My 48-year career of building swimming pools began in the summer of 1975 in Harrison, Arkansas. I was 16 years old and the middle child of 9. A guy by the name of Gunther Adolf Stevens came to Harrison Arkansas from Pennsylvania and started a company named Swim Aid Pool Service. My first vinyl liner pool build was for a guy named Gerald Ford. No not the President but a retired Professor from the University of Pennsylvania.
At age 17, I moved to Denver, Colorado and began building pools there starting in the summer of 1977 while going to school in the fall to earn a Degree in Architecture. In June of 1978 I started a company named Malibu Pools. I have had that company ever since 1978. It is now 2023 and I have moved back to Arkansas as I have extensive family members in the Harrison and Fayetteville area. I am really enjoying myself back here and I am looking forward to extending my years of pool building knowledge and architectural skills to serve you in the Northwest Arkansas community. Please allow me to help you have resort style living in your own backyard!
Vinyl Liner and Fiberglass Swimming Pools
Vinyl Liner build in Tontitown, Arkansas:
My company primarily installs vinyl liner swimming pools. In the photographs above we illustrate the construction of a vinyl liner pool. The process begins with the excavation of the hole for the swimming pool. We usually use a mini excavator to dig the hole and a skid steer to haul off the excess dirt.
We over dug the hole to allow for installing “A” bracing for the wall support and for a concrete collar around the perimeter of the bottom of the wall for structural reinforcing. We then install all of the plumbing such as a skimmer and drains that take in the water and returns that complete the water circulation process. Pool water must be turned over three times a day.
Filters come in sand and cartridge-type filters. A pump is installed to draw the water from the pool and return the filtered water back to the pool. We then finish the bottom of the pool and side walls with a grout mixture of concrete to very specific dimensions to accommodate a specific liner we have custom-made for that pool.
There are several types of coping options. Coping on vinyl liner pools is typically how the liner is held onto the pool in a perimeter channel we call the liner bead. You see in the photographs the liner being pulled out and draped over the concrete then placed into the liner bead to hold liner in-place. Bags of water are placed to hold the liner in-place in the shallow end of the pool. Buckets are placed into the deep-end corners of the pool to hold the liner up in-place.
A shop vac is then placed into the skimmer to draw all of the air out from under the liner and suck the liner up into place. The pool is then filled with water and all of the fitting face plates are installed and cut in. We have not installed the deck yet in this pool, but this is the time the owner will decide how the pool deck is to be used.
Perhaps the pool deck could be used for lounging chairs or maybe for table and chair or a combination. This pool was built in Tontitown, Arkansas just north of Fayetteville, Arkansas. We are building a pool in Fayetteville, Arkansas this week and will feature that pool in a future blog.
You will find that most pools are rectangular in shape, which is the most common pool purchased. Our next build will feature a fiberglass step and cool radius coping. Keep checking in as we present further pool projects.
See above for the stages of building a vinyl liner pool. Oh, and we have dozens of liner patterns to choose from.
Danny Yalacki
CEO/President of
Malibu Pools LLC NWA
Malibupoolsnwa.com
Malibupoolsnwa@gmail.com
Ph: 479-365-0139
