Day 8 - We Poured the Pool Floor

We used a truck of concrete
for each side.

Bill is using the float to shape the bottom.
It pitches toward the drains.

Today we got to pour the pool floor. It was supposed to be last Monday - but weather delayed us. The crew spent the 3 days prepping the site. Since we are having a lot of rain here - we used the tent and lots of tarps to cover the area to prevent dirt from getting washed into the hole. 

At noon - the first of two concrete trucks arrived. Lucky - the big heavy truck only had to park in our front yard. There - the truck dumped the concrete into a concrete pump. Then the concrete was pumped slowly through a long hose right down to the pool bottom. No need to carry the mud in wheel barrows. One man used the concrete hose while 3 others spread the concrete and leveled it. 

The bottom is 8 to 12 inches thick of concrete slanting toward two drains in the bottom of the pool. It was sunny out - but they were lucky to be able to work in the shade of the tent. The second truck came - and it took about 2 hours total to do the pouring. 

Lucky for us - at about 4 PM we had a downpour. This caused a power failure - and many trees down in the city. The tent kept the slab dry for the most part. 

One of the biggest tasks of the job is complete. 

Next we bring in the forms for the concrete walls. They will be tied into the floor by the rebar that is sticking out all over. I am guessing the forms will take 2 days to construct. 

Lulu is very happy watching her pool come into shape. We are lucky that the rain has not been causing any collapse. I would hate to have to shovel any of that red much out of the pool. 

We ordered pool mechanical equipment yesterday from Amazon. The Hayward Sand Filter arrived today and is in the garage. It is the Model 244T. Two pipes will carry water to and from the pool to the filter in the garage. The hardware will always be under cover in the garage. 

They also checked the pressure on the water fitting to the pool drains. The inspector will be happy. 

The lattice is shaped in one foot squares

We tested the drain plumbing for leaks.

Two drains required by law.

The truck could stay away from the pool. 
The concrete pump pushed the mud.

We expected the front lawn to get ripped up.

The man with the hose.

The board is pitched toward the center.

Continuous pouring

Rebar to tie the sidewalls to the bottom. 

Day 5 - Pool Project - More Rebar in the Floor and Sides

 

The city inspector was there Friday - inspecting the plumbing and the rebar lattice. The rebar is laid out in a checkered pattern. The engineered plans call for 15 inch by 15 inch squares. At the junctions - the rebar are tied together with steel wire. There will be small plastic pedestals that will hold the lattice 4 inches above the crushed rock base. 

The rebar goes up the side of the pool too

We planned to pour the floor of the pool on Monday at 6 AM - but it is supposed to rain hard then. It is hard scheduling special workers and equipment. This will delay us a few days. 

Monday we plan to lay the plumbing from the pool to the garage. You can see the two drains that are required by law. One drain is a danger - possibly sucking a child's hair in. Two drain prevents that. We will also trench for the main power line from the meter to the garage. We are running a new 100 AMP service from our present meter to the garage. This will be extra big - in case we want to do a guest house - or home/pool solar system. 

The pool is covered with a tent so the workers can work rain or shine. Florida had the hottest week on record. The tent was a relief. 

It looks like our first concrete pour will move to Thursday. 

When complete the pool with be 15 x 35 x 4 feet. It will hold 16,000 gallons of water. The heat pump - filter - salter - and water pump will be in the garage. The concrete walls will be at least 8 inches thick. The floor will be 8 inches thick plus 12 inches of crusted stone. 

We originally planned the pool to take 6 weeks to build. That would be July 1st to August 15th. There is no rush - better to get it right than fast. 

Day 4 - Pool Project - Rebar

Starting the rebar lattice

We will pour the floor Monday

Wednesday they started the work on the rebar lattice in the pool floor and walls. They also started on putting plumbing in the bottom. Code requires 2 large drains in the pool - to prevent too much suction in one drain - and be a safety risk. 

The concrete will be laced with rebar - at least every 15 inches. There is already one foot of crushed stone in the bottom. At least 8 inches of concrete will be poured on that to make contoured floor to flow to the drains. 

We plan to pour the floor on Monday. 

The tents has protected the job site from sun - but also from the intermittent rain. 

Day 3 - Pool Project - The Tent

 

Monday - they put up a tent and some ground covers. The tent is to keep the sun off the workers when they start building the rebar lattice for the pool floor tomorrow. The ground cover was to prevent mud from running into the pool. 

It is really hot out there in July working in the Florida sun. 

With the tent and tarp it reminds me of the archeology digs in Egypt. The rectangular hole reminds me of the places we saw in Egypt near the Pyramids. 

Day 2 - Pool Project - Hole Finished

Bill Gwynn our builder. He lives 2 doors north. 
He build a pool and guest house at our last home.

There will be a fire pit and sitting area on south end

We have had an excellent start -  2 bright sunny hot days. 

Today they finished digging the hole. It is exactly 15 x 35 x 6 feet deep. 

About 7 truckloads of dirt were hauled away. 2 truckloads of crusted stone were brought in. 

The crushed stone was spread in the bottom of the hole about 1 foot thick. 

After that - the steel rebar was delivered. A criss cross lattice will be constructed on the bottom - crossing the steel rebar at 15 inch intervals. It will look like a checkerboard. 

We plan to put a wedding tent over the hole to protect the workers from the sun. 

Pipes for the filtering system will be laid before the concrete floor is poured. All pipes will run to the garage where the filter and other hardware will be housed inside. We will install an electric heap pump to heat the pool. 

We were lucky - the trucks did not dig up our front yard at all. 

Code requires th pool be fenced in or covered with an enclosure. 

If we were installing a vinyl liner pool - a simple frame would be put in and the bottom would be packed solid. It would be a much cheaper and quicker job. 

My friend Mike commented - "in two weeks you will be swimming."

A one foot layer of crushed stone covers the bottom.

Notice how the soil stands up around the edge.

The pool is 15 x 35 - and holds 16,000 gallons

There will be a 35 x 60 concrete deck around pool

The pool gets full sun all day

Digger Gary Moran did a nice job - very neat.

Nice dry hot days to dig.

Steel Rebar keeps the pool stable.

 

Day 1 - Pool Project - Digging the Hole

My digger is Gary - My builder is Bill Gwynn

After 10 years of patience - Lulu has started her pool project in our back yard. We had a beautiful day of weather to start the project. They worked from 7 am to 5 pm. 

Lulu has applied to the city for all the permits online. she is the clerk of the works. I carry her bags. 

The new pool will be 15 x 35 x 4 feet. It will hold 16,000 gallons of water. It will be surrounded by a 35 x 60 feet concrete pool deck. Both the pool and deck will be concrete - with tons of steel rebar support in the concrete. The pool will not be seen from the street - it is blocked by our home. The law requires it to be fenced or enclosed. 

The filter - ozonator - heater hardware will be housed in our separate garage. This will protect the equipment from the weather and reduce the sound of the pump. It will also keep the yard OCD tidy. 

The pool deck will also include a gas fire pit and electrical service. 

On the first day - the hole was 95% completed. Most of the excess dirt has been hauled away - Bill is using it at his farm he owns south of town. Before they pour the pool floor - they will fill the bottom with a foot of crushed stone. Also a lattice of steel rebar will be build. Next forms will be used to pour the 4 foot high side walls. Finally - a Marcite finish will be troweled on the concrete. A row of tile will protect the top of the walls. Marcite is a type of plaster made with marble sand that has been tumbled to reduce sharp edges. 

We had concern with the equipment and trucks rolling from the street up to the site. So far - the grass has held - and you can hardly notice that it was crossed. 

All of the measurements were done using a laser surveyor transit. Bill has been building pools 50 years - I honestly think he can lay one out in his sleep. This is the second pool that Bill has built for us. 

Once the hole is complete - we will put a wedding tent over it to protect the workers from the sun and also help during rain. Bill expects to take 6 weeks - which means an estimate August 15th completion. I will stay home with the project during that time. Lulu has a commitment in London for the first 2 weeks of August. 

The loamy clay soil was easy digging

No stumps - no roots - no rocks

The hole is 6 feet deep

Lulu's view from the kitchen

Notice the clean edges

The first cut is the deepest

Looking northeast toward the orchard

The chalk line tell the tale

There will be a short retaining wall 
on west side the slab

Last chance to chicken out

Three Days in Dollywood

Firemen Coaster Ride

32 Ford - the Little Deuce Coupe

Last Thursday - Lulu and I were thinking - what could we do for our anniversary. She said Dollywood. Within an hour - she had planes tickets - a hotel reservation - and rental car. It would be a 3 night - Friday to Monday event. Friday we flew to Knoxville on Delta. We arrive late and drove the last 40 miles to our Black Fox Lodge in Pigeon Forge. 

Saturday morning we went into the amusement park. We bought a 2 day passes for $110. It included a visited to Splash Country - a water amusement park. Being the first Saturday of the summer - it was quite busy - but not Disney busy. We did line up for a big coaster - that took an hour - for a 5 minute ride - and 2 upset stomachs. We enjoyed the music shows in very nice venues - with no lines and plenty of good seats. The 50s and 60s rock and roll show was the best for me. It was noticeable that they had worker shortages in the food service. It must be really hard to get seasonal workers. 

Sunday - we decided to drive our car thru the Smoky Mountain National Park. We rented a Toyota Camry which is a really nice car. It had an 8 speed transmission and plenty of pep. The steering - brakes - and suspension - were superb. The roads in the mountain were in excellent shape - much smoother than I expected - with all the snow and ice in winter. 

It started to rain and ruined our time in Gatlinburg. It was very touristy and had lots of visitors. Parking was at a premium. On Sunday night at 9 pm - we went to the Dream More Lodge - Dolly's very own hotel. It is high on a hill - overlooking the park - a nice place to see the fireworks and drone show. 

Monday morning - perfect weather - and all the crowds disappeared. We went to Splash Country - and enjoyed the different water attractions. On a dare from Sally - I went on the giant slide. It made me realize how much I missed my bidet hose from back home. It is not scary - and over in a couple seconds. You do get a little feeling of weightlessness. 

After that - we went back to Dollywood - to use our second day pass. We loved walking around and seeing the historic Dolly Parton home - and seeing more music shows. Before we knew it it was time to head to the airport. 

CRISIS - It would not be right telling the story without mishaps. For years I carried my credit cards in a slot on my iPhone. It was nice with just one thing to carry - but it a made my iPhone fat. I decided to try a small aluminum card carrier. In it were my drivers license - ATM card - and 2 credit cards. On Saturday - I reached into my pocket in the park and the aluminum wallet was not there. I panicked - certain my accounts would be drained. I would not be able to get on the jet home. All weekend I fretted about my loss. We used lulu's cards and cash. 

On Monday - while packing to go home - after calling the TSA to see if I could fly - I reached in my backpack - in a special zipper pocket for my cars keys - I found the credit card wallet! What a happy ending!

Our 2 flights home went well - if you don't count the extra one hour layover in Atlanta. The airlines are hurting for lack of employees. They have plenty of planes but no one to fly them. We arrived home on Tuesday at 1 am - an hour late.

It was a great 52nd anniversary. On to the next adventure. No one will mention projectile vomiting after a firemen coaster ride. 

Our hotel lobby 

Plenty of thrill rides

Lots of replica buildings

that ride went upside down

We waited an hour for this ride

We did not do the Eagle

I loved the mill chutes

Pretty flowers all over

In the Smokys

Airstream used as food vendor

Model T Ford

Car ride

Great rock and roll show here

Dolly Parton Motor Coach

Highest point in TN

Appalachian Trail

Mountain Lookout

Smokys

Redord covers

Dream More Lodge at park

Black Fox Lodge - our hotel

Splash Country

Replica of Dolly's home

Water wheels impress me - free power

Dolly Parton owns 50% of the park. Forbes has her net worth at $440 million. $130 million of that is her song book - the ones she wrote. I love her motor home - that is another story. She is truly one of the greatest American women success stories. This is a family park - a little corny - but I really liked it. I got to spend it with my best girl on our anniversary.