Strongly considering putting in an inground, gunite pool. Any advice from those who have had a pool put in? (pricing, vs)
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I get what you're saying but I can almost assure you that my husband and I would NEVER use a lap pool or a pool put in strictly to facilitate exercise. We're after an oasis in the back yard, with waterfall and floatie options!
Y'all are my kind of people! My VERY first pool purchase was floats. I was quite serious about my impending aquatic laziness.
One more thing about pool season, for me unheated pool season is four months. I don't do water that's in the 70s, or low 80s. 85 and up is optimal for me. My kids jumped into the pool a little too early in the year, when the water was 75 and instead of cheers I got tears :/
Concur. I'm getting a heat pump installed for ours. We want 86. Something to consider Kathryn...some kind of heater. Since we're in the South and just wanted to keep it heated all the time except for summer and two months in winter, the pool guy suggested the heat pump over the gas heater - which can takes hours and hours to heat the pool.
One more thing about pool season, for me unheated pool season is four months. I don't do water that's in the 70s, or low 80s. 85 and up is optimal for me. My kids jumped into the pool a little too early in the year, when the water was 75 and instead of cheers I got tears :/
I think we're going to have to do two things I hadn't really considered at first (well so far):
1. Install a heater, even though we live in Texas.
2. Cut down two trees instead of one. This will still leave one oak tree in the backyard. We'll still get leaves but not as many. Sigh. That makes me sad but it's a first world problem. "Tree or pool?"
We do have lots of nice trees in our front yard and some smaller trees at the back of the back yard so I guess we'll be OK. But I do want to keep at least one of those oak trees.
At this house, our pool is large, 22 x 45 with a deep end. It has a vinyl liner. I chose a dark blue design because when we lived in CA, word on the street was to use the darkest colors possible to absorb the sunshine and keep the water warmer. I don't know how true that is, but I definitely love the darker blue instead of the light aqua color that my mom's is.
We also have a wooded lot. The leaves only get in the pool in the fall. We have a wonderful leaf net that is lightweight and covers the pool, super easy to scoop the leaves out and pull off when you want to swim.
In spring and fall, I use a solar blanket to warm the pool. I like it warm. I am a baby. We had a heater for our pool in CA and it was so expensive to heat the pool, we rarely used it. My husband also rigged up a solar tubing thing that also heats the water.
Had pools my whole life, never had a pool guy (just dad, me and hubby) or one of those automated pool cleaners, until I bought a Creepy Crawly, which we love, love, love. I don't know how we lived without it.
To all the folks that mentioned yard work then refreshing dive in the pool, amen!
I do swim laps in our pool, also do water aerobics in the shallow end and use the Aqua Jogger exercise equipment in the deep end. And yes, yes, my favorite thing to do is float and read on a hot sunny day. Paradise.
Even in winter, I still sit out at the pool. Enjoy!!!!
As a former "pool guy" I'll share my recommendations based on personal experience.
Paint: NO, NO and NO. It's an awful idea and it will peel over time, just no...
Equipment: Saltwater will be kinder to the pool, the plumbing and the environment (not to mention your skin). Make sure that the size of the filter and pump/motor is correct for the size of the pool. You won't regret an oversized filter in regards to maintenance. Make sure they install a separate vacuum line, it's so much more efficient than going through the skimmer, and you can plug in an automatic cleaner. Stay away from pop up cleaning systems, they're a complete waste of money. A larger heater will be more efficient and heat the pool faster.
Surface: I would highly recommend "Pebble tech" over plaster. Looks better an wears better in my opinion. Skip the tile if you can, it requires maintenance and will develop a calcium line if not taken care of properly. Tile needs to be bead blasted if it calcifies and it's a pain.
The last thing I can think of is to choose your deck material wisely. Flagstone and cooldeck are common, but both wear poorly. I would personally choose stained concrete or something like travertine.
We also have pool fever, but it probably won’t be at our current home.
I watch a couple of shows on tv about building pools, one is on DIY Network and one on Animal Planet. They are building much bigger pools than I will ever see but there’s a lot you can learn from watching them.
There’s also a pool owners website I check out sometimes (TPG), they have a forum where people share photos and the experiences of having their pools built. You can search for ones in your area to get local recommendations.
As a former "pool guy" I'll share my recommendations based on personal experience.
Paint: NO, NO and NO. It's an awful idea and it will peel over time, just no...
Equipment: Saltwater will be kinder to the pool, the plumbing and the environment (not to mention your skin). Make sure that the size of the filter and pump/motor is correct for the size of the pool. You won't regret an oversized filter in regards to maintenance. Make sure they install a separate vacuum line, it's so much more efficient than going through the skimmer, and you can plug in an automatic cleaner. Stay away from pop up cleaning systems, they're a complete waste of money. A larger heater will be more efficient and heat the pool faster.
Surface: I would highly recommend "Pebble tech" over plaster. Looks better an wears better in my opinion. Skip the tile if you can, it requires maintenance and will develop a calcium line if not taken care of properly. Tile needs to be bead blasted if it calcifies and it's a pain.
The last thing I can think of is to choose your deck material wisely. Flagstone and cooldeck are common, but both wear poorly. I would personally choose stained concrete or something like travertine.
Good luck with your new pool!
Thank you - and I have a question. I personally love travertine and we have a roughish version of it in our kitchen. I'm thinking it would need to be rough around the pool to avoid slipping. How is it heat wise? This is HOT Texas and it will be baking in the sun.
Any added risk of skin cancer or having skin age faster by spending a lot of time at the pool? I know a few people that were beach bums and/or pool people and I swear they now look about 10 years older than their true age. I know sunscreen is an option, but it may be hard to keep it applied every hour and every time you're out at the pool. I do good if I remember to put it on my face 2x/week before leaving the house. I look really young and though I didn't plan it, I think not being outdoors a ton probably has something to with it.
Any added risk of skin cancer or having skin age faster by spending a lot of time at the pool? I know a few people that were beach bums and/or pool people and I swear they now look about 10 years older than their true age. I know sunscreen is an option, but it may be hard to keep it applied every hour and every time you're out at the pool. I do good if I remember to put it on my face 2x/week before leaving the house. I look really young and though I didn't plan it, I think not being outdoors a ton probably has something to with it.
We will have to remember to apply sunscreen. I do use it every single day but we'll need to get some that's water proof.
That's another reason why I want to keep at least one tree for partial shade though.
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