Met with Frank from Solda Pools to get some thoughts on a new pool for the back yard - been waiting a long time for the pool since having one at our last place in Beeton. Talked about a few things and put together some quick sketches, and then went through the price list - wow, adds up fast. Sure, the pool may be $20-30K, but then the cement, the heater, the pumps, the waterfall, the chlorinator, the spa, etc. - and it adds up. The first estimate with all the bells and whistles was $126K. We trimmed some things down (like the spa) and deferred some of the luxuries (like the cabana bar), and our current estimate is around $80-85K for this year - basically replacing the mortgage, so its okay!
Coincidentally, on the same day that we spoke to Frank we also got an information package in the mail about "Endless Pools", basically a small pool with a built-in propeller to create a current that allows swimming in place. Watched the DVD (we sent away for the info package a while ago) and it looks good. So, another thought added to the mix... Wouldn't it be great to have the Endless Pool up near the house inside a solarium that could be heated and used year-round...! So now we are rethinking the plan and maybe we'll go with a smaller pool since we wouldn't need all the length for swimming, which we can do in the Endless Pool. Hmmmm...
UPDATE: we've now had the pool installed for a few years (wow, time flies!), and I really felt the need to come back in here and comment on Solda. Structurally the did a great job, but their care and attention to the finishing touches is just not there. I have been paying them to come back each spring and fall to open/close the pool in case there was a problem with the installation. I've watched them do the work and they are just simply not careful. The control valve on the top of the sand filter had to be replaced because over the 2-3 years of them opening/closing the pool they cracked the fittings on every pipe connection (I believe over tightening is to blame). Their water pump washed out a big hole in the back yard one year and also washed out a bunch of mulch that my neighbours had just put in around some trees at the property line. In my opinion they don't drain the lines enough for the underground pipes and don't lower the water level enough (but I'm not the supposed expert - they said its fine, they always do it that way). The waterfall leaks and there are major cracks in a couple of the key rocks of the waterfall (were there on day-1, I believe happened when the backhoe was muscling them into place). Don't even get me started on the compost they brought for the garden beds - total crap! We paid a premium for the premium grade stuff, and had to go back to them for cash-back when we started finding large sharp shards of glass all through the stuff. I'm not talking 1 broken bottle (as they tried to suggest), but several different colours and types of glass all through the mix everywhere (it is now a way to pass the time on sunny days by the pool, I wander along the edge of the garden and pick-up bits of glass - I am rarely left wanting...). Basically all the finishing touches are crap and there is a lack of professionalism for the recurring tasks - even though we continue to pay a premium (compared to other companies) for them to come back to service the pool. This will be the last year we have them back. i believe they will now say that anything major that goes wrong is out of warranty, and all the minor stuff seems based on their bad workmanship, so that's that....
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