Modern Pool - Filled and Ready to Swim
In this post I’ll be sharing what our pool looks like all filled with water and ready to be used! Saying we’re excited to be done with those many months of nothing but dirt and construction consuming our backyard is an understatement! We started out having a new bulkhead installed and then building our dock onto that. Once it was finished, the pool build process started right on the heels of that project, so that was a full year of ongoing construction in our backyard!
If you have questions about the pool design or materials, then this previous blog post, Modern Pool Design, is for you! I shared in great detail the design process, materials, lighting, specifications, plaster color, etc. of our pool, right up until it was ready for water. Now, I get to share the fun part! Below is a reminder of what our yard looked like when we bought the house:
Just Add Water
Seeing the pool fill up with water over a two day period and watching the plaster color come to life was so exciting! As directed, we put the hoses at the deep end of the pool to start so that the water didn’t leave any marks or streaks on the new plaster.
You may notice the water color changing in these photos. Over time, the plaster will continue to cure and change the pH balance of the water. It started out a very deep and vibrant teal color and gradually became the dusty gray blue color I had wanted. However, after seeing it in person, I do kind of love that teal color! I wouldn’t be upset if it had stayed that way. :P
The dirt in the corners of the pool is essentially the system doing its job and flushing all the dirt out of the pipes once the pump was turned on.
Below, the water is still a bit cloudy as the plaster was curing. It’s stagnant because the pump was not turned on. I even love the color on an overcast day.
The landscaping was not completely finished in these photos, but the turf had already been installed and the landscaping along each side of our fenced yard was mostly completed. It still looks ten times better than it did before! Also, the pavers were pulled up for the third time to install a drainage tube for the new gutters we put on our house.
Believe it or not, we were allowed to swim in the pool the day after it was filled and chemically treated! We were just instructed to not put anything hard/sharp in the pool until the plaster had cured after 28 days. That meant we had to wait another month to use our in-pool furniture. For all the details on our in-pool furniture, stay tuned! I’ll be sharing soon.
Just Keep Brushing
Another rule that must be followed if you want your plaster to cure properly, is to brush it daily! In fact, we had to brush it twice a day. At first, it was sort of fun, getting used to our new pool and standing on the ledge to brush it. But after weeks of this, it can be a little taxing. I know, I know. #FirstWorldProblems right? Trust me, I didn’t complain about it. I was just really happy to have our beautiful pool (and as a bonus, it toned up my arm muscles.) ;)
You may notice that the below photo shows the pool’s water level a couple of inches lower than the above photos. It should be just below the level of the “sunken edge” on the spa. You may also notice the bar stool laying on the ledge of the swim up bar. We aren’t sure how to fix that, but our pool builder has been out a couple of times to look at it and there has been no long term solutions. It looks like the jet below the stools is pushing enough water out to suck the stool out of place. They are not screwed in, the stool post just sits down into the hole that was created for it.
I also just shared a full review of our in-pool furniture, Full Review of Ledge Lounger In-Pool Furniture and Pool Rafts! Thanks for following along! Let me know if you have questions after checking out my pool posts.
Sending Sunshine,
Jessica
