New Owner Build - Chattanooga, TN. In-ground concrete pool

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T

thebruhh

Member
May 30, 2024
6
Knoxville, TN
Hey all,

After 4 years of wavering back and forth, I'm finally going through with an owner build. I'm completely nervous, but I just have to take the plunge - literally! Searching through multiple threads here along with the wiki as well as other sites (before landing here) I'm feeling better.

I'll throw in some initial pics of the area and rough build plans.

My current task is getting quotes from all the trades lined up. So far two excavation quotes were $6,000 and $8,000 which were well over my initial estimates. I'm now following the wiki guide and starting with the rebar folks who can do the excavation. More phone calls to make...

We'll probably changes the steps up a little bit.

Rough Pool Dimensions.png


4.jpg


3.jpg

1.jpg
 
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YippeeSkippy said:
Well, this will be fun to watch! I hope you'll keep us in the loop right here, and add lots of pics during this whole project. We love us some pics 💙

Will you be putting up a retaining wall up at the bottom of that small slope?

Maddie :flower:
Click to expand...
Thank you for the question. Another reason why I love this website - it's something we haven't really discussed yet as we are still working out the specifics. I don't like the idea of grading the back yard and would rather just keep a small retaining wall at the back pool wall.

We might go for something like this (other ideas appreciated!):

1743415294198.png
or
1743415342840.png
 
Welcome aboard TFP and Nice start! Here's a few things I learned from out OB that may help:

  • Don't under-estimate how much mess you will make. I had dirt piled up high everywhere for weeks on end! Neighbors were very understanding. Get to know yours so they're prepared also.
  • Similar to above look into site access. Houses look pretty close together and you'll need 10' clear for most cost effective equipment.
  • Things we like:
    • Chose all contractors on value instead of price.
    • Made sure we compared contractors on "apples to apples" basis.
    • Checked hydraulics and took advantage of experts here.
    • DIY automation saved us a ton and there are LOT's of options. We're still playing around with this but have full remote control with thousand less than the majors and no handcuffs on our equipment selection brands
    • Our depth selections work great for us (4' shallow, 7' deep end)
    • Figure out early what matters to you. Personal preferences drive most of the design. The only one that knows what they are is you.
    • Make sure you check all subs with "work in progress" inspections to know what their real capability is.
    • Build a complete schedule for the job and an estimate. Track it weekly to see how you're doing and look at trends to see where you will actually be at the end.

    • Get to know the permitting folks early. They can be your best friend or worst enemy and it's easy to have the former outcome.
  • Things we'd do differently:
    • We spent a lot of time getting ready for this pool build and thinking about our previous pool deficiencies. So we had a very good idea of what was needed. The zero edge/infinity edge was complicated and I missed the fact that I'd need some special things for this like the architectural foam to make the channels 'till the last minute. Had to scramble on this to avoid delays to the gunite plan.
    • DIY automation is one of the best decisions we made. BUT, add 3 times how long it takes to get ready for this. You don't need to build anything to experiment with this on a work bench. I didn't start this early enough and then wife needed medical trips out of town and we ran out of time to do our preferred system which is the RPi solution well-documented here. There are many experts here that can help just start early enough to get it done without delays.
    • Similar to automation, look into spa jet systems early. If you're not using the major systems that are readily available from PB suppliers locally you'll need to source them and make sure they work the way you want them to. In the end we used Hayward and they work great. But there are a few others that have more features.
    • Pool finish colors are harder to choose than you might think. It's very difficult to figure it out from chips and samples. Look at real pools where you can and there are a wealth of people here that know everything there is to know about this.
    • Expect to be busier that you can imagine. Our dig started in Feb and first water in was May. It's amazing how busy you get on something "as simple" as a pool.
I'm sure there are other things I can add but this might be at least a start. I hope this is helpful.

Chris
 
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OH WHAT FUN!! We get to help spend your money help you build a pool!!

I like your pool layout. The one thing I would add is a bench on the fireplace side to mirror the one on the house side. Do NOT go all the way across though. Leaving the middle area open gives you are good swim lane. The bench will allow people to exit the pool and head to the firepit.

I LOVE the pics showing the pool and fire pit area. SO pretty and would be SO useful!

Make sure you have a good way to get to the slope so you can mow.............even better would be to play some mondo grass there so you don't have to mow. I REALLY like the black mondo grass. SO pretty!
 
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Thank you @setsailsoon & @kimkats for the suggestions.

I am still getting quotes through varying subs for stages of the pool life cycle.

I've got one group quoting me excavation through the shell (most of the $$ anyways right) and still working on subs for everything in between.

One group told me plumbing didn't need a permit which did not line up with what the city told me so that's a bit concerning.

More to come!
 
thebruhh said:
Thank you for the question. Another reason why I love this website - it's something we haven't really discussed yet as we are still working out the specifics. I don't like the idea of grading the back yard and would rather just keep a small retaining wall at the back pool wall.

We might go for something like this (other ideas appreciated!):

View attachment 635269
or
View attachment 635270
Click to expand...
These are some of my favorite pool looks.
 
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thebruhh said:
One group told me plumbing didn't need a permit which did not line up with what the city told me so that's a bit concerning.
Click to expand...
Believe the City if they have jurisdiction. It's also helpful to use their inspections as a part of your QA. The pressure test and other requirements for hydraulic design integrity need to met to be sure you have what's needed BEFORE you add fill.
 
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I'm still waiting on quotes - here's a potential promising one for a contractor I found that would do excavation thru the pool shell... Any call outs? I'd like more detail on specifics so we aren't at an impasse due to an issue down the line:

Here is our cost from excavation to pool shell: $47,880
Note that we build with 8" walls and floors and #4 rebar.
Excavation
Plumbing: Install standard rough plumbing and lights - This price does not include plumbing from the pool to the
filter area.
Rebar: #4
Steps: Per Plan
Bench: 36'
Tanning Shelf: Should be included in the pool square footage. Will be built up.
Swimming Pool Shell: 4,000 PSI - 8" Floor and 8" Walls (unless otherwise noted on this estimate/invoice)
---
A 30% down payment is due the day we start the job.
---
This price does not include any pregrade, gravel, dirt haul or out of ground framing unless otherwise noted. Any
underground obstruction (such as rock, water, trash etc.) will incur additional charges that are to be determined at
the time the obstruction is found.
If the job has bad access for the crew to get in and work or they can not work due to situations out of our control,
there may be additional charges.
Water to complete the shoot process is to be supplied by the customer.
 

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thebruhh said:
I'm still waiting on quotes - here's a potential promising one for a contractor I found that would do excavation thru the pool shell... Any call outs? I'd like more detail on specifics so we aren't at an impasse due to an issue down the line:

Here is our cost from excavation to pool shell: $47,880
Note that we build with 8" walls and floors and #4 rebar.
Excavation
Plumbing: Install standard rough plumbing and lights - This price does not include plumbing from the pool to the
filter area.
Rebar: #4
Steps: Per Plan
Bench: 36'
Tanning Shelf: Should be included in the pool square footage. Will be built up.
Swimming Pool Shell: 4,000 PSI - 8" Floor and 8" Walls (unless otherwise noted on this estimate/invoice)
---
A 30% down payment is due the day we start the job.
---
This price does not include any pregrade, gravel, dirt haul or out of ground framing unless otherwise noted. Any
underground obstruction (such as rock, water, trash etc.) will incur additional charges that are to be determined at
the time the obstruction is found.
If the job has bad access for the crew to get in and work or they can not work due to situations out of our control,
there may be additional charges.
Water to complete the shoot process is to be supplied by the customer.
Click to expand...
This sounds in the ballpark to me if it includes all forming, rebar, hydro-testing.

Maybe I missed it but this appears to be a quote to his "standard specs". You really need a complete design for the total pool that he can bid to. Why am I saying this? Take rebar for example. The designer can use almost any size and make it structurally sound by adjusting spacing and concrete strength. What you want is sizing that is optimized for your shape, depth and other items. The design engineer will do that. #4 is very common and likely what you will need but there are a lot other items that need to be considered in the final design that can have impact on each other. If you have a building department they're going to require a stamped drawing for the structure that will spec everything needed to do each component. Even if you don't have a building department to deal with I would do that anyway. For a fairly simple pool like this it will cost about $1000 and it's worth every penny. The engineer that designed the pool will also be a great resource to you as you proceed and find little details that need to be addressed. Also, you may have a significant slope looking at the photos so you'll want the engineer to determine if a retaining wall is needed and have this spec'd out to the paver contractor and/or the shell contractor to see which one is most cost effective to build it. In my case, the paver contractor was way better. But depending on shape and size the shell contractor may have a better price. All this said, here are a few things to confirm:
  • What specs is he performing to (spacing schedule, overlap of rebar, rebar type, remove all rebound, tolerance for measurements etc, cleanup of site, protection of nearby structures like windows etc)?
  • Who takes care of disposal (this can be $300/load plus fuel surcharge) you'll have at least 10 loads.
  • Get an hourly rate for equipment to deal with underground obstruction delays
  • Ask for estimated quantities for gunite and rebar
  • What brand and model are the drain and the other fittings that he plans to use
  • What permits are included - he's likely assuming he's performing to your permit
  • What are your obligations for the curing period
  • Confirm he has GL and workman's comp. - you'll want a "named insured" certificate on his GL before award.
  • Get a payment schedule from him and make sure you get a release of leins before final payment if he uses subs (almost certain gunite is a sub)
  • Before you award make sure he knows you'll want to do core samples on the concrete
I hope this is helpful.

Chris
 
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