Build thread: 16x34’ in ground pool on an extremely sloped back yard

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

My wife and I are slated to begin digging for our new pool the first week of September. It will be a 16x34’ gunite pool with a raised 7x7’ spa and a 12x6’ tanning ledge. The pool will be a sports pool with a 3.5’ shallow end, 5’ deep in the middle, and 4’ deep on the opposite end. It should hold in the neighborhood of 15-17,000 gallons. The slope of our backyard is about a 11’ drop over the first 50 feet, so there will be retaining walls and it will still be a challenge.

As far as equipment goes, we will be getting a Hayward variable speed pump, a 31” sand filter, SWCG, and 400k btu heater. There will be two skimmers in the pool, one color logic LED light in the pool, and one in the spa, and 6 jets in the spa. There will also be two bubbler jets in the tanning ledge. Everything should be fully automated as well.

Here are some concept pictures of what we are planning.


Decking will be all washed aggregate concrete. This will be our first and only pool build, so I want to make sure we get it right. I would sure appreciate any feedback you have for me.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

A few things to consider,
12X6’ tanning ledge may be narrow to maneuver around with lounges on them (6’), most I see are 7’ just for that reason.
One light in the pool may not give you the illumination that you are looking for in a 34’ long pool, consider 2 lights in the pool (one on each side of the shelf) directed away from the house and one on the shelf (centered) if the bubblers do not provide lighting.
A dedicated overflow line along with a dedicated autofill (both separate products).
Much more things to consider during the construction process to help insure the project is built to its best, just don’t know how much detail you want.

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

I hope you will get custom structural engineering plans with an engineer current stamp for your pool. We see many Texas pools with cracks because builders use standard plans that are not suitable for the lot conditions.

You also need to have waterproof membranes on the interior and exterior of the shell to prevent Efflorescence - Further Reading from coming through on your lower decorative pool wall. That type of waterproof membranes are not standard although many tile companies and plaster companies recommend they be used.

You recognize you have a challenging pool build and I hope your builder is up to the tasks.

 

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

Great tips so far. I know there won’t be an auto fill. I asked the builder about that and they are not fans of auto fill. They said a pool with heavy use and lots of splashing causes the auto fill to run more than it really need to. I was also concerned about one light in a pool that size, but at $1600 for a second light, I don’t know if it’s a big enough concern to justify the cost of a second light.
I will definitely ask about the water proofing on the lower pool wall. I would assume the raised spa walls would need the same water proofing treatment?

 

[ajw22]

Great tips so far. I know there won’t be an auto fill. I asked the builder about that and they are not fans of auto fill. They said a pool with heavy use and lots of splashing causes the auto fill to run more than it really need to.

What they did not say is that when your pool has light use and the weather is hot with lots of evaporation you may get tired of adding water into the pool every few days.

An autofill is a convenience in high evaporation areas.

If you have high calcium in your fill water the autofill should be connected to the house water softener line, if you have one.

AutoFill - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

I was also concerned about one light in a pool that size, but at $1600 for a second light, I don’t know if it’s a big enough concern to justify the cost of a second light.

For what you are spending for your pool I do not think it is wise to not put in a second light.

I will definitely ask about the water proofing on the lower pool wall. I wii of I’ll assume the raised spa walls would need the same water proofing treatment?

If they are doing waterproofing it should be put on all surfaces.

 

[ajw22]

For reference here is the current recommended glass tile installation process from Oceanside Glass & Tile...

Installation Guidelines

Oceanside Glass & Tile

www.glasstile.com

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0...l-Water-Feature-Installation.pdf?v=1625588595

 

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

Perfect. Thanks for all of that info.

 

[kimkats]

What a pretty pool design you have there!

Here are a couple of my thoughts:

-Water depth:
-First off make sure it is WATER depth which is from the floor of the pool to the middle of the skimmer opening. Some measure depth as from the floor to the bottom of the coping. If it is done that way you lose some inches of water depth.

-Second I would go 4' to 5' to 4'. I would drop the 3'5" is just too shallow to be much fun.

-End bench:
-I would remove it as with it there you do not have a good swim lane from end to end. You have that shelf for sitting as well as the chairs on the deck. That should be enough.

Just some ideas!

Kim

 

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

Thank you for those thoughts. I’ve been really waffling on the water depth. My wife is happy where it is, thinking it might create a kid end and an adult end.

And I did verify with the builder that there will be waterproofing behind all stone and tile work, so we are good to go there!

 

[kimkats]

LOL on kids side and adult size...............oh that is a good one! They will all be here, there, everywhere! The kids are only kid sized for how long? Just think about how often you have to buy new pants to keep up with their growing LOL Never design something this big thinking of the kids now. Think of where they are heading and fast.

 

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

So I talked to the builder and all surfaces will receive waterproofing treatment. We did spec another light in the pool and one on the tanning ledge. We are still discussing depth, but pretty sure we will go with a 4’-5’-4’ depth. I almost want to go 5’6” in the middle as I’m 6’3”, but I know there will be lots of adults that can’t stand flat footed in that depth.

I’m eager to start construction and plan on keeping this thread updated during the process. I know there’s a lot of smarter people on here than me, and I would appreciate the comments and concerns y’all see during construction.

 

[kimkats]

I was in a pool with a 5' depth. I am 5'5" and the water in the 5' was doable but not a place I could hand out for long with lots to water movement as it came to just under my lower lip. It think the 4,5,4 will be the best of all worlds for everyone.

I just thought of something you could do for lighting for the pool and that neat firepit area. You could put in a pretty 3 lamp pole light like this:
Pretty and functional and will be easy to to change the bulbs when needed AND much cheaper to boot!

 

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

I’m going to go ahead and order a tf-pro salt test kit. Any reason I need to add on any of the optional add-ons to the kit?

 

[kimkats]

Make sure to get the speed stir! You will thank me once you do a test without it LOL

 

[ChrisABS]

Not a fan of sand filters. Consider getting a cartridge filter.

 

[kimkats]

Where I LOVE a sand filter for ease of "cleaning". There are +/- for each kinds.

 

[RickRude]

Some parts of central TX have highly-expansive clay soil that cause instability in home foundations and will do the same to your pool. A geotechnical sample and analysis would be prudent, and shouldn't add much cost relative to what you're spending.

 

[bmoreswim]

I just wanted to show you an alternate view of what can be done with a similar slope. Our build had a retaining wall built on the lower side (actually around the entire pool shell) to support the deck on that side, but you would never know it because we hid it. Though the slope after the wall is steep, the landscaping keeps it from eroding. There is no extra water traversing the slope besides what actually falls on it and the small decking section. The whole wall structure is carved concrete. The design you have looks kind of cool (and we drew some just like that) but I could never get comfortable with the recessed deck and its functional impacts to pool usage (lack of easy access around the pool, for kids, older adults, damaged adults and impaired adults, any balls or things thrown are a hassle to retrieve, hard to safely brush or skim from that side, etc.) So our approach swaps that large lower deck space for upper deck space along with added side deck space. Also consider your shading options. We are very glad to have shade and we are in MD. I can't imagine being fully exposed in TX.

IMG_6776 - TFP.jpg

• bmoreswim
• Oct 30, 2020

House20 - resized.jpg

• bmoreswim
• Oct 16, 2019

 

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

Some parts of central TX have highly-expansive clay soil that cause instability in home foundations and will do the same to your pool. A geotechnical sample and analysis would be prudent, and shouldn't add much cost relative to what you're spending.

Yep, I’m in an area with highly expansive black clay. We are taking the proper precautions to mitigate that as much as we can.

I just wanted to show you an alternate view of what can be done with a similar slope. Our build had a retaining wall built on the lower side (actually around the entire pool shell) to support the deck on that side, but you would never know it because we hid it. Though the slope after the wall is steep, the landscaping keeps it from eroding. There is no extra water traversing the slope besides what actually falls on it and the small decking section. The whole wall structure is carved concrete. The design you have looks kind of cool (and we drew some just like that) but I could never get comfortable with the recessed deck and its functional impacts to pool usage (lack of easy access around the pool, for kids, older adults, damaged adults and impaired adults, any balls or things thrown are a hassle to retrieve, hard to safely brush or skim from that side, etc.) So our approach swaps that large lower deck space for upper deck space along with added side deck space. Also consider your shading options. We are very glad to have shade and we are in MD. I can't imagine being fully exposed in TX.

IMG_6776 - TFP.jpg

• bmoreswim
• Oct 30, 2020

House20 - resized.jpg

• bmoreswim
• Oct 16, 2019

That’s a really cool design, and you are correct, being in the direct sun in Texas can be brutal. We were 104° with a heat index of 118° today. What the drawing doesn’t show is the large elm trees to the northwest of the pool. Also, the pool is on the east side of the house, so by 3:00 in the afternoon it begins to be shaded. Still, there will be an abundance of umbrella sleeves installed.

 

[.ben]

Yep, I’m in an area with highly expansive black clay. We are taking the proper precautions to mitigate that as much as we can.

That’s a really cool design, and you are correct, being in the direct sun in Texas can be brutal. We were 104° with a heat index of 118° today. What the drawing doesn’t show is the large elm trees to the northwest of the pool. Also, the pool is on the east side of the house, so by 3:00 in the afternoon it begins to be shaded. Still, there will be an abundance of umbrella sleeves installed.

Make sure your Hayward salt cell is rated for 40K gallons.

Consider pre plumbing for a future chiller including extra space on your equipment pad.

If you are not doing an autofill at least plan for a manual fill line so you don't have to use a hose to top off your water. One downside to no auto fill is you may need someone to add water if you go on an extended vacation. We typically have a pet sitter who can add water if we need it.