HELP! Am I getting Ripped off on SPA Patch?

[dgrutzius]

We have a Spa that sits behind our Pool, separated by 2 waterfalls and the spa seat/ bench has developed 2 cracks which are leaking water. It is Pebble-Tec material that is lifting off. Plaster guy said he will cut out the 2 sections where damage is approx. 12" on one side and 18" on the other then patch it. Then try to match the pebble with some off brand as best he can. Cost totaling = $1,200.. He said if there are a few more inches of bad area it will add to the cost. Also can't guarantee his work because Spa is14 years old and might leak again in a few days, weeks, months, etc. Also wants to be paid in cash.

We tried to call someone else but we had just refilled the pool and need the spa to work because the water has to filter through the spa to the pool so we can't leave water sitting too long in the pool. I'm tempted to get someone else but not sure what to do..
HELP!!! And Thank you ahead of time for any comments or ideas.

 

[Bama Rambler]

First thing, it's odd that you can't isolate the pool and spa. Can you post a picture of the equipment pad?

Whether that's a good price or a ripoff, partly depends on where you're located. I'd get several quotes on the repair.

 

[JasonLion]

That looks kind of like the plaster is coming off the gunite as an intact layer. Is that what is happening, or is that just a trick of the photo? If the plaster is coming off in sheets the problem is likely to spread.

Is the cause of the original crack apparent? The crack need to be immobilized so it won't spread before there is any point in repairing the surface.

Fixing pebble problems is tricky. There is no way to match the appearance exactly, and the seams between old and new always show. A good plasterer can spend a lot of time trying to get it fairly close and it still won't ever be perfect.

 

[dgrutzius]

First thing, it's odd that you can't isolate the pool and spa. Can you post a picture of the equipment pad?

Whether that's a good price or a ripoff, partly depends on where you're located. I'd get several quotes on the repair.

Thank you so much for reply. I pulled out paperwork left by previous homeowner and it doesn't give much info but you may be right. Here are some photos but not sure they are very clear. It does look like I can isolate the SPA. That would sure take the pressure off of getting SPA repaired. Still want it ASAP but at least I can get a couple of bids on it. Sorry for silly questions but we are pool newbies. Just so glad I found this site today.

 

[dgrutzius]

That looks kind of like the plaster is coming off the gunite as an intact layer. Is that what is happening, or is that just a trick of the photo? If the plaster is coming off in sheets the problem is likely to spread.

Is the cause of the original crack apparent? The crack need to be immobilized so it won't spread before there is any point in repairing the surface.

Fixing pebble problems is tricky. There is no way to match the appearance exactly, and the seams between old and new always show. A good plasterer can spend a lot of time trying to get it fairly close and it still won't ever be perfect.

Thank you so much for responding. The gunite layer underneath does not appear to have a hole. I went out and pulled more of Pebble/ plaster top layer off. If you knock on it you can hear where it is hollow underneath about 2' in length on one side and small area about size of a basketball directly opposite. No where else so maybe spreading slowly. It's coming off in chunks but only in the two areas.
Appears plaster got a couple of leaks and caused it to pull away from gunite shell. Repair guy said SPA must have been left empty to cause it but not that we know of. No way of telling how and why it started to leak. Am I thinking right that gunite is porous, so when water is getting through the plaster layer it is saturating through the gunite to the ground below? That would explain why steps are cracking directly behind where crack is. Would it be better to have the entire plaster layer ripped out and start over? Any idea cost? SPA is 5' in diameter. It's been like this for about 3 years and SPA is 14 years old so leak must have been slow. ???