You are not wrong there zethacat. Its a lot easier to let stuff ride when you can do it from the working spa.
New in-ground in swampy Louisiana. Build is ON!!!
- Thread starter Beadedbiker
- Start date
You are not wrong there zethacat. Its a lot easier to let stuff ride when you can do it from the working spa.
Ah so its been a week or so, I've been ticking along, keeping the chemistry in line waiting on his lordship the pool builder to grace me with sending people down to finish off the punch out list.
Well we were still waiting on the holy grail, I mean the spa stone to be hewn from solid rock down in china and sailed here on a slow boat backwards. It eventually arrived. Despite my asking they were convinced they were going to knock all the punch out list items in one day - which included removing some of the concrete walkway where they had put a deck drain and it cracked - repouring that section, respraying it and coating it with a sealant.
ALL IN ONE DAY. I was promised this was made possible by both the use of hydraulic cement and magic. And also for good measure feigning complete ignorance of the manufacturers recommendations on how to install these products.
Well anyone wanna take a guess what kind of concrete they showed up with (bonus points go to those that guess regular old quikrete).
I'll come back to the pathway. Now last weekend we had torrential rain, and my overflow drain didn't work. I helpfully pointed out that as long as they had laid the pipe over the skimmer boxes at the level of the coping water wasn't going to flow uphill. They did move the pipe to a level at least below the coping, and managed not to mess up my newly laid grass too badly in the process and also lowered where the pipe outflows to the drainage ditch. So it will probably work better. I'm sure they are hoping we don't get any more torrential rain to find out for sure until they get their check.
They also had to fix the step marker tiles - some of the thinset did not get cleaned out and left white lines between the tiles which was very noticeable with my grey plaster. They couldn't believe the plaster crew left it like that. I'm thinking I can't believe you blame the plaster crew for not doing your job. Sigh. But they fixed it and it looks great. They had to mostly drain the pool again of course...its a good thing its small and fills fast because its been warm enough to use.
Oh and they also finished the spa wall tile, and fixed the corner that looked like a dogs dinner. They did do a nice job of that.
So we are done with 'what we managed to get right' portion of the post.
Back to the deck drain. So they laid the quikrete - special mention has to be made of the fact that despite there being a wheelbarrow sitting right by the patio where they were working, in order to mix the concrete, they decided to use a rubbermaid box I had been using as a deck box, dumped all my nice pool floats and towels on the ground, mixed concrete in my clean box, and poorly washed it out, before dumping everything back into the dirty box and then piling under another box to hide the fact they used it. I came home and the dogs didn't bark just as they were cleaning out the box so I got to watch this whole charade while they thought I was out.
So they decided they better let the concrete dry overnight - which was wise because it was still sopping wet the next morning when they came to finish it. Well, they waited until after lunch to coat it with spray deck and then another hour or so after that coated it in sealer. I checked it the next morning - where everywhere else is rock hard, I could mar the finish with my fingernail. It also looks like a fix - the texture looks different from everywhere else. I knew that would happen, its so hard to match texture.
Also in the morning light, swaths of the path were just not covered properly. You can still see grey concrete underneath the texture. In all fairness, they did it in the sun and in the bright sunlight, its really hard to see it, and I watched them doing it, it wasn't like the guy was rushing it, I just don't think he could tell he wasn't covering it well. They sure didn't tell me they were planning on getting a second coat.
Now they were supposed to install an umbrella sleeve and didn't show up with the stuff to do that either of the days they showed up to work, so they knew they were going to have to come back, they still asked for the final payment - which I told them they would get when they had finished all the stuff on the list.
So in light of the way it looks this morning, cue a scathing email with lots of pictures to the pool builder. Stuff I would have let ridden to be rid of them, I included. For example, they didn't clean the coping before they sealed it, so they sealed in all the plaster splashes and grout blobs in too.
They had backed into the pathway with a digger and took a chunk out. If they'd at least painted it with the sealer you wouldn't have noticed it, but they didn't bother. Since it was also on my original punch out list, I included that too.
Probably the worst thing though was where they joined the pathway to the existing patio, they never tied it in with rebar, nor put a control joint in. I haven't the first clue about concrete work, but I knew that was asking for trouble. When I wrote my punch out list, there was already a hairline crack along the join in the spray coat. By the time they came to fix everything it was a crevice with flaking coating. Well in the mother of all half ***** repair jobs, they chipped out some of the crack, filled it poorly, left most of the crack, including a part half buckled and fixing to flake and painted over it. Naturally it looks awful.
Both this crack and the whole issue with the deck drain are problems of their own making. When they showed up to to pour the path and deck they 'forgot' the deck drain and didn't bring any control joints 'because they didn't need any'. Right. They were trying to cut corners. They ended up having to cut the concrete to install the deck drain, the mortar ended up cracking along the join and thats what made them have to cut a whole chunk out of the pathway in the first place. So I have no sympathy or patience for it. It looks right, or they don't get paid for it. End of story.
I told him in the email there was no way I was giving them a check for that kind of work, and I wanted him to actually come down himself and inspect it.
The most hilarious part of the whole story is that apparently the pool builder is too scared to man up and call me, because he had the WIFE of the subcontractor call me. Really? What a cop out. I could hear the sub in the background prompting her, so you know he could have called himself, and she's telling me how sorry they are and they'll be down on Monday to fix it. Except they won't because my elderly parents are coming to visit for 2 weeks from the UK and I had given them plenty of warning that if it wasn't done before they came, they were not to come to do any more work until after they had left. They sure aren't recoating the deck and pathway and keeping us off it for the 2 weeks they are here. My furniture is going back on it tomorrow and all the masking tape is coming off and they will have to redo it all. At my convenience, not theirs.
The sad thing is I so nearly fired them from the concrete part, it wasn't in the contract and they were messing me around to begin with, and in the end I relented because I couldn't bring in anyone else until they were done and I thought it was the only way to get the path completed before my folks came. Bearing in mind we started the build in August and they were always coming for Thanksgiving. I really wish I had, it seems like either they got bored of my project and wanted to rush it to completion or perhaps they are used to getting away with cutting corners. Whatever it was, I wish I had hired the concrete work to a different company completely.
Although it has felt like I had teeth pulled. The pool itself looks great, and works great and I love the spa. So at least there is that...
Well we were still waiting on the holy grail, I mean the spa stone to be hewn from solid rock down in china and sailed here on a slow boat backwards. It eventually arrived. Despite my asking they were convinced they were going to knock all the punch out list items in one day - which included removing some of the concrete walkway where they had put a deck drain and it cracked - repouring that section, respraying it and coating it with a sealant.
ALL IN ONE DAY. I was promised this was made possible by both the use of hydraulic cement and magic. And also for good measure feigning complete ignorance of the manufacturers recommendations on how to install these products.
Well anyone wanna take a guess what kind of concrete they showed up with (bonus points go to those that guess regular old quikrete).
I'll come back to the pathway. Now last weekend we had torrential rain, and my overflow drain didn't work. I helpfully pointed out that as long as they had laid the pipe over the skimmer boxes at the level of the coping water wasn't going to flow uphill. They did move the pipe to a level at least below the coping, and managed not to mess up my newly laid grass too badly in the process and also lowered where the pipe outflows to the drainage ditch. So it will probably work better. I'm sure they are hoping we don't get any more torrential rain to find out for sure until they get their check.
They also had to fix the step marker tiles - some of the thinset did not get cleaned out and left white lines between the tiles which was very noticeable with my grey plaster. They couldn't believe the plaster crew left it like that. I'm thinking I can't believe you blame the plaster crew for not doing your job. Sigh. But they fixed it and it looks great. They had to mostly drain the pool again of course...its a good thing its small and fills fast because its been warm enough to use.
Oh and they also finished the spa wall tile, and fixed the corner that looked like a dogs dinner. They did do a nice job of that.
So we are done with 'what we managed to get right' portion of the post.
Back to the deck drain. So they laid the quikrete - special mention has to be made of the fact that despite there being a wheelbarrow sitting right by the patio where they were working, in order to mix the concrete, they decided to use a rubbermaid box I had been using as a deck box, dumped all my nice pool floats and towels on the ground, mixed concrete in my clean box, and poorly washed it out, before dumping everything back into the dirty box and then piling under another box to hide the fact they used it. I came home and the dogs didn't bark just as they were cleaning out the box so I got to watch this whole charade while they thought I was out.
So they decided they better let the concrete dry overnight - which was wise because it was still sopping wet the next morning when they came to finish it. Well, they waited until after lunch to coat it with spray deck and then another hour or so after that coated it in sealer. I checked it the next morning - where everywhere else is rock hard, I could mar the finish with my fingernail. It also looks like a fix - the texture looks different from everywhere else. I knew that would happen, its so hard to match texture.
Also in the morning light, swaths of the path were just not covered properly. You can still see grey concrete underneath the texture. In all fairness, they did it in the sun and in the bright sunlight, its really hard to see it, and I watched them doing it, it wasn't like the guy was rushing it, I just don't think he could tell he wasn't covering it well. They sure didn't tell me they were planning on getting a second coat.
Now they were supposed to install an umbrella sleeve and didn't show up with the stuff to do that either of the days they showed up to work, so they knew they were going to have to come back, they still asked for the final payment - which I told them they would get when they had finished all the stuff on the list.
So in light of the way it looks this morning, cue a scathing email with lots of pictures to the pool builder. Stuff I would have let ridden to be rid of them, I included. For example, they didn't clean the coping before they sealed it, so they sealed in all the plaster splashes and grout blobs in too.
They had backed into the pathway with a digger and took a chunk out. If they'd at least painted it with the sealer you wouldn't have noticed it, but they didn't bother. Since it was also on my original punch out list, I included that too.
Probably the worst thing though was where they joined the pathway to the existing patio, they never tied it in with rebar, nor put a control joint in. I haven't the first clue about concrete work, but I knew that was asking for trouble. When I wrote my punch out list, there was already a hairline crack along the join in the spray coat. By the time they came to fix everything it was a crevice with flaking coating. Well in the mother of all half ***** repair jobs, they chipped out some of the crack, filled it poorly, left most of the crack, including a part half buckled and fixing to flake and painted over it. Naturally it looks awful.
Both this crack and the whole issue with the deck drain are problems of their own making. When they showed up to to pour the path and deck they 'forgot' the deck drain and didn't bring any control joints 'because they didn't need any'. Right. They were trying to cut corners. They ended up having to cut the concrete to install the deck drain, the mortar ended up cracking along the join and thats what made them have to cut a whole chunk out of the pathway in the first place. So I have no sympathy or patience for it. It looks right, or they don't get paid for it. End of story.
I told him in the email there was no way I was giving them a check for that kind of work, and I wanted him to actually come down himself and inspect it.
The most hilarious part of the whole story is that apparently the pool builder is too scared to man up and call me, because he had the WIFE of the subcontractor call me. Really? What a cop out. I could hear the sub in the background prompting her, so you know he could have called himself, and she's telling me how sorry they are and they'll be down on Monday to fix it. Except they won't because my elderly parents are coming to visit for 2 weeks from the UK and I had given them plenty of warning that if it wasn't done before they came, they were not to come to do any more work until after they had left. They sure aren't recoating the deck and pathway and keeping us off it for the 2 weeks they are here. My furniture is going back on it tomorrow and all the masking tape is coming off and they will have to redo it all. At my convenience, not theirs.
The sad thing is I so nearly fired them from the concrete part, it wasn't in the contract and they were messing me around to begin with, and in the end I relented because I couldn't bring in anyone else until they were done and I thought it was the only way to get the path completed before my folks came. Bearing in mind we started the build in August and they were always coming for Thanksgiving. I really wish I had, it seems like either they got bored of my project and wanted to rush it to completion or perhaps they are used to getting away with cutting corners. Whatever it was, I wish I had hired the concrete work to a different company completely.
Although it has felt like I had teeth pulled. The pool itself looks great, and works great and I love the spa. So at least there is that...
OH Eva 
They have NO idea what kind of "mommy bear" they have released! Do you have a gate they have to open to get to the pool? Does it have a lock? Do you have a way to keep them from sneaking in and trying to do work?
The rubbermaid tub for mixing??????????? With a wheelbarrow right there? What where they thinking?? THEN then "cleaned" it and put your stuff back in it? Ah NO!!!!!!!! I would go online and get pricing for it all and make them pay for all new stuff! LOL Hit them where it hurts! In the wallet!
You poor thing! HUGS and an adult drink!
Have fun with your family!
Kim
They have NO idea what kind of "mommy bear" they have released! Do you have a gate they have to open to get to the pool? Does it have a lock? Do you have a way to keep them from sneaking in and trying to do work?The rubbermaid tub for mixing??????????? With a wheelbarrow right there? What where they thinking?? THEN then "cleaned" it and put your stuff back in it? Ah NO!!!!!!!! I would go online and get pricing for it all and make them pay for all new stuff! LOL Hit them where it hurts! In the wallet!
You poor thing! HUGS and an adult drink!
Have fun with your family!
Kim
Holy Cow! I'm not sure which part of the things they didn't do right would make me the most upset - but I am almost thinking it's their use of the rubber maid tub. That's taking an extra step to be lazy and incompetent and even devious.
On another note - I think you need to be a blogger - or somebody who gets paid for writing. Half the reason I'm on this forum is so I can read your posts - which obviously does not bode well for you since you wouldn't be posting if you didn't have issues (at least on your own thread)...
I hope you enjoy your visit with your parents and that you are making Cajun fried turkey for Thanksgiving. -Karen
On another note - I think you need to be a blogger - or somebody who gets paid for writing. Half the reason I'm on this forum is so I can read your posts - which obviously does not bode well for you since you wouldn't be posting if you didn't have issues (at least on your own thread)...
I hope you enjoy your visit with your parents and that you are making Cajun fried turkey for Thanksgiving. -Karen
There are so many things wrong with this, I don't even know where to begin. Outside of this forum, I'm not sure I would believe this kind of story. I mean....who does this???!!! I can't fathom the sense of entitlement that would allow a crew to think it's OK to use your personal property to fix their mistakes like this. What concrete crew doesn't bring their own tools?
My hat's off to you for keeping your composure while all H-E-Double-Sippy-Straws was breaking loose around you. I'm not so conflict-adverse. Last week, when the decking crew took a shovel and cut 3 additional irrigation lines for no real reason, I was out there addressing the situation. The next day, they had fixed the irrigation damage that they had inflicted--as well as a bunch of irrigation damage that other crews had destroyed!
Keep up the good work by keeping on top of them!
Jay,
WHY did they cut your lines? I am very glad they fixed them and others but.........why?
Kim
WHY did they cut your lines? I am very glad they fixed them and others but.........why?
Kim
Why is the sky blue? Why does strong blue cheese smell like feet? Why do fools fall in love?
I couldn't tell you why. They broke the lines for some reason that's unknown to me (or at least unknown to my minimal Spanish....).
When they use a trenching machine it just cuts through everything. I'm pretty sure it's common for sprinkler systems to be torn up during the construction process, especially during excavation.
Glock
0
So your PB never discussed ANYTHING with you about sprinklers? That seems very odd. Every PB I interviewed confirmed that the sprinkler system would be torn up during the construction process and require major repairs, especially since there was a lot of sprinkler lines where the pool was built. Some of the subcontractors "repaired" what they broke during trenching, but none of it actually ended up working. I had to pay for sprinkler repair separately after the pool construction was done.
So there was some interest in how rye grass would work as a temporary ground cover over winter. So here's a couple of pictures
Right after we planted the seed - it hasn't sprouted yet...
It took a week to first notice it sprouting. This picture is one week after I first noticed it had started to sprout...
The brown grass is the sod, which hopefully is just in hibernation after the frosts we've had, not dead.
Right after we planted the seed - it hasn't sprouted yet...
It took a week to first notice it sprouting. This picture is one week after I first noticed it had started to sprout...
The brown grass is the sod, which hopefully is just in hibernation after the frosts we've had, not dead.
That looks great!
Rye grass is so neat! It will grow anywhere on anything. Too bad it does not last forever.
Kim
Rye grass is so neat! It will grow anywhere on anything. Too bad it does not last forever.
Kim
Wow that's looking so great! Can't believe your PB though. Hope you are done with him soon.
Oh Eva, everything looks so beautiful. I know when it's all the same green together and the grass comes right up to the coping - it's going to look even more beautiful (that is one awesome tree in your backyard by the way - I can't believe I hadn't noticed it before). The simplicity of the design with the material selection you made has turned out amazing. It is so incredibly peaceful. -Karen