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c9pilot

New Pool in Saint Petersburg, FL

c9pilot
13 years ago

Just thought I'd share my new pool build with everyone.

Since I've never been able to figure out the picture thing on Gardenweb, I'm sticking to a blog.

You're all welcome to comment, follow, react, etc!

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to my Pool Build Blog

Comments (18)

  • golfgeek
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    c9pilot,
    Enjoyed your blog. Should be a nice project when it's complete. Hopefully, your PB has experience with the sea wall and ground water conditions that you will run into as excavation begins.
    I'm sure someone here will give you a quick lesson on posting pictures. I've never posted myself. Good luck.

  • c9pilot
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you so much. It's always a bit of a shock to find out someone is actually reading something that I wrote...
    Our PB has worked with our seawall guy quite a bit, and I should say that did have influence on the decision (just added that bit to the blog). And his concrete guy turns out to be the same guy who helped with our home remodel.

    Since you mention it, nothing has happened back there today - they're supposed to be pumping water but the pump appears to be sitting by the fence, right where it was yesterday. The PB keeps suggesting 6' but my hubbie wants 6.5', so it'll be interesting to see how many compromises we end up with.

    Here's the weird story that I can't figure out how to incorporate into the blog yet:
    Our good friends ended up choosing this builder over another one because they had "a sign". Which was: her mom was in Greece researching for a book, and she met a sailboat captain and mentioned that she lived in St Pete, and the sailor mentioned that his son built pools in St Pete, and she replied that her daughter who lived in St Pete was about to build a pool, and of course, it all turned out that the sailor's son was one of the two finalists in their bidding process.

    Anyway, I've tried all the photobucket advice and it never seems to work. I learned a lot when I was remodeling on the Kitchens forum, and always ended up linking my photos. Blogger makes it easy to add photos and links within the text. Since I use Picasa anyway for photo sharing, it's all one login and password to remember.

  • FlowerMoundAggie
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You can post pictures from your Picasa web album with these steps:

    1) Open your Picasa web album and select the picture that you would like to add to this forum.
    2) On right hand side of page, click on the Link to this Photo
    3) Under Embed image, change the Select Size dropdown to Large 800px.
    4) Copy the contents of the Embed image text field
    5) Paste the contents into the Pools and Spas Forum message area.

    Repeat process for each photo that you would like to upload. You can add text between the copied HTML blocks to add commentary for each picture.

    Good luck on the pool!

  • c9pilot
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    From The New Blue Pool

    Appears to work in the preview!

  • c9pilot
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    From The New Blue Pool

    From The New Blue Pool

    Here is a link that might be useful: New Blue Pool blog

  • brentr_gw
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I understand that you may not be installing a pool cage/ screen however now would be a great time to have footers poured in case you do decide to add one in the future. Nats and insects are very bad in Florida and it would be a shame if that hindered the use of your pool. Besides it would keep the pool cleaner.

  • c9pilot
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We do not need cages for bugs in our micro-area because of the prevailing Gulf breezes (also cooler in summer and warmer in winter than surrounding areas), and I intended to ensure that there is setback space to build a cage in the future in case climate change affects our generally bug-free existence (of course, codes change as well, allowing us to build our pool closer to the seawall than every other pool on our street). However to fit our requirements, the pool is in the "water view" easement (15') and I'm not sure if a cage affects "view" (since it's theoretically see-through).
    We have friends on the other side of the city (near Weedon Island preserve) that can't use their pool even with their cage because they don't have no-see-um screen, and those little buggers get in the standard screen. But in my neighborhood, I'd say only about 1/4 of the pools have cages, at best.

  • c9pilot
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Started around 8:15 - first hot steam, then 5000psi shotcrete:

    From The New Blue Pool

    After about one truckful:

    From The New Blue Pool

    And after two truckfuls at around 10:45:

    From The New Blue Pool

    I can hear the third truck prepping out front....

  • c9pilot
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    A few days later, framing removed:

    From The New Blue Pool
    From The New Blue Pool
    From The New Blue Pool

  • braindead
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    beautiful design!

  • c9pilot
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks!
    My PB says it's a "technical" pool, which I gather to mean all the angles have to be just right.
    No work for three days...hope they're not waiting on me to make some tile decision or something.

  • c9pilot
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Visible progress has definitely slowed down...tile guy has been forming a smooth and leveled "cap" on the top edge of the main pool shell and installing the skimmers. Looks like today he's prepping for the waterline tile, but what do I know?

    From The New Blue Pool

  • c9pilot
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Waterline tile!

    From The New Blue Pool

  • Structural_Joe_Hotmail_com
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    What an excellent pool! My wife and I are considering putting a pool in and we are also on the water in St. Pete. Do you happen to know how close can we be to our fence line and to our seawall? Would you recommend your pool installer? Would you be willing to let me know an approximate price for a custom pool such as yours? We are budgeting 18k for the pool and then either a spa or waterfall�

    Thanks, Joe

  • c9pilot
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Joe,
    We are in NS2 zoning so our setbacks are different from everyone else. First make sure you know what zoning your home falls under (can be easily researched from St Pete website). Setbacks are here: stpete.org > "residents" > "permits & zoning" > left blue menu "land development regs" > scroll down to "zoning district regs" and look for yours.
    We're required to have 5' of "green space" measured from the centerline of the seawall cap (ours is 3' wide, so our "green space" is actually 3'6" of "green" and 18" of seawall cap). "Waterfront" is 15' back from your seawall. From that point to your house is "back yard" or "side yard". We need 5' from the property line (fence) on the "side yard".
    If you are on the east side of the city and need a cage, you'll have additional requirements involving your neighbor's view easement and money, of course.
    So, we have 5' "green" or setback, then 3' paver deck, then the pool beam wall on both the seawall side and the fence side. Hope this makes sense.
    Our PB talked us through this and I'd definitely recommend him. He's done several friends' pools and I talked to them at great length and inspected their pools. (I immediately dismissed PBs who didn't know the seawall stuff off the top of their heads because that means they don't have enough experience for me.)
    Also, we just got a new seawall in December (Dan Sapp seawall) and they put in a span beam explicitly for the pool. If you have an older seawall or didn't build in a span beam, you'll probably have to be back 15' because that's where your tieback blocks are.
    Our pool, which is considered "big" for St Pete, was about 3 times your budget. We also have the pool beam wall on the canal side that costs a bit more, but it was the best solution for dealing with the slope of the yard.
    Our pavers and coping are (I think, gotta look) about $5-7K extra than standard concrete pavers, so that was one of our splurges, but I love them and I am just so tired of concrete pavers that I was dreading that part of the project (not anymore). My PB says that the shotcrete was probably $4-5K more cost to him than gunite would have been. If you have time, read through the first couple of blog posts because I discuss a lot of these things with more detail (except exact costs).
    I think you'll end up at least 50% more to get a decent pool (we're at 30% over the basic advertised pool that you see in the HomeMag). Your spa will cost $6-8K additional to the pool basic. Unless you get a drop-in fiberglass pool (which I don't recommend in our sun, having been scratched by those pools), every pool is "custom" so don't let the terminology fool you. The construction is basically the same process, so it doesn't really matter what shape it is.
    Let me know if you have any more questions.
    If you want to contact me off forum, please email me at:
    (mygardenwebusername)@hotmail.com
    Good luck!
    Lisa

    Here is a link that might be useful: My Boring Blue Pool Blog

  • c9pilot
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey everyone!
    I finally got caught up on my pool blog from a disastrous Spring Break (disastrous on many levels, not just the pool issues).
    I haven't updated the last few days because I've been trying to fill in.
    But I did add a feature I called 'Progress in Pictures' where I've been trying to take a wide shot from the same exact spot in the yard, so if you scroll down through the pictures, you can see the whole thing evolve.

    I'm having trouble getting this to post and I don't know if it's me or a GW problem...so here is the link:
    http://thenewbluepool.blogspot.com/p/progress-in-pictures.html
    Or just click on the "Progress in Pictures" tab on the top bar of my blog that is linked in the above post.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Progress in Pictures

  • PhenomPools
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you for sharing this. Your pool looks like it is going to be fantastic!

    Would you please post pictures of the final project when the pool is finished? I am a content writer for Doheny's Water Warehouse, an online retailer of discount pool supplies. I am writing an article about phenomenal pools and their design, placement and architecture. I think your pool would be a great addition to the article.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Pool Supplies

  • poolguynj
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Phenom,

    Don't put the link in future postings unless they are specifically addressing the thread. We consider that to be Spamming and it is not permitted. That is free loading. GW will be happy to sell you ad impressions.

    I have seen Doheny's catalogs in the past. The only content is products for sale. Seems to be a duplicate of In The Swim's product catalog with a different name on the cover.

    Scott

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