Pool Work at the Bamboo Lagoon

This is the first home we have owned that has a pool. Five years of renting the house out and having to rely on inconsistent renters and somewhat lazy pool companies meant that the pool was a big project for me when finally moving to the house. As you can see from these first two pictures, the pool was covered at the end of the last season by the pool company but it wasn't done very well. They took parts off the pump and filter and "hid" them, which means it is halfway amazing that the pool is even functioning without us having to spend a small fortune to make it happen.

We were hoping that the water on top of the tarp would evaporate but no such luck. Mom and I had to unscrewed boards that were fastened to the deck on all sides of the pool, and then pull the tarp from both sides down towards one end of the pool. Foolishly we thought we were going to be able to pull the water and debris on the tarp up onto the deck and keep it all from going into the actual pool water, but reality was that there was no way, we were going to be able to pull the equivalent of a water bed up onto the deck. We did skim most of the debris off and we unfortunately didn't think of siphoning the water off until after the task was completed.

Once we got the cover off, we realized that the water beneath was in pretty reasonable condition. The pool was not filled with algae and the water was clear. It was very low so first off we had to put the hose in it to start filling it to get it to a level that would let us turn on all the equipment and see where we were on things. It took almost two days of running the hose almost non-stop to get the pool filled to the skimmer basket. I am terrified what that water bill is going to look like...LOL. Once the pool got to the right level, I went to check out the pump house and noticed water pouring out of the bottom of the pump from two different spots. I opened up the pump skimmer area and found two black screw in plugs beneath the basket and used them to close the two spots. Next, I tried turning on the system and realized that there was a cap of some sort missing from the top of the filter dome. I searched around some more in the bottom of the pumphouse and found another cap and put it on the filter dome. This reduced the water squirting out but didn't completely fix the issue (meaning there was probably a missing o-ring). I decided my best bet might be contacting a new pool company to have them come out and show me how everything is supposed to work so I didn't accidently mess something up.

Later in the week, my cousin came over and I turned the pump back on so he could see what I was talking about regarding the water squeaking out, and at this time, we discovered the leak in the solar heating system. We turned the system back off and I waited until my visit with the pool company. Joe came out and showed me how to run everything. He tested the water, found that it was pretty well balanced but obviously needed chlorine. He added 6 lbs of chlorine to the pool, gave me an o-ring for the top plug on the filter dome. We discussed vacuuming, skimming, brushing, testing and chemicals. As we were getting ready to close things down, he noticed water coming from another spot at the bottom of the filter dome. Turns out there was yet one more plug that the old pool company removed and "hid" from us that was missing. We managed to locate it and close that hole and everything seemed to be working well.

Since then, I have been running the pump as I should, testing the water, skimming, and vacuuming. The water is pretty good, while there still is a bit of debris on the bottom that I am working on getting rid of. It is a maintenance job on a weekly basis but for the most part, it has come along really well. Fixing the solar heating is next on the agenda and I am eager to see how warm the pool will be after that is done. I still have not swam in it, but that is coming up this week for sure. I am looking forward to getting the last of the debris out of it so it will be clear and clean!

Spiffing Up The Bamboo Lagoon

Here is a peak at the new purple fountain grass I got for the porch (at least until we can afford a cool bamboo for it). I also got the little gecko put up as well.

Today, the horseshoe was put up, the retractable clothesline was installed and the place is starting to come together (as much as it can with most of our stuff still in other states). I need to get the two kitchen cabinets done, a run to recycling for cardboard, and the locks changed to feel like today was completely productive. Assuming we get up to the 90 degrees we are forecasted, a dip in the pool might also be called for.

Hanging Plant

This window in the mini office just screamed for a hanging plant, and fortunately for us, there was already an anchored hook in the ceiling. I found the plant at a local nursery but couldn't find a hanger that worked for me so I decided to make one of my own.

I purchased some twine and I had some washers and followed directions that I found on the Internet and it came out pretty good, if I don't say so myself. It did take some finagling to get the plant into it but it balanced out in the end.

Beds At The Bamboo Lagoon

Due to the fact that the house had renters in it for 5 years and then sat empty for 9 months and on top of that had a property management company that didn't do its job, it is a wonder that any plant life in the yard is alive. The sprinkler system in the front yard does not extend to the left side of the driveway and the beds in that area have been neglected for many years...

I decided a while back that the bed sitting beneath our blue spruce needed some plants in it and they needed to be plants that could handle being in the shade. I loved the hostas we had at our house in WA and thought this spot might be great for hostas and ferns.

So I purchased some homeless plants (the sad little plants I see at Home Depot that just need a good home and are usually discounted), and set about to adding a few to this bed. I know that they look a little spaced out but the hostas come back each year a bit larger than the year before so I don't want to crowd them out completely. We'll see how good they look next year when they come back.

Hanging Baskets

While out visiting nurseries this weekend with my mom and aunt, I found some cute hanging baskets and a few flowers to put in them. I finally got them transplanted into the baskets yesterday and then the baskets hung today. I think they look pretty cute.