Sunday, July 27, 2008
What Pool?!
Everyone keeps asking when the pool is going to be finished. Remember when I mentioned we were told 5 - 7 business days? Well, that went out the window a week ago! Sure...the pool company can put the pool in, in that amount of time. But that doesn't include all of the other details that must be orchestrated to happen at the "right" time (inspections, electricians, grading, concrete work, fencing, etc.). Since my last post, the liner was put in and the pool was filled with water. At first, it was only filled half way due to specifications of an inspection. After it passed inspection, it was completely filled with water and some grading work was done around the outside. On Saturday, the electrician came out to hook up the power to the pump. He was not able to finish and said he would be back on Friday -as in, a week later. A week later? I'm not happy.permalink | posted by NaeNae at 8:14 PM
Monday, July 21, 2008
More Pool Stuff...
Day 5 - FridayA 2-inch layer of Vermiculite (a sand substance) was troweled onto the pool floor to create a smooth, debris-free surface. It looks very much like concrete, but has a softer consistency. It takes a few days for this to "set up" or harden. (Vermiculite is very porous, allowing water to pass through it in case of a leak.) This was the last step before installing the liner. The liner was pulled into place over the Vermiculite.
permalink | posted by NaeNae at 8:06 PM
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Pool Continues
Day 4 - ThursdayThe walls and steps to the pool are now in place. A 3-foot concrete footing was poured around the outside base to keep everything secure. In addition, all of the plumbing was installed. The rest of the day was spent on the final grading of the pool floor.
permalink | posted by NaeNae at 6:55 PM
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Pool Construction Continues
Day 3 - WednesdayMost of today was spent finishing up the grading of the pool. A Bobcat was brought in to complete this part of the construction. Afterwards, the walls of the pool were put in place but not yet secured. Tomorrow, I imagine the steps will be put in and the walls secured. A concrete footing will also go around the base of the walls. We hope to go with a decorative stamped concrete around the deck of the pool. The pool company only does "regular" concrete work, so this will have to be subcontracted out. A guy came out to talk to us about this process and brought brochures and sample colors to choose from. We like the natural stone look. If we go with this, it will probably push out our completion date which was originally 5 - 7 business days.
permalink | posted by NaeNae at 7:53 PM
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Pool Construction Begins
Day 1 - MondayAfter much anticipation, the pool company showed up around 10:00 a.m. to "layout" the pool. This took about 30 minutes to complete (measuring, placing stakes in the ground, perimeter painted, etc.). After a few additional minutes of adjusting the pool's perimeter, it was finally finished and ready for digging. They started digging around lunchtime and continued until about 8:00 p.m. I'm not sure what I expected, but the digging process turned out to be a very slow-moving ordeal. I guess I expected them to haphazardly dig a huge hole and throw in a pool. I've learned there's a "Science" to pool digging. Don't get me wrong...I'm thankful and appreciative of their conscientiousness. I have no doubt it will be built correctly - not to mention, Kevin is home this week to supervise every aspect of the construction.
Day 2 - Tuesday
Digging for the pool continued throughout the day. As mentioned before, the digging process is very slow because the grading for the pool must be precise. Every few feet, the excavator must stop digging to allow someone to climb down into the hole and check the grading with an electronic tool (a laser level, I think). Overall, this part of the project is almost complete.
permalink | posted by NaeNae at 4:36 PM
