After a week of drying out and a day of a concrete no show .. we have a deck.

Tomorrow: Pebblesheen
Thursday: Acid wash and buff the Pebblesheen / begin filling pool
Friday: Install flagstone deck trim
Monday: Spray Deck / Clean up
Tuesday: Startup / Pool School

Soon: Landscaping

32x22 Free Form Gunite (3'9"- 5'3") 6'x9' Free Form Spa - 12 Jets, Blue Granite Pebblesheen, Color Logic LED Lights, AquaLogic PS-8 control, Goldline Salt Chlorine Generator, 1.5hp Tristar 2 speed pool pump, 1.5hp Tristar pump - sheer descents, 1.5hp Tristar spa pump w/1.0hp Blower, Hayward DE6020 Filter, Hayward 400K BTU Heater, Hayward Tigershark RC9990 cleaner.

Leonard,

I continue to watch your pool build with envy. We started on the same day and are moving pretty slowly now. We're waiting on decks so that they can do coping and masonry. We still have to pick tile, so that may add yet another delay.

Looking awesome!

The PebbleTec crew showed up early this morning. They're doing an awesome job:

Entering the home stretch. We could be filling by tomorrow afternoon

Love the blue granite!

Very jealous, my concrete isn't even scheduled till tomorrow and you are seriously almost done!

My PB keeps not passing inspection, I think I'm a little worried. First the equip pad had to move. Then there wasn't enough rebar for the concrete.

Concrats on your success! The pool looks great and I bet it's a load off now that its so close to done!

oh, pebbletec day is so much fun!!! i remember how excited we all were when ours was done!

yours looks fantastic....these guys are real pros, aren't they? what meticulous workmanship pebbletec has, i am a real fan.

your color looks like it will be fantastic, i cannot wait to see it. we love our majestic plum, but blue granite pebblesheen was a close second. we have the shimmering sea, you will just love it!

Almost there! Wow! Looks great.

Pebblesheen was acid washed and buffed today.

I came home a sight that I've been waiting for since last March:

32x22 Free Form Gunite (3'9"- 5'3") 6'x9' Free Form Spa - 12 Jets, Blue Granite Pebblesheen, Color Logic LED Lights, AquaLogic PS-8 control, Goldline Salt Chlorine Generator, 1.5hp Tristar 2 speed pool pump, 1.5hp Tristar pump - sheer descents, 1.5hp Tristar spa pump w/1.0hp Blower, Hayward DE6020 Filter, Hayward 400K BTU Heater, Hayward Tigershark RC9990 cleaner.

Hi Leonardsmalls--

Thanks again for the Pebble Tec pools you posted with the blue colors. Your Blue Granite is going to look fantastic with your stone colors. You apparently upgraded from the standard number of spa jets. Was this your idea or the PBs? It appears that you have more than I think is the standard number of wall returns, but it's hard to see. I particularly like the way you did you spa and was thinking of doing something similar. Did you ever post a sketch? Well, congratulations and enjoy. And, don't forget to post your beautiful water pictures when the pool clears.

You apparently upgraded from the standard number of spa jets. Was this your idea or the PBs?

Ours .. after we saw the spa on our friend's pool build (same PB). We up sized the spa to 6'x9' and went with 12 jets - 8 in the wall, 4 in the floor.

t appears that you have more than I think is the standard number of wall returns, but it's hard to see.

We were expecting 6, got 8.

Did you ever post a sketch?

I had posted one on my previous Patio Build '05 thread ... here it is:

Hurray! It looks great. Can't wait to see when all is done!

This morning - flagstone borders and trim around the deck:

This afternoon - it's full, it's up and running.

We've definitely made some progress this week. Weather permitting all the final details should be finished up by next week.

Then it's on to landscaping

Putting down the Spraydeck texture:

Color to follow.

Pool school later this afternoon.
Final cleanup tomorrow.

I'll be talking to the landscapers next week.

32x22 Free Form Gunite (3'9"- 5'3") 6'x9' Free Form Spa - 12 Jets, Blue Granite Pebblesheen, Color Logic LED Lights, AquaLogic PS-8 control, Goldline Salt Chlorine Generator, 1.5hp Tristar 2 speed pool pump, 1.5hp Tristar pump - sheer descents, 1.5hp Tristar spa pump w/1.0hp Blower, Hayward DE6020 Filter, Hayward 400K BTU Heater, Hayward Tigershark RC9990 cleaner.

Hi leonardsmalls!
Pool looks great! And it seems as though the build went quickly and smoothly for you! Congrats!
joanneswimsct

The cleanup crew has come and gone. These will probably be the last picture updates until the landscaping is in:

I love the way the water changes color as the sun goes through its day, here it is near dusk.

The walkway is back in place and the equipment pad is right around the corner from the patio.

Our PB, Pearland Pools, did an absolutely incredible job, we could not be happier with the results.

With the chemicals in balance every hint of green is gone:

Landscaping bids were solicited after Christmas had come and gone. We got 3 estimates and wound up going with Jeff Burke at Budget Landscaping in Friendswood, TX. He had done the landscaping for two of our friends who had pools put in and came highly recommended.

Linky Thing: Budget Landscaping Website

Jeff did an incredible job for a very reasonable price.

Our oasis is complete:

Starting with the view out our back door:

Someone pinch me ... I can"t believe that this is our backyard.

32x22 Free Form Gunite (3'9"- 5'3") 6'x9' Free Form Spa - 12 Jets, Blue Granite Pebblesheen, Color Logic LED Lights, AquaLogic PS-8 control, Goldline Salt Chlorine Generator, 1.5hp Tristar 2 speed pool pump, 1.5hp Tristar pump - sheer descents, 1.5hp Tristar spa pump w/1.0hp Blower, Hayward DE6020 Filter, Hayward 400K BTU Heater, Hayward Tigershark RC9990 cleaner.

Just beautiful - enjoy!!

Landscaping looks great. I like the black mulch being broken up by the large river rock.

Definitely was amazing how much the new fence changed the look of things even before the pool was done.

Great job.

Congratulations!!! It looks fantastic. What an amazing difference adding the landscaping does too! All that concrete got softened up and now it looks perfect. We might be using your water color in the end too. It's just lovely. :)

Katherine

Looks great..... still pleased?

we used the same tiles for our pool build over a year ago. You will like them. Your end result is gorgeous. Congrats!!

Looks great..... still pleased?

Absolutely.

Taking care of it - brushing, cleaning the skimmers, keeping the chemical balanced,etc ... are nice therapy when I get home in the afternoon.

It's been kind of chilly for Houston but I did get into the spa this week ... my wife is lucky she didn't come out in the morning to a grease slick floating in the middle ... it was soooooo relaxing. We plan on enjoying it again tomorrow evening.

That is beautiful! I hope I can get my lanscaping to look like that this year.

One more pass, now that the sun is shining:

Life is rough Len.

Scott

The PB I want to use is using the same equipment / spa shape/size as you. They want to put the Hayward Tristar 1.5HP pool pump in. You have the 12 jets(I think you said the floor jets are off a separate pump?). Mine will have 8. Are you happy with the performance of the 1.5 HP pump or do you wish you would have gone to the 2HP.

cvd ... I've got 8 jets on the 1.5 HP with a 1 HP blower. The blower is nice for a while but we usually turn it off if we're going to be in the spa for any length of time. The 1.5 HP is great all by itself.

That really turned out great!!!! Are you swimming yet? We've got a solar cover on trying to get the water up to a comfy level (Dallas area).

Thanks you for your help and pictures. Looks Like I may go with Pearland pools myself. Looks like they did an outstanding job on yours. Thanks for your replies.

Anyone who contracted Pearland Pools add a lien waver provision in their contract? Who did they subcontract for the work? Did you get a certificate of insurance for liability? I like their proposal, so just trying to cover all the bases. I had a patio construction contract mishaps years ago, so now I enter contracts much more prudently...

Love the pictures of your pool...We are considering using the Blue Granite Pebble Sheen too...how do you like it?

Pics are great...we are in the same boat as far as picking a color. Trying to decide between Tahoe Blue and Blue Granite. My wife likes the larger stones of Tec, so it's looking like Blue Granite. So, same question...how do you like the Blue Granite?

Anyone who contracted Pearland Pools add a lien waver provision in their contract? Who did they subcontract for the work? Did you get a certificate of insurance for liability? I like their proposal, so just trying to cover all the bases. I had a patio construction contract mishaps years ago, so now I enter contracts much more prudently...

Their main contractor is Modern Methods Gunite, who does both their gunite and pebbletec installations. Given that they request lien waiver provisions from their subs, I don't think they'll have any problem ading one to a contract ... you can verify this with them.

We didn't get one in our contract because we didn't feel the - we've had 3 friends in the past 8 years who've used them.

We've been extremely happy with our results.

sandigolew and travis_turner

We love the Blue Granite. It's blue, blue, blue in full sun and a deeper blue in the afternoon shade. The texture is not as coarse as the Tahoe Blue pebbletec but, other than that it's very nearly the same color.

We added the "shimmering sea" option ... crushed abalone shell. It sparkles just like silica in the granite boulders in the water at Tahoe - a place I'm very familiar with - been going since I was 2 years old. My great-grandmother built a summer home up there in the 30's - Brockway on the North Shore, just down the hill from the Cal-Neva:

Thank you for the information! One more question, when you had to make the payments at excavation, at gunite, and so on, did you make them before or after that stage of the work was completed?

By the way, I think your pool looks great, and I do like their proposal alot. I just don't know anyone who has personally had a pool built by PP, so I'm being more cautious. Thanks again for the response!

Yes, thank you for all the information and pictures you have posted here. We too, are about to sign with Pearland Pools...have been very impressed with them so far. Your pool has been very inspirational!!
Looks like there will be several of us with projects going on with them at the same time!!!
I can't wait til I can start posting pics!

One more question, when you had to make the payments at excavation, at gunite, and so on, did you make them before or after that stage of the work was completed?

All the payments were after that particular stage was completed.

Thanks for the info....

Without being crass, I wonder if you're willing to post a ballpark budget for your alluring pool.

bump

No Problem:

32x22 Free Form Gunite (3'9"- 5'3") (100' perimeter)
6' x 10'6" Tanning Ledge w/2 bubblers
6'x9' Free Form Spa - 12 Jets
Blue Granite Pebblesheen
Color Logic LED Lights (2 Pool, 1 Spa)
AquaLogic PS-8 control
Goldline Salt Chlorine Generator
1.5hp Tristar pool pump - 2 speed
1.5hp Tristar pump - sheer descents (3 x 24")
1.5hp Tristar pump - spa
1.0 HP Polaris QT Air Blower
Letro AutoFill
Hayward DE6020 Filter
Hayward 400K BTU Heater
Hayward Tigershark RC9990 cleaner
600 sq ft new deck - sprayed cool deck
Stacked flagstone spa spill over
Pressed flagstone on raised beam
Flagstone coping
Flagstone border around deck
Area drains with 140' 4" pipe to street

Total ~$44 - $45K

In addition to that I had to reroute my electric line (went right through where the pool went) $2,200

Upsize Gas Meter (required for 400K BTU heater) $350

Does not include the landscaping.

Thank you. This thread and your detailed info has been very helpful to me and many others, I'm sure.

maybe you said before but what diameter piping did you use--2 inch, 2.5 or 3 inch
and what has this done to your electric bills with addition of pumps/filter system

Do you remember the name of the color of your decking? I am at that stage (choosing colors) and yours is very nicely done!

loves2read - 2" sucgtion from the pool, 2.5" suction from the spa. All the returns back into the pool are 1.5"

lala2874 - the color was mixed onsite til it was what we wanted. It turned out to be very close to Sand Buff

I'm a little late to the party, but just wanted to say how beautiful your pool/yard is! Everything turned our really great! The landscaping and fence pack such a punch on the overall outcome. Makes me really bummed that I know our landscaping/fence improvements will have to come in time..... Thanks for sharing your lovely pictures!

leonard,
seeing this thread pop-up i likewise wanted to pass along i appreciated you posting of your build. helped convince me on the blue granite PS and on putting in an umbrella sleeve in the tanning shelf; also i didn't realize it before, but looking at this thread now i think we used the same tile as you as well - at least it looks the same. must have been a subliminal thing.

Here is a link that might be useful: dfw build

Pool looks great!
Looking at your build pics I am so glad I am in sunny AZ.
We have only had one really bad rainy season, and that was 5 or 6 years ago, lasted maybe two weeks. I think I would lose my mind if I had to deal with that all the time.
Enjoy

Hi Leonard - 3+ years into it, are you glad you went with Pearland Pools, saltwater, spraydeck, flagstone coping, pebblesheen (esp. for your feet), etc.?

Anything you would have done differently?

Did you seal the coping?

Thanks in advance for any input. I'm leaning toward Pearland Pools and Backyard Amenities as my PB.