Let's Build A Pool! - Excavation

Let's Build A Pool!

Part 2:  Excavation 

Monday:

The first scoop!

After we selected Preferred Pool of Houston as our builder, we finalized the design and then signed a contract.  Shortly after, a guy came out and staked out our pool.  It's a little more involved than you think.  My job was to tell him exactly where I wanted the pool and then he went to work with tape measures, sticks, and strings and got it laid out perfectly.  Then we waited.  The majority of a pool build happens in the 1st week, so you need good weather.  We had to wait a few weeks to get a favorable forecast, but during that time the pool company was working on permits and HOA approval.  When we finally did have a clear forecast, Monday morning got off to an early start with the excavation crew.

They come and basically stake the perimeter out again and then go to work.  It's a one day step - which is impressive.  In our case it was one Bobcat, a few other guys, and a constant flow of dump trucks.

It's messy, and loud, but the guys just keep digging deeper and deeper.  They only stopped on the rare occasion that there wasn't a dump truck backed up the driveway....and once when they ran out of diesel.  I helped them syphon some out of one of the trucks.

When they started getting a little deeper they added forms to the top.  I loved seeing the definition start to take shape.

Samantha is also quite excited about what she calls "my pool".  We're obviously going to have to explain things to the child.

They made quite a mess, but they cleaned everything up amazingly well.  The excavation crew worked until after dark but finished up with the entire dig by the end of Monday.

Tuesday:

Tuesday it was the steel guys turn.  It's a completely different crew, because it's a completely different skill set.  These guys showed up a 6:30 Tuesday morning and worked like a well-oiled machine.  They had the pool shaped with rebar in a day.  It's really fascinating to watch them work.

It was a big crew, but they all seemed to be always busy.  This is the one crew that didn't really talk to me.  They never asked me anything and sort of just pretended I wasn't there when I walked outside.  

By the end of the day, the pool was completely formed with rebar and ready for inspection and gunite.

Wednesday:

The city was supposed to inspect the pool on Wednesday (which didn't happen) but the plumbers got to work.  They "stubbed" in all the plumbing.  Basically they just stuck the pipes through the walls wherever they need to be so the pool can be poured.  These are the three LED bubblers that are in the tanning ledge.

This is the spa.  Since it's raised, it's one of the few areas that has pipes actually in the walls.

It didn't take the plumbers too terribly long.  By Wednesday night the pool was ready for gunite - pending inspection.  That's already happened - like I said, a lot happens in the 1st week - but I'll save that for the next post.

Another thing that happened early in the week was we got all of the pool equipment delivered.  It was just stacked up in the driveway.  We live in a gated neighborhood with basically zero crime, but it was bothering me so after a couple days I couldn't take it any longer and moved it to the back.

Turns out we probably could have saved a lot of money and just made the back patio a mud pit.  Samantha was somewhat sad to find that the guys did a phenomenal job of cleaning up at the end of the week.