Pool and framing

Lots of progress since the last update.

We had thought the pool wouldn’t be gunited until the end of the rainy season in late spring but things worked out differently and the gunite was applied today. The process is fascinating to watch so I have included links to 2 videos I shot. The process starts with a large truck loaded with dry concrete and sand. A mechanism delivers the correct ratio of materials to a conveyer belt that runs underneath the truck. This conveyer belt runs out the back into an auger that thoroughly mixes the material then dumps it into a hopper that feeds it to another truck. The second truck has equipment that sends the dry mixture down a hose via a large volume of high pressure air. Water is added at the nozzle and the resulting almost dry mix sprayed on at high velocity and with a lot of noise. Why is it done this way? Not sure except that gunite isn’t supposed to sag or slump so it is perfect for forming into the curved shapes of a pool.


When I first saw the process, my first reaction was to wonder why the crew wasn’t wearing masks or hearing protectors. I asked the foreman about this during a break and he said they had all the equipment on the truck but the young, male crew refused to use it.

At this stage, the gunite is applied and shaped to final form. The pool will then sit until the house is near completion. Plaster, tile, automatic cover and all the finish details will then be added.

Here are links to the videos. Unfortunately, the resolution is reduced when viewed via Google video. The original QuickTime movie files are much clearer. If you’d like to see higher quality video and have an email system than can accept large (10-30 MB) files, email me (jb@mdli.com) and I’ll send them to you.

Gunite video #1
Gunite video #2

A lot more progress has also been made on the framing. Floor joists are in for the main floor of the house and the shop. Subfloors were supposed to go down this afternoon. As I’ve watched the framing go up, I’ve noticed how little normal dimensional lumber is being used. All the floor joins are wooden i-beams which don’t shrink or warp and provide for a much stiffer floor. All the rim joints (the pieces that the joists are anchored to and that runs perpendicular to the joists) are some engineered composite as are the headers over large openings. In fact, about the only dimensional lumber are the 6” wall studs.


Here is a link to a walkthrough. As I mentioned above, I can send a much higher quality video if your email system supports it.

Walkthrough

We met with a local landscape designer last week. They come highly recommended and we like the work they’ve done elsewhere. When we get a plan, I’ll post it.

Click on the picture below to see a panorama taken from below.