pool update week 5
This week has been an interesting one with the pool. The concrete for the new pump house roof and base layer of the new deck were poured at the end of last week and now they're starting on the prep work to do the finish layer. So do you like the blue color we've chosen to paint the deck?? Just kidding, this is a bonding agent that help the top coat stick.
On Tuesday we went with our pool contractor on the ferry to Puerto Rico to pick out tile for the top edge of the pool, buy a new skimmer, and order the finish plaster (Diamond Brite in Tahoe Blue) 
We took the first (6:30) ferry and made it to the pool place, Costco, and the tile place all in time to make it back for the 1:00 return. (The next ferry to Vieques isn't until 4:30, so missing the 1:00 makes a big difference!)
We actually have two contractors working on the project. The one doing most of the work is really a few guys that work together more than a real building contractor firm. We thought that was fine for this scale of project and they've been doing good work, are easy to deal with, and actually show up for the job consistently. But none of them was experienced in doing the pool surface and since we've heard many nightmare stories of botched jobs on this, we have another guy who's doing that part of the work.
The edge of the pool will have a slight overhang that's being poured as part of the finish coat of the deck, so this is the point where the work of the the main contractor and the pool contractor intersect, and setting up the forms for that has been a major point of contension this week. The pool contractor is VERY fussy about how this needs to be set up, which is appropriate because this edge is the most visible thing in the project and any imperfection will be clearly noticable. The other guys had been approaching this more like the form for the outside of the deck where things can be less perfect. After several rounds of the pool contractor trying to get the other guys to get it up to his standards, we finally all agreed that it would be better for him to do it himself. So the other contractor ripped out their previous work and the pool contractor has just started over now.
They're saying they'll be ready to do the pour for the finish layer on Monday, but I seriously doubt that's going to happen. Current forecatsts are putting tropical storm Ana right about on top of us at that point (with Bill following behind), so I think the pool is going to have to wait a bit. (Stormpulse is a great place to see what's going on with this.)
Unrelated Bonus: While I was up on the roof of the house to snap the first pic, I took the last one of our flamboyan tree with Mosquito Bay and the Caribbean in the background. Last year we cut the tree WAY back, so this is the first time we've seen it be flamboyant. Pretty!
