Let's Build A Pool! Part 8: Cleaning and Decking

Let's Build A Pool!

Part 8:  Cleaning and Decking

We were out of town for a few weeks and a lot happened in our backyard while we were gone.  One promising action was that the pool got drained and cleaned out. The reason it's promising is that it's usually a sign that plaster is coming soon.  

Our hole in the ground had looked like a toxic dump for months but two guys came in and drained and cleaned it out in a day.  The only thing left in there were frogs (one of the guys told me he was afraid of them - probably why they left them in there).

Nel admiring the bottom of the pool - something none of us had seen for some time.  Sadly, it's already full of black water again and not plastered.  Rain has wreaked havoc on the pool companies schedule and our backyard this week.

Some small items got taken care of as well.  The gas and electric lines for the outdoor kitchen have been run.

The plumber came out and 'plumbed' the gas line for the fire pit.  Unfortunately he had to tear part of it up to do it.  It's already been fixed and looks good as new.

The stone guys also did some work on the waterfall.  It's never looked quite right so they keep adding pieces to make it look more "natural". 

They added some rocks to both sides to soften the edges up and make it look like it's integrated into the spa.  They also added rocks to the back side so I can reach high enough to light the fire features on top.

They also grouted all the stack stone to match what they had done on the fire pit.  I think it looks much better like this.

The biggest transformation to occur during our absence was the addition of the spraydeck.  First thing they did was pressure wash everything.

It's a multi-step process.  They float what they need to and then spray on this material and trowel it to whatever texture you want.  They tape off everything very carefully to protect surfaces.

You might notice that the beds have been cleaned out.  I'll cover landscaping in the next post.

Next they come out and coat it with the color finish we selected.  We went with something called "California Smoke".  It's probably going to cost more than some other colors in the long run and everything you drop on it will roll to the left and start a protest march, but it's a good contrast to our travertine.

Coming home to the decking being finished (almost - we still have work to do in the dry seating area) was great.  The landscaping is in now and it makes a world of difference.  I'll hit that one next time.