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Pool Build Options - what would you...

LHC30

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either certainly do in your next pool build or would stay away from? We are in the planning stage of our Havasu pool build and would like to know your experiences that worked out well, were a disaster, or just a poor choice and why.

Thanks
 

Ultra247

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I won't stone face a spa again. I have stone on the spa at home and the one in Havasu. the stone gets white calcium deposits and it also splits. Tile the spillway or face of your spa!!

Picking the pool size is the toughest. It's really easy to be too big or too small. Look at a lot of dimensions before you pick the size!!
IMG_2320.JPG
 

Mike Honcho

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I love auto fill and auto drain love the changing lights and automation
Also have tiled spa face still get the calcium I would recommend as many return lines throughout the pool everywhere you think you will have poor circulation this will help with cleaners and keeps algae blooms down.
 

Havasu blue label

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Very simple pool with a beach entry and a conversation table no stack stone pull-up crystal pools in Pasadena and copy or play it down a bit crystal clear pools in Pasadena buddy of mine does great work buy your pumps in calif and filters
 

stephenkatsea

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Any profile on your tile and the Havasu hard water deposits will find it. Maybe even a super gloss slick glaze porcelain profile may not help that much.
 

Mandelon

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We have an electric roll out cover for ours, and while it limits your shapes and elevations it keeps the pool clean, the water doesn't evaporate and the chemical use goes way down. I only have to run the pump an hour a day. Maybe a gallon of chlorine a month. The pool was here when we moved in. But we had little kids, and kids friends. The cover is super tough and durable.
 

WhatExit?

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  • Jacuzzi with plenty of jets on at least one dedicated pump.
  • Travertine tile deck and coping
  • No salt system (not worth it)
  • Easy clean filter grids
  • Auto fill (not the toilet float type!)
  • LED lights
  • No pop-ups
  • No sheer descent
  • No stacked stone
 

DirtyWhiteDog

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I 2nd the auto cover, it's the best safety feature outside of a pool fence. I've just seen a swim spa jet installed in a custom gunite pool .
 

grumpy88

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This is a great thread ! Any opinions on infinity edge or built in bar stools ?
 

DLC

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How small of a pool is to small in Havasu.
We want a 12x15 maybe 15x18 - 4ft deep cocktail type pool

Need to see the tv from the pool!!

What about a chiller for summer?
Roof top Solar heat for winter is it worth it?
 

DLC

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I love auto fill and auto drain love the changing lights and automation
Also have tiled spa face still get the calcium I would recommend as many return lines throughout the pool everywhere you think you will have poor circulation this will help with cleaners and keeps algae blooms down.


Where does your drain go to? sewer line or curbside. Neighbors yard?
 

DB / HAV

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Negative edge
Swim up bar w/bar stools & reachable ice cooler
Large Baja shelf w/umbrella stand w/shelf for drinks
Rubber duckies
 

ONE-A-DAY

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A21E3990-AA49-4883-8B2A-FE08CA352002.jpeg
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- Pop up floor system
- salt
- phone app controls (turn the spa on while finishing dinner at the restaurant, get home, get naked)
- line the spa spillway with copper sheet, tiles won’t work there
- big fan of fire pots we used in our recent build, we get lots of visitors to see the pool by new customers of the builder, everyone orders them after seeing them
- solar heating system, swim from April to early November in havasu
 

FlyByWire

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How small of a pool is to small in Havasu.
We want a 12x15 maybe 15x18 - 4ft deep cocktail type pool

Need to see the tv from the pool!!

What about a chiller for summer?
Roof top Solar heat for winter is it worth it?

Won’t get much smaller than mine. We were restricted by total available space though. They can do some pretty awesome things.
IMG_8005.jpg
 

Mike Honcho

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Where does your drain go to? sewer line or curbside. Neighbors yard?
Drain is a 3/4 hole on the skimmer and goes into the deck drains and is pushed into the sewer, some go to the street as well.
 

LHC30

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F228EA6C-E852-4BDB-815E-D2183D72C923.jpeg
Thanks all for some great input. Here is a quick rendering of what we are thinking of. Add a seat/ ledge along the entire curved side and a 30” square table and corner seating on the upper right of the pool. 3 fountain squirters on the curve and umbrella holes in the deck at various places.

Ideas?
 

LHC30

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And, since this will be on the west side of the house, what do y’all use for shade in the summer? I’m not fond of those triangle shades and don’t want a permanent hard structure as it will block the sunsets. So, does that leave anything other than umbrellas ?
 

Ziggy

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This is a great thread ! Any opinions on infinity edge or built in bar stools ?
Just learned that birds use uncovered spillways to hang out on and poop. They are able to reach the water to drink.
 

DrunkenSailor

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The one thing that i saw that i really liked was digging the bar down to the level of the pool. That way your on the same level as the pool barstools.

Its a baller move but makes a great hangout spot.

swimmingpoolbararizona_full.jpeg
 

Mandelon

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The baja step is pretty cool. Great for little kids and drunk adults. We plop a couple of those plastic Walmart adirondack chairs on them and you are wet and cool, but can keep your drink out of the water.
 

Keymyster

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Water features suck with Havasu's water. Second stay away from Custom Pools of Arizona.
 

HB2Havasu

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View attachment 816718 Thanks all for some great input. Here is a quick rendering of what we are thinking of. Add a seat/ ledge along the entire curved side and a 30” square table and corner seating on the upper right of the pool. 3 fountain squirters on the curve and umbrella holes in the deck at various places.

Ideas?

You might want to consider adding a Baja Shelf with some holes for umbrellas or your guests are not going to be in the pool very long when the July Sun sets them on fire, lol. Plus they're a great place to put a Pool Chair in the water and enjoy a cold beverage. :D

My next pool will have a swim-up Covered BBQ & TV Bar with barstools in the pool. Great for parties. Hey - You asked what would you do, lol.
pool bar.png
 
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ONE-A-DAY

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View attachment 816718 Thanks all for some great input. Here is a quick rendering of what we are thinking of. Add a seat/ ledge along the entire curved side and a 30” square table and corner seating on the upper right of the pool. 3 fountain squirters on the curve and umbrella holes in the deck at various places.

Ideas?

two fire pots on the back radius would look really nice at night when looking out from the house
 

boatdoc55

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As said above, A heat pump is a must for shallow pools. We set ours at 86 and forget it. Our's and many we looked at are 5' deep at the deepest. Our neighbors is very similar in size and depth and I've seen their pool at 97 in August, that aint' a pool that's a stewpot looking for some meat.
 

LHC30

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If you want to see the pots in action or the lighted deck jets or Baja shelve fire bubblers come by this weekend and I can help you spend more money :)

Might take you up on that. Thanks
 

Mike K

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We built a pool in Havasu about 3 years ago. It was out first pool ... we have built 2 more since.
#1 Make sure its “real pebbletech” not a cheap imitation. Yeah ... some fake that. Mine did.
#2 Make sure the finish is even all throughout the pool ... not ... “ hey it’s supposed to be all blotchy and uneven cuz it’s supposed to look like the bottom of a dirty beach”.
#3 No shoe marks on final finish.
#4 MOST IMPORTANT: Make sure you ask the builder to show u a pool that they built ... look at the finish with water in it ... it has to be even ... not blotchy.
#5 Pool builder / sales guy will be very scarce during the build. In my 3 times experience their communication skills rate a 3 at best.
#6 Try to get everything u want written down on the build contract at the very beginning ... so really really try to not change anything , no matter how little it may seem ... but a a change order will blow u away with the costs. Trust me on this one.
 

boatpi

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I would highly recommend using Artistic Pavers , Step Lock, for your deck, never gets hot, no upkeep.
 

GRADS

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Not a big fan of sport pools (deep in the center) unless it is a very long pool. Say the pool is only 30-35' long and you go 3'6" to 6' you end up with very little area of the pool that kids or short adults can stand with their head above water.
 
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DLC

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My pool in San Diego is a sport pool 16x36 goes from 3.5 to 5.5 to 3.5
And it keeps the kids out of the drinking adult area....
 

was thatguy

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Very simple pool with a beach entry and a conversation table no stack stone pull-up crystal pools in Pasadena and copy or play it down a bit crystal clear pools in Pasadena buddy of mine does great work buy your pumps in calif and filters

My neighbor has those features on his modest sized pool and they really seem like stand out features.
Especially the beach end.
 

Melloyellovector

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We built a pool in Havasu about 3 years ago. It was out first pool ... we have built 2 more since.
#1 Make sure its “real pebbletech” not a cheap imitation. Yeah ... some fake that. Mine did.
#2 Make sure the finish is even all throughout the pool ... not ... “ hey it’s supposed to be all blotchy and uneven cuz it’s supposed to look like the bottom of a dirty beach”.
#3 No shoe marks on final finish.
#4 MOST IMPORTANT: Make sure you ask the builder to show u a pool that they built ... look at the finish with water in it ... it has to be even ... not blotchy.
#5 Pool builder / sales guy will be very scarce during the build. In my 3 times experience their communication skills rate a 3 at best.
#6 Try to get everything u want written down on the build contract at the very beginning ... so really really try to not change anything , no matter how little it may seem ... but a a change order will blow u away with the costs. Trust me on this one.

FYI, to my knowledge there is no certified pebbletec companies in Havasu. So that really is not an option.
Also National pool tile sells nearly identical product. Only difference is liquid dye versus powder.
This is what most if not all applicators use in Havasu. Same warranty 10 years
Sounds like you've had some bad experiences.

LHC30 if your going w play pool like pic I wouldn’t exceed 5ft depth in center. Maybe 3.5 one side 5 center 4.5 other side. Transitions will be quick but not to drastic if you don’t go deep.
I would add Baja on one of spa and take all the way back to steps
Other side I would do table with bench around perimeter and same thing take back to steps
 
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