Expert Advice for your Lawn & Garden TV Host of Today's Homeowner® and home expert for The Weather ChannelToday's Homeowner Published 08/20/2006 by Danny Lipford
Originally Aired: 05/15 – 05/21/06
In this episode, we’re following a project that adds a pool to a small space and creates a wonderful outdoor entertainment area.
Like any home improvement project, some of the best time spent is during the planning and design stage. Very often the space available will dictate the size and shape of the pool but other decisions such as the depth of the pool and the minimum distance the pool must be from the home, may involve local building codes and restrictions. Other items to consider include decking around the pool, any landscaping you envision around the perimeter, whether you’ll need an irrigation system for the landscaping and furniture and entertainment options. A landscape architect can be a huge help when it comes to making these decisions.
Once the digging begins it can be tough to watch because it creates such a mess. During the excavation process all landscaping is completely removed and you’re left with dirt and mud. This particular yard represented 15 years of landscaping projects so there were plenty of trees, bushes and other plants to remove. In addition, a portion of the retaining wall at the back of the yard had to come out and a temporary road built through the wooded area behind the house to create access for the heavy equipment.
Using the drawings that our architect Jim provided, the pool contractor, Mike Whittington, began mapping out the shape of the pool. Flexible form boards served as guide posts for the beginning of excavation. Operating the large track hoe in close quarters was a challenging job because just the right amount of dirt had to be removed without collapsing the sides or hitting the house in the process. The more detailed sculpting of the walls and pool bottom was done by hand. Mike’s crew used a plywood template to be sure that the wall-to-bottom transition was consistent throughout the pool. When the depth and shape were right the crew prepare for the concrete by laying out a grid of steel rebar and tying it all together. This reinforced the surfaces and prevented cracking. The specially formulated concrete arrived by truck and was transferred into a pump which pushed it through a large hose, up the hill and into the back yard. The nozzle at the end of the hose added compressed air to the mix creating a spray of concrete called Shot-crete. Each area was built up slowly to the proper thickness before the finishers took over to shape the concrete shell for the pool.
At this point some of the features of the pool could be see like the swim up steps that will be perfect to swim up to and step out or just to sit and relax on and the beginnings of a water feature. The next step was the tile installation around the top of the pool. The tiles were held in place with mastic while a temporary board attached to the wall kept the tiles perfectly straight and prevented them from slipping until the mastic dried. When the tile was dry, grout was applied to complete the finished look. Meanwhile, the plumbing and pool filter were installed as were the footings for the retaining wall behind the pool and the water feature. The pool deck itself was also poured. When the concrete deck was dry we used a circular saw with a masonry blade to cut a pattern into the surface, giving the expanse of concrete a little bit of character. Speaking of character…the bright blue plaster used to smooth the pool walls certainly had plenty of that. The bright blue color was a little scary at first but it dried to a softened tone. After a thorough poll deck cleaning we applied an acid stain to the concrete to transform the surface from a plain grey to a warm texture.
The completion of the landscaping around the pool really made a difference especially once accented with outdoor lighting and a few speakers that blend right into the scenery. The sound of the little waterfall feature is certainly relaxing and the arbor we added created a nice shady focal point. Now the homeowners can walk out the back door and feel like they’re on vacation.
Of course if you’re looking for a less expensive option you might consider a vinyl or fiberglass pool. Vinyl pools are excavated in much the same way as concrete pools but instead of spraying on concrete, the sculpted earth is covered with a dry mix of sand and mortar which is wet in place and then smoothed out with a trowel. The vertical walls of this style pool are constructed from another material like aluminum or treated wood, depending on the system being used, and covered with a pad to protect the vinyl liner. The upper rim of the pool contains a channel where the vinyl liner is attached. These pools are typically about half the cost of a concrete pool but the shapes are limited to those provided by the manufacturer.
For a slightly more expensive option there’s the fiberglass pool. These pools are completely prefabricated before they arrive at a site and the installation is usually quick because they are simply lifted off the truck and set in place. This pool is a great option but the logistics of delivery may limit the locations where it can be installed or have a big impact on the total cost.
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