Pool Construction Recap: Week 1
WHAT A WEEK! Thankfully, weather was on our side this week so our pool construction crew could CRANK every single night of week 1. While I'm sure they're wiped out each night after working a day job - I am just from watching them - they have worked so hard and have made some incredible progress. Here's a quick roundup of what they've accomplished this week. If weekly updates aren't enough, follow us on Instagram for our daily ones -
Digging the Deep End, Grading the Slopes and Sides
With a vinyl liner pool, there's a lot of math that goes into the dig. Spatially, it was cool to see how they dug out the top of the hole larger than the pool itself in order to get wall structures anchored, but then strategically while digging, there are angles of the walls and floor coming up from the deep end that needed careful crafting.
Once they got the deep end to a good spot, they started grading the slopes and clearing out the dirt ramp they made to get the equipment in and out. TWELVE full-sized dump trucks of dirt have been hauled out. SO MUCH DIRT!
Selfishly, we've loved that a lot of this work is happening while we're home. It's our new favorite form of after-dinner entertainment, which I'm sure the crew just loves having a peanut gallery... but the kids especially loves to watch the equipment and check out the progress!
Installing the Pool Side Walls
After they got most of the dirt out and got a few passes of initial grading done, they started in on the wall structures.
They worked until dark each night, so it's been fun to really see the progress each morning.
The wall panels are all customized and had to be placed in order based on where different lights, plumbing, steps, etc. hit. Here you can see where the deep end steps are going (the white steps in the wall.)
Now that all the walls are up, you can really start to envision it!!
Once the walls were up, they started attaching the support pieces that go into the ground behind the walls.
Those support pieces aren't going anywhere. A concrete "collar" was poured - so I guess there's really no turning back now! After they run plumbing and electrical to the pool, they will fill the rest of the space with rock.
Digging a Trench to Run Gas and Electric to the Equipment Pad
In order to bury the lines for gas and electricity, they dug a trench along the side of the house. This is a great shot showing what the old irrigation lines look like underground. One of the saddest realizations in our planning was that there is really no way to salvage the existing irrigation system so we're going to to have to lay all new lines and sprinkler heads. Makes it easier to rip right into it! But not easier on the budget.
We chose to put the equipment pad tucked in along the side of our four season room. It's going to be an eye sore for sure, but we'll figure out a good way to cover it all up - either with plants or other material.
The trench runs along the side of the house and elbows over to the four season room. While pouring the collar for the walls, they got the equipment pad poured too.
Framing out the Full-Width Steps
The steps into the shallow end will be framed out and then similarly secured with a concrete base and filled with rock. (At least I think that's right... there's been a lot to remember!)
Lots of metal work screwing in and assembling the structure.
The frame alone already looks pretty great. While it cuts about 4' off of the shallow end giving us less shallow space overall before the steep looking drop to deep, I think it's a worthy trade-off giving us surface level function but also some flexible seating.
Spreading Vermiculite on the Pool Floor
Say it with me... Vermiculite. Vermicu-what? That was something I've never heard of! Apparently it's sort of like a softer, porous concrete like material. Pool builders use it for the floor of pools to smooth out and help with water under the vinyl liner. After they got the slopes of the bottom of the pool graded and the right angle, they started spreading vermiculite along the walls.
Laying the Drain
Before they continue with the vermiculite on the bottom of the pool, they started installing pipe for the drains at the bottom of the pool.
We woke up to a few inches of rain this AM so they're currently working on pumping out the water to get things to dry up quicker so they can get back to work.
Excited to see what happens in week two! Stay tuned.
