Sounds like they don't want any new pools.

Scott

Well, now that all the snow has melted, the topo survey is complete and we are in the final phases of the grading plan. Looks like we are able to get a waiver on the rain garden and infiltration trench ($3-4K!). I'm waiting on the final waiver for the Chesapeake Bay runoff part, but it looks promising. When we built our first pool three years ago (in the county) we didn't have to go through any of this. I'm hoping the dig will begin before April. We are using NVBlu Pools. Who did you go with and are you pleased with the results? I will follow up with pictures as soon as the work begins.

to-the-beach we are also using NVBlu and they are digging as I type! Did they build your first pool? I am in Loudoun county though and have heard that Fairfax is now making it very difficult. Good luck!

Hi!
We used Huston Pools (they have a retail store in Fairfax). We did consider NVBlu, Lewis Aquatec and Town&Country.

We got the waiver on the rain garden, but, now we are working on landscaping so that we can get our $6500 bond back from the county. Fun stuff!!!

...and still we wait. The rain garden waiver was denied because of soil problems. The engineer resubmitted the waiver due to a poor soil report. So, here we are, 80 degrees and sunny (if even for a few days) and not so much as an outline of a pool in our backyard. Thankfully, this will be our last pool build in Fairfax County! Hopefully, NVBlu will get moving quickly once all this permit stuff is taken care of so we can have a pool before fall.

So sorry, to-the-beach. We dealt with the exact same thing... we signed the contract in March, took about a month to draw up plans and didn't get underway until August. The summer just came and went without any action in our backyard.

I feel bad for the builders because it's costing them so much business. The permit process scares off so many people because it takes so long and is so expensive.

My advice is that, if your engineer and the county run into a brick wall, ask to meet with the county engineer yourself. I found that the county was more wlling to work with the homeowner vs. the engineer and pool builder.

Finally....two and a half months later and we have permits! The dig begins the beginning of next week. If I ever buy another house in Fairfax County, it will already have an existing pool even if I have to refurbish it. Photos coming soon!

I am afraid to ask but will anyway. How many permits and variances did you need and what did that cost?

Scott

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck on your build. Hope they are able to move quickly for you.

kziff1pool - Our first pool was built by Blue Haven. I'd rather drive spikes through my eyes than deal with that company again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that NVBlu will do a good job for us. Their BBB rating is excellent and I can't find anyone with a complaint.

viennamommy19 - I feel your pain on the timeline! We contracted our first pool in Feb. and it wasn't complete til Sept. In this case, it was the pool builder, not the county. Three years ago you didn't have to jump through all the permitting hoops. Do you have any photos you can share? I'd love to see your pool! :) NVBlu is telling us that we will be swimming by mid-June. I'll let you know how that works out.

poolguynj - Get out your calculator!
Grading plan development: $2250
Soil test: $500
Full topo survey: $800
Grading plan review / permit: $1590
Rain garden / infiltration trench waiver: $160
Final pool permit: $185
Bond to FFX county to ensure landscaping compliance: $6100 (refundable after installation of required landscaping)
Required landscaping costs: $2000 - $2500

We got off easy because the county granted the waiver. If it would have been denied, we would have had to install a rain garden / infiltration trench at the cost of $3500 - $4000.

So....that's how you get a pool built in Fairfax County! Run for your life!

To the beach,
We paid very similar costs, though anything engineering/permit related was bundled into one fee so I'm not sure of our exact breakdown.

Just curious... we have a $6500 enviro bond with the county. Did you work with your engineer on the landscaping plan or did they just submit something for you? We were so desperate to get the pool in the ground that we didn't even look at what was submitted. When we finally realized it, we hated the plan and had to work with our site inspector to come up with a landscaping plan that we liked but also satisfied the county's requirements.

Also- hope you were told (we weren't) that you don't get the bond back immediately after you plant. Your site inspector will have to see a full season of growth and no dead plants. Yikes. Was really hoping to have that cash back sooner rather than later!

Good luck on the build. I think I recall another poster who used NVBlu had a pool built in 5 weeks or so. Was Alan Nobling your salesman? Very nice guy. We ended up going with Huston Pools because of great recommendations and we felt like we got a few more extras for our money but NVBlu is a very solid builder.

Will def post some pics soon. We just opened the pool Tues but I'm actually due to have our second baby in a few weeks so we've been kind of preocupied!!!

viennamommy19 - Our engineer didn't consult with us on the plantings. He just submitted the plan. I just found out yesterday what we are supposed to plant, but I may have to talk with the inspector as well. We have a bunch of shrubs in front of our house that I was hoping to move to the back to save some money. Here is another ridiculous county requirement....We had the silt fence installed yesterday. Our backyard has a slight downward slope toward the house. The county required that the silt fence be installed all the way around the back yard instead of just where the water and / or debris would run off. So, unless water is going to magically start running up hill, 3/4 of our yard has a completely unnecessary silt fence. What a waste!

We have a 25 yr old pool that is in need of extensive restoration. Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has built a pool or renovated one and had a good experience for their company. We are talking with NVBLU, if anyone can give us feedback on their experience with NVBLU that would also be very appreciated

greatfallspeople, we just used NVBlu for a new pool build. I would love to give you more insight. Overall, it was a very good experience. Please e-mail me directly at kellishobe@hotmail.com and I'll be happy to provide specifics.
~Kelli

We used Lewis Aquatech. Fantastic experience. They renovated our entire backyard to include new pool decks, tile & Coping, interior finish, landscaping, fireplace etc. VERY PROFESSIONAL and reasonably priced. We delt directly with one of the Owners Don Gwiz. here is there website www.lewis-aquatech.com Good luck with your project

Great to know. We are also using LA. Working with Joe. The cost of getting the permits in Fairfax County is staggering. One thing that caught me by surprise was the requirement to purchase "nonpoint source nutrient credits" from a third party to "offset nutrient-related water quality permit needs." This costs me $3000. This relates to protecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Anyone else familiar with this??

2022 Pricing: Engineering fees including conservation plan, geotechnical report and storm water site plan - $16,900. Fairfax County land disturbance permit fees - $9,200. Conservation deposit - $5,400. We're in for $31.5k before a hole is even in the ground, plus it took 20 months to get approval. Granted, our engineering firm was slow as death on responding to anything, and we did have some problem soil to contend with.

Currently getting estimates for a pool. i don’t understand how the county measure the 2500 disturbance area and calculate the fee, did you?