3 Pools... Finally!

Digging and constructing 3 pools has been a long arduous affair, however, we wanted each of the three residences to have its own pool.

Merida sits on limestone, so digging inground pools presents a challenge. A caterpillar would have been a more efficient way to get the job done but our property was hard to access. One builder suggested raising the roof of our three-car cement garage, and, in retrospect, this may have been the easiest solution. Instead, it was done with a hydraulic drill, operated by hand. They removed lot of limestone and made a lot of noise ... for several months. My apologies to our Neighbours.

Two homes will have full sizes pools about 4 x 6 meters and 1.5 meters deep. Once the earth and limestone were removed, thick walls of mamposteria were constructed. They reused some of the excavated limestone to make a floor and walls 18 inches thick. Once the walls are complete, they cover the walls and floor with a wire mesh.

Then they cover the stones with concrete and finally with an ancient Maya product called Chum. This seals and finishes the pool.

While the tubing was being set into place, someone warned me not to allow the drainpipe to go inside the stone wall. If they do and a PCV pipe breaks, you will need to break the pool wall to access it. Our builder drilled a separate opening, beside the pool, which leads to a separate well. There is no sewage system in Merida, so our pool drains into a well, and then filters through limestone and back into the ground.

For our pool, I wanted a fountain. I had an iguana carved from stone and set it into wall at one end of the pool..

This was done a month ago, but I've been waiting to see how it worked. I was not disappointed.

The pool for our rental property is still waiting for the filter equipment to be installed, but once it is, and the garden is done, it will be a lovely space.

There was originally one pool on the property in front of the casita, but it was almost as large as the building. Since we were dividing the property into 3 separate dwellings, we needed to add 2 cisterns to store water. Our builder suggested using the deep end to hide them. This new pool is 4x5 meters and about a meter deep. We will have a large cement pad beside it and a garden at one end.

The rest of the project is moving along pretty quickly. They have the first coat on our exterior and I will be posting this progress with both before and after photos in the upcoming weeks. So, now would be a good time to subscribe, if you have not already done so. Click here to subscribe.