Proper planning equals stellar performance

Aquatic Technology Pool & Spa
Paolo Benedetti

Not just vanishing edge, infinity edge, knife edge, slot or perimeter overflow pools require extensive & detailed plans. The extent of the typical plans & details for a swimming pool, only includes a "flat plan" and the generic structural engineering.

A flat plan is a "birdeye view" plot plan that shows where the pool and equipment are to be placed. That is it....

There is no direction provided to the sub-contractors as to the plumbing configuration, pipe sizing, the high & low voltage electrical schematics, elevations of the various elements, layout of the pool equipment, the position of the pipes at the equipment pad, the schematics of the equipment pad.

Left to their own methodology, you know that the plumbing & electrical will be the shortest runs possible. Afterall, do you expect them to dig trenches an extra 10 feet to hide something in a less obtrusive location? A return manifold will not be looped around the pool to balance the flow at each return fitting. The pipes rising up at the equipment pad will be placed haphazardly, necessitating excess elbows and an inefficient layout of the pumps & filters. You know the drill...

The electrical & lighting junction boxes, will be placed where they are "convenient" for the electricans, not where they can be hidden from view. Goodness, they might have to buy a light fixture with another 10 - 50 feet of cord... and install some additional conduit.

A few years ago, I prepared a proposal for an acquaintances' project. The project was a rectangular pool with an inside spa & an automatic pool safety cover. These are the ONLY pools that I build on a fixed price contract. Another builder was $35,000 less than us, so they went with the other firm.

I had the pleasure (& humor) of visiting the finished project shortly after the pool was completed. The spa dam wall was set too low, so that the operating level of the pool had to be kept below that which the skimmers required to operate properly. In other words, they had to keep the pool level low, so that the cold pool water would not spill over the spa dam & into the spa.

Since the waterlevel had to be kept low to use the spa, the skimmers could not function. There simply wasn't enough volume of water to keep the skimmers full. The pump would continuously lose prime & eventually fail.

The auto-fill was set at the wrong elevation. Because it was too high, it kept wanting to fill the pool to an elevation where the pool would flood the spa dam wall. If the client operated the waterlevel in the pool at the correct height, then the skimmers would operate properly, but the spa could not be heated. Imagine, having to pump water out of your pool (dump it to waste), just so that you could heat your spa. So much for that $3,000 automation system! Oh, and the auto-fill that wants to raise the level back up...

The dam wall that separated the pool from the dry pool cover vault (where the pool cover rolls up when not in use), was installed just slightly above the pools' optimum operating level. This meant that when people swam in the pool - people are supposed to swim in them aren't they?? - waves from bather displacement would spill into the cover box. This would waste hundreds of gallons each time the pool was used.

The final insult, was that the builder did not understand how the masonry cover trays were to be fitted. Masonry trays are Stainless Steel trays that hold concrete or stone over the pool cover vault. They are also called walk-on trays, as they are solid enough to support a persons' weight. Properly installed, it conceals the presence of the pool cover when the cover is open. The end pans, sat 1/2" above the decking at each end. A great toe-stubber if I ever saw one.

The homeowner was so proud that he was able to negotiate a glass mosaic waterline tile. The brand that was selected had a warranty that stated "The Company warrants that its Products, if properly stored and transported, will be free from defects in materials and workmanship from the date of sale until the date the product is installed ("Warranty Period")." Can you believe that??? (http://www.hakatai.com/XQ/ASP/ID.199/1.warranty/QX/Page.htm)

Who in their right mind would buy anything that says in effect, "we'll warrant it, until you use it??" HELLOOOOO, get a clue here...!!! They should have ran for the hills!

And guess what... the tile started falling off of the pool walls a few months later. I do not know if it was due to improper installation or faulty materials. But in any case neither the builder nor the tile manufacturer would warranty the installation.

I was asked if I knew why the tile was falling off the walls. I asked to review the specifications for the installation crew, that the pool builder had prepared (knowing full well that they did not exist). Guess what... they didn't!

How was the installation crew supposed to know: what setting materials to use? What curing times were required of the browncoat (the leveling bed)? the correct crack control membrane? the curing time of the thinset before grouting? the type of grout to use? how long to let the grout cure prior to filling the pool? where to place the expansion joints in the tile? what to clean the tile with?

Again, with proper planning and specifications, these grave errors could have been avoided. A little time, money, and proper planning in advance can avoid pitfalls in the execution phase.

The problem is now the property owners have a pool that does not operate correctly. They will have to disclose this at the time of sale, as it will be observed by a home inspector. And they'll have to make financial concessions to the buyers.

How does that car repair ad go??? "Pay me now or pay me MORE later."

And the worst part is.... all of these mistakes could have been avoided, as these details are readily available on the web, in articles by yours truely.

http://www.aquatictechnology.com/articles/covers_1.htm
http://www.aquatictechnology.com/articles/covers_2.htm
http://www.aquatictechnology.com/articles/covers_3.htm


Paolo Benedetti - Aquatic Artist
"Creating water as art."™
©www.aquatictechnology.com

Architects' & General Building Contractors' construction budgets

www.AquaticTechnology.com

Volume builders will freely provide quotes to build a project, based upon a flat "square feet" or "perimeter foot" calculation. They are usually provided a "flat plan" or "architectural rendering" (pretty picture) from which to prepare a bid. Keep in mind that these builders construct to the lowest standards that the markets will tolerate.

Architects and Custom Home Builders then rely on these figures when preparing construction budgets for the client. No structural engineering has been performed. No hydraulic calculations or plumbing schematics have been designed. No equipment has been defined. The finish materials & installation practices to be employed have not been specified. Tile and material mock-ups have not been approved. The fine details have not been worked out, nor has any scope of work been defined.

Show a custom home builder a picture of a house & ask him EXACTLY how much to build it... THEY WILL LAUGH HYSTERICALLY!! Then they'll rattle off a small portion of a larger list of questions... at best they can provide a price range - say, $100 to $1,000 per square foot. Or they may graciously provide "allowances" for line items. This is great for the budget, that is, until the property owners realize that they must shop at flea markets and second-hand stores to stay within the "allowances."

Because the property owners are insisting on a budgetary figure for the pool, these false and arbitrary figures get placed into the construction budget. These fictitious figures are then quoted to the property owner. This is how they become the gospel. The property owners are relying on it & think that they can actually have the vessels built for that price. Never mind that they were envisioning hand cut imported glass tile mosaic murals inside the vessels and Bellagio Hotel style interactive water features that dance to music.

Only later, as the change orders pile up, does everyone involved realize that the figures are invalid. Sometimes the property owner NEVER comes to grip with this reality. Reality usually starts to set in once the structural engineering & geotechnical reports are completed, and the finish materials start to be defined. Suddenly the pool is "way over budget." And, it it always the pool contractor's fault.

So guess what??? The lowest bidder wins again. The Home Builder only has a limited amount budgeted for the pool (based upon those invalid budgetary figures). They award the project to the lowest bidder to maintain their profit margins. And in the end, the project gets built by the pool contractor who can degrade the project the most, to satisfy these fictitious budgetary constraints.

It is best to get an aquatic designer involved during the design phase of the home. They will know the correct questions to ask, usually working around a "predefined budget." After all doesn't the architect start & work around this premise? How much do you want to spend? What do you expect for that money & can we get there from here? Before contacting a general contractor to price the construction of the buildings, all of the engineering & preliminary specifications have been determined.

All of the general contractor's subcontractors are bidding on SPECIFICATIONS... XYZ roofing materials, ABC wall veneers, etc. So why then, is the swimming pool contractor being asked to provide construction pricing based upon a pretty picture or flat plan? Why aren't detailed structural engineering, plumbing schematics, equipment specifications, finish materials, and installation specifications defined for the bidders?

Again, it is the "alignment of reality with the clients' expectations," that is the most important in keeping these projects on budget. Quoting invalid or fictitious budgetary construction figures only serves to undermine the clients faith in the Architect or General Building Contractor. It also gives the appearance that the valid construction figures from the competent pool builders are just "gold diggers," who are padding their bids. When, in fact these are the very builders that the clients needs to hire! Honest, forthright, and not willing to partake in the degradation of swimming pool construction as an art form.

Another method to "find" additional funds, is for the property owner to remove the pool construction from the General Contractors' "scope of work." This frees up the additional profit margin that the General Contractor would charge on top of the pool construction costs, as funds for the construction of the pool. But oftentimes this is still not enough to build what the property owners were envisioning.

This is another positive argument for "cost plus % gross mark-up" construction.

Paolo Benedetti - Aquatic Artist
"Creating water as art."™
©www.aquatictechnology.com