Can we get a pool Dad? - Part 2

Our backyard is currently a giant dust bowl. The dogs have needed a bath every night...but we have hole for the pool! That's right, we are making progress!

DH hard at work.

Okay, if I'm gonna be honest, my husband is making progress. I haven't been involved with the dirt, dust & sand parts at all. But in my defense, I don't know how to operate the digger thingy, and I've been working on a big project for work (It just so happens I work out of the house..but still, it's work)

Dirt!!!

 After getting the hole perfectly dug, my wonderful husband brought home two truck loads of sand. While I was inside working (it's a really big project I swear) he got the sand down and the side anchors in place. I should point out that I did bring him water and grape kool-aid a lot. And, I pestered him about wearing sunblock. So that's kind of like helping. Right???

You can see the pool outline!

 The next step was putting up the side poles that will help hold up the side of the pool. This step was kind of like bowling with the wind. Luckily we have lots and lots of big heavy rocks in our yard, so we used those to help keep the poles upright. Yes, WE. I actually moved about two rocks. See?!? I helped!

Look! It's the digger thingy!

That's the update for now. The next step is to actually unroll the metal pool and attach it to all the parts that DH has already installed. I'll for sure be helping during that part. Then comes the liner, the water...oh and we still need to fix the pump. Okay, okay..my husband needs to fix that. Let's be realistic, we don't want ME trying to fix the pump. That would be a huge boo boo.
Hopefully my next post will be all about the finished pool!! Wish us luck.

-Kat 

Can we get a pool Dad? Part 1

Remember that Simpsons episode where Bart and Lisa keep chanting "Can we get a pool Dad?" over and over again until Homer finally says yes. That was me at the beginning of the summer. The moment it got hot out I decided we needed a pool. I thought about how nice it would be to just jump in at any time we get, like right after doing yard work, or after my runs. But DH wasn't so convinced.

One hot weekend he was working in the yard and I tried to get him to take a break and drive down to the community pool that's here on the ranch. No such luck. That pool is only 10 minutes away..but you still have to change, get into your hot car, drive down there, and then share it with a bunch of splashing kids. Kids love to splash. And scream and yell..and while most days we are fine with that..there are some days when you are just soo hot and tired you want a quiet swim. The only part of the community pool that I really dislike is the drive back home. Because by this time, I'm all cooled off and then subsequently I freeze in the car since the AC is blasting.

Soooo I started looking at used pools online. I figured if I looked hard enough the right deal would come along. After a few weeks I found out that a neighbor whom had recently moved into the ranch had a pool that they just wanted gone. That's right it was free as long as we could move it ourselves and they home owners didn't have to help. The pump was also broken and they had been quoted $150 to fix it.

DH and I drove over and disassembled the pool the very next day. It took us a couple of trips to get it all home. And since the pool hadn't been used in well over a year (if not longer) all of the metal pieces were filled with dirt and dead bug debris. It became my job to clean them up.

I did such a great job cleaning ;)

Armed with a hose, sponge and lots of sunblock, I spent one sunny afternoon scrubbing away. Ironically this is the exact kind of work that I wanted a pool for. I just kept thinking how great it would be to hop into to pool once I was done to cool off.

The pool part of the pool...just waiting to be installed!

 DH decided that we would send the metal pieces out to be powered coated since they all needed new paint. He said powder coating would last longer and protect the metal better. That was fine with me..I mean, I knew our "free pool" wouldn't exactly be free in the end. We'd still have to level our backyard and have sand delivered. Not to mention that I still have pride in our home and I wanted our pool to look it's best.

We finally got the pieces back from the powder coating place..and WOW. They are amazing.  I want to powder coat everything now. I just love the look of it. Especially the white pieces that are the top rail of the pool. I can envision myself with my arms folded over resting on those rails.

We've already picked the perfect spot for the pool, so the next step is to dig the hole and order sand!!

Stay tuned for pool updates.