This Colfax vanishing edge pool is one of the most technically demanding custom gunite builds I have completed in 35 years of pool construction. The site — a steep Sierra foothill hillside north of Sacramento — required more engineering before a shovel broke ground than most pools require through their entire build. What follows is the full construction record, documented in five stages.
Reading a Difficult Site
When I first walked the property, I was surprised by the terrain. You know you have a steep site when it’s difficult to walk on safely. The elevation change between the homeowner’s house and the pool site measured more than twenty-five feet. There was no natural flat building pad, no easy place to establish water level, and no margin for design mistakes.
I returned on my own with a laser level and spent an afternoon mapping the slope. Once I plotted the measurements, the concept took shape: two engineered stacked rock retaining walls stepped into the hillside, a pool pad built from compacted engineered fill placed in controlled lifts, and a vanishing edge weir wall anchored by a seven-foot keyway footing driven into undisturbed native soil.
Before construction began I assembled a three-engineer team — a licensed civil engineer for the site plan and building permit, a geotechnical engineer for the soils report and stability analysis, and a structural pool engineer to design the shell and wall system. My design was the foundation. The engineers translated it into buildable specifications. When all three work from the same plan, costly field surprises become unlikely.
What This Colfax Vanishing Edge Pool Required
The earthwork alone was a monumental operation. We built the upper retaining wall first, then excavated the pool pad and recompacted the soil from the bottom up. Key structural requirements:
- Seven-foot deep keyway footing anchored into native soil — the total depth from keyway bottom to pool deck was fourteen feet
- Geotechnical inspection at excavation depth — confirming actual soil conditions matched the engineer’s design assumptions before any steel or gunite was placed
- Five-foot deep catch pool functioning as a structural footing at the base of the hillside, not just a hydraulic return basin
- Two full gunite shooting days at approximately 40 cubic yards per day — I was on site both days
- Pool-rated vitrified tile throughout — at 2,400 feet elevation, freeze-thaw cycles make tile selection a structural decision, not an aesthetic one
- Locally sourced Sierra granite and granodiorite boulders for the waterfall, placed by CAT 247 skid steer, mortared in multiple cascading tiers
- Pentair IntelliCenter automation with two dedicated variable speed pumps, IntelliChlor salt generation, and IntelliChem automated pH and ORP control
- Dark pebble plaster interior — the right choice for a vanishing edge pool, turning the water surface into a mirror that reflects the Sierra foothills sky
When the water first ran over the edge, everyone on site stopped and watched. That moment never gets less meaningful, no matter how many of these I’ve built.
Colfax Vanishing Edge Pool — Construction Stages
Stage 1: First Contact to Excavation
Client consultation, laser surveying, three-engineer team assembly, earthwork, retaining wall construction, geotechnical inspection, and pool excavation on a 25-foot grade change.
View Stage 1: First Contact to Excavation
Stage 2: Plumbing and Rebar
Hydraulic system layout for two pools at different elevations, structural steel reinforcement, complex forming at fifteen-foot heights, and floor return placement engineered for the mirror effect.
View Stage 2: Plumbing and Rebar
Stage 3: Gunite Application
Two-day gunite shoot on a demanding Colfax hillside — 80 cubic yards total, vanishing edge dam wall, five-foot deep catch pool, and fourteen days of continuous curing.
View Stage 3: Gunite Application
Stage 4: Tile, Waterfall and Deck
Pool-rated vitrified tile installation, Sierra boulder waterfall construction, curved concrete stairs managing a ten-foot elevation change, and stamped earth-tone deck pour with Placer County inspection.
View Stage 4: Tile, Waterfall and Deck
Stage 5: Equipment, Pebble Plaster and Startup
Full Pentair equipment set, dark pebble plaster application and aggregate exposure, fill, startup chemistry, IntelliChem automation commissioning, and Placer County final inspection.
View Stage 5: Equipment, Pebble Plaster and Startup
Hillside pool construction demands a different level of engineering. The Sacramento foothills present unique challenges. Colfax, Auburn, Granite Bay, and Rocklin each require site-specific solutions. This case study shows what that process looks like — from the first laser reading on a steep slope to the moment water runs over the edge for the first time. As a sacramento pool builder specializing in difficult terrain, every project begins with site evaluation before design.
Does your property have slope, limited access, or both?
The first step is a complimentary site consultation to determine what is actually buildable. If the project is a good fit, we enter a paid Design and Planning Agreement where I develop your project in full 3D — every curve, grade transition, and site-specific detail designed around your property. The fee is credited 100% toward your construction contract.
About Jim Chandler Pools
Jim Chandler Pools has built custom gunite swimming pools for more than 35 years throughout the Greater Sacramento region and Sierra foothills. As a second-generation pool builder and former CSLB Swimming Pool (C-53) Subject Matter Expert panelist (2012–2017), I specialize in hillside construction and engineered vanishing edge pools. I focus on challenging sites where others hesitate — steep grades, limited access, expansive soil, rocky terrain. Projects requiring more than standard construction are where I do my best work.
Every project I take on is designed and managed personally, from the first site visit and laser survey through final startup and county inspection. I bring in the structural engineer, coordinate with the geotechnical team, and stay on site through every critical phase. That is not the industry standard. It is mine.
Verify C-53 License #585004 — California Contractors State License Board
Related hillside vanishing edge project:
Auburn Vanishing Edge Pool — A seven-foot above-grade pool shell on a steep Auburn hillside overlooking the Sacramento Valley. Engineered retaining wall, keyway footing, and catch pool system.