spillway grout repair -- who to call? (Austin TX)

[ramblinwreck001]

TL;DR: Looking for recommendations for spillway grout repair in Austin TX.

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I took ownership of a ~20 year old pool in July and thanks to TFP I have crystal-clear water, however, my spa spillway needs attention.

The grout is worn/missing (see 1st photo), and I know I have a significant leak here, because:
1. Pool inspector (leak specialist) identified this in the pre-purchase pool inspection.
2. The front of the spillway remains wet long after the spillover itself stops (blue area in 2nd photo).
3. I've got all sorts of calcium (I think) leaching out of the walls of the spa (red arrows in 2nd photo), which I assume means there's water being absorbed into the spa wall/structure.

Good news is when I switch to pool mode, the spa water level stabilizes at the bottom of the spillway (visible in 1st photo). So I don't appear to have any leaks beneath the spillway level, just the spillway itself. Now, I have successfully applied underwater epoxy / pool putty to my skimmers where they join the plaster, but the spillway is too big / too visible an area for epoxy. I'd like to have this repaired properly, and expect I might need to do this every few years based on posts I've read on TFP.

My question is: what kind of company do I call to make this kind of repair (re-grout spillway)?

I'm decently handy, but I've never done this kind of work and I'd like to pay a pro to have it done properly the first time at least. Maybe I can handle this in future.
Most of the pool service companies around me seem to be focused on weekly service and equipment (e.g. pump/filter/etc) repairs. Is it normal for your run-of-the-mill pool service companies like this to also do pool surface repairs? Or is there a different class of service companies who specialize in this? If so, what do I need to look for?

I have found some folks (like these folks) who mention "grout removal and replacement", but advertise themselves as leak detection specialists, it's just that they handle all the subsequent repairs. So I expect they can do it, I just don't know if I'd be paying a premium for leak detection I don't need.

I'm in the Austin area, if anyone has any first hand recommendations, that would be great, also.

EDIT TO ADD: If there's a better spillway design I should consider, let me know. If there's an option that would reduce the need for ongoing maintenance down the road I'd consider that, even if there was some upfront cost. But from what I'm reading it seems like annual checks and repair is the norm for this kind of spillover.

 

[ajw22]

That is mortar not grout between your stones. Grout is sued between tiles, mortar is used to fix and between stones.

You need a mason to redo the coping stones, and stoneface around the spa. Good masons are hard to find.

A Pool company will simply be the middle man and subcontract to a mason or handyman for you. You might as well cut out the middleman and oversee the quality of the work.

The type of company does not matter. What matters is the ability of the person doing the work.

I removed sections of tile off my spa wall that were coming loose, prepared the surface with a Milwaukee oscillating tool, and cleaned grout lines with the oscillating tool. Then put the tile back on with thinset from E-Z Patch and regrouted the area.

If you don't get it right the first time you chip stuff off and do it over. There is no special skills needed. You get better at doing it with experience. Buying all the right tools helps get the job done.

 

[ramblinwreck001]

Ah, so that is mortar (not grout) in the first photo underneath the horizontal spillway, piece, thank you!
And obviously that is mortar on the outer face of the spa, under the spillway.

Yes, it's tempting to try DIY, but right now I don't have the time to take on another project (full time job + kids + busy with my last home trying to sell), and also I worry about goofing something up and creating a situation where my spillway is out of commission for days and I create an even bigger maintenance nightmare trying to maintain the spa water separately from my pool. Or that I make a mess in the pool itself, really don't want to drain water for this if possible.

But the main thing is thanks for helping me understand what I need -- a mason.
I'll ask around some local folks and see if they have recommendations.

 

[ajw22]

When I worked on my spa wall I floated a plastic tarp in the water and taped it to the side. It captured a lot of the debris created and I could pull the tarp out with the debris.

The rest fell tot he pool floor and my pool cleaner picked it up.

The spillway can run without the stone or tile. I removed the tile and needed to clean old thinset off the tile backs and the wall. The spillway ran fine with the exposed gunite wall and it let me better see where water was coming from.

There are places where you need grout and places where you need mortar. I will bet if you look under that spillover stone on the inside of the spa you will find voids that need to be sealed.

Some of what you see around the tile and grout lines is Efflorescence - Further Reading To minimize that you need to fix leaks on the inside of the spa that are letting water into the gunite shell.