Our Services
Swimming Pools
North County Gunite & Shotcrete is considered a leader in this area. We are requested by many pool builders and homeowners alike because of our ability to produce excellent results in difficult situations.
We subcontract for a number of pool builders in San Diego and Riverside counties. Sandpiper Pools, North County Pools, Pacific Sun, Mission Pools, and Diamond Pools are just a few of the pool contractors that we love to work with.
Erosion Control
Our erosion control services mainly refers to slope protection. Shotcrete is placed in a varied thickness, with or without reinforced steel, depending on the situation. We do inside protection in basements and under houses to keep water from undermining foundations.
Some slopes consist of nearly vertical embankments which are shotcreted with a rough (nozzle finish) following the contours of the slope. Another type is used mostly in commercial applications under bridges and along freeways, but can also be applied residentially. This type of slope is usually a fine graded slope with wire mesh, forms and with a smooth or broom finish applied.
Commercial
Commercial work we do include commercial swimming pools, seismic retrofits, channels, and structural walls. Shotcrete works well in commercial pool applications because of it's guaranteed psi and sheer strength.
Please contact us for a full list of commercial services that we offer.
We are a 100% shotcrete operation. Here are some informative videos about the shotcrete product that we use.
Why use Shotcrete?
This video explains some of the key advantages of using shotcrete, highlighting the better consistency and time saved by using shotcrete.
Example of a Shotcrete Pool
Having already excavated the ground and installed the rebar, this video shows the shotcrete process, where expertise is vital to achieve a superior finished product.
We switched our operations to use 100% shotcrete in 1998, and this is why:
Why not gunite
Gunite is a mixture of sand and cement, dry mixed onsite and pushed through a three inch hose using air generated by large compressors. Water is added inside the nozzle tip with a special water-ring, the amount controlled by the nozzleman. The material exits the nozzle as a wet mixture under pressure which adheres to vertical walls.
It is in this method of application that gunite encounters problems. The integrity of the mixture depends entirely on the accuracy of the onsite workers. There are no controls or regulations that result in a dependable, consistent, accurate mixture.
Inconsistencies in the mix of dry materials and water result in decreased and erratic pressure ratings of less than the recommended 2,000 psi. Coring tests conducted on various parts of walls in the same pool confirm these inconsistencies. What this means is a pool with weak walls which are subject to cracks and leaks.
What shotcrete solves
All the inconsistencies of gunite are avoided by using a computer controlled mix design from a concrete batch plant. Where each truckload of shotcrete(concrete) is manufactured using regulated and exacting standards. The wet material (concrete) is pumped through a two inch hose to a nozzle with an air-ring, allowing it to adhere to vertical walls.
The mandated controls on the product have resulted in the California Department of Transportation using nothing but shotcrete in bridge, highway construction and seismic retrofits. With shotcrete you can rest assured your pool has a consistent strength of 3,000 to 4,000 psi drastically reducing the chance of leaks for years to come. With shotcrete the guess work is eliminated!