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I am building a new home at the moment and am putting in a pool at the same time. This will be my first time owning a pool and I am trying to understand what I should preemptively consider/buy now during this process. We have to use the pool company the builder has contracted with in order to have it done by close. Of course those prices are higher, so I am trying to get the most for my money. I know I could go with another pool builder, but honestly I don't want to deal with the hassle/mess afterwords! Here are a few questions I need help with:
Is it easy to add on a wireless remote control for the pool? The one they are trying to give me has a price tag of over $2k. I've seen the eaxct same one online for about $600.
Adding in a screen footer. We will not be getting a screen put over the pool at this time as we are overlooking a lake and have a nice wide open view. The pool guy has indicated that we put in the screen footer now so that its ready incase we add it in later. Thats about 1300. Is that a good price? I dont understand what is involved in this process to know otherwise.
What kind of decking would you reccomend? I was just going to continue with the brick pavers we are using under the lanai as it is pretty massive in and of itself.
We won't get out yard fenced in- aluminum fence per the HOA- until after close, but in order to meet code we need to have the child safety fence put up, which is about 130 linear feet in to cover our pool. Thats pretty massive to have to store around after the fence and other controls are put in. What do other people do with these massive fences when they are not in use?
It was indicated on our paperwork that if we wanted our in floor cleaning system to work while we are in the spa, we will nedd to add an auxillary pump. Do I need to add this? Our spa will spill over into the swimming pool as a water effect when it is on. So it is necessary for the in floor system to be cleaning CONSTANTLY or when you are entertaining or sitting in the spa, its OK for it not to be "cleaning"
I think we will want to add solar panels later to heat up the pool. Is that a complicated process of digging and tearing up pavers to do? Does anyone know of a way to "preplumb" for solar panels in the future?
Sorry so many questions! I can't tell you how many times I heard during this process that it's better to "have it down now, instead of after you close", so the lines start to blur between really the truth and the eagerness to sell someone for commissions sake!
I don't know enough about where you will be, the kind of pool, etc but it sounds like you are boxed into whatever the builder offers and the HOA allows. FL is like that.
Only suggestion is that you go ahead and have the pool screened in and enclosed. Technically that might meet the fencing requirements until you get the other fence in.
Also in FL you learn to live with nature and nature's critters. The screened room will help keep frogs, snakes, insects, etc out. Although I still get snakes in mine on occasion and have learned to skim them out and pitch them down the road.
And I never trust a body of water, especially in the spring during mating season. Gators and snakes travel.
Thanks for your reply! Unfortunately, we don't know if we will actually want the screen or not. We want to give it a go without the screen for a couple of years to see how it all shakes out.
Also another major consideration in NOT screening is mossies and racoons. Racoons are especially nasty as they will cleanse & consume their evenings meal in your pool and then defecate when they're done, usually on the top step and you wake daily to find a nasty surprise that stains your steps with vegetation tannin on top of deterring you from using your pool.. The mere fact that ALL pests have an easy water source makes it a free for all at your displeasure especially in the dry season.
I'm not sure what screen footer you're speaking of? The deck should have more then enough of a foundation that doesn't require anything additional to support the weight of the screen enclosure with the exception of the pavers you referred to.. Which brings up that choice, I highly recommend that you not have pavers around your pool. If you ever develop a leak (and you will in Florida eventually) it has a very good chance of undermining your expensive pavers and since the pool was dug out & back filled it is more then likely it can never be tamped in well enough to prevent future undermining, sagging and just plain nasty looking future results..
Stamped concrete is nice but can be very slippery when wet, I prefer a nice natural river rock myself as it requires little maintenance, looks natural, is durable and not so slippery but you have to weigh against cost as it's a bit more pricey but IMO you'll recover that cost by not requiring years of maintenance for it to look nice and it never really goes out of fashion like some other choices eventually do..
There is also the dirt factor when it comes to pavers, they are supported by fine sand and there is no way to prevent that sand from continually getting into your pool even with a screen obviously especially initially, so nothing but headaches there too, but primarily the undermining is your primary concern, rain water will also contribute greatly to that issue as it finds the smallest place to drain to and soon you'll have an entire section caving in and can never be adequately repaired in the future.
Solar paneling does not require anything special in preparation in terms of underground plumbing, on the contrary it would be counter productive to have solar plumbing under ground as the heat would dissipate before it got to your pool due too much underground plumbing cooling it off. It already has to pump through to the pool from the equipment, they can install 2 pipes exiting vertically and in an "H" pattern loop coming from the filter with valves to shut it off or just cap it for the moment for a future solar panel install..
I see NO reasoning for your floor cleaning system to run while you use your spa it doesn't need that much cleaning, what type of floor cleaning system is it? Personally I'd not even spend the extra cash for that and instead have wall returns put in which will work better to keep surface debris out of the pool before it even sinks (think about it, nearly everything floats for a period of time so removing it before it sinks is a better way to go) thus keeping the entire pool cleaner in combination with a pool vac. It's far less expensive, it will clean your pool ten times better also removing debris your floor system will not, requires less expensive upkeep over time and be more easily repaired or replaced in the future when needed (Note i did mention a specific cleaner I do NOT recommend Barracuda or Kreepy Krauly the hammering action of these cleaners in order for them to move is an almost certain future pipe fracture).. Think about it, you have a permanent system in your pool there for the life of it? Is it practical to expect it will always be functional and what will you do when it no longer is or parts are no longer available for it because the model is outdated? Floor returns are very complicated plumbing and the more you have in your pool the more likely of a future fracture even laid into concrete and that's massive potential problems and costs to repair as it's 90% under the pool..
So now more questions for you, I hope I answered some of your current questions but probably inspired more concerns as well..
BTW my answers are based on more then 30 years of every aspect of swimming pool maintenance, repair and construction of some of the highest end, award winning pools in Florida, literally numbered in the thousands, so you can take it however you'd like to and do with how you feel's best, it's free advice I should be and normally do charge for..
My opinions are just based on that experience and some may see it differently I expect some will, you've asked questions that are as much about preference as anything else so a multitude of recommendations is probably forthcoming further complicating your choices.. Good luck!
Oh! You can add on a remote, post build without too much difficulty they are designed for after installs and upgrades too as long as a panel is not required in your home, if it is, have it at least pre-wired and/or a proper conduit installed to wire it in the future from your equipment to the location of your choice.. For future reference and edification the term for any pre-wiring or pre-plumbing as in the case of your solar system is "stubbed up"..
JFYI Your spa spilling over when it is on is going to be counterproductive as it will be pumping cold water in from the pool cooling it off in order to over-fill the spa, when you'd like for it to be heating up so not sure about the details there?
Last edited by HomesickFloridian; 02-12-2013 at 08:13 AM..
Thank you so much for your advice! My husband and I are truly at a crossroads with the screen issue and we just want to try it out, without the screen at first. I have read detailed accounts about raccoons and such, and I am prepared to deal with it as it comes and if the screen is then needed, we would also be prepared to put one up. As far as the Screen Footer, the guy told me that we should put in the footer now so that it would be "screen ready" if we decided to put in the screen as all we have it an empty lot at the deck would go around the pool, and if we use the pavers, well, you can't anchor anything right into the pavers, right? i was also considering putting up a pergola over the spa down the line and a "footer" would also need to be put in now for that.
I did speak with someone in my office today as I know they had added solar panels after the fact and he explained about how the water would get to the panels, so that made sense that nothing special would need to be done before hand but the pool guy said he could "pre-plump" for solar heating. Not really sure what that means in his book, but I guess I will find out when I talk to him next time.
The in floor cleaning system seems nice enough, but I will need to do a little more research on this I suppose. I just don't know enough about pools to really know any better! The system is called Careraker by Jandy. It uses water pressure to keep the floor clean and is installed flush with the pool floor/steps/benches. From what I read at least it seems to be good and of course, mixed reviews about anything you read about regardless.
Don't do pavers, get the stamped concrete and you can put a non slip finish on it. It's cleaner, and easier to maintain. If you leave your home for more than a few hours at a time, you're going to want the screens. If you want to use the pool at night you're going to want the screens, and get the fine "no-see-um" screen. The screen enclosure is also considered a fence. You can put the remote and solar heat on at any time with a minimum of trouble.
Thank you so much for your advice! My husband and I are truly at a crossroads with the screen issue and we just want to try it out, without the screen at first. I have read detailed accounts about raccoons and such, and I am prepared to deal with it as it comes and if the screen is then needed, we would also be prepared to put one up. As far as the Screen Footer, the guy told me that we should put in the footer now so that it would be "screen ready" if we decided to put in the screen as all we have it an empty lot at the deck would go around the pool, and if we use the pavers, well, you can't anchor anything right into the pavers, right? i was also considering putting up a pergola over the spa down the line and a "footer" would also need to be put in now for that.
I did speak with someone in my office today as I know they had added solar panels after the fact and he explained about how the water would get to the panels, so that made sense that nothing special would need to be done before hand but the pool guy said he could "pre-plump" for solar heating. Not really sure what that means in his book, but I guess I will find out when I talk to him next time.
The in floor cleaning system seems nice enough, but I will need to do a little more research on this I suppose. I just don't know enough about pools to really know any better! The system is called Careraker by Jandy. It uses water pressure to keep the floor clean and is installed flush with the pool floor/steps/benches. From what I read at least it seems to be good and of course, mixed reviews about anything you read about regardless.
Yes I'm familiar with the Caretaker system, been around for years and is one of the ones I'm referring to in my previous post, as a rule I don't like to bash companies products but I have never liked these systems as a maintenance tech the valve that changes the zones are quite complicated and potentially expensive to repair and it's only recently owned by Jandy, the pool vac I'm recommending is also made by Jandy and IMO it's a much better system for the price so I take away on one hand and give back in the other.. Of course for the builder there is a larger mark up in the Caretaker but down the road post warrantee is when YOU get the shaft so to speak..
A major shortcoming of the caretaker is that it does not actually REMOVE any debris or dirt from your pool it just moves it around and in the case of dirt eventually removes some through the main drain but not larger debris and more over in order for it to do it's best work you have to reduce the skimmer flow and divert more to the main drain so that you end up getting more floating and sinking debris in your pool that you have to remove with a net. If in deed you do not have a screen you'll find this to be a bit of a PITA, this system works best with a screen, while the pool vac does remove it no matter what..
As for the solar, I explained that to you already, they will "stub up" (pre-plumb)the necessary pipes at the system for a future installation..
You'll kick yourself later if you don't get the screen now. Seriously. You're going to be out skimming and cleaning the pool ALL THE TIME.
I mention it again just to try to help. At least you can't say, "If only someone had strongly warned me to get the screen! I wouldn't have to deal with all this!"
Best of luck, either way.
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