It was late May and already heating up. No rain to speak of in three years and now even my heart was dehydrated. I needed water! While growing up I had spent every weekend of summer on the lake, in the water. I could go to my sister's pool, but she was on the south side of town and I always felt I was imposing, interrupting, a general pain in the butt when I went for a swim. Could I put in a pool?
I went to my computer and typed in pool. Mistake! Boy did I get the fever. They were beautiful - and expensive. I could probably afford a small above ground, but I couldn't picture that in my backyard without adding a large deck with railing, clearing some trees, taking down a railing, and on and on. Then I found a site called National Pool Warehouse. They had the best prices and all the instructions to install - didn't know you could order pool kits. If my husband could build a house, why couldn't he put in a swimming pool? All I wanted was a large tub of water to hydrate my body and cool my mind.
I didn't say anything for 2 days, but I kept going back to that website over and over. I was obsessed. Could we afford it, even with family and friends doing the labor. I prayed and prayed. My birthday was in a few days. I usually gave gifts to my grandchildren on my birthday. This would make a great present for them! They loved water as much as Nanna.
Finally, I pulled up the website and called my husband, Tom, in to have a look. First comment from Tom, "Isn't that pretty." My reply, "Can we order it?" He looked at me like I had lost my mind. I went in to my spill - I begged, I pleaded, I explained how easy it would be, and it was my birthday. I called our son, Bob, and ask if he would help and received a very cautious "yes." Well, Tom gave in and I placed the order. The 16 X 32 would be just right, it was the smaller of the in ground pools and the freebies would be all we needed. No extras, EXCEPT, we chose a salt system.
We immediately started looking for professional help. Tom called some people he knew that installed pools and they gave him some more names. When all was said and done we had 3 bids - $$22,000 - $40,000 to put in a $7300 pool kit. No way we could afford that. It would be up to us to get it put in. We knew several friends who had pools and we contacted everyone we knew even connected to a swimming pool. I worked with a friend who as a contractor had put in many pools. He offered to advise at no charge and he became our lifeline. We looked out over the backyard and pictured the pool. My trees! My muscadine vine! My bird bath and feeder! Oh no, they all had to go. What was I thinking? Bob came over and looked at the pool diagrams on-line and just kept smiling. He likes to swim too!
Things moved real fast after that. In a weeks time the backyard was leveled and the trees were gone, the bird bath, my arbor with all by hanging baskets, all of it. Just a level dirt field. Tom and Bob had been busy. The pool installation had started and the first parts had not arrived. I had created a monster! Then then kit started arriving. Instruction manual, metal panels, jump board, ladder, steps, light were all right here ready to go. Then everybody got the fever.
A few days later Big J, our contractor friend arrived with transit in tow. Hot as hades, Tom, Bob and Big J stood in the hot sun looking, talking, deciding; all after a hard days work. Me, I stood at the window and watched and prayed. Can they do this? Bob jumped on his bobcat and proceeded to follow directions of Big J. They sure acted like they knew what they were doing. Dirt was moved and more dirt was moved. All the topsoil disappeared leaving nothing but Georgia red clay. But that little bobcat had a square 42" deep and 20" X 36" with a perfect opening for the steps. You have to dig 4 feet more than the size of the pool to accommodate the side panels and braces. I was so proud. See nothing to it. Was I in for a surprise. By the weekend, our friend John had his machine with a bucket on it cleaning the red clay out of the deep end. Everything was going great, but it was so hot!
Big J came around every other day to check on our progress and if we hadn't done enough, he prodded us into action. We had to fix some mistakes too, but with his directions nothing ever got too far off kilter. Having put in so many pools, he knew shortcuts that didn't forfeit quality. While digging was going on in the bottom, walls were being assembled on the top edge. The key to the whole installation is keeping everything level - hence the transit. I had never dealt with a transit before, but it didn't take long to get the hang of how it worked and I spent many afternoon in and out of the red clay box checking the transit. Every time anything was moved, either on purpose or accidental, everything would have to be checked and re-leveled.
Next came the first of the concrete. Finally something to hold that blasted wall in place. It worked like a charm, once the concrete collar was poured everything was stable. Now to get the deep end right which meant more mattock work, shoveling, digging, checking the level. My skin was dyed red, my feet wouldn't come clean, I was even more dehydrated, but we kept at it. There was no stopping or taking a break when Big J was around. When I said I was tired, Big J would laugh and tell me I didn't know what tired was. This 65+ year old man with two knee replacements could work circles around all of us. And giving directions wasn't all he did, he was down in that hole shoveling and digging with the rest. Many thanks to you Big J.
Needless to say it all came together; the coping was installed, the steps (our 3 year old grand daughter finally realized what we had been working on when the steps went in and you should have seen her face), the light, the skimmer, the drain lines, the huge slab of concrete that gave the backyard a whole new look and finally the liner . Tom said no one in until the pool was full - Ha! He was the first one to bust behind while it was filling and then it was on. The salt system has been wonderful.
The water is clear and beautiful - even when the cover came off in the spring. There is no chlorine smell on your skin or hair and no red, burned eyes from swimming. A great thanks to all involved in our crazy endeavor. Happy Birthday to all my babies.
Next the fence and the landscaping!
I went to my computer and typed in pool. Mistake! Boy did I get the fever. They were beautiful - and expensive. I could probably afford a small above ground, but I couldn't picture that in my backyard without adding a large deck with railing, clearing some trees, taking down a railing, and on and on. Then I found a site called National Pool Warehouse. They had the best prices and all the instructions to install - didn't know you could order pool kits. If my husband could build a house, why couldn't he put in a swimming pool? All I wanted was a large tub of water to hydrate my body and cool my mind.
I didn't say anything for 2 days, but I kept going back to that website over and over. I was obsessed. Could we afford it, even with family and friends doing the labor. I prayed and prayed. My birthday was in a few days. I usually gave gifts to my grandchildren on my birthday. This would make a great present for them! They loved water as much as Nanna.
Finally, I pulled up the website and called my husband, Tom, in to have a look. First comment from Tom, "Isn't that pretty." My reply, "Can we order it?" He looked at me like I had lost my mind. I went in to my spill - I begged, I pleaded, I explained how easy it would be, and it was my birthday. I called our son, Bob, and ask if he would help and received a very cautious "yes." Well, Tom gave in and I placed the order. The 16 X 32 would be just right, it was the smaller of the in ground pools and the freebies would be all we needed. No extras, EXCEPT, we chose a salt system.
We immediately started looking for professional help. Tom called some people he knew that installed pools and they gave him some more names. When all was said and done we had 3 bids - $$22,000 - $40,000 to put in a $7300 pool kit. No way we could afford that. It would be up to us to get it put in. We knew several friends who had pools and we contacted everyone we knew even connected to a swimming pool. I worked with a friend who as a contractor had put in many pools. He offered to advise at no charge and he became our lifeline. We looked out over the backyard and pictured the pool. My trees! My muscadine vine! My bird bath and feeder! Oh no, they all had to go. What was I thinking? Bob came over and looked at the pool diagrams on-line and just kept smiling. He likes to swim too!
Things moved real fast after that. In a weeks time the backyard was leveled and the trees were gone, the bird bath, my arbor with all by hanging baskets, all of it. Just a level dirt field. Tom and Bob had been busy. The pool installation had started and the first parts had not arrived. I had created a monster! Then then kit started arriving. Instruction manual, metal panels, jump board, ladder, steps, light were all right here ready to go. Then everybody got the fever.
A few days later Big J, our contractor friend arrived with transit in tow. Hot as hades, Tom, Bob and Big J stood in the hot sun looking, talking, deciding; all after a hard days work. Me, I stood at the window and watched and prayed. Can they do this? Bob jumped on his bobcat and proceeded to follow directions of Big J. They sure acted like they knew what they were doing. Dirt was moved and more dirt was moved. All the topsoil disappeared leaving nothing but Georgia red clay. But that little bobcat had a square 42" deep and 20" X 36" with a perfect opening for the steps. You have to dig 4 feet more than the size of the pool to accommodate the side panels and braces. I was so proud. See nothing to it. Was I in for a surprise. By the weekend, our friend John had his machine with a bucket on it cleaning the red clay out of the deep end. Everything was going great, but it was so hot!
Big J came around every other day to check on our progress and if we hadn't done enough, he prodded us into action. We had to fix some mistakes too, but with his directions nothing ever got too far off kilter. Having put in so many pools, he knew shortcuts that didn't forfeit quality. While digging was going on in the bottom, walls were being assembled on the top edge. The key to the whole installation is keeping everything level - hence the transit. I had never dealt with a transit before, but it didn't take long to get the hang of how it worked and I spent many afternoon in and out of the red clay box checking the transit. Every time anything was moved, either on purpose or accidental, everything would have to be checked and re-leveled.
Next came the first of the concrete. Finally something to hold that blasted wall in place. It worked like a charm, once the concrete collar was poured everything was stable. Now to get the deep end right which meant more mattock work, shoveling, digging, checking the level. My skin was dyed red, my feet wouldn't come clean, I was even more dehydrated, but we kept at it. There was no stopping or taking a break when Big J was around. When I said I was tired, Big J would laugh and tell me I didn't know what tired was. This 65+ year old man with two knee replacements could work circles around all of us. And giving directions wasn't all he did, he was down in that hole shoveling and digging with the rest. Many thanks to you Big J.
Needless to say it all came together; the coping was installed, the steps (our 3 year old grand daughter finally realized what we had been working on when the steps went in and you should have seen her face), the light, the skimmer, the drain lines, the huge slab of concrete that gave the backyard a whole new look and finally the liner . Tom said no one in until the pool was full - Ha! He was the first one to bust behind while it was filling and then it was on. The salt system has been wonderful.
The water is clear and beautiful - even when the cover came off in the spring. There is no chlorine smell on your skin or hair and no red, burned eyes from swimming. A great thanks to all involved in our crazy endeavor. Happy Birthday to all my babies.
Next the fence and the landscaping!
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