By Tim Long
Marking the Pool Deck Edge
After the building permits have been issued, the utilities located and re-routed if necessary, the next step is the excavation process. This is one of the most important stages of your pool’s construction. You must realize that once a hole has been dug, any changes to the location , its shape or its size will likely cause an increase in the cost of the project. That is why most designers and builders go to extra measures to insure that the location, shape and size are clearly confirmed before the ground is broken. Even though I present plans and perspective drawings, which give good ideas of the pool’s future appearance, most people can not visualize completely what the pool will eventually look like. I find it helpful to “paint” the pools outline in the grass, before the excavator has even arrived. This paint, far from permanent, helps most people see the pool in its proper context, before any digging begins, which is far more permanent. With the paint marks, most people will get a better feel for the pool’s size and orientation. It is here you should be asking questions, such as but not limited too the following:
- Will you be able to see the pool from inside as you want?
- How will I move from the house to the pool?
- Where is the pathway to be located?
- Is there enough room to move around the pool?
- Is there enough room to lounge on the deck or in the pool’s lounging area?
- Will the sun light strick the lounging area as you want?
- Is there enough shade where you want?
- Will the children be able to play as you intend?
- Is there enough room to entertain as you envision?
At this point changes can be addressed rather easily. The skill of the designer will also pay off here, as he should have been able to anticipate most of your question.
Heavy Equipment
Once everyone is pleased with the layout, the digging can begin. Where possible a full size excavator can be used to remove any unwanted objects and dig the pool to its proper depth. You should be aware that the equipment needed to build your new pool, particularly the excavator, can be quite large and make quite a bit of noise. The equipment and personnel need to run it will take up space, inconvenience your neighbors and destroy landscaping between the staging area and the location of your new pool, including fences and other objects in the path of the equipment, which, in the case of the excavator, needs at least an 11 pathway for clearance. Trees and shrubs in the area which are to remain should be protected. This protections should extend to the “drip line” of tree. Many think if the tree trunk is protected the tree will survive. This is not necessarily the case. As large equipment moves acrossthe roots of trees, the soil can become compacted making it difficult or impossible for the tree to survive the stress. Talk with your designer and builder, or even to an arborist, as to what measures are necessary. It should also be part of the planning process to also repair the grasses, landscape, pathways, irrigation lines and fences that will be unavoidably damaged.
Debris Removal is Quick with an Excavator
Care must be taken to reduce traffic problems and inconveniencing of those who live around you. Many cities have limitation on working hours, mandating most work to begin after 7 am. Fortunately most of the better pool contractors understand the inconvenience the experience can cause and do their best to limit the disruptions where possible. The largest piece of equipment used on the average pool is known as the full size excavator. It is an impressive piece of equipment and can remove the dirt for most pools in the space of a few hours. Hard or rocky soil can lengthen the process, particularly if access is limited and the builder is required to use smaller digging equipment. Rocky soil can also increase the cost of the excavation. Many pool builders build into their project cost certain allowances for the excavation portion of the pool. “Overages” beyond the anticipated cost will likely be charged to the owner. This is why, among other things, my recommendation, as written in “It Begins with Design”, is that a soil’s analysis be performed to determine the type of soil and the suitbility of the soil where the pool is located, prior to the excavation process. These reports should indicate not only the presence of rocky soil, but also if extra measures are required to support your pool If a soils report was not undertaken, as a minimum, having a soil engineer observe the soil conditions once the pool is excavated, should at least be accomplished. This is rather cheap insurance to make sure the proper structural requirements necessary to preserve the pool, in its present location.
Digging the Pool
Once the pool excavators are finished, you should be able to see the most prominent features of your pool. The actual pool will be slightly smaller and shallower because you must allow for the thickness of pool structure. Walls separating the spa from the pool and steps, in most cases, will be formed completely out of reinforced concrete, and may not be visible at the point. However you should be able to notice benches and lounging areas and the general location of the spa. In some areas of the country, particularly in coastal areas, where the water table is high, the pool has to be completely “over excavated” because the hole will not retain its shape, collapsing in upon itself. Where the soil holds its shape, forming boards will be placed above grade and in special areas to allow the concrete to be “shot” against it. (More on this subject later.) But in the areas where the walls collapse, the over excavation allows for the walls to be formed out of wood, where the concrete will be eventually attached.
Once the excavation equipment leaves the yard, the hole is typically exposed, since fencing material has usually been set aside to allow access. Generally laws dictate some form of temporary fencing surrounding the newly formed hole to prevent accidents. However the first major step, and typically the most dramatic, has been completed.
Read the previous article in the series “City Permits & Utilities”.
Read the next article in the series “Steel Reinforcement, It’s the Pool’s Skeleton!”.
Tags: Construction, Pools, Spas