STP - Residential Construction and Pools

05/03/2023

STP is rebranding to a larger portfolio of services. Still very much in the outdoor living space, but STP now provides full service Residential Construction in addition to pools and outdoor structures. If you have a construction, design, or remodeling need in your home, STP can get the job the done. See some pics of the various types of jobs from past work and ongoing projects.

05/01/2023

02/09/2023

Are you ready to be poolside this summer? Contact us to get your dream backyard started!

11/02/2022

Fall maintenance tip: Make sure to remove the leaves from your pool and skimmers to help with pump circulation and not raise phosphates in your pool.

10/31/2022

Happy Halloween friends! Have fun and be safe!

10/31/2022

Happy Halloween friends! Have fun and stay safe! 🧡💦🍁

09/08/2022

Choices, choices! Oyster white, pewter gray or Peking blue.

03/14/2022

Pool Construction 101 Series:

6 of 8 – Tile and Stone

Once you've got an actual pool shell it's times to give it some style. If you've built or remodeled a home, this is basically the same stage as having the sheet rock done, but you've yet to paint the walls, install the flooring, and do the trim work. It's super basic and boring to look at. Outside of the shape chosen and elevations chosen for the pool, this is where you give it some personality.

The coping around a pool is typically one foot wide. You've got many options. If you're doing decking around the pool you can choose to just continue that same stone or tile all the way up to the very edge of the pool itself. This is common in some parts of the world and looks outstanding with the right tile or stone. It's not extremely common around the greater Houston area in my experience. A great option is a nice travertine tile. Hard to go wrong there. Going back 10+ years it was extremely common to go with flagstone coping around pools. Flagstone with a very thick edge can be chosen that gives it a very rugged and sturdy look. It's still commonly done today, but trends have changed, and that may be something you want to consider if you're going to be selling the home anytime in the next few years. Additionally, if you're wanting to use a salt water generator to provide the chlorine needs of your pool it is not recommended to use a soft, sand-based stone like flagstone. The salt will cause pitting and chipping to sand-based stone. Unfortunately, just about all stone we get naturally in Texas has a sand base. Using a concrete based coping or having stone brought in from somewhere like Colorado would be another option.

You will also be choosing tile and/or stone to accent any raised walls, the water line tile, spa spillway, steps, etc. You can do tile throughout the entire floor of the pool or spa if you wish. It's certainly an added expense, and you should choose the tile carefully. It can be extremely slick. If you've chosen to do a grotto or just add some boulders to the edge for aesthetics this is the step where that crew will begin work.

02/28/2022

Pool Construction 101 Series:

5 of 8 – Gunite Day

Everybody loves gunite day. It's a joy to watch even if you've seen it a few times. The wood forms have been set to keep everything in bounds. Rebar has been carefully laid and bent to hug the outline of the currently dirt lined hole. Careful attention is paid to make sure the rebar is elevated off the dirt floor and walls so it will stay inside the gunite shell about to be sprayed. The plumber has been out and run all of his piping. Unless you're building a tiny plunge pool, you can expect multiple trucks to show up in succession. The workers spread and smooth the gunite to conform to the shapes already created by the rebar crew and to create flat surfaces for the tile and stone crew to do their jobs shortly after.

If you're not familiar with gunite, the most simple explanation is that gunite is dry concrete mix with only small particles that is sprayed out of a gun. Your typical concrete ready mix contains small particles as well as larger particles such as river rock. Concrete is poured rather than sprayed. It's not too hard to see that gunite is far superior in ease of installation. Not usually relevant to residential pools, but in very large pools gunite wins out easily for it's ability to be completed over a number of days. You can stop the gunite application and pick up where you left off without leaving a weak spot in the pool shell.

Something to be aware of during this phase of construction is the outdoor temperature the day of and expected temperatures over the next few days. Anything below 40* F is a risk taking endeavor when spraying a gunite pool. If temperatures drop enough to cause the water in the shell to freeze, the entire structure will be compromised as far as strength goes. Cold temps slow the curing process. Extremely hot temperatures like we see in the summer in the Houston area can cause the pool to cure too fast. It's recommended to water the gunite with a hose or sprinkler if it is setting up in these conditions.

It is also typical at this stage to create the equipment pad via spraying some gunite in there and leveling. What is done with gunite versus natural stones, rock, etc is up to the pool builder and homeowner. Some pools are made completely with gunite, including the coping. Artificial boulders, rock, water slides, etc can also be formed from the gunite itself. Some love it. Some prefer the natural look.

If you're enjoying this series please consider giving Shore Thing Pools a like and a follow. If you're a potential pool buyer and would like some additional topics covered, please do reach out. Thanks.

02/22/2022

Pool Construction 101 Series:

4 of 8 – Steel/Rebar

An absolutely crucial step in swimming pool construction is the steel portion. The quality and spec of this stage has a dramatic effect on the strength of a gunite shell pool. When dealing with concrete of any kind, gunite for a pool, concrete for a driveway, etc, the steel content of the structure is often referred to as a force multiplier with regards to strength. With all of the changes in construction methods in building not only swimming pools, but any concrete structure, rebar has stood the test of time due do it's expansion characteristics mating so well with concrete. Above all else, it simply works and will last many decades when done right.

This is something to pay special attention to when receiving a bid and during the construction phase. Rebar comes in various thicknesses. Spacing is usually done between 8”-12”. The cumulative steel content of the structure is the biggest factor in the strength provided in this step. If you're comparing 2 pool bids, you want to pay close attention to both the size of the rebar and the spacing. An absent minded or dishonest contractor could end up shorting the specification called for here, and it's likely the pool owner will not discover the problem for years to come.

02/14/2022

Pool Construction 101 Series:

3 of 8 Plumbing Your New Swimming Pool

A licensed plumber will show up typically before the rebar and gunite stages of the pool construction. All drains, feed, and return lines will be run. Additionally, the heater, pumps, and valves on the equipment pad will be plumbed. A large trench will be dug in the yard to accommodate the multiple runs of pipe. Skimmers will be installed at this time as well. As straight forward as the job appears, the small details done well by an experienced plumber make all the difference in the actual function of the pool and how easily it can be serviced going forward. At this stage the pipes should be pressure tested to find any possible leaks versus finding that you are losing water after startup. This is also the stage where your ability to to switch between pool and spa and being able to turn water features on/off, up/down gets configured.