Since I'm still optimistic that we'll manage to find a mutually agreeable solution to the problems, I'm not going to post my location (for fear of identifying the builder in question). However, I need to vent a bit, and am looking for as many points of view as possible.
So, 2 weeks ago we broke ground on a new IG pool. Nice shape, interesting curves etc... The plan all along was to have a patio between the back side of the house (attached garage specifically) and the pool. The plan was for this patio to go up to (and replace) an existing walkway, at the same grade. First 3 feet pitching away from the house, the rest away from the pool (towards the house) with a drain where they meet, moving the water away from everything. Existing walkway is about 8 or so inches below the sill plate of the garage, and since we're in an area that gets a good bit of rain (and snow) I'm inclined to keep as much distance between the wooden sill and grade as I can.
However, best laid plans...
Last Wed. I was told I should really put a retaining wall up on one side of the property. I declined (I'll build tiers myself, the slope we're talking about isn't too bad, but measurements aren't in front of me). Then, friday, as I was eyeballing where the patio was supposed to go, it looked REALLY steep. Arguably I should have looked earlier, but with the mounds of dirt everywhere, there was no clear line of sight, and since they had a transit level on site the whole time, I assumed (I know, assumed...) things were under control. After some measurements, it turns out that with the intended coping forms and even a relatively aggressive 1/4 inch per foot of pitch, the patio was going to be 6 inches or so above grade (and that's without stopping 3 feet short so we can pitch away from the house.
The PB owner came out (second time he was on site since the construction started, first time was Wed) and his only recommendation was to just go as planned, and go with the higher grade, and rebuild the concrete steps that go to grade (without any real detail on how you do that without having improperly sized steps).
At this point, I put all digging, earth moving, and patio planning on hold (my wife was away for the weekend, returning monday, and since we put a few months into planning the now-impossible patio design, I wasn't going to make snap decisions).
I've got lots of ideas of "plan B" possibilities, but I'm amazingly frustrated that such a huge mistake like this hasn't elicited more than a single visit from the owner where he proposed what I feel is an unacceptable remedy to a situation that I had no hand in creating. As you can imagine, this has caused a rather large ripple effect in the construction process, bringing in a large amount of fill etc...(at my cost so far, since it was done prior to _my_ discovery of the issue. Who knows how long they've known).
Am I out of my mind to expect a remedy to be a joint effort between the PB and myself? It seems like he's waiting for me to tell him what to do next.
I'll add that he's doing the concrete work for the patio mentioned above, so _he_ isn't even going to be whole until this project is completed. It's not "put in a pool and leave". All interactions with the owner have been great so far, save for the poor (in my opinion) recommendation on friday, followed by no contact since.
Pool details: Vinyl lined, steel walled, concrete floor.
I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for here, Im mostly venting, and cautioning everyone NOT to feel bad double checking all the measurements. Not everyone is an expert, and even if they are, even experts make mistakes. I'm kicking myself for not bringing out my own lasers and measuring everything myself sooner (finally did friday to prove my suspicions).
So, 2 weeks ago we broke ground on a new IG pool. Nice shape, interesting curves etc... The plan all along was to have a patio between the back side of the house (attached garage specifically) and the pool. The plan was for this patio to go up to (and replace) an existing walkway, at the same grade. First 3 feet pitching away from the house, the rest away from the pool (towards the house) with a drain where they meet, moving the water away from everything. Existing walkway is about 8 or so inches below the sill plate of the garage, and since we're in an area that gets a good bit of rain (and snow) I'm inclined to keep as much distance between the wooden sill and grade as I can.
However, best laid plans...
Last Wed. I was told I should really put a retaining wall up on one side of the property. I declined (I'll build tiers myself, the slope we're talking about isn't too bad, but measurements aren't in front of me). Then, friday, as I was eyeballing where the patio was supposed to go, it looked REALLY steep. Arguably I should have looked earlier, but with the mounds of dirt everywhere, there was no clear line of sight, and since they had a transit level on site the whole time, I assumed (I know, assumed...) things were under control. After some measurements, it turns out that with the intended coping forms and even a relatively aggressive 1/4 inch per foot of pitch, the patio was going to be 6 inches or so above grade (and that's without stopping 3 feet short so we can pitch away from the house.
The PB owner came out (second time he was on site since the construction started, first time was Wed) and his only recommendation was to just go as planned, and go with the higher grade, and rebuild the concrete steps that go to grade (without any real detail on how you do that without having improperly sized steps).
At this point, I put all digging, earth moving, and patio planning on hold (my wife was away for the weekend, returning monday, and since we put a few months into planning the now-impossible patio design, I wasn't going to make snap decisions).
I've got lots of ideas of "plan B" possibilities, but I'm amazingly frustrated that such a huge mistake like this hasn't elicited more than a single visit from the owner where he proposed what I feel is an unacceptable remedy to a situation that I had no hand in creating. As you can imagine, this has caused a rather large ripple effect in the construction process, bringing in a large amount of fill etc...(at my cost so far, since it was done prior to _my_ discovery of the issue. Who knows how long they've known).
Am I out of my mind to expect a remedy to be a joint effort between the PB and myself? It seems like he's waiting for me to tell him what to do next.
I'll add that he's doing the concrete work for the patio mentioned above, so _he_ isn't even going to be whole until this project is completed. It's not "put in a pool and leave". All interactions with the owner have been great so far, save for the poor (in my opinion) recommendation on friday, followed by no contact since.
Pool details: Vinyl lined, steel walled, concrete floor.
I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for here, Im mostly venting, and cautioning everyone NOT to feel bad double checking all the measurements. Not everyone is an expert, and even if they are, even experts make mistakes. I'm kicking myself for not bringing out my own lasers and measuring everything myself sooner (finally did friday to prove my suspicions).