Last post for a while

The rain kept the guys from pouring cement on Friday so no new pics to post.  They'll be ready to pour on Monday morning.  I'll be out of touch for a while so won't be able to post any updates but hopefully my next one will show the completed pool.  The current plan is:
Monday - Concrete
Tuesday - Removing forms and sealing concrete
Wednesday - Finishing touches and final pool hook-ups
Thursday - Pool cover installation and clean-up

The following week the landscapers, irrigation guys, and fence guys will do their thing.  I'm told they will be able to finish everything in a week, which will be impressive considering there are several landscaping beds that will be made, over a hundred things to plant, a lot of sod to go down, many sprinklers to fix, and a yard drainage system to install.  If they can all pull it off it'll be just in time for a pool party on the 6th!  If they can't, oh well... close enough to break it anyway I guess.

No cement but the water is moving!

Not a lot happened today.  My guess is the predicted rain kept them from pouring concrete.  The color hardener was delivered and the stamps that will be used to imprint the concrete were delivered.  The electrical has been temporarily hooked up and the water in the pool is now circulating, but I do not think the heater, salt generator or filter are operational yet.  I'm now hoping for concrete tomorrow.  This is likely going to delay the opening party by a week.  I was hoping for labor day weekend but because of some upcoming work travels and being unable to communicate with the outside world for a while, I won't be around to see the progress so can't really plan anything for that weekend if I'm unsure it will be done.  Oh well, we'll see what happens tomorrow.

Water circulating

Temporary electrical hookup

Concrete coloring

Stamps for concrete pattern

Stairs covered and expansion joints installed

Getting closer....

Things did not look a whole lot different when I returned from vacation but a lot had been done.  The timing really couldn't have worked out any better.  I got to see the exciting day when the pool went in the ground and then missed the slower moving part (backfilling the hole, filling with water, plumbing, light installation, equipment installation, coping installation, etc.)  The pool is now full and I'm still loving the color.  The coping was installed around the perimeter of the pool that will butt up against the concrete.  A drain was installed along the house and tied into my buried downspouts to take care of any run-off.  The cover box is built and formed for concrete and the remaining concrete area for the pool deck has been formed.  They poured a pad for the equipment and had the filter, heater, salt generator all ready to go.  I also had Tuesday off work and I spent all day with the gas man and electrician.  The gas line was ran from the house to the pool heater and a bigger line installed in the basement to tie into the fire pit.  All of the gas work is now complete.  The electricians came and really had little to do since I had power ran outside for the equipment when I built the house.  They had to run power to the cover motor and to the cover controls on the side of the house.  They also had to ground the pool and the handle for the pool.  They still have to hook up the equipment and mount the cover controls and light controls.  Apparently the pool lights are controlled from my phone!  Today some of the conduit was covered with gravel and the inspectors had to come and ok everything so far before pouring the final concrete tomorrow.  There will need to be some finishing touches on Friday and maybe early next week, depending on when the cover comes in.  Then, the pool and construction crews will be done and gone.  Next up, landscapers and fence guys to make it all look good again!

Pool with coping and water

Drain along house

Pool deck formed, reinforcement, and coping

Pool deck

Temporary fence and formed pool deck

Automatic cover box

Automatic cover box

Pool equipment

Heater

Filter

Salt Generator

Controls

Running gas to heater

Power to automatic cover

Electrical ran

Electrical ran to cover controls

Electrical ran to cover motor

Grounded handle

Cover control power

Gas line to fire pit tied into grill line

Lighting controller

Videos of Pool Installation

Unloading the pool from the truck

Moving it down into the hole

The pool is in!!!!

I meant to post this before leaving for vacation but never got around to it.  This all happened before leaving.  I'll try posting some videos in another post as well as an update showing what it looked like when I got home.  It was definitely an exciting day when the installation happened.  There was a lot going on, a lot of people, and it was planned and executed perfectly.  The excavator showed up around 8am and the hole was dug in just a few hours.  The pool showed up at 11 and looked much bigger than I thought.  The color is perfect... gray with blue shiny flecks.  It's going to look great.  It was unloaded without any problems.  They lifted it off the truck, set it down, and then lifted it down in the hole.  I did get to see a truck of water get dumped the following morning before leaving for vacation.

Getting ready for the excavator.

View of firepit from upstairs.

Excavator

Digging the hole

More digging

More digging

Hauling away the dirt

The hole

The hole

The hole

The pool on the truck

A lot going on

Adding gravel to the hole

Spreading gravel

Sealed the concrete on the firepit.

Finished firepit concrete.

Finished firepit concrete.

Mom and Dad posing by the pool

Me posing by the pool

Off the truck

Lowering into the ground

Lowering into the ground

Lowering into the ground

Another visitor

Pool in the ground

Spreading gravel

Trying it out

View from inside the house

View from inside the house

Water truck