Sitting, Waiting, Wishing...

No inspection "green tag" today...so we have yet ANOTHER delay. The steel framers are supposed to come out tomorrow (Saturday) to "fix" what they didn't do right. That said, it sets up an inspection on Monday, and decking poured on Tuesday. We'll see...

It's looking like no July 4th party like I hoped...

Steel Framing for Decking

The steel framing for the decking and stone fireplace was laid last week while I was in Denver. However, it was framed according to plan and we had discussed extending it with Billy. So they came back out today and reframed it. They also had to redig the hole for the fireplace since that wasn't done just right either. So here are some pictures of the progress they made today.





We were hoping the inspector would make it out today to reinspect the framing, but it looks like it will be tomorrow - hopefully first thing. Then, they can pour the decking and fill the fireplace hole with concrete. If this happens, we may actually get started on the patio cover next week!

Stonework

Over the weekend, we had some great progress made on the pool. The boulders were brought in to build the back wall of the pool, the flagstone waterfall was constructed, the coping around the pool was added, and the beach entrance was assembled. It's just about done, but the crew should be back today to finish up the final details on all the tile and stonework. It looks great! Here are some pictures.

(Click the pictures for a larger view.)

Tilework Done

After a week of frustration, we finally got the tile installed today. You'd think with the little amount of tile needed for our pool, it would just take an hour or two. It took about 1/2 a day. Although, they were supposed to do it on Tuesday...now it's Friday. Let's hope they are productive tomorrow...or even that they show up! Here's what the tile looks like.

Obviously, I picked the grayish brownish tile. I think it will be nice with the water and the flagstone. Anyway, I hope so!

The flagstone was also dropped off today. This will be using for the coping around the pool and the beach entrance. Here's what it looks like now - they still need to cut it into smaller pieces; the pieces are HUGE right now and they couldn't lift them on their own. I wonder how they'll take them to the backyard...my guess is that's on the agenda for tomorrow. I hope they work Saturdays!

What is Pacific Blue?

We've chosen a lagoon style pool. Part of the reason we chose this style is because we want it to look very natural and less like a typical pool. That said, we didn't want the typical turquoise pool color. So we chose a plaster called Pacific Blue. Here's a picture so you can see the difference.

I think this will go well with the grayish blue tile we chose, do you?

Tile Choices

This week we are scheduled to have the tile and coping done. The crew will be out here Tuesday to begin the tile work. I got 5 samples of tiles that I selected from the catalog and they arrived today for me to make a decision. Here are the samples I got.

(you can click the picture to see it larger)

They're kind of hard to see, and to tell you the truth, they really look completely different in person. I'm glad they brought me the samples to look at because I probably would have chosen something different from just looking at the catalog. After much review, I have made my selection (let's hope Brad agrees!).

Vote for your favorite on the right (not that it matters because they're starting tomorrow!) :) And once they get the tile up, I'll let you know which one I picked.

Plumbing Work

Saturday we were surprised to see the plumbers show up - no indication they were coming, but they spent 8+ hours working on the plumbing for our pool. They placed several pipes which run from the pool to the future location of the pool equipment on the side of the house. That piping is also there as well, but the actual pump and large equipment hasn't arrived yet. During the time they were here, our phone lines were cut. Luckily, AT&T was able to come out Monday morning and fix it. At that time, we found out that a neighbor's phone line was also cut...oops!

Gunite is Done...Now we wait

The gunite is done now. It looks great! It's so nice to see the form of the pool finally. I took a lot of great pictures, and I'll post a few here so you can see the progress. We now have to sit and wait a few days for the concrete to dry. They suggested that we wet it down each day - it takes the process a little longer but makes the concrete stronger. Later in the week, we should get the electrical stuff done (like the light) and they MIGHT start on tile and coping. My thoughts are that it will be next week before that starts. Tile and coping takes 5-7 days as they will bring in all the flagstone, tile, and boulders for the border of the pool. So it may be a while before I post anymore, but enjoy these pics! You can actually see a pool back there now.

Gunite

So, last Friday was supposed to be the gunite step. The crew wasn't able to make it because they had to finish another job they started early last week. But they're here today! They showed up around 7:30 and got started. I just took a progress picture and it's really shaping up! It looks cool. Here's an "in progress" picture. I'll post more when it's done.

(taken from the guest room window)

Inspection - Passed!

The City of Euless inspector came back out to our house this morning and approved the work done on the pool. The crew fixed the steel and met all the requirements that the inspector left yesterday. So now we're scheduled to have the gunite "shot" on Friday. This is supposed to be a 5-6 hour process and has to sit for several days. Let's hope it doesn't rain tonight so there aren't any delays. Once the gunite is in, the water in the hole isn't a big issue anymore!

Inspection - Failed

The City of Euless inspector came out to inspect the steel and plumbing of our "pool" on Wednesday, April 30. Some of the steel was a little too close to the ground, and there was a hand clamp missing from the copper (or something like that), so the inspection failed. The adjustments to be made were simple, so the crew came out Wednesday afternoon to fix it up.