Mira (former Eichler owner in San Jose) asked me about building a new pool at her new house in Denver. I bemused not having posted a definitive pool-building blog post, but in answering her questions, I kind of did. I'll include it below.
[This was an impromptu snap of the MicroEichler. Find more pics on Instagram.]
Yep. The automatic cover FTW. I need to do a proper blog post on the topic, but have been delayed... in part because it was a challenging build and I want to be fair to the builder. A few things I noted: your mileage may vary.
- All pool builders seem have their faults. Perhaps you have to find the least faulty — or the ones with faults you can work with/around. Some may be expensive. Some may be hard to get in tough with. Some might be stretched-thin. Some might be working with overbooked crews. It's a seasonal business filled with subcontractors, so a quality product can sometimes be tough to control.
- Know what foundational things are included: Are electrical upgrades required? Who's handling the engineering and permits (I've seen some pool bids that push this back on the homeowner)? Site grading? Drainage? Code-approved fencing?
- Get a job-site security camera (like Nest). Record the entire process — and every conversation. Document every sub on site. Our camera footage helped to very easily resolve a conflict... Plus the timelapses are awesome. It's really cool to see it come together.
- Compare notes with lots of people. Get in the know. Learn how pool builders work with their crews and subcontractors.
- Read the "guarantees" on the contract. Hold them to them. Discuss cost penalties. Our builder guaranteed "will be on site at every step of the process" which did not happen — and I was the on-site coordinator for most of the build, directing the tiling, the gunite, and the concrete decking. I was working from home that summer, so I had the time — but it was something I wasn't banking on.
- Finding one with their own crew is hard — many/most use subs. While not inherently, bad, it does extend liability and finger pointing and extend schedules when the crews are run thin.
- Concrete coping (vs. cantilevered pour). Concrete //will// crack. your pool //will// move independent from the earth. Separating the coping (bonded to the pool) from the concrete deck (built on surrounding earth). will minimize this greatly. This is one thing I will credit our builder for — he refused to do it on this premise... and he was right. Every cantilevered deck i've seen is cracked badly.
- Look into (synthetic) turf. Concrete decking is great, but expensive and it /will/ crack. We wish we'd done a bit more "up to the coping" turf. We used a "cool weave" turf that is much more temperate on the feet.
- Pour over every detail. Question everything. Do not blindly place trust in a builder — or even the inspector. Mid-process (and post-initial inspection), we discovered that there were not even engineering drawings for our pool. The ones submitted to the city were from a pool built 2 years earlier of a different shape and design. Recently, I've helped a friend with a pool build and the various missed details and "copy/paste" errors on the four estimates he's received is bonkers. This is not a process for the un-focused.
A few things we'd do again (or wish we'd done):
... Auto cover: In addition to safety, the heat retention and cleanliness are a huge bonus. We've had almost no leaves or debris (ash!) in my pool in 2 years.. It's bonkers-expensive, but like motorized windows on a car, kind of essential. Also, with an auto cover, you do not need a perimeter fence per-code. This could be a bonus for you — and offsets the cost as fencing isn't cheap either.
... Solar-radiant heat: We have a gas heater and it's a terrible idea. The sun is free. Running the gas heater is $25-100/day to run — crazy. I wish we'd have installed a rooftop solar-radiant heating system instead. Our pool would be warmer and we'd save money. It's an easy equation.
... Salt system: Ditch the UV and mineral add-ons, but a straight salt system + cartridge filter has made keeping chems and cleanliness easy. I might tend to the pool once per week at best and have had the net out once this year. The idea that pool are expensive to maintain and time consuming is bollocks with the salt system and auto-cover.
... Suction-side cleaner: we have the MX8 and love it. We call him max. With a cyclonic in-line filter, this is perhaps the easiest way to maintain the pool. Do not go for a pressure-side one. Learn the difference.
... Pebble finish (vs. plaster): Ours looks like white travertine with the littlest bit of gray and dark brown/black spec. It's crazy durable, forgiving, and — with the little specs — helps the cleanliness-look as well. It was a worthwhile upgrade, methinks.
... Auto-fill: The pool will lose water. How's it getting new water? A hose? Our in-line auto-fill is great.
... An elongated tanning shelf: ... The longer the better... with umbrella holes. Because of a builder oversight, we almost didn't have that. We love the umbrella holes.
... A deep end that's at least 5.5 feet (just over your head): Otherwise, it feels like a kiddie pool, imho.
Feel free to hit-me-up with any questions...
Comments