Building a pool

[eigoya]

Besides the obvious, it may not be a great investment. Does anyone have information on building an inground pool in Puna: time to build, prices, upkeep and insurance rise? Naturally, it would vary depending on extras, but any personal experience, anyone?

[Carey]

Punawebber Peter Epperson, with Pacific Gunite, probably is the most experienced person here to talk to about gunite pools...
http://www.pacificgunite.com/custom-designs.html

There have been a couple of fiberglass pool shell dealers on the east side in the last few years, but I can't seem t find any info on them (we too, are thinking...serious... about a pool....been too hot???)

I miss the swim lane I had i the midwest, but not that weather! (it was an old SS cheese curd vat....didn't find that out until moving here...as they are also used for tofu...)

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

A neighbor had a pool that remained empty most of the time.. They claimed it cost $400 a month in electricity to run the pumps, injectors, etc. It was a big pool, so that may be well above the average.

- Be pleasant to inefficient workers; give them undeserved promotions. - Work slowly. - Refer all matters to committees for "further study and consideration. - Hold conferences. - Make travel as inconvenient as possible. - Haggle over precise wordings of communications. - Advocate “caution.” Be “reasonable” and avoid haste. (Excerpts from the WWII OSS Simple Sabotage Manual)

[DoryGray]

A friend wanted an inground pool & decided for finances & convenience to install an above ground pool in a huge puka she had on her property. She built a deck around it at ground level & it works great. Just an idea, easier softer way.

[leilanidude]

Go with a salt water pool instead of the chlorine. Easier on the skin/eyes and will save you really big bucks. Also, install a couple of solar water heater panels with a decent sized storage tank to keep it warm all year.

[KeaauRich]

Don't do it! I always wanted a pool, so when we moved here, it was the first thing we did. In hindsight, it was a big mistake. Our build time stretched out for 7 months (2 months of which were permit delays), tho if our builder had focused on our project, it probably could have been done in just a couple of months once the permits were approved. Your installation cost will be outrageous (probably more than $70K), and the ongoing monthly bills to run the pump, keep the water clean etc, will run in the hundreds of dollars. We don't heat our pool - solar heating would have added $10K to the cost -- so the pool gets somewhat nippy in the winter months (yes, we're spoiled, but your desire to enter the pool decreases exponentially for every degree drop below 80 degrees). We do have an attached hot tub which takes the equivalent of a BBQ-sized propane tank's worth of gas each time we crank it up.

Having said all that, we enjoy our pool and hot tub, but only because we have consciously blocked out the per-swim cost of ownership. If I had it to do over again and I was still fixated on having a pool, I'd do an above ground pool with a deck. Much cheaper, easier to maintain, etc. But actually, I'd probably just save the cash and swim at the gorgeous Pahoa pool.

[Peter Epperson]

Build a small pool. It's just as much fun and won't break the bank. Cheaper and easier to maintain too. Get a solar pump http://sunrayus.com/ No batteries, they run when the sun is out which is when the algae grows. UV is better than salt water system in Puna. Maintaining the correct salt level with lots of rain can be a challenge. Tile the pool instead of plaster. It will cost more initially but will outlast plaster by a good margin. And it looks incredible.
I no longer build pools as we are concentrating on our concrete water tanks these days. My son got his pool contractors license a couple of years ago and his work is beautiful http://www.agpoolsplus.com/

[Radiopeg]

We went the easy route, a 15 foot plastic with metal supports pool. We have a home brew solar preheat, which isn't enough in the winter to make it pleasant, but for about 6 months, when daytime temps really hot, we love the darn thing. Add a couple of umbrellas for shade, and it just might be enough. We went Intex and found the pump doesn't do well as it is cheesy. We are looking for a different one. The pool itself has has held up well for 2 1/2 years. Cost about $300. Good practice to learn about keeping the water up to standards. Cory does a bang up job on ours. And, we are waiting on our third pump. I'd recommend keeping a spare, it's not very expensive. See how much you use the cheaper version before investing in a real pool.
Edited to add, You are so good at tiling, I bet you could have the most gorgeous pool in town, if you do it that way.

Peace and long life

[Kelena]

Good to hear from Peter. I think he built my pool but I'm not sure because it came with the house. Agree on tiling -- plaster doesn't hold up here. I've seen a picture of my pool before it was tiled and it was a milky mess. It is tiled and I think the dark tile keeps it warmer, too. Make sure you give your pool good southern exposure. Mine is a little shaded in the depths of winter. Even when tiled, the tiled requires maintenance, too. I may have to have the whole thing regrouted before too long. That will be about $1,000.

As for cost, the original builder was a genius (and a very nice guy) and built it in a puka. A big puka. Do that if you can, because blasting out a place for the pool is much more expensive. I know of some pukas blasted out for pools that remain empty holes through which funds have just drained away.

Saltwater is much easier on the eyes for sure. Softer on the skin and doesn't turn your hair gray as it has mine (it is possible that age is a contributing factor). However, the salt converter itself is expensive and can be a little touchy. If you are close to the ocean, it can rust out as well.

I haven't tried the UV approach --never even heard of it (thanks, Peter).

As for electricity, I am not sure how much my pool adds but I have to run the pump for about 8 hours every day. I'd rather not. I haven't tried a solar pump yet. When this one dies, I'll look into it.

In short, it is without question a luxury. However, I use it every single day. When I look at it, I don't think "fun place to frolic" -- I look at it the way you would a treadmill. I just do laps. Sloppy laps. Getting into the water in Puna is not that easy. Pohoiki, you get sliced up by boats, sharks and dashed by waves. Kehena means "last rites" in Hawaiian or, by some accounts, "walk on painful rocks". Shipman beach is a Vision Quest with chilly quicksand at the end and Richardson's isn't in Puna, and is sometimes a giant fire ant farm. For that reason, I love my pool.

[eigoya]

Lots of good suggestions, thanx so much. Went for a ride down Beach and environs last night and noticed many pools which were "half" above ground, but with tile or concrete that looked very nice. May have to rethink; don't want a pool that is worth more than my home (or do I?)