Ready for a pool near Tomball - what are first steps? (Houston: how much, house)

[StewartG]

My wife and I have a 1 acre wooded lot near Tomball, TX and we are finally ready to start planning our pool. I've got a few basic questions, and would appreciate any input!

1. Is there an online "pool school" where I can learn the basics about construction, different options for cleaning, decking, etc? I always find that an educated consumer makes the best choices...

2. Can anyone suggest a good "backyard architect" in the Houston area? Our eventual plan for our backyard includes both a pool as well as a large covered outdoor kitchen / living room pavilion (full bar and kitchen, fireplace, TV, etc.) We are likely going to do it in two "phases" - pool first, then the outdoor living room / kitchen. My wife and I REALLY need help in thinking about the different configuration options in making a long term plan.

Thanks for any suggestions/advice in this regard!!!

[ijk keo]

Originally Posted by StewartG

My wife and I have a 1 acre wooded lot near Tomball, TX and we are finally ready to start planning our pool. I've got a few basic questions, and would appreciate any input!

1. Is there an online "pool school" where I can learn the basics about construction, different options for cleaning, decking, etc? I always find that an educated consumer makes the best choices...

2. Can anyone suggest a good "backyard architect" in the Houston area? Our eventual plan for our backyard includes both a pool as well as a large covered outdoor kitchen / living room pavilion (full bar and kitchen, fireplace, TV, etc.) We are likely going to do it in two "phases" - pool first, then the outdoor living room / kitchen. My wife and I REALLY need help in thinking about the different configuration options in making a long term plan.

Thanks for any suggestions/advice in this regard!!!

Best Backyard Design (HOME) Owner's name is Kathleen. Tell her Keo gave you the info and she will take care of you.

[StewartG]

Thanks for the heads up! I'll check them out...

Of course, before I get started, I want to know something about pools! (Design, construction, maintenance, etc. so I can make good choices up front.)

[Supermac34]

Do you plan on building the pool yourself, or hiring a company. When we built our pool, we got several quotes from different companies. We found that most of the pool companies were actually very competent when it came to design of the backyard, but the big variation was price.

[StewartG]

Originally Posted by Supermac34

Do you plan on building the pool yourself, or hiring a company. When we built our pool, we got several quotes from different companies. We found that most of the pool companies were actually very competent when it came to design of the backyard, but the big variation was price.

We are ABSOLUTELY going to hire a company. My thing is, I want to know the language, and understand the basic issues when I start shopping for a PB.

The other thing is that we have a REALLY extensive outdoor kitchen / living room / pavilion in mind. Something on the order of 600 to 800 square feet with a full roof, fireplace, media, etc. (To give you some idea, we've budgeted more for the outdoor living space than for the pool.) The trick, we think, is going to plan the pool (phase 1) with the outdoor living area (phase 2) so as to work in our backyard and integrate with our "featured" trees (100 year old live oak and a massive loblolly pine.)

We've got to figure out a layout and design that maintains the "house in the woods" feel of our property, but that is functional as well. To give you some idea, we're trying to get the feel of the pool area at the Woodlands Resort and Conference Center, if you are familiar.

[Supermac34]

For a "house in the woods" type feel you will probably want a "free form" or lagoon style pool. They are usually kidney or bean shaped, but you can do variation anyway you want. That's what we have, and we did not do decking around the back, but rather did moss rocks and a waterfall with plant beds behind the pool. It creates a very natural feel.

Decisions you'll have to make for your pool:

1. Decking: you can do standard pebbles, stamped concrete, cool deck, flagstones, etc. All have varying costs.

2. Saltwater vs. traditional chlorine. This was a big debate for us. We interviewed four pool contractors and they were split down the middle on which was better long term. The only certainty is that the Saltwater costs more upfront, but less down the line.

3. Plain plaster vs. pebble tech. Pebbletech is the acrylic style spray on stuff that a lot of upper end pools have now. It looks decent, but is very expensive, usually $2500-4000 more depending on size of pool. They have various colors as well. Good family friends did black. While it looks cool when its sunny out, at night it looks like a tar pit. Our pool is plain white plaster and that's what I like.

5. Features: like a beach entry (gradual entry) or sun bathing step. Also, how much lighting, we saved money by having one big light.

6. Water features: Are you going to do a waterfall? How about fountains or "weeping rocks".

7. Spa. We did a spa, which costs some money and requires a heater, which costs more money. I like it, because we can now use our pool year round, whereas without it, you lose 5-7 months of usage a year.

8. How much decking? Everybody is going to quote you too much decking. There is a lot of margin in decking. They are probably making a 100% markup on their decking so want to push you to have as much as possible. Almost all of our original quotes had about 700 sq ft of decking. We easily got it down to about 400.

Those are some of the things to consider. Talk to several companies. They will all have portfolios to look at, you can get quotes, negotiate, and add/remove options as needed.

We went with Supreme Pools as they did the most for the buck and were very good, but there are many good companies out there.

Good luck!

[ziembak]

My husband and I used Cy Fair Pools. The owner, Scott went through a slideshow of how the whole process works. We did not get an outdoor kitchen and patio cover but we got our pool built from him and were very, very pleased! I know he does outdoor kitchens and patio covers because it's on his website. His name is Scott Crawford, 832-483-2279 and his website is Home.

[ijk keo]

Originally Posted by StewartG

Thanks for the heads up! I'll check them out...

Of course, before I get started, I want to know something about pools! (Design, construction, maintenance, etc. so I can make good choices up front.)

Kathleen can help you through all of that and then some. She is the only pool contractor i use, i am also in residential construction, so i can help with your outdoor living area if needed.

[StewartG]

Originally Posted by Supermac34

For a "house in the woods" type feel you will probably want a "free form" or lagoon style pool. They are usually kidney or bean shaped, but you can do variation anyway you want. That's what we have, and we did not do decking around the back, but rather did moss rocks and a waterfall with plant beds behind the pool. It creates a very natural feel.

Decisions you'll have to make for your pool:

1. Decking: you can do standard pebbles, stamped concrete, cool deck, flagstones, etc. All have varying costs.

2. Saltwater vs. traditional chlorine. This was a big debate for us. We interviewed four pool contractors and they were split down the middle on which was better long term. The only certainty is that the Saltwater costs more upfront, but less down the line.

3. Plain plaster vs. pebble tech. Pebbletech is the acrylic style spray on stuff that a lot of upper end pools have now. It looks decent, but is very expensive, usually $2500-4000 more depending on size of pool. They have various colors as well. Good family friends did black. While it looks cool when its sunny out, at night it looks like a tar pit. Our pool is plain white plaster and that's what I like.

5. Features: like a beach entry (gradual entry) or sun bathing step. Also, how much lighting, we saved money by having one big light.

6. Water features: Are you going to do a waterfall? How about fountains or "weeping rocks".

7. Spa. We did a spa, which costs some money and requires a heater, which costs more money. I like it, because we can now use our pool year round, whereas without it, you lose 5-7 months of usage a year.

8. How much decking? Everybody is going to quote you too much decking. There is a lot of margin in decking. They are probably making a 100% markup on their decking so want to push you to have as much as possible. Almost all of our original quotes had about 700 sq ft of decking. We easily got it down to about 400.

Those are some of the things to consider. Talk to several companies. They will all have portfolios to look at, you can get quotes, negotiate, and add/remove options as needed.

We went with Supreme Pools as they did the most for the buck and were very good, but there are many good companies out there.

Good luck!

Thank you very much for the detailed and thoughtful response!

You bring up some interesting issues. We like the pebbletech at our friends pool. He said it was a somewhat expensive upgrade, but we liked the "feel" on our feet. I like the color options too.

In terms of decking, I'm pretty partial to flagstone. I'm assuming that is one of the more expensive options?

I love the gradual entry idea, and want a sundeck area too, with maybe 6 to 8 in inches of water in an area where two adults can lay out.

On the water features, rocks, etc, that is where I really want to get a talented designer on board. I see too many pools in Houston that look like they have waterfalls for the sake of having waterfalls. I would REALLY like to make sure that the design features of our pool integrate as seamlessly as possible with the surroundings. We might get weeping rocks, but honestly as much for the sound as for the visual appeal.

And one last question for you - cleaning options? We were at a friends house a couple of weeks ago (HUGE "money no object" house in Memorial) and they had some sort of little robot thing in their pool on a tether. It was actually pretty distracting, easy to bump into, etc. My friend across the street has a system that he was trying to explain to me where little "doo dads" pop up in the bottom of his pool and create a streaming vortex that blows all the gunk into a little trap or something. Sounds science fiction to me, but he didn't have a robot on a tether! Any idea what that is?

Anyway, thanks again for your extensive response! I appreciate your time and your advice!

[StewartG]

Originally Posted by ziembak

My husband and I used Cy Fair Pools. The owner, Scott went through a slideshow of how the whole process works. We did not get an outdoor kitchen and patio cover but we got our pool built from him and were very, very pleased! I know he does outdoor kitchens and patio covers because it's on his website. His name is Scott Crawford, 832-483-2279 and his website is Home.

Thank you, I will check it out!