You've gathered your survey, compared some quotes, approved your drawings, secured your finances and signed on with Hang 10 Pools for a New Pool Build! First of all, congratulations on the big step to owning a new backyard oasis! However, knowledge is power and we want to empower you to making the best decisions and understanding the process of building and owning a swimming pool.
Next, The Elephant in the room. Here comes the brutal truth, your pool construction project is not going to be only sunshine and rainbows and it's not going to be as fun or as pretty as the design process was.
Construction work is dirty, messy, and jumbled timelines with a hint of rushing. No need to stress though, we've built 1000s of pools since 1994 in Palm Beach County and the surrounding areas and can help you navigate all the obstacles as they appear. We try to stay in good communication through the process but please understand that we do a lot of work behind the scenes with permitting offices, inspections and scheduling that often don't warrant an update each time. Having a helpful timeline in advance should alleviate worries about your pool project getting forgotten.
As your pool builder we have entered into a lasting relationship that goes beyond just the few months it takes to complete your swimming pool build. We will be around to fix any warranty issues for the duration and often even end up building our client's children's pools down the road. The pool construction process can be stressful if you let it, but a level of trust between both parties must exist in order to maintain a healthy business relationship. We take pride in our finished product, and we want you to have the best possible hand crafted pool.
Something to acknowledge, our work isn't 100% perfect...ever. Currently there doesn't exist a machine that can produce a custom pool but our team and crew is very talented and have decades of experience building beautiful swimming pools. We try our very best on every project that we take on to do a wonderful job and earn your referral business in the future. Most of our pool builds will have a blemish or imperfection here and there and when it arises we put in a work order and send out team members to try to rectify the issue and appease the customer.
Having a realistic expectation of your pool outcome is important. Even the pools you see on Pinterest have some imperfection somewhere that only the homeowner knows about as each one is unique and hand crafted by literal Artisans who make their living with this craft. We aim to be perfect but usually land very near it.
Known issues arise from Colored Pool Finishes and Decking with Sand Underlayment.
These options are also the most popular choices consequentially. Colored pool finishes tend to show blemishes, imperfections and trowel marks more obviously than traditional white based finishes. The darker the plaster color, the more obvious it can be. Be aware that it doesn't happen every time, but occasionally weather, water, or unforeseeable Acts of God may play a part in the appearance of imperfections and that is the gamble one must make.
It is more cost effective to use compacted paver sand and lay your decking material on top, as concrete underlayment is charged by the square foot. Thus, many folks tend to choose this option and are disappointed when pavers begin to shift or sink. When pavers shift or sink, they can incur stress fractures, cracking, and chipping and will often need to be reset professionally.
A note on decking: since we live in South Florida, we basically build our residences on top of a large sinkhole covered by sugar sand. Once it begins to rain, this water will find it's way through cracks and erode the sand away beneath the pavers. If you choose sand underlayment, you will need to adjust your decking at some point in it's lifetime. Even though your decking material will be level and picture perfect on installation day, you can expect the ground to settle and the edges to be uneven by a few millimeters in various areas. This is the consequence of choosing sand underlayment to save money on the initial build.
Honesty and communication and very important for understanding your pool and setting realistic expectations. If I were to promise you a perfect pool and deck, you would eventually grow disappointed or even irate when these issues arose. We do our very best to create a wonderful pool experience and want you to feel knowledgeable and empowered in your purchase.
Lastly, your yard and likely your neighbors yard are going to suffer collateral damage. Depending on the amount of access there is to your backyard, our huge machinery is very heavy and the treads and tracks are going to demolish any sod in their way, especially in wet conditions. On this note, there will be various loads of gravel and sand that get dumped into piles throughout the process and look quite ugly. This is necessary for grading and will be leveled prior to the decking phase. You will need to budget for obtaining sod for your yard and possibly your neighbors yard as you are the responsible party. Fences may need to be removed so that they do not get damaged during construction.
You will need a barrier of some sort to pass final inspection.
We try our best to protect sidewalks and driveways with plywood from the heavy machinery, but sometimes they get damaged. Things like underground piping or sprinklers that are discovered may create additional work.
There is a lot of various debris throughout the process and we do our best to consolidate it into neat piles. The cleanup of your yard is scheduled after decking towards the end of your project. This is the final time that there is broken pieces that accumulate, but also there may be water bottles from the crew if no trash can is provided on site. We schedule a crew member with a dump truck or trailer to arrive and remove all debris and materials at this time.
Following this initial disclaimer on your pool, let's talk about the Pool Construction Timeline and payment due dates for progress draws.
Phase 1- Drawing / Design / Engineering / Sealed Plans: Typically 2 weeks, but up to 2 Months depending on revisions. Payment 10% deposit is due on signed contract.
Phase 2- Permitting: Up to 6 weeks Depending on the County. We routinely check in for updates to try and get pushed to the top of the list.
Phase 3 - Excavation: 1 week to schedule, 1 day to perform. Payment 25% of the project is due prior to digging / forming.
Phase 4 - Steel: Immediately after excavation our crew is scheduled to form the steel structure of the pool and add drainage rocks.
Phase 5 - Inspection: Up to 2 days depending on the county.
Phase 6 - Gunite: Up to 2 weeks for scheduling the Gunite crew. 1 day to complete molding the concrete shell of your pool. Payment 25% of the project is due prior to shooting the pool.
Phase 7 - Tile Selection: At this time you visit our showroom to choose your tile from the current selections that are in stock.
Phase 8 - Pool Strip: Our team arrives to remove the wood from your pool form.
Phase 9 - Backfill: Up to 1 week to schedule, 1 day to perform.
Phase 10 - Plumbing: Up to 1 week, Up to 2 days to perform.
Phase 11 - Inspection: Up to 2 days.
Phase 12 - Deck Grade: Up to 1 week to schedule, 1 day to perform.
Phase 13 - Brick & Tile: Up to 1 Week to Schedule, Up to 1 Week to Perform. Payment 15% of total project is due prior to this Phase.
Phase 14 - Deck Bond: Up to 2 days to schedule, up to 1 day to perform.
Phase 15 - Inspection: Up to 2 days to schedule, 1 day to perform.
Phase 16 - Install Footer: Up to 5 days to schedule, 1 day to perform.
Phase 17 - Inspection: Up to 2 days to schedule, 1 day to perform.
Phase 18 - Decking: Up to 1 week to schedule, 1 week to complete. Payment 20% is due prior to the Decking Installation.
Phase 19 - Equipment Set: Up to 2 days to schedule, 1 day to perform. If we aren't installing the deck, payment is due at this time.
Phase 20 - Clean Up / Final Grade: Up to 1 week to schedule, 1 day to perform.
Phase 21 - Cleanout: Up to 5 days to schedule, 1 day to perform.
Phase 22 - Electrical: Up to 1 week to schedule, up to 3 days to perform.
Phase 23 - Inspection: Barrier and Electrical. Up to 2 days to schedule, 1 day to perform.
Phase 24 - Pool Plaster: Up to 1 week to schedule, 1 day to perform. Payment 5% is due prior to pool plaster application.
Phase 25 - Fire Up: 30 days of pool chemistry and start up cleaning.
Phase 26 - Pool School: Up to 1 week to schedule, 30 min to perform.
Phase 27 - Final Inspection: Up to 2 days to schedule, 1 day to perform. At this time once passed we turn over the pool to the care of the homeowner.
Looking for tips on caring for your Swimming Pool, Equipment, and Decking? Check out our helpful Blog post on how to use your pool equipment, care for your pool, basic pool chemistry and more here: Hang 10 Pools Pool Care Guide
