#1 but the part about the engineer is ridiculous. The expansion joints aren't even cut deep enough in some of your pics....looks less than a 1/4" in some spots. That just isn't going to cut it. Your PB needs to fix his(subcontractors) mistake, he even admitted it was not done right.
I agree with Dan. That is not something I could live with for the amount of money it costs. On the spray option, unless it's high build you would probably still see the texture differences. If it's a etch you should be fine but don't settle for painted on finish.
Can you give details on the epoxy concrete paint(brand, color)? That is exactly the color I want (my pool was finished in October) but all of the concrete paint carried at Lowe's and Home Depot has bad reviews.
Any updates? I went with A&S also(Jason), signed the contract last week on a pool very similar to yours....it may have been one of the layouts he showed us.