9.06.2011

We got a pool.

Yeah, you read that correctly - We Got A Pool!

We had researched it for a while, thought and talked about it for even longer and we finally decided to do it! From the first day of digging, we had a pool in 4 1/2 weeks!  It was a huge project, lots to think about: how tall of a fence was required, what do we do with the existing one, what trees come out, where does the playset go, where will the pool go, what size, what shape, how much concrete decking do we want and where does it go, what type of pool, what steps, what color, how do we fill it up,.......i could go on and on.

I tried to document it throughout the process.
Here we are, our backyard before it all began.


We had to knock down a few shade trees: this was the view.....

Hello Sun!!

The next step was digging!  Jaden sat in a chair and watched for half an hour like he was watching cartoons.  did.not.move.

you can't tell, but he ran and put on his "excavator" tshirt

They dug into the ground about 6 inches and that was all the dirt they got.  They pounded for the next 6 hours on pure rock!  Huge boulders and a MASS amount of slate rock!


Finally the crater was formed!
The kids enjoying the "deep end"
 
The tiny little circle in the back is Jaden's head.

The next step was to haul in 8 dump truck loads of fill dirt.  They filled back in the crater and then re-dug the pool so to get a clean shape.

Then the walls went up.  We were really starting to visualize it now!!

Once the walls and steps went up they poured concrete around the sides to hold in place and then once again filled in all around with fill dirt.

We chose to do 2 main steps in lieu of the ladder.  I personally didn't like hoisting myself out of a deep end, so this way you can just gradually walk out.  It also provides nice spots to sit.



Next came the vermiculite bottom, which formed up the bottom of the pool.  We decided to extend our shallow end to make it larger and only go to 6 1/2 feet for the deep end.

 Next was pouring the concrete decking.  We decided to have our pool come level with our existing patio (the portion of the brick and back towards the house).  The decking was poured at a slight angle to direct water to the drain which lies between the decking and the brick border.  We also added an area to the right for extended space.


Next the liner went in.  We chose a tile mosaic but without the border that most pools have.  The liner is the same on the sides as everywhere else in the pool.

Then it was time to fill a pool that held 22,000 gallons of water!  We opted not to test our well, so we hauled in 18,000 gallons and topped off with the well.

Here are the deep end steps - blue to match the liner.


 And here is the fella who dreamed, coordinated and made most of the decisions enjoying it all!

and the excited little kiddos who we hope will have many years of pool parties, friends, swimming, cookouts to come!










9 comments:

  1. I really can't believe it!! But I'm so excited... sure hope it's still open when we get there or else a certain 3 year old will be disappointed. :)

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  2. oh looks so fun!!! Congrats!!!

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  3. ooooooh, purty blue! so fun!

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  4. wow joy!!! how fun and exciting. it looks great. looking forward to trying it out next summer :)

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  5. Wow! That's amazing! Looks like y'all have lots of fun times ahead!!

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  6. Stella...30009/07/2011 1:31 PM

    love love love it. your family will make so many memories. love the pic of skylar jumping in and it looks like Sean has found his new spot after a hard day at work. enjoy, you guys deserve it!

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  7. that is beautiful and looks like so much fun!!! can't wait until next summer!!

    Holly

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  8. Joy, This is GREAT! Love that you showed us *step by step* how it was done! I know the kids are SOOOO excited. LOVE things that will keep the children at YOUR house as they grow! Good job parents!

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