Gunite Pool Renovation and Redesign in East Islip NY

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This backyard and pool renovation was done by Gappsi in East Islip NY. This job was originally done by Gappsi 30 Yrs ago in 1993, it is now 2023. The new renovation project consists of rebuilding the outside wall with all-natural stones.  The patio pavers we used were full-color NY Bluestone flagstone random sizes. The original pool was a 20×40 with an extended swing lane on this side. For the renovation that we did, we made the pool square kept one side of the swim lane, and built a sundeck within the pool.

Your swimming pool is a key part of your home. It’s where you spend quality time with your loved ones, wind down after work, and exercise, so it pays to ensure it perfectly meets your needs and preferences.

The basis of any poolscape is the existing location. It can mean disguising between an exciting party spot or a relaxing spa scene. We consider the architecture of the home and the living spaces, as well as the existing landform and landscape.

Why Gunite Pools Have the Most Longevity?

Choosing between gunite and vinyl pools can be difficult, but there are some differences in the longevity of each pool. The longevity of your pool depends on the maintenance, cleaning, and chemicals you use.

Gunite is a specific type of concrete, a blend of cement, sand, and water, sprayed through a hose. The dry mix of cement and sand is mixed with water as it’s being applied. Typically, the gunite is sprayed onto a framework of steel reinforcing bars that comprise the pool structure.

Unlike vinyl liner pools, concrete pools are not premade. You can customize your concrete pool right down to the color of the water.  Not only are concrete pools the most popular and highly customizable, but they have the longest lifespan compared to a vinyl liner pool. Concrete pools require a little more maintenance than the vinyl options, but these pools will last much longer with proper care.

In the latest Gappsi pool renovation in East Islip NY, we designed and built this pool over 30 years ago.  We reshaped the gunite pool and changed the pool decking.  The original pool was built in 1993 over 30 years ago by Gappsi showing the timelessness and longevity of choosing a Gappsi Gunite pool.

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Can You Redesign an Existing Pool by Changing the Shape or Size of the Pool?

Yes, you can redesign the pool and add to it, that is the beauty of a concrete pool.  Our gunite pool renovation included reshaping the pool and adding a sundeck.  Whether you’re unhappy with the size, the shape, the depth, or maybe just the overall look of the pool, you might be interested in a swimming pool remodel. Whether you inherited this pool upon buying a home or you had it installed many years ago, and it’s become dated there are options for you.

During this latest pool restoration, our team acid-washed the pool and removed all the old pavers.  Acid washing a pool removes stains, mineral deposits, algae, and other buildup from the pool’s surface. It can also remove chlorine and dirt stains.

The porous nature of concrete allows for algae to grow quickly, so it is important to clean the pool walls and floor regularly. Acid washing is one form of maintenance for concrete pools.  This is typically only done every 3-5 years to prevent algae and bacteria buildup on the surface of the pool.

Natural Stone Wall

The project consisted of rebuilding the outside wall with all-natural stones. The clients love the natural stone look. It’s a dry stacked natural stone wall built all around the pool. The pool was raised out of the ground originally because it is on a bay and the water table is high. The patio pavers we used were full-color NY Bluestone Flagstone in random sizes.

The original pool was a 20×40 with an extended swim lane on one side. For the pool renovation, we made the pool square but kept one side of the pool with a swim lane.

gunite-pool-renovation-and-redesign-in-east-islip-ny4Sun Deck, Sun Shelf, Tanning Ledge, or Baja Shelf They are All the Same

We built a sun deck, with curb steps in the upgraded pool design.  A tanning shelf or tanning ledge is the perfect feature to add to an existing swimming pool while under renovation.  A tanning shelf is an area inside the pool perimeter that sits just about 6-8″ below water. The area is larger than your entry steps, usually running about 5-6′ in length and width, commonly featuring a bubbler or umbrella.  Being one of the most prevalent add-ons to a pool design, the function of a tanning shelf stretches from child’s play to adult relaxation. The family dog even appreciates a cool place to escape the New York heat.

gunite-pool-renovation-and-redesign-in-east-islip-7Porcelain Tile Accents For Your Pools Waterline

The clients chose to add porcelain tiles to the waterline of the pool.  Choosing the right tile can enhance the visual appeal of your pool while providing durability and ease of maintenance.  Porcelain tile is known for its strength, resistance to fading, and low maintenance requirements. With a variety of colors, patterns, and textures to choose from, porcelain tile offers versatility and durability for waterline applications. It’s an excellent choice for achieving a timeless and sophisticated look for your pool.

We installed 2×2 tiles to accent the edges of the steps and sundeck.

Gulfstream Hydrazzo Finish

This polished pool surface creates a finish unlike any other pool plaster available on the market.  Hydrazzo was the first polished pool finish in the industry. For over 20 years the company has produced the product in the USA. A silky smooth polished texture combined with the proven durability of exposed aggregates are prime features of this state-of-the-art pool plaster finish.

With 15+ unique color options and a natural variegated appearance, Hydrazzo compliments all poolscape designs. The polished pool surface creates a finish unlike any other pool plaster available on the market today. It is naturally resistant to spot etching, topical stains, permanent scale & algae adhesion.

Some of the most beautiful pools in the world are surfaced with the hand-polished magic of Hydrazzo. It is the smoothest, richest, and most luxurious surface available. Hydrazzo combines naturally beautiful coarse-graded crystalline and colored marble, along with white Portland cement and a host of other performance-enhancing ingredients. The results are like no other.

Automatic Saftey Covers for Pools Saves Time and Money

During the renovation, we added an automatic pool safety cover.  Our under-track automatic pool cover is the top choice for new pool and spa installations and pool remodeling projects. The cover’s tracks are installed under the pool’s coping during the construction process, giving you the most seamless and aesthetically pleasing installation possible. The under-track model is compatible with any rectangular pool and can also be designed to work with some custom pool shapes and features.

4 Reasons to Add an Automatic Safety Cover

  • Keep your pool clean: Your automatic pool cover will keep dirt and debris out of your pool, greatly reducing the amount of time you’ll spend skimming and vacuuming. When you’re ready to use your pool, your retractable cover will roll open with just the touch of a button to reveal sparkling clean water!
  • Conserve water. Pools that aren’t covered can lose as much as 2” of water per week. As water rates continue to rise, your automatic pool cover can save you hundreds of dollars every year by preventing evaporation and helping you conserve every precious drop of water in your pool.
  • Maintain your ideal water temperature. A few chilly nights can bring your pool water’s temperature down. Your automatic pool cover will help maintain your pool water at the ideal temperature, so it’s swim-ready, whenever you are. Not only does it retain heat but it can also be used to add heat to your pool water.
  • Conserve chemicals. When water evaporates from your swimming pool, those expensive chemicals added to the water evaporate with it. Your automatic pool cover will help you keep those chemicals in your pool water, where they belong, allowing you to spend less time and money on your pool and more time in your pool!

Bringing you from the past to the present this is the latest backyard pool renovation in East Islip NY showcasing the timelessness of a Gunite Pool by Gappsi.

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View Gappsi’s YouTube Channel for Videos of Gunite Pool Renovation and Redesign

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Freeform Gunite Swimming Pool

Freeform-Gunite-Swimming-Pool1Making the decision to build a custom freeform gunite swimming pool in your own backyard is exciting! Imagine a beautiful oasis with custom water features for relaxing and spending time with family and friends.

Gappsi specializes in gunite pool construction in Smithtown NY and surrounding areas. From initial consultation and coming up with your backyard design to completing the project in a timely manner, we promise excellent service and quality work every step of the way.

What Pool Shapes Are Available? Geometric and Freeform

A lot of thought should go into your pool shape and style. There are several factors that will play a part in determining that shape. Function is a big factor. It’s important to know what you want to be able to use the pool for and to consider all the users. Will it be a family-oriented pool that will incorporate a diving board, slide, grotto or other features your kids may enjoy? Or, maybe the pool’s primary function is to provide an oasis from the New York heat, someplace to unwind from a busy week where every feature revolves around escape and relaxation.

If that’s the case you may want to incorporate features like a shallow tanning reef, swim-up bar, or a relaxing water feature. It is easy to extend the use of your pool into the cooler months by adding a spa, fire pit, or outdoor kitchen area and incorporating it into the design.

Yard space is an important consideration when adding a pool to your property.  You may need a strategic pool design to make the most of a small or oddly shaped yard, or perhaps you have more space than you literally know what to do with. Both are scenarios that our experienced designers and pool builders at Gappsi know how to deal with.

Freeform Pools Gunitre Pool

Freeform custom pools are those taking on any shape and form. There’s no certain geometric shape such as a square or rectangle. Instead, freeform design (sometimes also referred to as a radius pool), has no set rules or shapes.  It can take on any curvilinear form.

Freeform-Gunite-Swimming-PoolWhen you start to plan out your swimming pool installation with Gappsi, you will have the option of creating a freeform design for your pool area. Unlike traditional swimming pools, which contain rigid, geometric shapes, freeform pools have an organic look and feel. Gappsi has plenty of experience with pool installation and will be able to help you plan out a freeform pool that matches beautifully with your backyard.

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There are a few terrific benefits to the freeform swimming pool. When you create a freeform pool, you will be able to create a one-of-a-kind design for your backyard. Small pools are particularly suited to a freeform design because they can be crafted to look like natural water elements. You may also find that your swimming pool maintenance requirements are lower when you create a freeform design. Overall, planning a freeform pool will allow you to express your personality and sense of style.

Freeform pools are made up of soft curves. These gunite pools can be built in an infinite amount of pool shapes. Contemporary freeform pools often have natural rock or waterfall features that are designed to resemble a natural lake, lagoon, or oasis. They are usually surrounded by lush landscaping and blend seamlessly with the rest of the yard.

Gunite freeform pools can be built into almost any yard including those oddly shaped, limited space, or homes that have a sloping landscape. Our gunite pools can be built with a wide range of features that can include:

  • Beach entry or built-in steps
  • Deeper areas for diving pools
  • Built-in seating
  • Built-in tables or bar areas
  • Tanning reefs
  • Waterfalls, fountains and bubblers
  • Spas & Grottos

Freeform-Gunite-Swimming-Pool2Freeform Gunite Swimming Pool Built in East Northport NY

Gappsi designed this freeform gunite swimming pool in East Northport NY. This is a very large swimming pool with a 9-foot deep end. In the shallow area, we built a sundeck with steps across in twelve-inch deep water. We used porcelain tiles, a very close combination of colors. Our team built a natural-looking waterfall at the deep end of the pool using moss rocks.  We made the moss rocks to also double as the diving rock. In addition, the shelf to the waterfall can be used as a diving board to jump into the pool. Around the pool area, we installed Blue Limestone on the patio in a French pattern and finished the pool is white quartz.

The pool coping is 12-inch by 2-inch thick limestone selected from the Gappsi Natural Stone Collection. The customer has a very large patio which includes a Breeo Fire Pit on one side of the yard. The Breeo Fire Pit is perfect for summer night fires while enjoying the view of the pool. This is the latest Gappsi backyard project in East Northport NY.


review-from-a-customer-whiteI highly recommend Gappsi! Giuseppe designed our entire backyard and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I love the automatic cover for our pool and our synthetic turf grass. Anytime we have anyone come over, they always compliment our marble stone patio and retaining wall. Giuseppe was great to work with and would answer all of our questions so quickly – there was always an open line of communication throughout our backyard renovation. Looking forward to creating many memories in our new backyard thanks to Gappsi!


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View Gappsi’s YouTube channel for videos of Freeform Gunite Swimming Pool

 

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Gunite Swimming Pool Renovation

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If you’ve been enjoying your pool for several years but want to update the look or add new features, then a gunite swimming pool renovation might be just what your pool needs. At Gappsi, we have a team dedicated specifically to commercial and residential pool needs.  The versatility of a Gunite pool makes it a top choice for homeowners who wish to truly “design” their own swimming pool. Gunite is a mixture of cement and sand sprayed onto contoured and supported surfaces used in the construction of in-ground swimming pools.

How do you know when your pool needs to be resurfaced? Below are the signs to look out for:

  • Your pool has stains and the walls are dirty.
  • The surface of your pool has developed bumps and is rough.
  • There are fissures and cracks along your pool walls.
  • Your pool water level continually drops.

Now there are temporary solutions such as water-proof paint along with acid washes for stains, but these are the equivalent of putting Band-Aids on the problem. It’s more cost-effective to hire a professional to replaster your pool and have it done correctly the first time.

Gunite offers the maximum strength that can currently be found in the swimming pool construction industry.  These materials allow for a more “elevated” level of custom pool design options.  Gunite is a pneumatically applied concrete mixture reinforced with steel rebar.  This is the most effective way of creating a swimming pool from concrete. Gunite is superior to alternative pool construction techniques such as vinyl liner or fiberglass pools in terms of structural strength and design options. It is also a porous concrete mixture that allows for better expansion/contraction tolerance and is less prone to cracking, shifting, translating, or sinking.

Is a gunite pool a good investment?

There are plenty of pros of gunite pools to be aware of. First, they last a long time and don’t take much time, effort, or money to maintain. That fact is the reason why lots of people see gunite pools as being a good investment is because of less future costs.  The life expectancy of a gunite pool depends on the construction.

A poorly built gunite pool certainly has the potential to crack, but a properly built pool can and should last for 100 years or more, with no risk of cracking whatsoever. We’ve been building Gunite pools for more than 30 years and our customers are very satisfied.

Gunite-Swimming-Pool-Renovation1What is the difference between replastering and resurfacing a pool?

Replastering is typically done when the existing plaster has become rough, cracked, or stained. Resurfacing, on the other hand, involves adding a new layer of material on top of the existing pool surface. This can include plaster, aggregate, or tile.  Most often gunite pools need to be resurfaced when stains are inevitable. Often, they are not anything serious, but they can build up and take away the beauty of your pool. Stains usually come from algae, leaves, debris, and chemical, and mineral outputs. If you are unable to clean the stains off then pool resurfacing will do the trick.  The best way to know if it’s time to resurface a pool is to be proactive, observing it constantly so that you’ll notice signs that it’s time to resurface. Mineral stains, gunite exposure, or plaster that’s flaking or falling off are all signs that your pool is in need of work.

Many pool owners ask: “How often do you need to replaster a pool?” on average, a pool needs to be replastered every ten years or so. However, there are several factors that could cause this maintenance to come sooner or last longer.

Can you reshape a gunite pool?

If you’re looking to change the shape of a gunite pool, a significant amount of excavation work is needed. Moreover, multiple areas would need to be excavated and then refilled for this process. In some instances, this process could be costly.

Gunite-Swimming-Pool-RenovationWhy use gunite instead of concrete?

To improve the strength and ductility of poured concrete, it is usually incorporated with wire mesh but sprayed concrete can be combined with steel fiber to increase this. Gunite and shotcrete are typically less expensive than poured concrete.  Shotcrete, “concrete”, and gunite are all basically the same product with variations in strength, inherent water-tightness, and methods of construction.

Gunite Swimming Pool Advantages

  • Gunite is cheaper than shotcrete
  • When applying Gunite you can stop and start the application without creating any weak points
  • Super high strength with low shrinkage
  • You can walk on the wet concrete without disturbing it
  • Gunite is easier to clean up than shotcrete

Gunite Swimming Pool Super Blue Diamond Bright Finish Renovation East Northport NY

This is a gunite swimming pool renovation patio restoration located in East Northport NY. Gappsi installed G045 limestone coping for the pool and Flagstone G045 pavers for the patio. The pool plaster was done with diamond bright super blue and we used porcelain tiles in the water line. All the pool plumbing was redone with new filters and a new salt generator chlorine system. This is the latest Gappsi gunite swimming pool renovation in East Northport NY. 

We specialize in professionally resurfacing commercial and residential gunite pools. From the prepping and pre-plastering to the plastering and finishing touches, we handle the whole process from start to finish.

Contact Gappsi today to set up an appointment. We’ll come out to inspect your pool and give you a free quote.

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View Gappsi’s YouTube channel for videos of the Gunite Swimming Pool Renovation

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Rock waterfall construction in Lake Grove NY

Rock waterfall construction in Lake Grove NYThis waterfall it’s been designed and built by Gappsi in Lake Grove NY as part of a large backyard project that includes a custom gunite swimming pool, pavilion, patio, and full landscaping. Natural Long Island boulders were used for the risers and bluestone shelves for the water cascades. We created steps on both sides of the grotto, on the waterfall side, and by the slide, for the kids to get to the top of the grotto and jump in the pool. For the landscaping, we used small plants and grasses to decorate the waterfall and slide, and evergreens along the back to create privacy from the neighboring house.

 

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