking at, initial meeting to splash down? I figure this was plenty of time to get it done by swim season, but now I don't know what to think since I cant get another returned call.

Heh, I’m in Brushy Creek MUD too. In my back yard the soil is about 6” deep before hitting rock in places. Hope you don’t have a cave under your yard.

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Thanks rage, they called me back and I set something up, dude was very knowledgable.

And holy shit have some things changed since I was taking care of my folks pool 25 years ago. Anyone have the automatic in-floor cleaning and circulation system? Seems pretty badass, but is it worth it? Also is the robot cleaner worth it?

 

I have the in floor system and no other cleaning system and I like it - a lot. Makes for a super sleek design. However if you have any amount of leaves dropping into your pool the in ground system will frustrate you. It’s good to move dust and small particle dirt etc around on the floor and can facilitate cleaning over all but it’s lousy at moving leaves so those end up needing to be removed manually. My pool is on the top of a hill with most trees below it so I don’t have any leaves except 2-3 weeks when the fall elm behind my bedroom that is similar elevation to the pool drops it’s leaves. And my pool company comes once a week so they deal with it. And what I get is a pool with no hoses or vacuums or anything else, just clean lines. I’m likely building a new home soon and will have a similar set up - on a hill with even less trees around so I’ll do the same set up again.

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On 10/3/2018 at 10:55 AM, El Tri said:

we've decided to build out a pool/spa and covered patio. Located in Austin

so far we're having Texas Pools & SPa, Denali Pools, California Pools, and Allied Outdoor Solutions coming out to give us budgets.

any other companies i should contact?

Don't know whether they have an Austin location, or do work in Austin, but Gary Pools has always kicked ass for me.  When we had our first custom pool built in San Antonio we had major access problems, rock from 1' down, just about every hardship you could imagine.   They built the exact pool design I drew up, no extra fees for rock excavation and never had a problem with any changes or additions I came up with.

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On 1/18/2019 at 9:33 AM, Yarbr said:

Thanks rage, they called me back and I set something up, dude was very knowledgable.

And holy shit have some things changed since I was taking care of my folks pool 25 years ago. Anyone have the automatic in-floor cleaning and circulation system? Seems pretty badass, but is it worth it? Also is the robot cleaner worth it?

Yes, and yes....and the longer you have the pool, the more worth it that it will be.

 

Edited by SHOOTER12
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On 1/15/2019 at 4:10 PM, rage-a-holic said:

Give Texas Pools and Patios a call. I went with them because they were the only company that came up with a good design, worked with me on changes and didn't try to talk me into a cookie cutter rectangle/kidney shaped sport pool. My backyard access and impervious cover restrictions were too much of a PITA for most of the bids.

Signed the contract with these guys today, will report back when they're done. Thanks man.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
On 1/16/2019 at 11:56 AM, El Tri said:

we signed up with Denali as did my best friend. I'm waiting for loan application to finish with RBFCU to break ground. Hoping to have that done in next 2 weeks and break ground.

my buddy's is going fairly fast. broke ground in december and they've finished gunnite coping and water tile. 

I called a bunch of companies and got a call back only from Texas Pools and Patios, Denali, KB custom pools, California pools, and Allied outdoor solutions.

Got final designs and estimates from the first 4. went with denali due to design and price. ran into a shit-ton of issues with designs because of impervious coverage limitations

we finally got CoA permit approved two weeks ago and loan closing last week. Dig commenced two days ago and they're making good progress.

construction supervisor said we should be swimming by memorial day

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  • 4 weeks later...

Moving in to our new place this week.

612abf8f730d3688e7794d127895e92e.jpg

Saltwater pool and spa. BGE will he installed tomorrow. Pool system came with a friend:

dbbce4d707f92474ceba7b6a9c4db258.jpg

Pressure gauge is maxed out. I backwashed the filter and a lot of gunk came out but the pressure stayed the same. I’m guessing busted gauge?

Pump is running all the time and showing an error, so I left a message with the previous owner’s pool company. Intend to do all the maintenance myself but I’d like a once over and a walk through the controls.

There’s a remote which makes me wonder how hard it would be to switch to a smartphone app.

28a0a162158ff6855a5e2aae03920911.jpg

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Frog removed. Pressure gauge replaced. One of three pumps isn’t pulling water so I’ll have to figure that out. Also need a new water temp sensor, no big deal.

 

But...

 

The breaker that controls that third pump is arcing and smoking. Not good. Burn marks on the bus. Likely need a new controller. I’m sure that’s cheap.

 

Pool life!

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

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