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Del Val Why We Use Pilings
People often ask us why Del Val uses pilings when building pools at the Jersey shore. After all, aren’t pilings used to elevate houses above base flood elevation? The answer is an engineering solution and has become the Del Val standard for building “Sandy-proof” pools since Hurricane Sandy struck October 29, 2012. Hundreds of pools disappeared as a result of that storm. These pools are at the bottoms of the bay and ocean never to be seen again.
Cool facts: pilings have been used in construction since the Roman Empire – around 505 BC, and the first known drawing of a pile driver exists from 1475.
When a pool is constructed at the shore, Del Val works with the client’s vison to determine the size and shape and then develops a grid pattern for the pilings so that one is sunk for every sixteen square feet of pool. The pilings are pressure treated southern pine, a minimum of twelve inches in diameter and driven/sunk more than three stories into the sand. To a neighbor, this looks like the beginning of an outbuilding or an addition that might attach to the house. The confusion sets in when we cut the pilings down to just below the surface of the pool form.
This is where Del Val excels from an engineering perspective and why we are known for building the sturdiest pools at the Jersey shore. We drill through the top of the pilings and anchor steel rebar runners which form the base of a cage frame with rebar forming perpendicular cross points every twelve inches. Sections are then filled with concrete to create structural grade beams that reinforce the structure like a series of spines which can withstand the varying hydrostatic pressures.
This is where Del Val excels from an engineering perspective and why we are known for building the sturdiest pools at the Jersey shore. We drill through the top of the pilings and anchor steel rebar runners which form the base of a cage frame with rebar forming perpendicular cross points every twelve inches. Sections are then filled with concrete to create structural grade beams that reinforce the structure like a series of spines which can withstand the varying hydrostatic pressures.
So, do we build pilings under a pool to hold it down? The answer to that is also yes. Nature constantly alters hydrostatic pressures depending on tides, storms, and winds that want to push a pool up and out of the sand. Del Val’s rebar cage and grade beam construction is anchored in place to pilings driven several stories into the sand. The only way the pool can lift is if all the pilings were to lift simultaneously – and we have a preventative measure for that too - with the installation of custom hydrostatic relief valves that can be adjusted depending on what is happening with the water table below.
The oft’ used punch line is, “It’s not rocket science.” No, it’s not, but it is pool construction science, and many of the lessons which led to innovations were hard learned by disastrous northeaster’s and the hurricanes that visit the Jersey shore every few decades. I could end with a pun about “Jersey strong”, but simply put, there’s a reason why Realtors and Builders prefer Del Val pools. Our pools, like the third generation in our business, are here to stay. If you have questions about how to build a pool at the shore – the right way - call me directly at (what number).
Bryan
