Lisa Johnson's House and Home - Articles on Home, Family, and Living

Lisa Johnson on Buying a New Swimming Pool

Chapter 6: Beginning Construction on our Swimming Pool

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October 1, 2003

Just a week before construction began, we were introduced to the project manager.   He took measurements of the yard, and drew an outline of the pool and spa on the ground.

When construction started, the first thing they did was dig the hole.   They brought in a back hoe and spent the whole day digging.   They also dug out ditches where the plumbing lines would run.  All the major digging was completed that day.

Over the next couple weeks, workers would come in to lay rebar in the pool and spa, and lay pipes for the plumbing.

It was at this time, we were introduced to a general contractor hired by the Mission Pools.   He wasn't employed by Mission Pools, but maintains a close relationship with them to do any construction not directly related to pool construction.   He would oversee construction of the patio cover, the retaining wall, the concrete deck, the deck drains, the wrought iron fence, the flagstone coping, and the built-in barbecue base.   In addition, he would eventually bring in a landscaper to put in the trees, plants, and the sprinkler lines.

Once the plumbing and rebar was set, they came in to apply the gunite.   Gunite looks very much like concrete, but is supposed to be better suited for swimming pools.   It forms the walls and floor of the pool and spa.   Once it was applied, the project manager directed us to water the gunite three times each day, over the next several weeks.   This was needed to ensure the gunite did not dry too fast.   If it dried too fast, it would crack.   By the way, when we signed the contract with Mission Pools, they made us sign an agreement that if we did not water the gunite as directed, it would void the warrantee.  So, Steve watered the gunite three times each day, for the duration specified.

The next step was to construct the waterfall.  Our waterfall is comprised of a bunch of boulders strategically placed to create an interesting water feature that produced a lot of "water trickle" noise.   There were also several other boulders placed around the pool and spa.

After the boulders were placed, the general contractor came in to begin their work.   Mission Pools pretty much stopped its work, until the general contractor completed most of his work.   It wasn't until after he got the concrete deck poured, flagstone coping laid, the retaining wall built, the built-in barbecue built, the deck drains installed, and the sprinkler lines installed, that Mission Pools resumed their work.

We had picked out the flagstone material that would be used for the pool coping, before construction began.   However, the general contractor advised us that the flagstone we chose, which was sandstone based, was not a good choice, because it erodes very easily.   He drove us to a rock yard and showed us a quartz based flagstone which looked very pretty, and cost the same.   He said this stuff would last forever.   He also advised us on various concrete choices, namely colored conrete, concrete stamping, or sandblast finishing.   We just opted for the basic grey.

Mission Pools then brought in the pool equipment which consisted of the pumps, filter, heater, and chlorinator.  

Next, they brought in a sub-contractor to apply the Pebble Tec (Pebbletec).   Pebble Tec is an alternative to pool plaster.   Traditionally, they would apply standard white plaster over the gunite which gives the pool walls and floor a smooth finish.   Pebble Tec is like standard pool plaster, except that it has actual pebbles embedded into the plaster, so that it gives your pool a little bit more "natural" look.   At first we thought that it might be rough on the feet, but it's surprisingly comfortable.  You can also get Pebble Tec in various colors.   We chose "Tahoe Blue".

Once the Pebble Tec dried and set, we were advised to start filling the pool with water.   They hooked up our pool fill line to our back yard water faucet.   There is actually a second handle on the faucet that opens up the pool fill, and another handle for just the faucet itself.   The pool and spa are connected pipe that ensure both have the same water level.   So, filling the pool causes the spa to fill also.   With 544 combined sq ft. of water area, it took a few days to fill them both up.

The general contractor came back in to finish up his work by building the patio cover, the wrought iron fence, and the landscaping.

The last thing Mission Pools did was install the "mastic expansion joint".   This is kinda like liquid rubber that is squirted in between the flagstone coping and the concrete deck.   When the general contractor laid the coping and the deck, he left a gap of about one inch between the two.   This space allows the ground surface to move a little.   If there was no space, the coping and the concrete deck could apply pressure against each other, and may put cracks in the concrete.   The "mastic" is placed into this gap to act as a "rubber bumper".

Next > Chapter 7 - On going Maintenance

Suggested Links

·  National Swimming Pool Foundation

·  Swimming Pool Energy Costs

·  PoolSpa WebCenter

·  Leslie's Swimming Pool Supplies

·  Swimming Pool Buyer Beware