Advice on a pool build?

[WRasco]

Any chance you can talk her out of it and buy a boat instead? Boat will be cheaper to buy and to own, access to much more water, and tubing is way more fun than floating in a shallow pool in your backyard.

I have never owned a pool but lived across the street from my mom and her pool when we lived in Tyler. I am strongly anti-pool. The water is too hot to cool off in if you don't have a chiller. They are expensive, $100k and up for anything much better than an aboveground, they cost $300+ a month to operate, more if you hire a company to help clean it, they do not add value to your house, are a CONSTANT drag on your time, take up space you could use for pretty much anything else other than a six figure hole in the ground that will cost you $3k annually plus to own even if you pay cash for it.

On the other hand always owned nice boats when we lived in Texas and that was MUCH better, cheaper, and less maintenance and time.

That is funny right there...

[Hawkins]

I can't give any advice other than my dad just had this one built. It is perfect size to me, like to have one myself.

[Razorback01]

My advice- don't. Worse than a boat, just a hole to throw money into.

[jer_james]

Keeping the pool cool with a deeper end would be something I put priority on. Water features are fun, and great to cool off in. Also love the hot tub.

Having a cold pool to come home to is worth every penny we spent on the pool. Kids be darned. The cold water and hot tubs are miracle workers on the body getting older.

[TKC]

Our pool is about 18k gallons, not too big and not too small. We installed three aerators on the sides. The deep end gets to 6’ and went with very light blue pebble tech.

Our pool is in sun all day with not a tree in site. The size of our pool will heat up quickly but also cool down quickly. If it’s too hot, we kick the aerators on for a while and that cools the water down nicely.

We also get a tremendous amount of use from our built in propane fire pit. It is wonderful in the cooler months drinking a beer etc. I can text you pictures of your interested just PM me your number and I can text them.

[Fishndude]

Pebble tec ✔️

[Lynn21]

Hate to sound like Debbie Downer, but- I’ve had my pool 30 years and I wish I had spent that money on something else, like my kids’ college education back then. If you have kids, think about that.

[Dale Moser]

Shade, shade, shade....especially to the west. Look at Shade Sails and consider in deck removeable poles to take it down. I'm not familiar with pool chillers, but I'd definitely do that if it's reasonable. Hot pools in the sun are miserable for old guys, and harder for moms/grandmas keeping up with sunscreen on kids.


I wouldn't say this to most people, but I know you to be a reasonable man, and am certain your kids are as well. Kid safety is up to the kids and the parents! There are classes for TINY kids where they teach them to float on their backs instictively, and swim training starts very quickly after that. Otherwise, kids shouldn't be out there un-supervised anyway.

I'd doll it up with some stone, you'll have snakes anyway, just keep it well kept. Pools look so much better with a "backstop",

Pebbletech is awesome. I know more people who hate salt than like it.

More shade!

[Shane]

Hate to sound like Debbie Downer, but- I’ve had my pool 30 years and I wish I had spent that money on something else, like my kids’ college education back then. If you have kids, think about that.

I thought about it 30 years ago. My kids are now grown and married. We're about to build our first pool now after braces and cars and college and weddings are all paid for.

[Shane]

Shade, shade, shade....especially to the west. Look at Shade Sails and consider in deck removeable poles to take it down. I'm not familiar with pool chillers, but I'd definitely do that if it's reasonable. Hot pools in the sun are miserable for old guys, and harder for moms keeping up with sunscreen.


I wouldn't say this to most people, but I know you to be a reasonable man, and am certain your kids are as well. Kid safety is up to the kids and the parents! There are classes for TINY kids where they teach them to float on their backs instictively, and swim training starts very quickly after that. Otherwise, kids shouldn't be out there un-supervised anyway.

I'd doll it up with some stone, you'll have snakes anyway, just keep it well kept. Pools look so much better with a "backstop",


More shade!

Safety is on everybody, for sure. I'll spend the money to reduce the chances of a "we just had our back turned for 10 seconds, and then...." kind of a tragedy. I want the cover to keep leaves out anyway, even if it didn't add any extra safety to the setup though.

We have a great view off our back porch, and I don't want to build anything very tall that would block it. I do like the look of lots of rock features, but I just don't want to block the rest of our view. If it was a fenced yard in a residential development, I'd definitely do the rocks.

[Dale Moser]

When I build a pool, my first call with be to our very own MjHaverkamp. Senor Roger doesn't know squat about football, but he's forgotten more about pools and building them, than anyone around. Keep in mind, he made his hay building pools around Southlake, Colleyville, Keller, Westlake, and Austin. He KNOWS pools. I doubt he'd go to Abilene for a modest pool, but with that freedom, he can advise you better than anyone.

[Black Ice]

She moved with me to the house we built in the country, so now I have to build her a pool.

We're out in the country. Soil is sand down to 6 or 8' deep, where there's some clay. We have lots of oak trees. Pool will be on the NW side of the house in the back yard. (if any of that matters to what you would suggest) I want ease of maintenance, even if it costs more up front. We also want safety for grand babies.

Here's what I'm leaning toward so far, generally, but I'm definitely open to suggestions....

Rectangle shape pool with spa connected
Probably no rock features, as it seems like that would just attract snakes out where we are
Automatic cover to keep leaves out in the fall/winter especially, and to keep kids safe from falling in
Salt (because most people say that salt systems are easier to maintain than chlorine - true?)
Sport pool depths - 3 or 3.5' deep on the ends and 5' in the middle, but will also put a shallow wading/tanning/baby playing area on one end
Size - not sure yet. Nothing huge, but not super tiny
Either install umbrella mounts along the west side or build a permanent shade/roof over the deck on that side
Robotic vacuum
PebbleTec finish

What about cooling system and/or heating system?

What would you pool experts add or change or recommend? Does anyone here build pools near Abilene?

I have a pool very similar to what you’re talking about and a heater chiller is a must. I’ve also got 6 umbrella holders in and around the pool.

I did not do a cover and I did chlorine.

[BuckSmasher]

I agree with you on all points, but she doesn't. I've been looking at 80s MasterCraft Stars & Stripes. I've always loved those boats. But I'm committed to building her a pool. It's part of our grandparents' arms race to see which set of grandparents has the most fun house for the grandkids to visit. Our son and his wife have a baby now. My DIL's parents have a nice house out in the country, similar to ours. But they have a pool. We gotsta get one too.

We'll use it a lot, I'm sure. I just HATE having another high maintenance thing to spend a bunch of money on.

Well, FWIW that is the best rationale I have ever heard for having a pool. Possibly the only scenario in which I would get one, that or winning the lotto. Don't blame you one bit. Memories with the little ones is definitely worth it.

[mjhaverkamp]

When I build a pool, my first call with be to our very own MjHaverkamp. Senor Roger doesn't know squat about football, but he's forgotten more about pools and building them, than anyone around. Keep in mind, he made his hay building pools around Southlake, Colleyville, Keller, Westlake, and Austin. He KNOWS pools. I doubt he'd go to Abilene for a modest pool, but with that freedom, he can advise you better than anyone.

Appreciate the plug, there are several good suggestions on here, I think the most important is to get a good builder, then I like to keep a pool as simple as I can, the more bells and whistles the more problems, you may try Karbo Bros out of Weatherford, they been known to venture out a ways and they are good people. Dale, I know quite a lot about football, the Zeke deal turned out to be not the greatest but had Tony not gone down we would have had a SB championship LOL.

[Joe H]

Put the skimmers on the downwind side of pool if possible.