Yet another Texas pool build!

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SuzfromTexas said:
I love your story about the blankies! It is such a nightmare when one is lost. Ya'll were very smart to latch onto the cloth diapers - something easily substituted. It was perfect (and sweet) of your MIL to embellish the diapers making them special (as long as your son didn't attach to a particular one!!).

And look!! You guys have a pool now - well, at least something that resembles the beginning of a pool, right?! For Austin, that's amazing speed especially for the dig. I'm eager to see more - those high wall forms are throwing me a little. Are those because of the slope? Wonderful curves - great for all sorts of water activities!

Ya'll have such a huge yard - lucky guys! Enjoy your evening! Suz.
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Yeah all the blankies are embellished the same so he doesn't have a favorite.

I am glad you mentioned the framing. Actually the pool is too far out of the ground. I guess they have more digging to do. The right side of the pool should just be above grade with a raised bond beam that steps down. The shallow end should be actually below grade with a retaining wall between the yard and the grass. The stepping stones in the plan was so someone can get up there and jump in. Not possible with the pool being so tall. Plus why even have a raised bond beam if the entire pool is above grade? So yeah it is wrong. I emailed the manager and my designer. We'll see what they say. I am a bit discouraged right now.

Yeah our yard is huge. I kinda wish it was a bit smaller. We have almost .4 acres.

SuzfromTexas said:
Awesome!!! I got mine week before last. We should get all us newbies and do a Skype conference or something and practice together. Wait a minute... I can't remember. Did ya'll have a pool before this one? Maybe you can lead the practice session! :testkit:


Happy testing! Suz.
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I actually tested my tap water for fun. My PH is way off the charts. Over the maximum.
 
I am about to pop a gasket. I have been trying to be patient and just try to be clear and work with the builder. Maybe I am too high maintenance? I had expectations for what the design would be and now it seems like everything is wrong! I just wish I could go back a few months and brainwash myself into not wanting a pool.
 
ummgood said:
I am about to pop a gasket. I have been trying to be patient and just try to be clear and work with the builder. Maybe I am too high maintenance? I had expectations for what the design would be and now it seems like everything is wrong! I just wish I could go back a few months and brainwash myself into not wanting a pool.
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I know how you feel, sometimes it is so hard to convey what you want and not feel like you are pushing. But that is what you are paying for and you just need to take a deep breath and explain what your expectations are - you are investing alot of time and $ and it has to be what you want and what your family will enjoy.
 
karynkjd said:
I know how you feel, sometimes it is so hard to convey what you want and not feel like you are pushing. But that is what you are paying for and you just need to take a deep breath and explain what your expectations are - you are investing alot of time and $ and it has to be what you want and what your family will enjoy.
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Thanks! I probably need to hear that but I am very discouraged right now and if I could get out I would except for the big hole in my yard. I am hoping they can calm me down at the meeting they scheduled for tomorrow.
 
I do have a high grade in my yard. The design is accounting for that. The idea is the pool should be sunk in the ground so the water level is 1/2 way between the high side and the low side of the yard. That is why there is an 18" raised bond beam that is on the right side of the wall. You can see where the forms step up as they go around and then back down. Well with how the pool sits now the entire pool is out of the ground. It isn't 1/2 way from the high side to the low side. I specifically asked the designer a couple weeks ago how high the raised bond beam would be above the grass and he said 3".

The problem is they measured where to start from where my stairs hit the ground. I think the designer didn't have enough drop from one deck to the other to compensate for that so now the pool is way to high out of the ground. What I want is the pool where it should be (1/2 way sunk with a raised bond beam) and then we figure out how to adjust the deck slightly to deal with the extra height in my lot over by the stairs. Not raise the pool up 2 or 3 feet. I don't want my concrete pool looking like an above ground design.
 
The most important measurement on a pool is the elevation. Sounds like they messed that one up. But it appears to be on them so, though it's a pain and unfortunate, just be firm and calmly explain how it should be. Try not to get upset during the conversation, just give them the facts and make your expectations clear. And only if you need to, tell them that they screwed up. That one generally isn't helpful for the resolution, though true.
 
Thanks! I definitely haven't told them that they screwed up. I spoke to the build manager this morning and he told me he used the laser to determine where the pool should be based on the ground elevation at the bottom of my stairs. I explained how high the pool should be (bond beam coping should be 3 or 4 inches above the lawn). He didn't say much but said he followed the design. I said I have no way to determine the grade and elevation of my lot so I was expecting the design to be appropriate with the number of steps etc... I don't want to have to talk to both sides of the pool company again so I requested that both the construction manager and salesman/designer be present tomorrow when we meet to figure this whole thing out. The pool company has been great so far and want to make things right so I am hoping that is how the meeting will go tomorrow.

To me chopping off the bond beam and leaving the pool at the existing height is not acceptable to me (he recommended that). Because I picked some pretty radical stone for the bond beam and the designer correctly suggested that I choose more calm coloring for everything else or it would look too busy. If we get rid of the one part of the pool that has some interest to it the rest will all look like a beige wonderland with no other features. Anyway I am going to push tomorrow to have the pool lowered to where I expect it. Then the designer and I can figure out how to manipulate the deck given the new pool elevation.

I am sure that the builder might want to push back some on that because he'll have to get the digging crew back out again to dig down another 3 feet or so. When I first saw the dig I thought they had an easy job because they didn't have to go that deep but now that I think about it it was just because of the incorrect pool height.
 
Sounds like a good plan. I just encourage you not to get week knees during what could be a challenging discussion. Wish you the best.
 
Sorry I was in the middle of sending a repy when the site went down.They are probably going to backfill the bond beam to meet the artist rendering. For example if you have 12" rasied after they put down 5" of road base and then 4" for the deck you now have 3" raised bond beam.
 

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Yeah if you look at the last page of this thread with my son eating bacon I bet the raised bond beam is about 3' too high. I am guessing because I haven't actually measured but it is a pretty significant difference. Back filling it would require them to probably have to landscape half of my back yard to make it right. (There is a tool against the raised bond beam).
 
Note: The same thing with the site going down for improvements happened to me, too. I'm sorry I wasn't able to get back to you sooner.

I am so sorry this has come up with your pool. It surprises me how crushed I can feel in response to a disappointment or set back with this pool build. Believe it or not, I'm a fairly strong person. When this happens, I think for me it's the disappointment that they don't take more pride in their work or have more integrity. All I can do is watch for things and report them if something doesn't seem right. Mistakes happen, or we get tired and quality suffers. I understand that. It's really ok with me, but let's fix it now. But what I can't do is get someone to have pride in their work or take responsibility for their mistakes. And when they don't, it's discouraging. It's like hitting my head against a brick wall.

I can't say if this is how you feel, but if so, I wanted you to know I understand. You know from my coping thread I went through some frustration this morning. If when I called my PB, he had said, "Ok, the foreman or myself need to take a look at it to see what your concerned about. We'll try to get by today and check it out." I don't think that's unreasonable. But instead, I get the big impatient sigh from his end, and how he can't drop everything and come over (I didn't ask him to do that), and how I need to understand that discrepancies in tile work happen.

I hope you were given more respect when you called the company, but I have a feeling you didn't get that or you'd probably be feeling better about it all. Did they give you any reassurances? Will the meeting be at your pool site, so everyone can be on the same page visually?

I'm feeling for you and sending positive thoughts your way. Thanks again, so much, for explaining about coping cuts on my other thread. You helped immensely. In fact, I think it was your explanation that helped me let them know I knew what was going on. My situation dragged on most of the day, but once our PB finally saw the coping for himself (and I pointed out the cutting every other stone bit), he more or less made it sound like an assumption that it would be done over. So thanks, thanks, and more thanks! Suz.
 
JonnyB said:
The steps area was 16" above ground and I didn't want a raised bond beam but as you can see after back fill and concrete deck did meet up. I know mine isn't as extreme as yours

Please excuse my construction mess
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thanks! Your pool is beautiful. I am still thinking it will be hard to back fill mine up as much as the height. Plus the design really is contingent on the pool being a certain level. For example I will need more hand rails because the far side is so tall. Plus I have a retaining wall that is no longer necessary. Plus my bond beam with the fancy stone is gone. If we left the pool as is then it would make it hard to have areas to actually jump in. I feel it looks like a cement doughboy pool.

I am am really wanting the original design. That is why I picked this builder over the others. All the different aspects of the design appealed to me. Without that I feel like other pools I saw might have been similar at a better price.

SuzfromTexas said:
Note: The same thing with the site going down for improvements happened to me, too. I'm sorry I wasn't able to get back to you sooner.

I am so sorry this has come up with your pool. It surprises me how crushed I can feel in response to a disappointment or set back with this pool build. Believe it or not, I'm a fairly strong person. When this happens, I think for me it's the disappointment that they don't take more pride in their work or have more integrity. All I can do is watch for things and report them if something doesn't seem right. Mistakes happen, or we get tired and quality suffers. I understand that. It's really ok with me, but let's fix it now. But what I can't do is get someone to have pride in their work or take responsibility for their mistakes. And when they don't, it's discouraging. It's like hitting my head against a brick wall.

I can't say if this is how you feel, but if so, I wanted you to know I understand. You know from my coping thread I went through some frustration this morning. If when I called my PB, he had said, "Ok, the foreman or myself need to take a look at it to see what your concerned about. We'll try to get by today and check it out." I don't think that's unreasonable. But instead, I get the big impatient sigh from his end, and how he can't drop everything and come over (I didn't ask him to do that), and how I need to understand that discrepancies in tile work happen.

I hope you were given more respect when you called the company, but I have a feeling you didn't get that or you'd probably be feeling better about it all. Did they give you any reassurances? Will the meeting be at your pool site, so everyone can be on the same page visually?

I'm feeling for you and sending positive thoughts your way. Thanks again, so much, for explaining about coping cuts on my other thread. You helped immensely. In fact, I think it was your explanation that helped me let them know I knew what was going on. My situation dragged on most of the day, but once our PB finally saw the coping for himself (and I pointed out the cutting every other stone bit), he more or less made it sound like an assumption that it would be done over. So thanks, thanks, and more thanks! Suz.
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Suz thanks so much! I don't know why I get so crushed over this. I think the only other thing I can compare it to is when we built our last house. This feels worse. I do hope they will make this right. The builder this morning set me off because he was trying to justify that he just followed the plan. But I would question why an entire bond beam was above grade. What is the point? It felt like he didn't want to resolve it just put lipstick on a pig so to speak. That is when I demanded that the designer be present tomorrow. He knows what he sold me so I hope with the two of them together we can come up with a solution. Everyone will be here at my house tomorrow to see the pool and how it sits. Thankfully they are coming out quickly.

I am am glad I could help with the coping. I am glad they are fixing it for you. It definitely looks like they got tired and tried to cut corners. I am sure it is a pain cutting all those cuts perfect but that is their job after all.
 
JonnyB said:
The side with the stepping stones can easily be backfilled. The far side no way BUT how are skimmer boxes going to be finished off? Because right now they are just sticking out there
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Both skimmers are in decks. But I think both decks have been raised significantly more than before which means more hand rails. My goal tomorrow is to get the pool lowered. That means more digging and fixing the forms. Plus it might mean a couple more steps near the house but that will show the design to stay as is.
 
Ah OK after looking at the cad drawing you posted on page two I am visualizing better. Didn't realize the deck was wrapping around that far to the skimmer box.

Well if the builder tells you the forms are at the correct height tell him to convert it to an infinity pool haha.
 
All is well! I had my meeting with the builder and designer and the pool is too high. They missed a step on the design so they will be coming back out on Tuesday to dig some more out and lower the forms. That will lower the pool by 6 inches. Then they do plan on backfilling the right side of the pool and grading for the decking. The right side of the pool will be above grade by 18 inches which I am ok with. So all is good. The builder has been great thus far so I am positive about the whole thing again.
 
ummgood said:
All is well! I had my meeting with the builder and designer and the pool is too high. They missed a step on the design so they will be coming back out on Tuesday to dig some more out and lower the forms. That will lower the pool by 6 inches. Then they do plan on backfilling the right side of the pool and grading for the decking. The right side of the pool will be above grade by 18 inches which I am ok with. So all is good. The builder has been great thus far so I am positive about the whole thing again.
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Hurray! Isn't it such a relief?! This was a huge and important thing that had to be fixed. I'm glad the builder was good about it. Of course, he should have been good about it.

Again, it surprises me how wound up I can get over this pool. I tell myself not to until I know the outcome of a situation, but when that anxiety kicks in, it's so hard for me to stop it. When it's all taken care of - wow, it's a wonderful feeling!

I'm also relieved for your sake that the discussion and plan were wrapped up before the long weekend. Now you and your family can relax and enjoy it. Still sending positive thoughts to you guys! Suz.
 
ummgood said:
All is well! I had my meeting with the builder and designer and the pool is too high. They missed a step on the design so they will be coming back out on Tuesday to dig some more out and lower the forms. That will lower the pool by 6 inches. Then they do plan on backfilling the right side of the pool and grading for the decking. The right side of the pool will be above grade by 18 inches which I am ok with. So all is good. The builder has been great thus far so I am positive about the whole thing again.
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Glad this worked out and hopefully by Tuesday we will have some clearing of this rain so they can dig.
 

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