Summer is almost here...
 

So here comes the pool!

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I would try to not get a hot tub that uses the same water as the pool. You do not want to have to heat the hot tub up AND pool water to the same temps. Almost better to get separate units. Thats what I do at home and its a lot cheaper.

Another Alternative

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My brother says his hot tub requires as much work as his full sized in ground pool, as far as chemicals and so forth. His are separate systems, and physically separated by about 70 feet or more. His hot tub is on his deck, and close to the house. Convenient for hot tub'ing on those chilly spring nights. In fact, after a bit of time in the tub, 90 degree air can feel chilly.

Pic #1 would get my vote. The angled steps look precarious somehow.

Are you ready for the maintenance work involved? It IS more than you think.

Ian

I was a lifeguard, so I'm a professional...

Is the porch enclosed or does it have a step or exit?

Ian

It is presently open, no screen.

There are valves that can be installed to separate the water systems between the pool and spa at times, and also allows you to mix them for cleaning. Are you going through a company or going to g.e. it yourself? I contracted it myself and saved several thousands of dollars. I would not do it any other way, David

The water systems are setup with seperate pumps. The hot tub can run independantly. They do use the same filter. So, it is either hot tub only, or hot tub and pool. And the hot tub only heats when turned on (15 minutes per 30 deg F).

I colored the picture in, to make it easy to see what is what. The brown striped area is a low teakwood deck. The 5 feet off the end and not having the side entrance saved $8000! I also had to shave 6 inches from the width. Still a pretty decent sized pool.

3.5 feet at the shallow end, and 8 feet in the deep end. Deep enough for a diving board, but were not putting in the board.

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FWIW we have the common filter with separate pump + diverter valve setup for the spa and it works just fine. (Actually the 2nd pump runs as a booster along with the main pump.) It gets up to full temp in 10-20 minutes depending on the starting point. We can still use the spa well after 'normal' swimming season when the pool water's in the 50's.

Our pool is empty right now and needs to be refinished + some minor repairs -- sorry for the mini-hijack but does anybody have thoughts on plaster vs pebbletec vs other options?

CJ,

I have pebbletec on my pool and love it. Lasts a long time and well worth it.

Thanks for the comments Joe - we plan to be in this house several more years so we want to do things nicely not necessarily the cheapest way. We're going out for bids this week and I'll post notes & pics later on a new thread if there's anything interesting.

We opted for the quartz finish.

Are you going to use chlorine or salt? The salt systems seem pretty cool, but I haven't seen one with many years on it.

What pool cleaner are you getting?

Our chlorine pool is pretty easy to maintain in Houston. For 5-6 months of the year it needs almost no chemicals.

Chlorine, can't use the salt system with one of our options. I'll have to look at the contract as to the cleaner, but decided against the fully automatic system. It has some sort of thing that goes around the bottom.

If I were to do it again I'd opt for a rectangular pool at one depth. Many pool sports are more fun that way.

red-beard, I would stick with the pool and loose the hot tub. Maybe the extra deck space will allow more flexibility in outdoor entertaining. Finally, I think your grass looks like it needs more Nitrogen. :)

It's a personal thing but I think pools are much more relaxing when they take on a more natural look. Stone and rounded corners would be nice - unless you're putting in a competition swim pool or something.

We have the Polaris with a separate pump and it works very well, but then we don't have trees over the pool.

How deep is it going to be? I think the deeper the better in Houston. If you go too shallow, the water might be too warm in the summer.