Our Pool Construction Process
Excavation and Layout
Excavation is the first phase of the construction process. The first step is to ‘peg out’ the shape of the pool into place ensuring correct dimensions and elevations. Following a layout inspection by your city officials, the physical excavation of the hole and trenching begins. It is vital that the excavation is completed by experienced excavators as this is a critical part of the process which demands accuracy and professionalism.
Plumbing, Steel, Electrical, and Inspections
Plumbing – Schedule 40 PVC pipe, which will be beneath the deck will be installed and extended to the mechanical equipment location. This includes lines such as the main drain, skimmers, water features and any other mechanical lines that may be included in your contract. All piping is left pressurized and tested prior to gunite placement to insure against any leaks.
Steel – Every pool we build has superior rebar sizing to ensure there are no structural issues with your dream pool.
Electrical – Our electricians will inspect your service panel and the equipment location.
Inspections – Virgin Islands Pools will take care of all permitting and inspections throughout the process so you can rest easy.
Gunite
This is a major step in your construction project, one of the dirtiest and certainly the noisiest. There are many large trucks on site the day of gunite. This day is quite exciting! If you can be present at any of the stages, this is certainly one to witness. Our true craftsmanship shines on gunite day! During this phase the walls, floor stairs, benches light niches come to life. Beginning the next day you should wet down the gunite shell two times a day for ten days, to facilitate the curing process. Do not become alarmed if any water accumulates in the bottom of the pool. During this time the 30 day concrete cure begins takes place. Forms will be stripped.
Tile & Coping
At this stage our masonry crew will show up at the job-site to do your coping and tile according to your pre selections. This stage can be a bit cumbersome as it is the slowest portion of your construction process. If there are water features, such as raised beam, a water fall or grotto this will also take place at this stage. Any retaining walls will also be part of this stage. Our top notch masons are seasoned veterans and take great pride in every stone they professionally install. Masonry is a tedious phase but the reward to the eye as well as durability will be enjoyed for decades to come. The water line tile is laid after masonry and grout is installed.
Deck Layout and Deck Pour
We will first do a layout of the decking to show you where the concrete will be poured. Forming will be required for the deck stage. Rebar is once again, added for extra strength, it is actually dowelled into the gunite shell at points around the pool perimeter. Depending on your choice of decking (plain, exposed aggregate, pavers or stamped, sundek, stone, travertine etc.) the concrete must be poured into place first. The deck will be reinforced with 3/8″ steel rebar and where over 4″ above ground will require turn-down beam to reinforce your decking, giving the deck a “reinforced leg” to stand on. If you have a stone covered deck, our masons will return during this stage.
Pool Equipment
The mechanical components, including the filter system, pumps, time clock or wireless components, cleaner, heater (if required) are installed. Our pool plumbers are well versed in the proper plumbing dynamics and proper sizing of piping to optimize the flow from pool to equipment and back to filtered returns. This is certainly one of several areas that ordinary pool builders will scrimp on. Our skimmers, water features and main drains are piped separately and individually valved for total control by the customer, making customization as easy as flipping a valve or automatically controlled from within the home with the push of a button, if desired.
Interior Finish / Pebble
This is when you can plan that pool party. This is the final stage of your pool construction. Depending on what type of interior you have chosen, this process can be complete in one day or could be extended to two if you select a pebble product. After the plaster is applied, we leave the pool filling with your water supply. During the filling process, DO NOT STOP the water from filling into the pool. A stain or ring may form on the pool plaster surface where the water was stopped. Once the water reaches the center of the tile, stop the filling the pool and call the office to schedule the equipment start up.
Start-Up
Once your pool has reached the proper water level, we will return to start your filter equipment and make sure all integral components are functioning properly. Once we have everything operating, we will give you complete instructions on how to operate the mechanical system and maintain your pool’s water chemistry. It is now time to take your first plunge! At this point, we will call any final inspections in to your respective city or county office. By no means, does this mean you will never see us again. We continue over the next week to return regularly to fine tune and simply double check everything. If you have a heater installed, we will be back after 30 days to start up and test.