The Pool Works!!!!!!!!!
7/28/2006

I've been spending less time blogging lately and more time swimming. :) I'll post some pictures of the working pool (that still is missing a paver patio) as soon as the novelty wears off. It's been three years since the return lines burst and we had to shut it down for good. So even though we have to walk over bare dirt and rocks to get in the pool, we're still out there enjoying it.

Posted by Anthony 9:49 AM 2 comments  

Labels: pool

Pool Update - Going Backwards
6/15/2006

Well, I thought we were getting closer to actually taking a swim in the pool but I was wrong. As you can see in this photo, the pool liner went in and they filled the pool up with water.


Those are usually signs of progress during a pool rennovation but not in my pool. The fiberglass pool walls are so old and beat up that they are bending and will probably cave in. They're in such bad shape that the pool guy had us sign a waiver that pretty much said that if the pool collaspes after they leave, then they are not responsible. Gee, you think you could have mentioned that when we were waiting over 2 months for the pool liner to come in.

If you look closely at the pictures, you'll see that the tile pattern on the liner totally stretched out and really looks bad. This is the view I would see from my living room everytime I walked by.

So once again we are biting the bullet and having these walls ripped out and putting in steel walls in that come with a "guarantee for life". We invested a lot of money into the dry stacked stone retaining walls and eventually the bullnose stone pool coping and tumbled paver pool deck that go in once the pool work is done, so we don't want to have to tear it all up in a few years when these walls collapse or puncture the liner.

This last picture is of the pool from last night. They have dug it out once again and ripped out the fiberglass walls. All we're left with is a concrete pool floor. It looks more like a skateboard park than a pool at this point.

Today a truck is delivering the steel for my new steel walls and Monday they should be backfilling with concrete. At least the pool guys haven't disappeared again. It's funny how they show up when you pay them more.

When I ask the pool guy when I'll be swimming again, he response is "two weeks." Hmmm, where have I heard that before?

Posted by Anthony 9:55 AM 2 comments  

Labels: pool

Pool Update - Vinyl Liner
6/07/2006

After two months of excuses and disappearing pool workers, we were finally blessed with a vinyl pool liner yesterday. First they said it would take 2 weeks (Isn't that the standard answer from "The Money Pit"?) and then any day now, then definitely this week, then the liner is finished but the factory forgot to load it on the truck, then oops, silly factory forgot to load it on the truck again this week. Then finally, installed.

It's filling up now. It'll probably take about 2 days to fill up, then the hardscaping contractors (excellent workers, can't say enough good things about them, check out that awesome retainning wall they did, beautiful) can return and lay down a tumbled paver deck around the pool.

I may actually get to take a swim in about 2 weeks. Uh, oh... hearing "two weeks" sends the chills down my spine. Wish me luck.

Posted by Anthony 9:54 AM 1 comments  

Labels: pool

Pool Update
5/19/2006

Nope, it doesn't quite look ready to swim in yet. :(

For the past 4 weeks we have been waiting for the pool guys to put in a new liner. It was ordered over a month ago and was delivered once already but it didn't fit properly. They said they didn't measure the stairs properly so they had to measure again and send the liner back to be adjusted. Every single day, they've said it'll be in "any day now".

It's too bad because the contractor who's doing the stone work has done a fantastic job so far but he can't finish until the pool guys put the liner in. Once the liner is done, they can install the paving stone coping and then put down the tumbled paving stone pool deck.

So to review, pool guy = no good, landscape contractor = awesome. He's gone out of his way to make the job turn out great.

Posted by Anthony 9:18 AM 2 comments  

Labels: pool

Nasty Is The New Neat
4/16/2006

Two of my favorite garden blogs, Dirt By Amy Stewart and Angela's Northern California Garden Blog are having a gross out contest by showing off the worst of their gardens. They really aren’t holding back and have shown us neglected spots in the yard, children’s toys thrown about, their trash cans, etc. I definitely think it’s some of the best garden blogging I’ve ever seen and judging by the comments on their sites, other people love it too.

Other than a few times a year for the occasional BBQ party, my yard always has some ½ finished project or just plain old mess that’s an eyesore. And even then the mess is still there. Just don’t look in the garage or the tool shed. I’m sure a lot of gardener’s yards are like this too because unless you’re Martha Stewart or someone else with garden workers at your beckon call, there’s never enough time to get everything that you want done.

Right now I’ve got both of them beat because my yard looks like a nuclear bomb testing site. I’m expecting Doc Bruce Banner to get belted with Gamma Rays any minute now. But for once it’s not my mess. We’re having major work done on our pool so I have an excuse. It’s the team of guys that I’m paying a ton of money (don’t ask) that are destroying my yard. But eventually it’s all going to look great.

At that point I’ll be able to mess it up myself again.



Here's my front lawn. I'm a big fan of garden art so the Bobcat and the broken pallets create great focal points.








This is where my landscaping contractors leaned my old fence sections to hide the giant mess they're making. Note the artistic use of the fence posts.










Is this a close up of my compost bin? No, it's actually my front lawn but it's hard to tell the difference.








Drainage is a serious issue. It's smart to stockpile large quantities of hose. The bigger then better.











And this is the veggie garden. My main crop right now seems to be broken pallets. They must be volunteers because I don't remember planting them.







And here's the reason why I'm not so upset about this giant mess. The contractors are doing such a excellent job building these stacked stone retaining wall around the pool that I'll put up with this disaster area for another month.

Hopefully my next garden tour will look at least a little better.

Posted by Anthony 8:25 AM 0 comments  

Labels: pool