It’s time to splash around a bit on the subject of pools!! It’s finally Pool Redo Time at Casa de Vista!!
Lots of things. Lots of planning. Lots of moving parts. Along with setbacks, frustrations … and smiles! Could the Runkle Family be involved in another Vacation Home Improvement Project?
I can honestly say that I am glad that this big project is done! Field Trippers sit back and enjoy the journey of our newly remodeled pool. Or better yet … maybe we should all float around in the water and enjoy this Vacation Home Improvement: The Casa de Vista Pool. Here let me help you out with your planning – see you poolside!
In the Very Beginning of Our Vacation Home Improvement
I was shocked when I searched for photographs of Casa de Vista’s Pool in 2016 when we started the journey to home ownership on the island. All I can say is, “We’ve come a long way, baby!! WOW … have we come a long way!!” This was an area that I wanted to fix right away.
What’s Our Vacation Home Improvement Plan?
In 2016, everything needed to be fixed right away. (In my eyes, I thought it did.) We had our work cut out for us. Brian and I had to come up with our plan. What needed to be addressed first, and what would wait? Of course, I wanted everything done NOW! (I am just being honest with everyone.) But I had to be reminded that we didn’t have unlimited funds all at once for this Vacation Rental Home, it was going to be a journey. Much like everything is our life … it’s a journey and I am so glad that you have joined us!
Step by Step – Our Plan Would Unfold …
Water Feature/Fountain Out
Our overall plan did not call for the pool being the first big project that we would tackle. (Insert Sad Face) The pool over all was not leaking and we figured if we could tear out the water feature/fountain that was there and clean up the flower beds around the back side of the pool, we could make it work for a couple of years.
Years Go By …
A couple of years turned into 7 years … I still can’t believe it when I think about it. We fixed up what we could to save money (and to be honest Brian and I like to do these projects – we’ve done several in our life time) and hired bigger jobs out to get Casa de Vista up and going in 2017.
Hurricane Maria
But, if you remember, Hurricane Maria (2017) paid St Croix a little visit and slowed us getting our place up on the rental market to be rented. After everything was cleaned up and fixed and we had electricity again, we continued on with our big home improvement projects, like replacing all of the sliding glass doors, etc etc.
No One Seems to Be Bothered … Well …
Nope, the pool was still not high on Our Vacation Home Improvement Plan. Again years went by and other things were taken care of first. The roof, all of the tile throughout the house, landscaping and the list goes on and on. The pool and pool deck area didn’t seem to be bothering anyone that stayed there. (I just didn’t like what it looked like) Not once did anyone complain about the pool or pool deck in the Casa de Vista Guest Book or to our management company. So, we let it stay the same until this (2023) year. Actually in August of 2022, we found our cement guy & pool resurfacing company, ordered our tile and what supplies we knew about early on and got them on the books for 2023.
So … August 1st – October 15th was set aside for giving Casa de Vista’s Pool – A New Look. It was Pool Redo Time at Casa de Vista.
What Happens When You Take on a Pool Redo??
Drain the Pool
It was kind of sad to watch as “liquid gold” flowed down the driveway. Liquid gold is our water here on island. I was thinking at that time, I wonder how many trucks of WAPA water we were going to need to fill the pool back up? At a cost of … what?? But on the other hand a fixed beautiful pool was on it’s way …
Get the Liner Out
We weren’t involved in this, but it sure looked fun to be tearing out the old liner. Remember that saying: “opening up a can of worms”. We, at this moment, ran into our first issue of the project. The entire pool was covered in tiny square tiles that weren’t like the ones on the water line. So that smooth surface that we thought we had wasn’t there and some jackhammering and grinding was going to have to happen. Add more time to the project …
Jackhammering and Grinding
Little by little it came out, but this process is never a quick one. And, we needed a smooth surface to apply the fiberglass to. Sam, our cement man and his crew had their work cut out for them.
Cement Work Needed
Sam was a huge help to us. As you read on, you will see that he was a huge asset to us in the problem solving area. Originally, Sam was going to put in some new stairs for us and a new bench seat in the pool. He was also going to take out the real and faux rocks and fix those areas and prepare those places for new Saltillo tiles. Sounds easy … right!?!?! Guess again …
Eeeeeekkkkk … Cracks
I’ll have to say that we are/were very lucky on this subject. We are lucky that the pool was holding water for the past 7 years. When the pool liner was removed, several big (huge) and small settling cracks were exposed. Thank You Liner!! And, now we know why there was a liner installed over the small tiles. Finding the leaks and fixing them is near to impossible with those small tiles. A liner was the perfect bandaid for a fix. But it was time to get everything right and good for years to come …
Creativity Time with Our Vacation Home Improvement Project
Think … Think … Think … what could we do to stabilize and fill the issues – aka “the cracks”? Sam suggested some modifications to Brian and I’s plan for the pool interior. (Remember: when working on any island project – Be Flexible – it just needs to be “Island Perfect”) The steps into the pool would be modified in size and shape to stabilize the largest of the cracks The bench seat would be switched to the front side of the pool from the laundry room side to stabilize the crack where the wall and floor meets. Sam did all this with the use of lots of backfill, rebar, and cement. And, he filled all the small cracks and holes with a skim coat. Thanks, Sam!!
Moved the Skimmer Box
Yep, when you change plans it always adds a bit more work to the job. A plumber was then called in to move the skimmer box to a new location. An electrician was then needed to ground the skimmer box and get everything working and help with the pool light …
Added a Pool Light
We needed to add a light in the pool, per code of a rental property. The pool lights that were originally in there did not work. (could never figure out why??) So, they were taken out and a new LED pool light was installed into the pool. Hey Sam … could you patch the two holes and cut into your new cement bench for the new light! Shew … something is always coming up …
Fiberglass Coatings
We weren’t going to use a liner for the pool this time. So our choices were Diamond Brite or fiberglass. We made the decision to use fiberglass applied by NUMBER 1 POOL SERVICES, LLC (Thanks Leif, Jared & Crew) for the Casa de Vista Pool Redo. Several layers were applied, which was quite the process. Stinky and messy, but it did exactly what we needed it to do. It’s job; cover and seal up all areas of the pool so the water can’t get out!
Finish Deck Tiling (Poolside)
Benedict (our island brother) worked on our Saltillo tiling on the edges of the pool where rocks had been removed. Try to match it the best you can, it was a patch job. (Brian informed me that … “NO, we are NOT tearing out all of the Saltillo tile and replacing it with something new!” I was ok with that. I had a flashback of us working on removing the tile inside the house. What an awful mess.) This needed to be done before the waterline tiles, grouting, and painting could be done. With completion of this and the patching around the pool deck, things were really starting to come together … Poolside …
Waterline Tile Added to the Pool
Color was starting to appear and it was looking like a possible swimming pool. We chose our waterline tile after we chose the paint for the pool. Leif made it simple for us. We had 3 colors to choose from that he typically uses. So, this was the easy pick. Now we had to chose a tile for the waterline. Just check out AquaBluMosaics … so many choices to pick from. We (well I) finally made up my mind.
Paint the Pool
Here’s where things … Got Real!! The paint was going onto the sides and floor of the pool. WOW!! No going back now and no changing colors. Our deadline was fast approaching (really … already passed in my mind) … we had guests coming.
Hand Rail and Ladder
Sam returned to core out and attach the hand rail down the steps and the ladder in the shallow end. Once that was completed, the ground wires were attached and the ladders were ready. We just needed one thing …
Yes … Just Add Water … and Finish this Vacation Home Improvement!!
Thanks Kai Jackson ( KJ Water, LLC ) for bringing the “liquid gold” from WAPA to Casa de Vista!!
How many truck loads were needed?
How much is this going to cost?
Truck Loads and Water Cost for Pool
Kai hauled four truck loads of WAPA water up the hill to fill the newly redone Casa de Vista Pool. We may have added a bit more water than what was needed, but evaporation is a real thing down here, so no worries that level will go down. And cost … just over $1,600 for the water. The pool took three and a half actual truck loads. There was still some water to be used. Our cistern was already full, so we topped off Benedict’s cistern. You never want to waste water here on island.
The good, the bad, and the not so easy parts of Island Life’s Vacation Home Improvement Projects … hidden things that pop up and need to be addressed:
- I needed to be patient. How soon I forget when it comes to doing a project on island. Also … remember … Island Perfect is Good!!
- Did I mention ordering needed items and getting them? (Pool tiles, grout, and mortar were ordered at AquaBluMosaics.com at two different times and shipped down to St Croix via VI Cargo. The Saltillo tile was ordered from St Thomas and was shipped to St Croix on the MARCO VI … twice. Calculations of how much material you need is important. Always order 10-20% more. (And … try not to change your mind during the project, Beth, and want more tiled deck area added.)
- Poolworks in Christiansted, St Croix was a big help. We were able to order the rail for the steps and the ladder. Thank goodness. They also had jet fittings and a skimmer box in stock.
- Timing is everything when it comes the project details. I have once again learned that getting exactly what I want/need is challenging. This is why we start planning and getting materials ordered and sent down well in advance to the start of any project.
- The new pool light was a tough one. I really didn’t think it would be. I ended up having to source in here in the Hartford, CT area at a pool shop and then send it down to our property manager for Sam to pick up.
- So many moving parts to keep track of during this whole project with people, materials, and timing. Brian and I know so much more about putting in a pool than we ever thought we would ever want/need to know.
- And … a Special Thank You to My Uncle Mike, who joined me in August to kick off this particular project. We were great project managers. 🙂
The Casa de Vista Pool Redo wasn’t an easy road … but remember what I said in the beginning “about setbacks, frustrations … and smiles”?? Well … I can now say that I am at the SMILE part!! Can’t wait for our guests to enjoy the Casa de Vista Pool Redo. Heck, I (we) can’t wait to use the pool!
There is a SMILE on my face!!
And one of the final things that I have to deal with: The white pool light that I searched for, found, and shipped down … well … it’s not white like I thought that I ordered! It’s multi-colored! It’s rainbow colors! AND … It’s Perfect!!
The Pot (our pool) of Gold (liquid gold-water) at the End of that Rainbow is the newly redone Casa de Vista Pool. And … It’s Perfect!! Thank You Cindy (cindyleighmedia.com) for capturing exactly what our Pot of Gold looks like …
Final Thought: Now I can start adding to the List of “Things That Need to be Added to the Pool and Pool Deck Area!! Maybe I will hold off and I won’t mention this list to Brian just yet …
