Show me your pools!!! (Show Off Thread!)

We just finished our new pool as it was getting too cold to swim, so it has been mostly spa enjoyment the last 4 weeks. The spa is good for at least 8, as it holds about 2500 gals.

Happy Holidays!
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that is a beautiful pool as well as land and house. where is it located?

 

Out in the boondocks of central Texas.

 

It was snowin' down in Texas for these shots.....
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cool right in my backyard!

 

Where's that?

 

the boondocks of austin

 

I'm over there a lot.....Austin is as nice as it gets in Texas! I wish it had never changed from my memories of the early 60's, when it was just a big small town. My parents both grew up there...my dad was a lifeguard at Barton Springs and UT graduate....first college grad in his family ever, and their families were both 3rd gen Austinites.

 

yea austin is truely a great place. i love it but man you cant beat that hill country. its gonna be interesting once they finish all those condos downtown, the sky line is going to change so much.

 

Somewhere in there is a pool:
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So my wife and I have about 99% made up our minds to stay put in our current house for several more years and do some improvements, rather than moving to a larger home. My "master plan" for said improvements includes expanding the garage and adding living space above, full outdoor kitchen and fireplace, and a pool. I must say there are some GREAT pools in this thread and plenty of material for inspiration.

I have just started the process of visiting pool contractors and educating myself about all things aquatic. Our yard is fairly small, so this will not be anything near a Dr. Stranglove scale project! I think my entire house would fit in his pool. As I said we don't have much room so the pool will be on the small side, but I want it to be nice. I am trying to keep the budget as small as I reasonably can and not overbuild the neighborhood too much, as we will likely move at some point and I don't want to loose any more money than I have to. In general I would rather have a smaller but nicer pool rather than saying "build the biggest thing you can for X dollars".

So, now to the point. I would love everyone's input on the features you have in your pools that you love/hate or wish you did/didn't have. So far my general plan is:

1) A small gunite "Flintstones-meets-Giligans-Island" tropical lagoon style pool. Dark grey plaster for a deep blue water color. Saltwater, and probably a heater.

2) Yard is flat so no negative edge.

3) We want a "beach entry". Both because I think they look really cool, and for safety in case one of our dogs were to fall in the pool they could easily get out. Anyone have experience with these?

4) It seems all the contractors are pushing the "tanning shelf". A shallow area of the pool about 9 inches deep where you can place a lounge chair or just lie and splash water on yourself. We are thinking this would be pretty nice. See top right corner of the first picture.

5) Some underwater benches along part of the edge for lounging.

6) I LOVE the bridge that Modenafan posted. Any idea on the construction used....stressed concrete perhaps? How much cost would this add?

7) We want some underwater lighting. There are several options here....LED, fiber optic, etc. Opinions on these?

8) I like the misting systems. Cool look, and it would help cool the area in our 100+ degree Mississippi summers.

9) A pirate cave. Yes, I said a pirate cave. When I was about 7 or 8 years old my family went on vacation in Florida somewhere, and the pool there had a waterfall you could swim under to access an underwater bar area. I know it is ridiculous, but I want a scaled down version of that! So I would need one of those waterfalls high enough to walk under built over a small cove in the pool. Inside I would want bench seating for 4 or so people around a small table. Imagine the bottom left corner of the first picture underneath the waterfall. What are opinions of the "fake rocks" they use to build these waterfalls? Any issues with these? I think they are simply gunite over an built up form, correct?
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A good marriage is about compromise, my wife wanted an outside spa, I wanted something sporty!! Otter
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Well- all those elaborate ideas sounds really cool but i would stick with simpler is better.

The beach entry is nice but takes up a lot of space. Also the water level has to be kept exactly spot on for it to look right. A modified beach entry with a 6" drop off at the edge is easier to keep clean.

Like I said- neat ideas but I see a lot of $$ going into the ground.

 

Oh I know....we figured we would start with a "fully optioned" pool, have a stroke when we hear the cost estimate, and then start cutting the unnecessary stuff until we get to something reasonable that we still like.

We had one of the contractors out today and got some good info. For exaple, the underwater benches add little if any cost, but a misting setup is anywhere from $5K and up! Needless to say the mist nozzles have been cut from the wish list. He also suggested the modified beach entry idea for similar reasons to yours. I still like the look of the "real" beach entrys, but may lean towards the ease of maintenence of the modified version. A heather is also something we can (and will) live without.

Also any suggestions on types of filters and pumps?

 

Some good friends of mine wanted a decent indoor pool....

 

You are a good man Otter....that woman is obviously very appreciative and happy ;-)

 

Posted my pics earlier in another thread. http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=138607322&postcount=188

 

Its a heat blanket....just helps with heating the pool.....we get minus temps here in the winter and its a huge room to try and warm.

 

did you notice they were torturing a terrorist from Guantanamo bay in your pool? are you cool with waterboarding on your property?

 

No **** sherlock! whaddya think we use these pools for down here...Aussies take **** from no man :-]

 

Here is my pool at our new home. The house is currently in a home show that is why the pool is blocked off. Can't wait to move in!!

Matt
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I can add to this thread . Not exactly "my" pool but it is in my building and I occassionally open my door and see who's using it. I took this picture last weekend.
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