Jason Evans and Jeff Brown know a thing or two about taking on large projects like the Hard Rock Pool. Industry veteran Evans has been indoctrinating his stepson Brown into the business over the past decade. Working side by side with his stepfather, the two have tackled their fair share of challenging jobs. For the south Florida firm renovating pools is a family affair. Their company, Pool Boy Plastering, has made a reputation for taking on some very visible and high-profile custom pool projects.
The Hard Rock Pool in Hollywood, FL
Recently Evans began posting photos of the Hard Rock Seminole pool they worked on in Hollywood, FL. The incredibly iconic guitar-shaped resort features a lush “Bora Bora” lagoon-style swimming pool which is just as stunning. A beach entry resort-style pool with actual sand, as well as a huge 4.5-acre lagoon for hotel guests that allows for paddleboarding, kayaking, and pedal boating, are just some of the world-class amenities you’ll find.
The high-volume firm has taken on large jobs, having completed over 12,000 projects during its tenure in the business. Catering to pool builders and architects, Pool Boy Plastering performs over 600 pool plastering jobs a year.
It’s safe to say that Evans and Brown collectively plastered roughly 7.2 million square feet or 110 football fields worth of pools. That’s a lot of plaster and a ton of experience in the field. It’s no wonder they were awarded the bid to do the interior of the Hard Rock swimming pool. Still, the two weren’t shy about confessing that this was the largest project they’d ever undertaken.
A Challenging Pool Interior
In describing what working on this pool was like, Evans was straight to the point. “It was a doozy, there were some really rough work conditions and it was probably one of the toughest jobs we’ve ever had to do,” he said.
“Not only did we have time constraints but it was during a really rainy season. Because it’s a Seminole reservation, OSHA is not allowed on the property, but they had their own safety team that was stricter than what a typical OSHA job site would be,” explained Evans, describing the working conditions on the job site.
“They would have lightning monitors, alarms would go off and we’d be suddenly forced to shut everything down and shelter. That’s tough, we’re out there mixing cement, pumping the Pebbletec. It was tough to just turn off the machine when it was full of cement and go hang out for an hour or two until we’re allowed to get back to work,” said Brown.
“We’d have almost daily meetings with the contractors, Brightview Developers did the entire outside of the hotel and were the ones we were collaborating with. The construction was 24/7 but our crew only worked during the day. In a fast-paced production schedule, it was a tough job site to work on. One day there would be parking, the next day there would be sidewalks where there were none yesterday,” said Evans.
Hitting a Moving Target
A project of this scale with a moving target and constantly shifting priorities was definitely a new experience for the firm. “It was always throwing us a loop. We’d be there doing a section thinking we’d be able to finish it and the concrete foreman would come up and inform us that the next day we’d have to break everything down and move out of the way and set up on the other side of the hotel to work. This was a rush build with overlapping deadlines. I must say though for a job of this scale it went fairly smoothly,” stated Evans.
“Having to run a slick line to shoot 800 square feet through other contractors was definitely a challenge. We worked well on top of other contractors until it came time to use chemicals and then we’d have to cordon off certain areas of the job site. That made us popular,” said Brown, “they weren’t too happy to have to clear out when we had to do an acid wash.”
When asked if they’d take on this job again, the pair chuckled and said that is one they’d have to seriously consider. Despite the difficulties working on this project, the Pebbletec interior in this swimming pool came out gorgeous. A tremendous undertaking, this project is a testament to their abilities and was obviously a true labor of love.
Certainly not the only high-profile resort pool Evans and Brown have worked on, the two have traveled as far as Dubai to work on the Atlantis resort pool. They’re also probably one of the only pool plasterers that can count Sylvester Stallone as one of their clients. With that said, this rockin’ pool still remains one for the highlight reel.
Photo Credit: Jimi Smith Photography
The post One Rockin’ Pool Project at the Hard Rock appeared first on PoolMagazine.com - Get The Latest Pool News.
