Our Building Process
Discover the journey to creating your dream pool or spa. Explore our step-by-step building process, where precision, quality, and vision come together to transform your space into a luxurious oasis.
Design Consultation /Contract Deposit: 1st Payment 15%
1st step is to have a consultation to decide the budget and to design your outdoor space. Upon signing the contract, a 15% deposit is required. Please note the ‘typical’ time frame for building your pool is 30-45 days from the day construction begins, depending on good weather.
Construction Permit
REFUGE POOL & SPA submits a copy of your swimming pool blueprint and engineering plan to the building department for approval. The permit and copy of the plans will be placed in a plastic pouch on site. Some parishes do not require a permit.
One Call
Before excavating your pool, we call LA One Call (811) to have them contact all service companies in your area. They will paint or place flags in your yard where lines are located. Please leave these in place until excavation.
Excavation, Steel, Plumbing, Equipment: 2nd Payment 50%
Your Project Manager and our excavation crew will lay out the shape of your pool. Once approved, we will proceed with excavating. Plumbing, electrical bonding, and electrical components are installed. This includes the placement of equipment and full pressure testing of all plumbing lines. All plumbing must remain pressured at 35 psi until AFTER the decking is poured. Some loss of pressure is expected over time. It is important to have the coping and waterline tile selections made by this time. Failure to do so can result in construction delays.
Gunite: 3rd Payment 30%
Gunite, also known as shotcrete, is concrete that is applied through a hose and nozzle at high pressure. This is called a pneumatic application. Once applied, you will begin to see the true shape of your swimming pool. The gunite crew will shape the bottom, sides, and steps. If unfavorable weather is expected during gunite application, we will flash the pool and schedule for a better day. Flashing is a thin layer of gunite that starts the shell of the pool and prevents caving in. Starting the day after gunite, you will need to spray down your swimming pool with water to ensure proper curing of the shell. This should be done twice per day for 21 days.
Tile and Coping
The coping and tile that you picked out will be installed around the perimeter of your pool and spa. This typically takes 1-2 days, depending on weather.
Deck Pour
The decking crew will arrive to grade the area around your swimming pool. They will also be placing forms for the shape of your decking. If you would like changes in the layout or amount of decking, this is your last opportunity. Decks are generally formed and poured on the same day.
Plaster Prep and Cleanup
The plaster prep crew will arrive to prepare the pool shell for plaster, and the cleanup crew will remove construction debris from your yard. This takes a few hours.
Plaster
Plaster is the final phase in the construction of your swimming pool. The plaster crew will arrive and set up hoses to pump the plaster into your swimming pool. When plastering is complete, they will place your water hose in the swimming pool to begin filling from the deep end. Let the swimming pool fill to the middle of the tile line and shut off. Stopping the water before it reaches the middle of the tile can result in a ring around the pool. If you add a second hose, the end must be wrapped to prevent scarring of plaster. The additional hose must also be placed in the deep end. Turning on the water and letting it run down the wall or across the floor will likely result in a water streak that will not come out.
REFUGE POOL & SPA makes no warranty or guarantees to the finished color of the pool plaster or watercolor. Spots/Smears are inherent in all pools and cannot be avoided. Expect to have some spots, streaking, and staining. If your swimming pool is a pool/spa combination, when the pool is full to mid-tile, place the water hose in the spa to fill from bottom to top. It is important for you to brush all surfaces of the pool/spa with the long pole and brush which is provided in your equipment package. Please do this twice a day for the first 10 days after the plaster is completed.
Completion, Start-up & Pool School: Final Payment 5%
REFUGE POOL & SPA will be at your home within a few days of the pool being filled to get your equipment running. We provide you with your first 30 days of chemical service. It is the customer’s responsibility to learn how to test your water. A Water Test kit will be provided along with “Pool School” on what to do.
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