Ducks4brkfast said:

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Anyone want to play guess the quote?

All travertine decking.

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I've been following this thread because we are building a pool too. I'll now be adding a chiller (in addition to heater) to our pool!

I doubt this is under 100k. If it is, we are getting hosed...

Edit because I just noticed the hot tub. Initial (before noticing hot tub was $120k). I'm going with $130k but would not be shocked if it was more.

I have to ask something; I lived in Houston area for 22 years, and never once got in a pool that had a chiller.. yet it was never 'too hot'.

is this really a thing.. chilling the pool water? I mean.. are your pools getting up to the mid 90s or something?

Co-worker just added a relatively small pool to his home. They added a chiller. Pool is small and as such its variable to heat / cold; however, also because it is small....they dont spend much money heating and cooling it but yet it allows them to always have a nice temperature.

We use pool heater a decent amount and i think if it goes i will look to consider a combo....

Like, what temps are we talking about that the pool is getting to? I'd have to guess it would need to be low/mid 90s before someone would even consider a chiller, and that doesn't seem plausible.. But I guess some people just want it pretty cold?

Don't get me wrong, 90 is warm, but it still feels pretty dang good compared to being outside in houston may-sept.

HA. I get it. I mean it is definitely just a luxury thing but i think people find...in texas heat....90 degree pool to not provide as much relief as they would like. Now will most people have one? No. But if you have the money I guess why not

$130k? Don't get me wrong it looks like a great design but I don't see anything over the top with it.

62strat said:

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Like, what temps are we talking about that the pool is getting to? I'd have to guess it would need to be low/mid 90s before someone would even consider a chiller, and that doesn't seem plausible.. But I guess some people just want it pretty cold?

Don't get me wrong, 90 is warm, but it still feels pretty dang good compared to being outside in houston may-sept.

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I've absolutely been in pools in Texas where I really didn't want to stay in because they were hot. Maybe it was poor location/shading of the pools, but if I ever build a pool, a chiller will be a higher priority than a heater.

planoaggie123 said:

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HA. I get it. I mean it is definitely just a luxury thing but i think people find...in texas heat....90 degree pool to not provide as much relief as they would like. Now will most people have one? No. But if you have the money I guess why not

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That's assuming it even gets to 90.. Like I said that almost seems implausible, unless it's like 2'-3' deep.

My pool is basically 5' the entire length minus just a small 3' section....in late summer it gets to upper 80s...we dont get much shade over the pool...sun beats down on it pretty good.

If your pool never passes mid 80s i would def question the value...

10andBOUNCE said:

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$130k? Don't get me wrong it looks like a great design but I don't see anything over the top with it.

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I agree but prices for everything have been going up - homes, trucks, pools, etc. A friend of ours got quoted a similar size pool in SA/Boerne area, and her quote was around $110k. She had decent finishes too. So I based my estimate on that. I added 10-20k for the hot tub. Her house has easy access to the site, but it is on a hill. So her pool probably is higher due to concrete.

We are doing a chiller because our pool is fairly small (due to our backyard) and has direct sun pretty much all day. We were getting a heater either way to extend pool season a few months. The chiller/heater combo was the same price, but with a slightly weaker heater (139 btu vs 119 btu). Figured it would be nice to have the option to chill it if needed. I also plan to swim in it for workouts (with a tether) so want the option for it to be cooler.

My pool in august if it's a dry summer got to 94 last year. I'm putting in a chiller / heater combo to keep it at 83-85 peak summer and heat it when I want to off season. Houston area

Ditch some of the decking in favor of artificial turf

Travertine pavers on both decking and patio - $102,645.07

Regular "kool deck" decking - $ 87,788.48

These prices are probably 10% higher than they would have been pre-COVID.

Ducks4brkfast said:

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Travertine pavers on both decking and patio - $102,645.07

Regular "kool deck" decking - $ 87,788.48

These prices are probably 10% higher than they would have been pre-COVID.

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Dang, I was way off....

Replace swim out with bench seating. Also the swim out looks to bump out into the water and may create an area of poor circulation. Also stick with 5 ft or less. To get a water feature and something to look at, move hot tub to far side and elevate. Then widen sun deck and stairs.

Ducks4brkfast said:

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Travertine pavers on both decking and patio - $102,645.07

Regular "kool deck" decking - $ 87,788.48

These prices are probably 10% higher than they would have been pre-COVID.

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Sounds reasonable to me if you're getting the pergola with that price.

Out of curiosity, has the builder mentioned how they build their pools? do they do the minimum 3/8" steel at 12" centers with a 6" wall? Any piers?

Full disclosure I build pools in Ft Worth so i'm always curious how other builders do it compared to myself.

This does not include the pergola

3/8" at 8" centers

What is this, a pool for ants?

Seems reasonable, I typically do 1/2" on 8" centers with an 8" thick wall & floor. Beams are a min. 1' deep.

We had a pool growing up, bought a house with a pool, and put a pool in our current house.

Some suggestions:

Hot tub:
-Think about how high you want the water in the hot tub. You may want part of the bench deeper if you want it to get to your neck/shoulders
-They can build armrests in the hot tub so that you don't have to lift your arms out at a weird angle (not all hot tubs require a weird angle but a lot do
-If you have leaves around that could get in the hot tub, make them put an extra skimmer in there that you can turn on in the fall. Otherwise the leaves wont make it over the spillover and will sink to the bottom
-If you're going to put a tv outside, make sure you've got good sight lines from the hot tub

Pool:
-I'd add benches in the shallow end for adults to sit. Same comment about tv sight lines apply
-If you have little kids, decide if you want all the sharp pointy edges
-Autofill is your friend
-Make sure you have bubblers or something on the chair ledge to keep water moving or it will turn green quick
-The swim out in the deep end needs a jet in it or crap will settle on it
-If you have or will have teenagers, think about pool placement relative to the roof or other structures they may want to climb on and jump. We jumped off the roof at one buddy's house and there were some close calls. We didn't jump off the roof at another's because there was no way we could make it
-I'd plumb for the chiller and make the pad big enough but hold off on adding it until you know you need it
-Make them run outlets anywhere you think you could need one in your yard
-Fire pits are awesome and inexpensive
-There are a lot of good looking plants you can put by a pool. Even if you have a pool guy, some of them will make your life miserable when they drop **** in the pool. I recommend light landscaping that doesn't shed
-My uncle who was an insurance agent suggests having camera coverage of the whole backyard. That way if you come home to a dead kid floating in the pool, you've got proof they climbed the fence rather than walked through your open gate

Ducks4brkfast said:

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It's 18' x 34' with 8' deep end. I think the steps into the pool are 3' wide. Spa is 10' x 6'. The swim out in the deep end is 6' wide.

Anything I should change?

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Looks great. Congratulations. I'm thinking about putting a pool in. Out of curiosity, are you paying cash, or how are you financing it?

Most likely cash, but a HELOC is an attractive option at the right rate.

In the hot tub have them build an arm rest on the deck sides. In addition to giving you. Place to rest your arm but still be covered, it also puts you away from the pool decking so you aren't hitting the back of your head/neck on the edge of the deck.

We didn't put a chiller but might at some point. DFW, 32x10 pool, 1ft dam with a 6x10 spa. No seating on the dam wall of the spa other than the sides - it is awesome to stand in the tub, arms on the damn, looking down the length of the pool. Our rectangular fire pit is about 1 foot behind the spa so it provides a nice ambience.

We should have put the steps in the middle but put opposite end of the spa. Shortens the swim lane too much. We have a 3ft ledge with 2 bubblers then 2 steps from that to the bottom. 3.5 at steps, 5 center, 4 at dam. Lot is south and slightly southeast facing. It'll hit mid 90s in August. Water is shaded by 630 and cools quickly. During the day it is comfortable until about 1:30 on the hottest days.

End of critique

FWIW, go with the travertine. Wife wanted travertine, I wanted cheaper. We went with travertine and it was admittedly the correct decision.

A tip about the travertine. We have had our pool for about 4 years and at the build we chose the travertine to go from the coping to our existing concrete patio. We asked the pool builder specifically if the travertine would be slippery and they said no. Well, that was wrong. It is slick as ice when wet and we are very afraid of someone getting hurt. We end up putting some beach towels over it. Apparently there is different kinds of travertine and the one they put in was the polished type and it should not have been. We are looking for a possible way to etch it or something. Also be prepared for grass and weeds to grow in the cracks. One more note, I think the bubblers and a waterfall help with cooling the water a bit on my pool. My deep end is 5 and a half foot deep. Anyway, good luck on your pool.

When they pour the little slab for the pump, have them make a little bigger than needed so you can easily add a chiller if you want later on.

Not to hijack the thread, but what is a good tree for around a pool? We need to take out the dead palms still from last years freeze.

Any pics of the pool?

Curious to see what finished product looks like. I'm sure it's built by now. How was the first summer with it?

You have contact info? About to build a pool in Aledo.

We are a family of competitive swimmers/water polo with some captains in family.
Those of us that were assigned pool care and later as life guards will never "own" a pool again IF there's public swim water available at normal hours.

All our house designs that include a pool get Owners introduced to our local All American swimmer/Landscape Architect for pool design.
He begins with USE and goes from there.
Some have been lap pools w/side SPAs (min. 25yrds long, flat walls for flip turns)
Others have been volleyball party pools
One was a beach-walk-in free-form wading type
All have legal concerns and death threats, as mentioned prior

That said, as a party pool design and lazy afternoons at home, ignoring details such as depths/etc. the USE will determine in time thinking - I wouldn't change a thing. I love the idea posted about lighting & sprays, the latter could be the cooling solution in some climates. The last pool design-builder fountains/pumps expert was/is an AA Captain near College Station - contact me for name.