Preparing the floating bar
Some dear family members have special requests. Of course we need to fulfil… Like there is a special room in preparation for the suitcase of T. When she saw the floorplan, she immediately started worrying about where to leave her suitcase. (We immediately started worrying about the size of her suitcase, or her intentions of outstaying her welcome… ;-). Another special request is from A. She would like to have a floating bar in the pool. Actually, she wanted an infinity pool. Duh, like I do… But a floating bar is considered the next best thing… OK, the sky is the limit, so we start prepping!
No mother in law, and no truck
More earth needs to be excavated. Here comes another machine. Unfortunately, a cable snapped on the truck, creating a dangerous situation as its tiltable part risked to fall over. Luckily they were able to find a new cable and attach it. One guys mutters:
Só o Adão é que teve sorte: nunca teve sogra nem camião!
(Adam was a such a lucky man, he had neither a mother in law, nor a truck!)
Digging
It is a precise job. The sides of the pool have to align exactly with the position of the buildings. On the side a stone but shallow staircase is to be built. The pool has to have the exact same depth everywhere. An extra margin is needed around the pool for construction of the foundation.
The soil that they excavate is another lot of soil. Which we later need to equalize the whole terrain around the buildings. So we want them to pile it neatly on the side. And not move in the way of the Men from Braga, as they are working on their part at the same time.
Container
It’s a high speed job! The men from Piscinas Imperial have a lot of routine in their work and cooperation. By the end of the day there is a tight, straight and exact container, ready for the next step in construction: foundation!
Drain
There is to be a drain in the bottom of the container, with a tube going out. Next a grid of stones and steel. We know the drill, by now. By the end of this next day a perfect frame is laid out, with steel pens in an exact order. Concrete is being poured out, a layer larger than the floor measurements of the pool.
Walls
In the following days, they build the walls in a clever construction of hollow bricks. They position these over the vertical steel pens. On each round of bricks, horizontal steel is added. In the end the whole wall is filled up with concrete and there you have another reinforced wall!
Smooth
OK, we’ll explain the whole construction to you in one blog, and make this a course in building a pool. The preparations for the water inlet, the lightning, and the stairs on the side are being made. In the end the whole surface will be finished with a very smooth surface for the final lining of the pool. This lining will be installed much later, when all the building dust has settled down. For now, the pool will collect rain, dust, animals, leaves and dirt.
And we will consider and reconsider color for the lining. This will determine the color of the water in the pool! Will it be freshly blue, or turquoise, or grey… choices, choices. Because which color will fit best with the floating bar….?
Hmmmmm