Pool Construction – Gunite Installation
Swimming pools look so pristine and beautiful that we often forget that they were once dirt and earth. There are several steps to creating that great-looking water feature in your back yard, and here we talk about one of the first major steps in the pool installation process, installing the gunite.
When we say it is time to gunite the pool it is another way of saying we’re installing the concrete shell of the pool. This happens after all the rebar is already formed up, all the plumbing is installed, and all the electrical conduit is installed. The installers will spend the better part of a day installing the walls of the pool.
The sand and concrete mix (cement) is mixed together inside a large specialty truck. The sand is typically gravity fed into the truck where the cement is mixed into it. They are mixed together dry. Air pressure is then added to the mixture which pushes it down a hose to the pool very quickly. When the dry mixture reaches the end of the hose, it is mixed with water just before shooting out onto the pool wall. Amazingly, it sticks to the pool wall fairly well as long as the installer doesn’t allow too much material to form up in a specific spot.
At Jenkins Custom Homes, we design and build the pools which accompany our homes. This ensures ample thought has been given to pool design, placement, and materials to complete the overall look of the outdoor living to flow with the home.
To watch the fascinating process of gunite installation at one of our pools, watch the video below:
