When Jerry and I get an idea in our heads like we did last year about this time it is nice to see it come to fruition and turn out ideal. Last summer we/I wondered how we could add a room onto the house, relatively in-expensively that could be a sun/swim pool room. We’re not talking lap length here, just a small swim in place pool that wouldn’t require $50,000 of expenses. We talked and saw Mark and Gigi Copeland’s pool and got very envious. Of course we knew a 50ft tall, full length lap pool would be out of the question for us, but it started us thinking. If we knocked out the front room window, moved the wall and door, put in french doors and added on a 16×16 foot addition we could probably do it. Jerry, being the ever resourceful man that he is, sketched up a plan, we met with an architect and a contractor to see where we were price wise, and met with the bank to see if we had enough equity to afford what we had designed. That all began last August and by November we had an equity loan lined up, an excellent contractor who could do it the following May and our concept suddenly became a reality.
May of this year we broke ground on a room that has become a haven for me and a labor of love and pain for Jerry. Marshall our contractor is great; his crew tore out our space and up went a plastic wall. Jerry started a photo journal of the entire project and it has been fascinating seeing it all come together. I have done my part by helping in every way I can by choosing color of cedar, tile, paint for house, taping, filling and sanding nail holes, painting, cleaning newly grouted tile, more cleaning of windows and doors that hadn’t been cleaned in years. We are now the proud owners of a gorgeous in ground 8×10 swim in place pool that I have used almost daily now for over 3 weeks. The weather has been so cooperative this year. It has been hot and the solar hot water panels have done their job so well that the temperature of the pool stays at a fairly constant 83-84 degrees. It was over 93 the other day and that pool felt so good just to noodle around in. We call it noodling when we just float with our long brightly colored styrofoam noodles to keep you afloat. I have a swim tether that attaches to my waist and away I swim-to nowhere except fitness. I also invested in foam water aerobic dumb bells that are a real killer workout. Thinking of when it will get cooler and the pool temp might be 75 or lower (when we have no sun like in early spring when it snows), I invested in a spring weight short sleeved, short legged 2mm wetsuit that came and will be perfect-except for getting it on. It is quite the job getting it on and it is plenty big enough. Unfortunately right now it is awful snug feeling/smothering in fact to my sore neck. After the surgery to remove my thyroid and tumor it will be much more comfy.
This is taken so you can see the french doors that replaced an old wall and window
The above picture shows how we turned the door so it opens to the north and added an entry way that is about 5×16 ft long, then added a 16×16 foot long addition with a vaulted ceiling onto that. The tile is a desert colored variant with light and dark browns, reds and sand colors. We used clear cedar for the walls with a clear finish that will repel water. There is a super water vapor and wall board behind that cedar. The room can build up some good humidity so all 3 sides have 2 sets of slider windows that open and there is an industrial sized fan in the upper front gable to suck the moisture and heat out of the house. We have used that fan a lot recently since the house has been heating up so warmly in the evenings. Before we get ready for bed we turn it on and close the house windows,door and open the french doors and all the heat, clear back to the master bedroom in back is sucked out. It is literally like an air conditioner. It has saved my life heat wise several times. The blue and red hanging belt in the center of the door wall is the swim tether. It is mounted up at about 5ft to allow us to stay in the center of the pool while swimming. We have an extra belt ordered for Jerry so we can keep from constant alteration of waist size even though it is easy to do. It will be nice for him to have his own. We are, for all purposes done with this project. We have a bit of trim to add to one window, the fan box to be covered with screen, and some touch up painting to do and it is done. We have a new hardwood entry floor thanks to Jerry’s determination to match our existing floor. We have our doggie door back so the dogs can come and go and they love being able to use it again. I spent yesterday cleaning doors, jams, dog door, and windows that had become filthy from sitting and splatterred with dirt. All the tile tools are returned to barn so we can look at the yard and plan where to put back some plants we had removed and saved in buckets and planters. We have a lot of landscaping to do which means moving large rocks and creating a big front flower bed. I am afraid that will be thought about over the winter and actually brought to play next spring. I will plant the plants we removed and the bulbs I saved this fall before we leave for the winter depending on how my energy level is after my surgery. I can’t wait to add some purple sage and new deer resistant plants/flowers to the front space. The house looks brand new with its pretty sage green/dk green doors and pale green porch trim. The addition was done so perfectly that it looks like it was built with the house which is exactly what Marshall, our contractor expected and demanded. He is a marvelous guy to work with and we have managed to pay for all our work without dipping into our equity account. When we realized we really wanted to do this we saved $$ like crazy last winter and came home with enough to start without the loan money. The pool we still owe Brad some money on but we can use our Bof A card for that and get lots of good Hawaiian miles! Speaking of Brad from the pool place in Prineville, he has been great and loves the look of the room and the color of pool we chose. He has a guy who takes pictures for him and wants to get some pics of the finished project for his pool book at his business. This is the first pool like this that he has done and he is rather impressed at how we made it work and look so nice. Jerry is tired and sore and absolutely loves his new room even though it has been knee and back breaking at times. I give him so much credit for having the vision to see what I wanted it to look like and the fortitude to follow through with the intense work it took to get here. He is an awesome finish carpenter, he can tile and do woodwork and figure out the neatest ideas. He did a wonderful touching thing around the pool…he placed 3×3 tiles interspersed with the other tiles of rock we have collected on our trips and it just gives it a nice personal touch! We have window tile so plants like orchids can live in the room. Eventually when we stay for the winter we can have some tropical type plants. Next year I will have space for seed sprouts, prior to going to the greenhouse, instead of using the dining room table.
I’ll add another image of the completed project with an outside shot. I thought I had one saved but I have to retake the outside photo since it came out blurry and I want one looking out at our new view. By the way we actually improved our view by opening up the living room entry and moving the door. We can see gorgeous views of the Mountains to the west and we have had some awesome sunsets. It is a perfect room to practice yoga in also as there is plenty of room along the sides of the pool. So very glad we decided to follow through with this plan!
In this shot you can see the Windy, the solar panels and part of the rotating rack, the hot water solar panels for the pool room and of course the new sage green paint. It looks like our own new little house with a super duper fun room. You will not see power poles!
I Had to replant and bring them back inside until they sprout then to pots.
