New Build - Frisco TX

[spane1]

Hi everyone! I am new to the forum, I found the site during a google search for "do I need piers for my pool" - Long story short, we are on an elevated lot and have already had to install piers at the front of our house. When I asked the PB if I needed piers based on the previous foundation issue I was told "no" but then when I pushed to add my disclosure to the contract, a higher-up from PB recommended piers, and now I'm just confused. Any advice is very much appreciated...

I'm also open to suggestions on our current scope (we have funny lot and large easements on the side yard so this is as big a pool as we can fit):

Pool Specifications:
Size: 31' 0" X 23' 0"
Excavation: Standard
Depth: 3'6" - 4'6" - 6'
Surface Area: 441 sq ft.
Perimeter: 95'
Drains: (2) anti-vortex
4x6 tanning ledge as first step
6 foot bench in the deep end

Spa Specifications:
Size: 56 sq ft.
Bi-Level Bench
Spa Height: 12 inches
Spillway: Tile cap w/tile face
Blower: 2.0 Hp Blower
Drains: (2) anti-vortex
Fountain Line: Included

Equipment:
Pump: Pentair IntelliFlo 3050 3HP/VS/SVRS
Cleaner: Polaris 280 3/4 HP Booster Pump
Filter: Pentair 60 sq. ft. DE filter
Lights: GloBrite Pool & GloBrite Spa Light
Additional Light: 2 - GloBrite Pool Light(s)
Heater: 400K BTU Pentair (NG)
Sanitation: Salt System bundled w/ controller
Controller: EasyTouch 4SC-IC40 - Pool/Spa - SCG ScreenLogic Interface Kit (Wireless)





Thank you!
Sarah

 

[Jimrahbe]

Sarah,

I can't help with your pier issue, but I can with your pump...

Never, ever, buy a pump with the SVRS option.. It was the worst pool decision I ever made... I let my pool builder talk me into the IntelliFlo + SVRS because it was "better".. It is only better at causing problems.. It will go into the entrapment mode if my next door neighbor just passes gas.. Not quite that bad, but it will shut off with any little surge of water.. Just shutting off the filter vent a little too quickly will shut off the pump and then it takes an hour to get the pump to fire up again. The IntelliFlo is the gold standard of pool pumps.. Just not the one with the SVRS option.. If you don't take any other advice, make sure you get the standard IntelliFlo and not the one with the SVRS.. Your pool builder may tell you it is required, but that is just not true. When you have split main drains, like all new pools have, the SVRS option is just not required or needed,

If you still have an old black rotary-dial phone, then the pressure side cleaner will be just right for you. But if you use a cell phone, then I suggest that you move up into this century and get a low voltage robot cleaner... Much better than any water powered cleaner.. Like this one...

I have three pools and they all have the EasyTouch with salt systems... That was the best pool decision I ever made.. That said, the EasyTouch is now old technology... The newer Pentair IntelliCenter is a much better system for just about the same money as an EasyTouch + ScreenLogic. The new IntelliCenter comes with a ScreenLogic-like system build in.


Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Hey neighbor. We built last year as we sit on top of a 15 foot retaining wall that runs across out back property line (~5 feet from the edge of the pool). Our PB directed us to an independent engineer who recommended piers and soil injections.

Normally I would say to go that route, but you said you already had to have piers added to the house. I assume this was due to soil movement already? Will your pool be near any retaining walls? If you have had movement already that has impacted your house, I would imagine you would want piers for your pool for peace of mind (especially if you are in west Frisco near the golf course).

If there is a question, hire an independent engineer. Good luck.

 

[Jimmie48]

Another Frisco new build....its contagious...woops wrong word these days. Anyway we are on a 2ft retaining wall to a greenbelt and were advised we did NOT need piers by most every builder we met with with one exception. I would think the PB would be overly willing to sell you on piers so for them to tell you you dont need them is kinda crazy to me but whatever. Both of my neighbors do not have piers and their retaining walls are higher than ours, none of them have had issues so we went with being overly cautious and paid extra for the soil injections. I agree with JJ....hire an independent engineer to give you an honest assessment. Your house foundation may be a very different beast than your pool build so you never know.

Quick thing on your build...a 12 inch raised spa may be kind of an awkward height especially if you plan on using it as kind of a sitting spot which we do. I would ask for at least 18 if it were me as it seems like just about the perfect height.

 

[spane1]

Thanks to everyone for all of the feedback! Hopefully, it's ok to post my 2nd attempt on the same thread? We have been courting 2 PBs, both at about the same price but one included piers. So here is the one with piers that we are now leaning toward, this one is gunite instead of shockcrete. Also, a new question on cleaners - are the robots better than the in-pool systems?

POOL PERIMETER: 101 LNFT
POOL SQ. FOOTAGE: 438 SQFT
POOL DIMENSIONS: 33' X 18' L x W
POOL GALLONS: 14,783
POOL DEPTH: 6 FT
Tanning Ledge or Beach Entry SQFT 52

SPA PERIMETER: 37 LNFT
SPA SQ. FOOTAGE: 82 SQFT
SPA DIMENSIONS: 10' X 8' L x W
SPA GALLONS:1,691
Spa Height INCHES 18 (thanks Jimmie 48!)

DECKING SQ. FOOTAGE: 565 SQFT
OUTDOOR STRUCTURE SIZE: 205 SQFT
GRILL ISLAND SIZE: 7.5 LNFT

Equipment:
Automation Cont. Jandy iAqualink PS-8 QTY: 1
Spa Light 1 - Spectrum-H 360 24w LED 100' QTY:1
Pool Light 3 - Spectrum-H 360 24w LED 100' QTY: 3
Cleaner Polaris 3900 QTY: 1
Filter Jandy 60SqFt DE QTY: 1
Filtration Pump Jandy VS 2.7HP QTY: 1
Additional Pump Jandy FloPro 1.65THP VS QTY: 1
Sanitation Jandy AquaPure Salt QTY: 1
Heater Jandy JXi 400K BTU NG QTY: 1
Heat Pump n/a
Spa Blower n/a

Structural Enhancements - 16 Helical Piers

Automatic Water Fill and Overflow QTY: 1
Pool Skimmers QTY: 2
Pool Returns QTY: 5
Hydraulically Balanced Dual Anti-Vortex Drains w/ Hydrostatic Relief Valve. (Pool and Spa) PAIR: 3
Therapeutic Spa Jets QTY: 6

Any other important details I am not listing? Thanks again in advance for any advice!

 

[Jimrahbe]

Spane,

The main purpose of an In floor cleaning system is to transfer money from your pocket and put it in your pool builder's pocket...

In years gone by they were even with other water powered powered cleaners.. But that was then, this is now. Most pool plumbing is pretty straight forward to troubleshoot until you add in an IFCS... I would only get one that I could shut off.. Unfortunately, they now integrate everything together, making impossible to abandon the system if you wanted to do that in the future.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

I know Jim doesn't care for the in floor systems, and I can only give my opinion from having one for ~7 months now, but so far I am loving my in floor system. My builder uses A&A and it has been a very effective system. I occasionally get small areas of debris that I have to stir up or manually vacuum, but my expectation for the in floor system was that it would knock down the amount of vacuuming by 60% or so. I think it has exceeded that level, and probably looking at 80%-90% reduction. I think I have broken out my vacuum 3-4 times since the pool was started in February. I don't have to mess with putting the robot in/out of the pool and cleaning the filters on it all the time.

Now, once fall hits, and the leaves start to fall, I will likely have to be checking the leaf collector daily, but at the moment, I check it every week or so.

If you do get an in floor system, make sure that they plumb it so that you can shut it off (as Jim mentioned), if you decide to. And make sure you have them plumb in returns that you can isolate from the in floor system. I did not know enough to request that at the time of my build, and I have since done some re-work myself to make this possible.

I figured this was a one shot deal. I can always add a robot later if the in floor isn't what I expected or is doing a poor job. I can't add the in floor later down the road though. So I bit the bullet and went ahead with it.

--Jeff