go ahead. come on over to pick me up off the floor. actually, off the concrete. because i'm laying face down right here on the new concrete pool deck.
kissing it. caressing it. loving it.
oh, sorry. forgot you were here!
you guys. there are almost no words. i say *almost* because i'm a blogger, so there has to be words. but wow. in person, i'm completely speechless. (my friends would say "thank, God!" to that statement.).
after months and months of dirt production, trench digging, plumbing install, plaster chipping, material choosing (this was stressful!), county inspector visits, trucks coming and going, check writing, and much much more....we have a pool! and it's so much more than a pool. it's gorgeous!!!...
*don't mind the ratty fence or dirt piles in the background. just squint your eyes and allow only the pool to come into view.
yes. that is the pool in my backyard. my backyard! my backyard???
so hard to believe. and so grateful!
before i share more of the glorious completed pool photos, we need to see the progress since the last time i posted about this renovation. the last time we talked pool was August 29 when it looked like this, prepped and ready for the concrete deck to be poured...
after seeing those finished images at the beginning of this post, it's hard to believe how much work has wrapped up in the last 20 days. yet not hard to believe how many photos i've snapped during that time. that's my way of preparing for you for the onslaught of pictures that lie ahead ;-).
first up, let's get that concrete truck on deck!...
good morning once again, neighbors! bright and early at 7am. kids loved seeing this truck in the front yard before they left for school. the crew worked quickly to get the deck poured and smoothed...
after the deck was poured, they spent time adding the lines/breaks and finishing the details...
for the next 5-7 days we had to water the concrete to help the curing process. then, we waited for the next phase - wet edge (inner plaster). much like the concrete deck, once that process started, it moved quickly. i was happy to see this truck because it meant a finished product was on the horizon...
before adding the plaster, they sealed off the rest of the pool to protect it...
and they rigged up their sprayers using an interesting rope system...
whatever they did, it worked well for them. they were done adding the material to the pool that day. at the end of the day, i admit, i was worried. the color and finish looked off to me. i knew eventually the plaster wouldn't be seen because it would be underwater. but i still worried. i'm a worrier, what can i say. that's one of my jobs. one that i do very well.
soon i learned the next day a crew would come in to polish the plaster to make it look like this...
which was, surprise, exactly the finish i chose months earlier...
* finish is called tahoe coast, for those interested.
here we were at the end of polish day...
again, tried to control the urge to worry. the finished product looked scratchy to me. but, as usual, it ended up just fine.
next day was a big one - jets were finished off, drain covers were added, equipment was completed, and lights were installed...
then one day after picking up our daughter from pre-school, i arrived home to this...
water? what's water??
in the pool?
the pool is being filled with water?
i couldn't believe it. after months and months of hard work and a large empty hole in the ground, the pool was being filled with water. and it took a while. about 31+ hours of constant water running. part of the curing process for wet edge is to allow the pool to fill slowly and continuously. if you turn the water off, for fear of the pool overflowing overnight, you will be left with lines and cracks in your plaster. so we slowly filled the spa and pool for more than a day...
until finally, it was done!...
the shelf doesn't look as bad under water...
i'm VERY pleased with the end result of the materials. i stressed over this decision because it's not exactly easy to replace a choice you don't like once it's been installed. i'm very very happy with the results!...
here are my materials...
the before (when the house was purchased) and after...
in love over here...
sadly, we can't hop into this beauty for another 9-10 days. the chemicals are being balanced, salt goes in next week, then we fire up the equipment and jump in! september 29 - pool party! i also have a mason coming out next week to fix all of the loose bricks around the pool edge. that way we will have a walkway between the house and the pool.
you guys have heard enough about the pool, right?
now? now i obsess over the remaining hardscape and landscape. but first, i play the lotto.
have a great weekend everyone!
(i linked up with tatertots & jello, a bowl full of lemons)
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