So I got an alternative bid for my own excavation, an excavator another member of this forum used and with whom had a good experience . This other excavator did point out an area that looked like caliche but he said often he can just use water to soften that area and avoid using what he called “the ripper” to get through it. If that doesn’t work, I am only charged $1000 extra. Since my PB will only give me a $2500 credit if I hire my own excavator (they withhold 1150 of the original excavation charge for a $450 pull off to go the original excavator and 700 for 2 yards of overbreak), going this route with my own excavator will only save me $400 or $1400 depending on whether he needs to use that extra tool to get through the caliche.
When I asked the excavator i brought out about the overbreak piece, he said they don’t necessarily have 2 yards of overbreak. He didn’t think I would have that much. When I went back to Dolphin about this, they said that if there wasn’t overbreak or less than the 2 yards, they would credit me some of that overbreak charge they built into the cost but they warned me that
“the 3rd party excavator will need to adhere to digging the pool to our standards. Any/all dig corrections that may be needed will be the responsible of that same excavator in which Dolphin will not be financially responsible for.
Lastly, if the excavator over digs the pool in any capacity, you would be financially responsible for any additional shotcrete needed when the pool is shot.”
I felt good about the excavator I had come out, but am fearful that somehow my pool builder will to get that extra money out of me somewhere else.
How often do excavators over dig?
Any suggestions on what I should do would be appreciated .