the price you mention. A rep from Anthony came out last week and they want $20,000 to re-plaster, re-tile and put in new coping. Of course, if I agree to do it this fall it's only 18K. My pool is 880 square feet - so it's on the larger side for backyard pools.
pool. I'm thinking of renting a pump and doing that myself. Does anyone know if there is anything to watch out for when emptying a pool?
Unless the guy has a gun in his hand, send him on his way.
A lot of contractors try to pressure you by 'lowering' the price by thousands if you agree to do the work right away. I also had one say he'd take a few grand off just by letting me put a sign on my front yard for his company, even though all the work would be inside where no passerby could see it. Many of them will offer financing.
Avoid all these types. Rather than being honest contractors, they are simply milkmen who will squeeze out every dime they can from you.
Keep in mind that with any job, there are going to be unforeseen issues that will almost certainly drive up the price. When your pool is all torn up, a bunch of tools and debris are laying about, and a bunch of guys are staring at you, it's going to be very hard to tell the guy no when he points to some object and tells you that if you don't cough up another five grand, everything will fall apart in a couple years.
Go to neighbors and small mom and pop pool stores and ask them for a rough idea of what it would cost to do the work. Ask them if they know any contractors. And when they do come out to look at the pool, inform them right away that you only have a certain amount of money to do the work, with a little extra set aside just in case.
Draining the pool is the easiest part. Simply turn off or plug the skimmer, as well as a cleaner port if you have one, and backwash the pool until it's either almost empty or the pump won't pull the water. My old pump, which was on it's last legs, managed to drain the pool down to about a foot from the bottom. I imagine a good pump will completely drain the pool. If that's not practical, or if you want to speed it along, use a small portable pump. These cost under $100, and in my opinion every pool owner should have one. If a problem develops with the plumbing, or if it rains and you want to lower the water level without backwashing, these things can come in real handy. You can also drain the last bit of water from the pool without the main pump, so you don't risk running it dry and damaging it.
It's much better to run the pool water into a storm drain or the lawn, rather than the sewer. Many cities require you to get a permit to drain the pool, and treat the water to neutralize the chlorine. I simply let the chlorine level drop naturally, then drained the pool into the alley and street Friday night, when code enforcement folks were off duty. If your caught, it's unlikely they'll do more than make you go to city hall and get a permit.
Before you start, though, you need to make sure the water table isn't too high. It's hardly an issue here in Los Angeles, but I've heard you can seriously damage or destroy your pool if it's drained when the water table is high.
To fill it, just use garden hoses. There's no need to truck in water, nor to get the fire department to use their hydrant, unless you get water from a well or have severe water quality issues. When first filling the pool, put the hose in the pump basket, or otherwise get the water to flow out of the main drain, so the stream of water doesn't bore into your new plaster. Using five hoses, plus a weak one from the neighbor, I managed to fill my
15' by 35' pool in about 10 hours, and it only cost whatever from the water bill. My wife didn't notice a huge bill. The contractor shouldn't charge you one red cent for either draining nor filling the pool.The plaster does need to cure underwater, or it will crack. You'll see some tiny cracks during and shortly after filling, but these will disappear after a couple days or so. For the first year, you'll want to use an experienced pool guy, or if you do it yourself, make absolutely sure those chemicals are
100% correct and balanced. You also need to brush the entire pool once a week, and backflush your filter often. Automated pool cleaners are not a good idea. After the first year, you can treat it like any other pool.It shouldn't cost more than five or six thousand for plaster, tiles and coping, and that's at the very high end.
After they remove the plaster, inspect the pool for any rebar poking up through the gunite. This is simple to repair, but must be repaired before the new plaster is put down, or you'll have a rust spot.
Pagan