It’s all coming together! Our swimming pool and spa are excavated, steel and plumbing are laid and it’s time for this huge free form swimming pool to take it’s shape! We are still weeks away from filling this pool with water, but we’re at the most important stage: gunite. As you may already know, gunite is cement material that is projected from of a pressurized nozzle into our reinforced steel framework.
The process is messy, dusty and loud. It’s not a step that many people enjoy watching first hand. It’s also complicated, delicate and tedious work. The pressurized nozzle shoots gunite out of the apparatus at an astounding force over 2,500 psi. The opposing force of the applicator nozzle is strong enough to knock a grown man straight to the ground (if he isn’t prepared for the weight of the blast).
Not only do we shoot the gunite into the reinforced steel, but we have to form the concrete and smooth it out as it dries. The work-ability of the gunite material is limited since it begins to cure the moment it is mixed and shot. As you might’ve guessed, the concrete immediately begins to harden as it dehydrates, making it more difficult to form and trowel in delicate areas. Steps, benches, corners and curves – it’s all about attention to detail. After all, in just a few short hours our concrete surface will take it’s permanent shape. It’s certainly an action packed day for our installation teams!
The Purpose and Benefits of Gunite
What’s the purpose of shooting gunite at such as high velocity and with this much force? Answer: Compression Strength.
Simply put – our objective is to create a concrete swimming pool. Concrete is typically applied on flat surfaces for residential homes, offices or commercial facilities. In these instances, once it’s poured the crews trowel the wet cement to create a smooth finish and framed to create the exact size and shape desired.
With swimming pools, the process is a bit more complicated. Why? For starters, we are applying our wet cement (gunite) to vertical and raised surfaces. Once shot, our concrete can’t slide, crumple or slip. It needs to stay in place so it can cure and create a solid concrete surface. For that reason, our concrete needs to be applied with astounding force so that it compacts upon itself.
Voila! We Have Our Swimming Pool Structure!
At the end of the day, we are left with a solid concrete surface in the exact size and shape of our swimming pool. Unlike Vinyl or Fiberglass swimming pools (with rigid and unchangeable shapes) – gunite swimming pools can be shaped and formed into any shape. This allows us enormous flexibility to create swimming pools and spas that our clients with love – designed to fit their taste and outdoor lifestyle.
What’s another additional benefit to building a gunite swimming pool? Superior strength. Not only do gunite (concrete) swimming pools provide us enormous design flexibility, but they are also much more durable! Once installed properly, our concrete swimming pools can last for decades if not a lifetime (if properly maintained). That’s because we are creating a permanent structure that is designed to hold up against environmental factors, such as:
- Ground Movement
- Soil Erosion
- Water Drainage
- Heat / Freeze
- Seasonal Rains
- Droughts & much more
And trust us: the way that Antee’s Pools completes our projects – we work diligently to create structures designed to last for the long haul! There are various techniques that we use that you won’t find throughout the industry. Some of our practices are even kept as family secrets because the high quality results of our projects. Our clients receive these benefits by selecting Antee’s Pools to build their outdoor living spaces!
Our Huge, Free Form Design
If you’ve been following us recently, we’re covering our job site details for a Huge Free Form Gunite Pool! This particular swimming pool is currently under construction and is designed to take up the majority of this outdoor living space. Our client wanted a huge swimming pool, so that is exactly what they are going to get.
This particular swimming pool is designed with some huge curves, a splash pad and raised spa. Our client will be able to throw some large, backyard parties with this outdoor swimming oasis – loaded with top notch features! From LED Lighting, to Bubblers, an In-Floor Cleaning System and Spill Over Water Effect (on the raised spa) – this outdoor living space is sure to raise some eyebrows.
In addition to this large swimming pool basin, our client is designing a large concrete deck that will sit adjacent to the swimming pool. This large pool deck will grant out client access to their outdoor living space from both the front and backyard. Now all that is missing is our finishing materials, water and some frozen margaritas!
Up Next: Tile / Coping, Plaster & Decking
Now that the gunite phase of construction is complete – the final stages of this project will come together quickly. Aside from allowing our gunite shell to cure for 20-30 days, our crews will soon be able to return this job site to complete the final phases of this project, including:
- Tile & Coping
- Plaster installation
- Decking
- Chemical Startup
- Pool School – Let the Fun Begin!
These stages sound involved but they are relatively simple and quick to complete. Ideally, once a swimming pool is shot full of gunite, our client should be swimming within a 45-60 day time frame. This allows our crews enough time to complete the final phases (listed below) and well as perform quality control inspections & chemical startup.
Like all swimming pool installations, our overall objective is to ensure that our client receives the highest quality care from start to finish! Our goal at Antee’s Pools is to provide our clients with a backyard that they will love and cherish for years to come. We design our projects using high quality materials and top notch installation procedures. Our clients are making an investment in their backyards and we want that investment to work for them for years to come.
There is not another swimming pool that is similar to an Antee’s Pool. We design our swimming pools higher than industry standards – using techniques that are tried and true from over 20 years of personal experience. Our clients receive personal interactions from our staff and we provides hands on care from the first day of your project!
If you’d like to receive a free estimate for our services or request an in-home sales meeting, please fill out our contact form! We’d love the opportunity to meet you and provide you with information to elevate your lifestyle in your outdoor living space for years to come!
