When we bought our property, our backyard was a mess. Full of trees, trees hanging over everywhere from our neighbors. And this ugly shed right smack dab in the middle of the backyard.
We envisioned building a pool one day… and 2022 was the year.
So, are you thinking about building a pool in your Florida backyard like we did? If so, this is the essay is about Florida Pools for you. In this essay I’m going to show you everything my wife and I went through to complete our pool. From the permit process, to choosing the company, to how long it took, to the material selection process. And if you’re interested in how much we paid from start to finished product, please send me a text or call me direct.
We chose a Florida pools company in Boynton Beach, Pugh Pools. It’s a family-run business. They’ve been construction Florida Pools for several decades doing nothing but elegant pools. I interviewed the owners daughter, who will give you guidance about salt water versus chlorine, coping material, decking, you name it.
Florida Pools – The Step-by-Step Process
It only took six weeks to get permits from the City of Delray Beach to begin digging our pool. On January 29th, 2022, the construction began. After 30 minutes, they’ve already dug the deep end and they begin layering in rock for the drainage areas.
When building Florida pools, folks ask about how far below surface is water. It depends, but we didn’t come close when we dug our yard.
Now the framing is not just the wood pieces. They put the inner lining of the pool, which took about three hours, and then they lay down the rebar. And then framing around to give the whole pool area support for when they start putting in the gunite. By the time I wake up, the framing has already begun. It took them just a couple hours to get the framing set up to start the day.
Next step is spraying gunite. Most Florida pools are complete with gunite. A crew of eight guys use materials for straightening, and flattening, and smoothing sides, and one guy spraying gunite all throughout the pool walls. They have to cover the area because of the dirt and because of the dust that flies all over the backyard and into the house. They took the entire day to complete this entire pool.
Now it’s “plumbing day.” This process took most of the day. They mark each line carefully for return pipes, skimmer etc. The also connect everything to the pool pump systems.
After plumbing day, it is now “tile and coping day.” We chose travertine coping that goes around the top edge of the pool. As for our tile, my wife chose mother of pearl tile that goes around that goes underneath the coping around the pool. We absolutely love the tile and coping combination we selected.
So first we had to decide on which travertine coping we wanted, and it turned out beautiful. The colors were light, and creamy, and cool for the Florida hot sun. Florida pools are hot during the summer. So un-like places with colder climates, choosing cooler colors makes good sense.
We used the same travertine coping for our entire deck. They measure the corners meticulously. The consistent travertine flow worked great. We are happy with the choice we made.
Next step is plaster day. Plaster day is a lot of fun. It’s when your pool comes alive. They layer in 2-3 inches, and then smooth it out. Then after cleaning excess plaster, out comes the mother of pearl tile on the steps and the seating area. The tile “pops” and looks gorgeous. This is a special day, or night…
Florida Pools – Pugh Pools Owner Interview
Interviewing owner, Alexis Pugh:
“So Alexis, a lot of stuff going on in your showroom. Why don’t you tell us about the different colors. What are some of the most popular colors consumers are using?
“Well, Florida pools have more bluer shades. A lot of customers like to go with the Palm Beach or the Cocoa colors. And you can pick the one-by-one inche, one-by-two, or pattern colors when it comes to tile.
And they also do a pool plaster color in a more of a darker blue or a lighter blue tone. There’s also another one that is more popular. I call it the New York Pool. It is ivory, which is a white plaster shell, and they do more of a whiter tile, as well. So those are two options. So, you have Florida pools, and you have more of the New York pools.”
Alexis, so why don’t you talk to us a little bit about these fine decking options!”
“So this can be used for your coping material, and also your decking material. Now, coping is what goes on the outer edge of the pool. It’s like the border of the pool. There travertine. And you have different shades, and one thing about travertine, it is a natural stone. So, yo’ll have some imperfections of the stone, but that’s just the nature of it and how it’s cut.
Then you have marble. It doesn’t have the little imperfections in it. Marble also comes in different textures. You have tumbled, which is more slippery… leather, which is a rougher surface. Then you have sandblasted, which is going to be the less non-slippery material that you can get, is the sandblasted marble.
And then you also do have the limestone and the shell stone beige, which gives you the whitest you can possibly get. But the only issue you’ll have with limestone or shell stone is you have to seal it every year. Marble, you have to seal every two to three years. Travertine, you do not have to seal at all. It’s the easiest stone to have for your deck or coping.”
And the travertine goes well with late night colors, like this red…
Are Florida Pools Better with Salt or Chlorine?
What about salt or chlorine?
“Salt! It’s easier on the skin. It’s softer on your skin. It softens the water, and you create your own chlorine, so you don’t have the rising costs of the chlorine.”
Salt all the way, 100%.
“Is there any percentage of people who use chlorine versus salt? Are there more salt than chlorine people?”
About 1% use chlorine. 1% of new constructions of our customers have chlorine pools. The rest are salt. Salt water Florida pools is the best way to go!”
The next step is “Decking day.” This is when it all comes together. This is the grand finale. So, they brought out a subcontractor who specializes in laying travertine decks. We originally laid out the design with the owner of Pugh Pools. We modified it twice to make sure it’d work in our smaller backyard area.
The deck-guys lay it in perfectly. They cut perfect edges. After 6 hours of laying down the travertine deck they shovel sand material that binds it all together. It turned out perfect.
Our Florida Pools Construction is Complete
As we finish the pool project for 2022, you can see our AstroTurf installation, umbrellas, the pool, the decking, more umbrellas, a shower outside, and a nice living wall. We used the leftover travertine tiles that were cut for the pathway through our exotic plant area, bordered by aloe vera plants, hibiscus.
So that’s our Florida Pools installation from start to finish with Pugh Pools. They did a magnificent job. My wife, daughter and I have never been happier.
If you’re thinking about using a company here in South Florida, Pugh Pools is a company I would recommend. You can find them online or contact me directly. And please let them know I sent you.
Florida Pools – How We Built Ours With EASE in 2022. My wife and I decided to build our pool in 2022. We interviewed 4 builders about Florida pools before making our selection. It was built with ease in 2022 despite the supply chain issues. To say we are thrilled is an understatement…
Contact Pugh Pools at 561-644-8792 when you’re ready to build your pool. https://www.pughspools.com/
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