Dig Photos

 I'm content to sit back and watch the work happen (and foot the bill).  This is an interesting process and this is a great way to spend my day off. Coffee, a camera & progress.

The dark blue line is the outline of the pool. 16x32' shallow end and spa to the left, deep end to the right.

Spool gone. Blue line outlining pool layout.

I moved several trees in hopes of saving them from the tractor. One cherry tree looks like it won't make it. I dread getting to work fixing the drainage and sprinklers that were demolished in this process. Sprinklers aren't my favorite thing.

Dirty clean slate.

Neighbors must love me. Bright and early the tractors started on Saturday morning. The dig should be finished in one day.

Digging into the slope so I can continue the retaining wall that was missing where the spool was.

Hole in the ground.

Pre Dig Backyard Mess Photos

I bought a backyard mess.

Somebody had some vision at some point, I guess.

Spool? No jets. Saltwater system hooked up to it. Right now, it looks like a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Jungle cleared, but it still is a mess. What to do.... Lots going on in a small space.

And so it begins

After years of throwing around the idea of getting a pool, I'm taking the plunge. I bought a new property six months ago & it came with a backyard mess. The previous owners had started big projects during the height of the market and abandoned them (and the rest of the yard) as the real estate market crashed.




So the choice was to try to fix what was back there, get some grass growing and clean it up, or scratch it all and go for the pool.  I let the back yard sit for about 6 months, doing some weed abatement here and there, but basically I let it be. As SoCal started to warm up, the internal pressure to get a pool increased. So I started calling around. I grew increasingly frustrated with pool builders and their quotes. Each one was playing hide the ball, it seemed, leaving key parts out of their bid in order to drive the price down. At one point I decided to sub the pool out myself and deal with subcontractors on my own. In the couple of months I researched pool options, I grew comfortable in pool knowledge and felt I could take on the project as an owner builder.  I had plans and engineering drawn up for $100 and sent those plants out to subs to get bids on the various stages of pool construction.




By chance I went back to one of the original pool builders who had bid my job several months prior. I liked him and he came highly recommended from a friend. I told him what I wanted and how much I wanted to spend.   We worked together, he took his time and I felt comfortable and signed a contract.




A week later, the pool is being dug. As of today, I have two tractors in the backyard, tearing up the front landscaping and leaving a mess everywhere. I have size anxiety- the pool looks tiny and I'm wondering if I should have gone bigger.




My pool is proportionate to my space. I want to leave room for an outdoor kitchen & some grass & plenty of decking, so I'm going to stick to the original plans.




As for the specifications, I am building a 16x32' freeform pool 18 inch raised bond beam and spa. The narrowest point of the pool is 14.5' which seems small & I'm hoping it isn't a lasting concern for me.




I hope to keep up this blog as a step by step journey in the pool process, my analysis of the options and the costs I'm facing along the way.