Fixing up the Pool Area

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We just moved into our Rome Fixer Upper a week ago and were most excited about the in-ground pool that came with the property. We already had visions of the lazy weekends we were going to spend in and around the pool. Lazy weekends? In the end, we did not have a whole lot of those, not with our long list of “to do’s” for this property…

Draining the Swamp

Pieter recruited some help with the pool project since we had only 5 days to get it done! We had to drain the green, swampy mess, reattach the pool liner, and we had to replace the stolen pool pump and some other plumbing pieces.

We rented a submersible pump to empty the pool. Our Great Dane, Ben, had so much fun playing in the disgusting green, frog-filled filth that poured onto the lawn around the back of the house. Oh, did he smell horrible after that fun experience! Everybody loves adding “give the dog a bath” to their list of things to complete before going to bed late at night…

It took a good while, but once empty, we were able to see that the pool liner was in good shape and that we just needed to get it back in place. We did some research and settled on ordering this Pentair Sta-Rite pool pump online. Big plus – it got delivered right to our door! We also got the rest of the plumbing supplies needed to get the system working again. We were feeling very optimistic about making our Friday deadline.

Cleaning and Scrubbing

Pieter jumped right in and got this done one night after work. I was still unpacking boxes and organizing our belongings inside the house but came out to check on him frequently (like the good supervisor that I am!!).

Once the liner was scrubbed clean and the last water drained, we were able to start filling the pool. If I remember correctly, this took a full day and night. It ended up looking quite cloudy, but Pieter bought the chemicals needed and added that once the pool pump was up and running.

Installing the New Pump

Our Amazon packages arrived and we were able to start putting the pool pump system back together again. Since we didn’t know enough about plumbing, this was left to the professionals. After another late night, this was also completed. We ran the pump through the night and when we checked in the morning, we had a clear blue pool.

Finishing Touches

By now, it was Friday and time for cleanup around the pool. I did a lot of sweeping and cleaning, and also some weed removal along the pool fence. Next to the pool, we had a covered seating area, and here I cleaned up the built-in planter and added some new soil, plants, and flowers.

Our glass patio table fitted the smaller space nicely. By Friday morning, everything was completed and it was the perfect spot to sit down with a cup of coffee and enjoy the view of the newly cleaned pool.