Pool done!

Pool's all full! Our pool is about average size. 15x32 and about 6 feet deep, and it took 13 hours with two garden hoses. Now we have to wait until the start up guys get here to turn everything on (should be around 4pm today), then we have to wait 24 hours until we can use the pool. If we were using regular plaster, it would be about 7 days until you could go in... 7 days?!?!?! I can barely wait 24 hours! Also, can't take the heater above 85 degrees for 30 days so that we don't "Bake the plaster". This is when you take the heat up too high before the plaster gets a chance to set, and turns the plaster brown.

The start up team should turn on everything, and explain to me how it all works. I might do a little more posting on the maintenance as we go.

Great job by California Pools and I hope this blog is helpful to you if you ever build a pool in your backyard. From dig day to today, it's been about 7 and a half weeks since dig day. They really did this one fast even considering a few changes (like the location of the fire pit etc...). Really happy with their work.

Pebble Coat

Well it's really in the final stages now. Today they came in and put in a "pebble coat", which is slightly different than plaster. It has little pebbles on the surface instead of regular plaster (there is plaster in there as the bond and structure, but the pebbles sit on top. The process is a lot like how the concrete went in. They come in with a hose that is fed from a truck which supplies the mixture of plaster and pebbles. They coat it on thick (I'm guessing a half inch or so?). It comes out in the consistency of frosting. Then they smooth it out and shape it how they want with hand trowels. It's really difficult work, and so far they look like they did a great job.

The crew that California Pools used was really really good. They worked really well as a team and finished off our pool and jacuzzi in about 4 hours! They kept smoothing it out, and then started to wash away some of the blue plaster to reveal the pebbles. If you were going with regular plaster, we would have started filling the pool with water! But with pebble you need to wash away that film after a 12 hour period. Tomorrow they will come in with an acid wash to give the pebble a real shine and wash away that blueish gray film you see in the pictures. After that, we start filling up the pool!

Almost there!

Almost there! The mason (Jesus) was here every day this week trying to get the deck put in before our inspection tomorrow. If all goes well with inspection, we should have plaster (pebble in our case) by Monday. That means we could have water in this thing by Wednesday!! Hopefully the next post will have a picture of our pool with the pool part completely done!!! WOOHOO!!!

Coping and tile almost done!

There hasn't been many updates because not a lot has gone on lately as explained in the prior post. This week we had a lot of activity, with the coping getting done (that rectangular cut flagstone that you see), and most of the tile work done. We also had the fire pit built and covered in flagstone. We're not that confident that July 1st, we'll have a pool, but our construction manager says that's when we're going to have water in the pool. The schedule seems agressive, but it sounds like they finish tiling and get decks poured next week. Then we have plaster (actually we went with pebble tec instead) on Monday June 28th. I'm not sure where that leaves the automatic pool cover installation.

The pebble tec we got is actually an off-name brand pebble finish. It's essentially the same stuff, but it's just not the "pebble tec" brand pebble. Which doesn't seem that important to me. Both have the same warranty, and look about the same. It gives it a nicer finish and more color, but the process is to put the pebble finish on one day, then the next day use an acid wash to clean it, and then the third day you can start putting in water. Heading down the home stretch now!

While we were gone

So we left in the middle of this project for Japan, and came back with the pool not looking a whole lot different but apparently a lot went on. For the first week we were gone, the pool's concrete surface was curing. Then last week they put in a new gas meter, tile work and put in the fire pit (not sure what else went on, I'll have to check with the guys on Monday). A little story about the gas meter and how good our pool guys are:

One of the things that happens when you install a pool is that the gas company will come out and upgrade your gas meter for free. If you don't know any better, some pool companies we heard will charge you for this (Even though I think that's illegal). At any rate, when they do this, they obviously have to turn off your gas. If you're home, after they're done, they'll turn it back on, and then come in and help you relight all your pilot lights (stove, water heater etc...). If you're not, then they'll just shut off the gas and let you come out and turn it on and go around relighting your pilots.

Well my mom (who is not a handy person by any means, in fact, she has me come over to hang pictures) was watching the house while we were gone, and since the gas company didn't bother to schedule the meter upgrade with me, they just came and upgraded the meter and left a note saying that the gas was off. Gary, because he's such a great professional, knew that my mom was watching the house and probably couldn't handle the pilot lights on his own. So he came over and helped her light the pilot lights for the house so she could have hot water and a stove to cook on. Another reason to go with a reputable company like California pools. I gotta thank Gary for that.

Not a lot of pictures, as not much visually has been done. I'll post more pics when there's more to see.

Shotcrete (Putting concrete into the dirt hole!)

Shotcrete came in today which is like Christmas :) You get to really see the shape of the pool and watch a really cool process. First they put up some Cement backer board (the same kind you use in the house), to put a backing anywhere they need it for the concrete to form up to. Like around the jacuzzi that is raised, in the automatic pool cover vault, etc... They set level lines with wire and attach them to metal stakes in the ground. Then they start shooting the wet concrete in mixed with air (called shotcrete). This process is different than gunite, in which the concrete is mixed with water right at the hose. Then they smooth out the lines of the pool with a big trowel.
The stuff that comes out of there is pretty solid already. It had the consistency of a really heavy mud. Within a half an hour or so it had set enough that people were walking on it and not leaving footprints. These guys were fast and professional, just like the other crews that had been here before.

Now we have to spray the pool 3 times a day with water for 10 days. This slows the curing process of the cement. When it cures slowly, it cures harder. California Pools does guarantee the pool for life, either way, but they suggested it, so we're going to do it :)

Here's some pics!

Plumbing

The plumbers were here from 8am-7pm last night, so that they could finish running the PVC and installing the equipment. All of this so that it can pass inspection today or tomorrow and be ready to pour concrete Friday! I didn't realize how big the equipment was going to be, but there's really no other place to put it. They have restrictions on how far from certain windows or property lines the equipment can go. So far, no problems, and hopefully we'll pass inspection. Here's some pics of the plumbing:

Laid the steel rebar!

Not much happened until today when they came in to do the steel work. Three guys banged it out in a little less than a day. Great job, looks really great. Dylan wanted to go in there, but I told him that it needs concrete, and plaster and plumbing, and he said "Is Bob the builder helping us?" (Our construction site manager is named Robert :) ). The long rectangular cage in the back end is for the automatic pool cover. They used like little zip ties to keep it all in place until the concrete is poured. Next comes the plumbing.

Daytime pictures of the new hole in our backyard!

Playing around in the dug pool:

Yesterday (Saturday) Finished digging

I had to go to my friend's birthday party, but after I got home last night, I took some pics of the freshly dug pool. Starting to really look like an actual pool, and I can't believe they came in on a Friday to dig. Really cool. I think shotcrete and rebar are coming on Monday. So awesome!

YES all this happened in a day and a half

California Pools had a guy waiting on Friday at the Huntington Beach desk to get the permits for digging the pool! They came through again! Gary, Kimo, Robert and the crew started digging and they're going to come back tomorrow morning to finish it all (On a Saturday no less!) Amazing. Here's some more pics:

Pool layout

Today they came again to level out some of the dirt and start laying out the pool for final approval before dig. They're marking up the ground with orange spray paint to show where the water will be. The orange circle in there is where the fire pit will be. Our construction manager Robert, and his boss Kimo have been on it and very helpful with any questions we had.

The pool is all really straight lines, mostly out of convenience. I do kinda like the old designs that Gary had drawn up because they looked nicer, but with this design we're really getting a lot of pool for such a small backyard.

DEMO DAY!

Well they think they're getting close to the permits being pulled, so they decided to do the demolition of the backyard. They brought in a bobcat loader and a big jackhammer to remove the concrete. We had to pull out the bamboo, but that's ok we're going to relocate it in the yard after the pool is in.


Here's some pics! Dylan thought the "big trucks" were "awesome!". He's so excited about the pool!

Drawings were submitted last week, and this week Gary dropped off the plans! Take a look!

Yes, half the backyard will be pool, but luckily we have the RV access to treat as a traditional backyard. Long term plans are to put a door separately off of the great room to the RV access. Hopefully I won't have to do that by myself. :)

Gary thinks we're going to start digging next week! Let's hope so because the project was slated to begin May 1st!

This is the before

So I'm adding a couple of pictures of how the backyard currently looks. (Actually these are a couple days old, we removed and relocated the plants in the back so the wall back there is barren. We're trying to keep the bamboo.)