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Our Swimming Pool project
December 2000 - February 2001
Since moving to Southern California, our dream has been to have our own swimming pool and spa. It gets extremely hot in our area with summer temperatures ranging over 100 degrees! In the winter and cool evenings, we thought the spa would be a nice addition!
After doing some internet research, we started calling around locally to get quotes. Of the 1/2 dozen or so pool contractors we contacted, we received quotes from only three. Some didn't even have the courtesy to return our calls or promised quotes and never contacted us with the figures! Also, we heard tales of pool contractors taking money and disappearing, not being licensed and going bankrupt leaving jobs unfinished! Be careful when choosing your contractor!
We wanted a pool and spa but have a very small backyard. Some of the contractors didn't want our job because it wasn't "big enough" for them. We got the impression that even though the job was "small", it would be too expensive to get what we wanted. Getting financing was also a concern for us. We almost talked ourselves out of the project thinking that we wouldn't qualify for a loan. It's funny--getting a loan wasn't a problem at all.
Here is a "photo diary" of our project:
Click on any picture for a larger view.
12/7/00 - Pool lay-out
Approximate
Dimensions:
30' x 14' (excl. spa)
Lines were spray painted to indicate where the pool would be dug.
Poles were used as a radius marker.
The circle shows where the spa will be.
12/13/00
- Excavation begins
They had to use the smallest bobcat (tractor) for the digging due
to a narrow entry between our house and side fence. The neighbors
had already done their landscaping so the fence could not be
taken down. The ground was so hard that they had to attach a
"breaker" to the front of the bobcat to loosen the soil.
They originally said it would only take a day or two to dig but
ended up taking four!
All that dirt has to go somewhere--there were many loads that were placed on the street for later hauling.
12/16/00 - Excavation complete! Plumbing/electrical begins
Plumbing installed. The spa is raised above.
View of spa plumbing and equipment in the rear
Another view of plumbing/electrical
View of spa plumbing/electrical from inside pool - This was taken in the 6 foot "deep" end. The skimmer is the box to the right and will be where the water line is.
12/19/00 - Rebar installed
Rebar and plumbing in the spa
12/20/00 - Inspection passed - Gunite (concrete) sprayed
A
HUGE truck pulled up on our small street. I'm sure if the neighbors weren't aware of our project, they were then!
It was very loud!
Here are the guys spraying the gunite (concrete) into the pool. The concrete was sprayed out of what looked like a fire hose. There was so much force coming out of the hose, they had to put up cloth covers to protect our house from flying debris. We could still hear it hitting the windows and walls. The gunite is drier than normal concrete (enabling it to stick to the sides of the pool). They told us to keep it wet for a week or so to help it cure.
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