Akita Pool

[EddieWalker]

Eddie,
Were the posts real cedar (like a pine tree) or what we wrongly call cedar in Texas (Mountain Juniper)?

Were the posts the whole tree, maybe with just the bark pealed?

If it was juniper and nearly the whole tree, I think you had the sapwood rot away leaving just the rot-resistant heartwood. Saw it with fence posts growing up.

Usually, the layer of sapwood is fairly thin on Mt. Juniper but I think if it grew in favorable conditions the sapwood gets thicker.

I never did any research before, but since you asked, I just did and it looks like what I've been calling a cedar tree, is actually an Ashe Juniper tree.

 

[bindian]

Eastern Red Cedar heartwood won't rot. At least I haven't lived long enough to see the heartwood rot.
hugs, Brandi

 

[clemsonfor]

So many distractions have come up that I haven't had any time to do anything on this until yesterday. The biggest motivation to start this project was that the current cedar posts for the porch where rotting out. I put them in the ground back in 2005 and started noticing rot after a few years. I though they where ready to fail, and thought that if I didn't get them out now, the porch would fall over during a thunderstorm in the Winter or Spring.

After taking apart the porch, I jacked these posts out of the ground to find very solid wood in the ground. I don't know if the outer layer just rots away and that's that, or if the rot would continue like it has and eventually fail. I was surprised by this.

View attachment 523344

This morning I woke up planning to get more work done, but my wife was sick and very dehydrated, so we went to the hospital instead. She is doing better, the IV did wonders for her and for the first time in two days, she is able to sleep. I did all her chores today, and went to the feed store. Maybe next weekend I'll be more productive.

cedar rots on the outside, the heart stays good almost indefinitely! but they will loosen in the hole as the diameter shrinks from rot

 

[EddieWalker]

I drilled the rebar into my existing porch and also into the house foundation. I also drilled holes for it into the sides of the blocks so it would end in the middle of the block. Since the bock is 16 inches long, I went with one piece of 3/8's or #3 rebar in every other opening of the block, which gave me a nice 16 inch grid. Big enough to walk through and keep the rebar in the air on chairs.

The rebar and forms have been done for quite awhile, but the weather hasn't been good. To get to where the cement truck needed to be, I had to make sure the ground was dry. Rain kept messing that up, but fortunately it's been dry for a couple of weeks and the ground is nice and solid.

4 yards is the minimum, and I used up every bit of it. My measurements put me at 3.2 yards. The rest I wanted to fill as many blocks as I could. That turned out to be both a good idea, because it's another step forward, but also a horrible idea, because of the effort it took to do this on my own.

Now to focus on the house and getting the porch built before winter gets here.

 

[Bird]

Looks like lots of work, Eddie.

 

[forgeblast]

Coming right along!

 

[EddieWalker]

Winter got in the way, and then we found out my wife had colon cancer, so that has been keeping us busy, but she is doing better now and I'm back to work on the Akita Pool.

I finished filling in all the blocks with concrete, grinding all my seems down and then sealing all my inside corners. Matsu is the most curious, and always the first to see what's going on.





Then after a lot of reading, asking for advice, and calling manufactueres, I decided on RedGard to seal the block. That was my original plan when I started this project, but the more I asked, the more options I learned about, and then dismissed for a variety of reasons. Cost, complications installing, Cost, lack of support from the manufacturer, Cost and availability.

First coat of RedGard was brushed on every seam. I put it on fairly thick, but more importantly, getting it into every crevice. Then the next day, I used a paint roller with a 1/2 inch nap to roll it on over every square inch, including what was already done the day before.

This morning we put the hose in there and started to fill it up. Of course, Matsu was the only one to see what was going on, and get his toes wet.

 

[hawkeye08]

Nice! Just in time for cooling off this summer

 

[Budweiser John]

Hey Eddie, thanks for the up date. Just the other day while Surfing TBN I thought about that project.
Very interested in how the Red Guard works. Around here, some tile guys are using Red Guard over common drywall in showers. Being old school, i’m Having trouble getting my head wrapped around that concept.
Good to hear the wife is doing well.
B. John

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Winter got in the way, and then we found out my wife had colon cancer, so that has been keeping us busy, but she is doing better now and I'm back to work on the Akita Pool.

I finished filling in all the blocks with concrete, grinding all my seems down and then sealing all my inside corners. Matsu is the most curious, and always the first to see what's going on.


View attachment 561066


Then after a lot of reading, asking for advice, and calling manufactueres, I decided on RedGard to seal the block. That was my original plan when I started this project, but the more I asked, the more options I learned about, and then dismissed for a variety of reasons. Cost, complications installing, Cost, lack of support from the manufacturer, Cost and availability.

First coat of RedGard was brushed on every seam. I put it on fairly thick, but more importantly, getting it into every crevice. Then the next day, I used a paint roller with a 1/2 inch nap to roll it on over every square inch, including what was already done the day before.

This morning we put the hose in there and started to fill it up. Of course, Matsu was the only one to see what was going on, and get his toes wet.


View attachment 561067

View attachment 561068

All that concrete grinding got you a bit dirty there my friend....but your dog still loves you.

Glad to hear the wifey is better and the pool is coming along.

 

[s219]

Cool, thanks for the update. I am also curious to know how the Red Guard works and holds up. My wife and daughter have been bugging me for a pool....

 

[dragoneggs]

Thanks for the update, Eddie. Looking good!

I’ve used red guard on my new shower enclosure over cement board and a couple other tile projects. I like how easy it is to apply and the color helps indicate good coverage.

 

[EddieWalker]

I filled up the pool for the 4th to see if there where any leaks, and of course, to get in it and see how it is.

There is a leak. It's a pin hole that is shooting out water between the blocks. Every seam got two coats of RedGard, so I'll have to see what's going on there when I drain it. I'll probably put on another coat after sealing that leak, and then go to plaster for the next layer of water proofing.

I was unsure how small it would feel when building it. The goal was to have a place for my wife and I to relax and cool off, but also for grand kids to play and have fun, and maybe even get the dogs to come in and cool off too. The dogs are using it as a water bowl. Only one has put his feet in it, and seems unsure of it. I think that will change with time, but either way, it's always an option for them if they want to go in it.

I put out two blow up rafts to lay on, and we had five adults and one 2 year old in it with plenty of room. The stairs have proven to be the best part of the pool. Warren, my grandson, just loves to run along them, and splash in the water, then go down another step where it's a little deeper, and the climb back up again. Over and over again!!!

We'll enjoy it this weekend, and then Sunday night, I'll drain it to work on the leak and get ready for plaster and then tile.

 

[dragoneggs]

And I thought it was primarily for the dogs... I knew the purpose would be altered come summer! Looking good.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Hey... if it turns out really nice, I'd call it the "Eddie Pool"...:thumbsup:

 

[EddieWalker]

Update on the Redgard. It faded quite a bit when under water, but it's still on there. I found a couple of leaks that I plugged with some blue gasket sealer because that's what I had on the shelf, and it worked great!!! I also added a couple sacks of leveler to get it to drain better. That far left corner was holding water after emptying the pool, and I wanted to fix that before the tile went on.

I'm using a special thinset mortar made by Ardex that is called X-77. I think that I need 3 1/2 sacks, so I ordered five. They are $50 each and they are coming from Europe. I guess England from what I saw on their website, but I'm not sure. It's taking a very long time for it to get here. Because of the blocks being used for the walls, I wanted the very best thinset that there is. I believe this is it.



While waiting for the thinset to get here, I've been working on building the new porch. Originally it was 9x12, which was fine for protecting the door, but terrible as a place to hang out. The new porch is 16x24, which is as big as I could make it and have it all fit together. Over my posts, I ran three 2x8x24 to creat a beam. Then I ran 2x8x16 from the house to the top of the beam for my joists. My rafters are 2x6's cut to fit, and there is a L beam at the center of the span made from a 2x6x24 on the flat and a 2x8x24 on the edge. I then added 2x4's to truss it all together. My inside corners overlap, and there is a heavy metal bracket on the inside of each corner with 8 3 inch long lag bolts to keep it all together. I decked in in OSB and will install the metal R panels when they get here. I ordered them last week.

We have really enjoyed it so far. The roof has allowed us to sit out there during a storm and not get wet.




The two ceiling fans put out enough air to really make a difference. It's just very nice being out there even during the heat of the day!!! Even out Akita's like it. A lot of the time, the two boys will be spread out, laying under one of the fans, sound asleep.

 

[Buppies]

Nicely done as always Eddie would you mind sharing brand of outdoor fans you like to use ours lasted 12yrs and have now quit. Thanks in advance

 

[EddieWalker]

Thank you. They where at Home Depot. Lowes had pretty much the same thing, but the Home Depot ones came with LED light bulbs. I didn't recognize the brand, and I can't say how long they will last, but so far, they have been very nice and both where perfectly balanced!!!

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Nice patio Eddie. are you going to put a ceiling under the joists, or any type of insulation under the metal or decking?

 

[EddieWalker]

The ceiling will be tongue and groove. On top of the OSB decking is 30lb roofing paper, and on top of that will be the R panels. Insulation crossed my mind, but I didn't think it would accomplish anything out on a porch. Should I rethink that?