Here is the starter swimming pool at our house.
The original plan was to provide some inexpensive fun for the grandchildren but then Carol and I got hooked.
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Here is the starter swimming pool at our house. The original plan was to provide some inexpensive fun for the grandchildren but then Carol and I got hooked. $$$$$ |
We begin the planning process by drawing an outline for the proposed pool. Carol is already deciding where the deck chairs will go. The joke is that a boat is simply a hole in the water into which the owner pours money. Well, it seems that pools are like that too. |
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Naturally, the Bobcat's first casualty is our telephone line. |
The following week the phone company makes this questionable looking patch but the phones do work again. |
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The first bobcat with wheels kept getting stuck so they switched to this model with treads. |
| Finally the excavation is finished on a Friday afternoon. The top six feet were sand and the bottom 2 feet at the deep end were clay. |  |
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The following Monday the workers found the sand walls were collapsing leaving the frame hanging in air. They spray concrete to try and stabilize the walls. |
| Trenches are dug in the bottom for the plumbing system. |  |
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Looks complicated to me. What are the chances this will all work? |
| Rebar is brought in to build the steel reinforcement for the concrete floor and walls. |  |
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The steel cage starts to take shape. Note the white PVC pipes on the right foreground of the picture. |
| The temporary gunite spray did not hold the walls for long. This cave in has bent the steel cage and some of the plumbing. Makes me wonder about the integrity of the plumbing lines. |  |
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Steel and plumbing have been pushed back and the gunite starts in earnest. |
| Note the thickness of the walls. Certainly looks like it would be difficult to repair any plumbing problems. |  |
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The middle vehicle is just a big truck mounted air compressor for the gunite process. |
| Work stops while we have a bit of winter. |  |
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Carol consulting with the construction supervisor. Shell has been completed. |
| Setting tiles and tamping the deck area. |  |
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Carol used flour to layout the walkway. |
| Deck is being poured and smoothed. |  |
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Backyard wall with garage beyond. |
| Peeling off the stucco covering on the adobe wall in our back yard. |  |
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Wall cut continuing. Blossoms are on our crab apple tree. |
| Wall after cut through to the new walkway. |  |
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Close up of the adobe wall cut. Now the existing lean of the wall is more apparent. Pool equipment has been installed on an adjacent pad. |
| Deck has been color coated and some landscaping started. |  |
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Special cleats worn to do the plastering. |
Pumping out the plaster. |
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Carol got to place the tiles on the steps to her liking. |
| The plasterers were a Navajo father-son team plus a couple of helpers. |  |
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A historic moment, starting to fill the pool 4-22-04. Carol is pulling out some wind blown debris. |
| Almost filled. It eventually took 42 hours. |  |
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Early morning hot air balloons over the pool. |
| This is the poor man's solar hot water while we are waiting for the gas line to be hooked up to the pool heater. Our well water came out of the ground at 63o F. |  |
The pool is essentially finished and just waiting to warm up before we get in. Note that the black lump at the back right corner of the pool is our Labrador also waiting his turn. See him move with a mouse over!