Has Anyone Built A Swimming Pool

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue"> I was very much surprised by the repair method; cut a piece of clear vinyl, apply the clear adhesive, dive it and stick it on the puncture. Only time I ever used "glue" under water, but it worked just fine. </font>

We had punctures in our above ground vinyl liner courtesy of moles. I used the same type patch kit. Dries, or maybe cures is a better word, quickly, so you have to work kind of fast.

Some friends of ours had an inground pool put in last fall. Used the metal sides and sand bottom method with vinyl liner. The diving board and hand rails are cantilevered out over the pool. This allowed for a full cover that stores in a trench under the diving board end. There are tracks on each side of the pool. He installed a keyed switch that, when activated, pulls the cover out of the trench and over the pool completely. It is so strong that it doubles as a winter cover and the insurance company said it meets their requirments as a fence, since it locks. Very cool but $$$ expensive option. It is very strong. We had 4 kids out running around on top of it and it is rated for snow/rain load.

 

[GregJ]

Thanks to all who have posted. I really appreciate your responses. As we are really in the "discovery process" of this project I really appreciate hearing everyone's experiences and design ideas. Gatorboy, I really like your idea of the rectangular pool with a side stair entry. We were thinking rectangular with one shallow end, but your idea of 2 shallow ends makes sense. I'm still hoping to hear from someone who built one themselves, but maybe I am a little too optimistic that this can be done. There aren't a whole lot of pools around here in the NW, so I don't have many people I can get first hand information from. In my google searches, I have found some pool products that are like paint, but are rubberized and waterproof. This product bonds to concrete. They show some examples of repair and coverage over some awful looking stuff. I was just wondering if a product like this over concrete poured much like a slab and foundation wall of a home would work? Contours could be hand trowels with a finish coat of mortar. I'm probably all "wet" on this scheme, (pun intended) but never hurts to think a little different at this stage of the project.

Thanks,
Greg

 

[riptides]

Mike,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( But I have had more than a few pool owners tell me they would go with a vinyl liner, if they were to do it over. You just budget on a new liner every 10 years. But less maintanence than the gunite )</font>

I would beg to differ on the vinyl/gunite maintenance. I think you will find that it will be the owner who is the deciding factor in ongoing cost. You need to take care of pools just like anything else.

I have a neighboor that built his own inground pool. Vinyl, when it came time to even out the sand mix and build out the walls, he called in a pool company. I don't know if he got a warrenty or not.

I would *not* tackle something like this, or even think about it. Too many things can go wrong that can bite you big time.
Soil conditions, fill, depth, electrical, plumbing, finishing work, tile work, if gunite, plaster work if gunite, electrical to house...... YOUR TIME... no thanks.... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

-Mike Z.

 

[Gatorboy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm still hoping to hear from someone who built one themselves, but maybe I am a little too optimistic that this can be done )</font>

Actually, I got to swim in one similar to this years ago. My boss at the time had a pool party at his house and he had this type of pool (only he had some steps in one corner instead of a swim-out).

He had an actual volleyball net with a tension line that cranked tight using the same type of crank you would find on a boat trailer. Let me tell you, that was the most fun I had playing in a pool.

 

[lamarbur]

I had a 16 X 32 X 9ft deep end, diving wedge liner pool. It was great until one year I had constant tiny leaks that couldn't be found. Called in the pro who put various food coloring around the pool and watch all the mini leaks. Patched them one by one. Moral of the story, this follwed the summer year that we had watched several little girls, aged from 7 to about 14 or so. They would hang on the side, kicking like mad. It was their painted toe nails that kept slicing the vinyl liner, causing these leaks. When all this happened, we had the pool near 16 yrs, so we had to re-line it. This, was something I would have never guessed would happen, but it can. Whenever I can afford to, I will get another inground at our new home, only it will be gunite as we still have a couple of young nieces to deal with.

 

[MossRoad]

Speaking of toenails, we knew someone that thought it was cute to have their dog jump into the pool after toys and stuff. Then they found the leaks in the vinyl liner /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Drain and new liner was only solution.

 

[mytoys]

Hi,

I built a pool a couple of years ago. I researched on the web and found the best deal for what I was looking for. I ended up going with medalion pools http://www.medallionpools.com. I bought an inground 18x36 vinyl liner pool with stairs, diving board, heater, pump, etc and had it shipped to my house. Kit came with installation instructions. It took from memorial day till July fourth for installation (water in the pool) working mostly on weekends. It was a lot of hard work. I think i have some pictures, i'll see if i can find them.

 

[mytoys]

Me on my old Case 580. The side of the pool are aluminum. You gcan get galvenized and stainless.

 

[mytoys]

A side shot of the pool. That's my dad watching as i drill a hole foe a return line. I've always required lot's of supervision /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif You can see the stairs into the shallow end.

 

[mytoys]

shaping the deep end