Go with your gut! Push for what you want NOW! If you cave on this..............it will only go down hill from there 
Kim
Kim
Signed the contract and looking at products:)
- Thread starter Mothershipp
- Start date
Go with your gut! Push for what you want NOW! If you cave on this..............it will only go down hill from there
I agree with Kim. If it's not on paper, you can't hold them accountable. Better for it to be delayed than for you to regret not getting it exactly as you want it. You can knock down a wall in a house and correct the layout....doesn't work so well with a pool...
Best of luck to you!
So after not hearing anything from the PB I drove out there (45 minutes away) to return paver samples and talk to them about the change on the pool that hasn't been addressed. Things went ok except for talking about charging us for re-submitting to the county when we've been asking for this for weeks. The sales guy thought we wanted the pool to go out towards the screen a foot but didn't bother to ask us about it, just thought it wouldn't work so he had it submitted to county anyway. They have us with a late October dig date and are trying to keep to schedule but my husband is adamant on the issue. PB tried to tell me how long it would take to re-do the drawings and then have to re-submit etc...this is there problem for not speaking to us about it and submitting it anyway. Anyone else have any guidance on this?
They also had changed their software (for the better) and they printed me a plan of the pool currently in submission and one as we'd like it but we noticed some things weren't right and after going home and discussing with my husband we wrote down the issues and I called the PB back and said I'd email them over. I try to keep a lot of discussions in email to cover us in case there are problems.
The PB called me and mentioned that the things we noticed were easily correctable and not a big deal to the county if changed after submission. Examples are number of returns (one on plan but three on our sales agreement)number and placement of lights, step in the spa (never discussed), one area reads gas heater and another electric... Kind of little things but my husband is detailed oriented and we don't to get screwed by it later. And if these things are changeable so easy after county approval then changing the size by a foot should be just as easy, right???
If anyone has words of advice I'd love to hear them. Good thing is I borrowed a different paver option and some waterline tile so we're set there
I am going through the process right now. We have just completed the gunite step. I struggled as well on what things to point out and what things to let go. In my case, I have surveillance cameras so I watch them in real-time some times and have to resist the urge to point out everything I see and give them time to catch and fix things on their own.
But then a friend of mine made a great point. I am paying a lot of money for this and they work for me. So I apologized to my PB up front and said I am going to be a huge pain in the you know what but I am going to point out every single thing that I don't like and/or think is wrong. And if I am wrong 99% of the time, it will be worth it to catch 1% of problems that in some cases can't be easily corrected down the road. And my PB was cool about it. They said the more eyes the better.
So my advice is apologize ahead of time, but point out every single thing to them and insist on resolution to your satisfaction. You have the power to stop the whole project if you need to.
Good luck!
Dean
To add, they haven't broken ground yet, and they are already giving you problems. You should clear the air now, and make sure everything is as you want it.. or just tell them that if they cannot handle it, you would be glad to let them out of the contract and find someone that can. Also, they need to pay for the change to the county if they messed that up. I think if you let them get away with little things now, they will try bigger things later.
Yep, we're sticking to our guns on this. We heard from our PB that he'll get some numbers for us on the additional foot. Time will tell...thanks for helping me to remember we're paying a lot for this and deserve what we want.
Can an anyone tell me what items the county are looking for when the paper are submitted for approval? Is it just checking to make sure everything meets specific codes?
Can an anyone tell me what items the county are looking for when the paper are submitted for approval? Is it just checking to make sure everything meets specific codes?
ddjax
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There is a pretty hefty packet of documents in my permit paperwork. Since you're also in St. John's County then it should be very similar. There are copies of the specific pool, deck and screen enclosure designs, our site survey showing the positioning of everything on the property and a list of the different inspections during the build. There is also a number of detailed documents showing all of the equipment models and specs as well as calculations for TDH which determines appropriate pump Specs. There is some language on the permit that does say any changes to the approved plans will require resubmission, not sure how strict they are about enforcing that so I would defer to the PB's experience with the county on that. Hope this helps.
The PB did not send us a copy of he permit paperwork to be filed. Are they supposed to do that? To add insult to injury the PB was supposed to send additional figures ( and I assumed a new site plan etc) to confirm the changes and he has not done that yet. My husband called him today and asked for it and the PB sent over an invoice for the change in permit instead. I'm still reeling over it.
What at is the PB's responsibility in this? Do they give the client detailed drawings and lists of everything before submitting to the HOA or county? Maybe my expectations are a little out of whack coming from a financial/legal background where everything is very detailed and client oriented. I'm not sure if we should contact the owner of the company as I do t think we're getting the full story or service with this guy.
What at is the PB's responsibility in this? Do they give the client detailed drawings and lists of everything before submitting to the HOA or county? Maybe my expectations are a little out of whack coming from a financial/legal background where everything is very detailed and client oriented. I'm not sure if we should contact the owner of the company as I do t think we're getting the full story or service with this guy.
My PB did not give me a copy of the permits. But he did hang up a large ziplock bag on the side of the house that has some paperwork. I assume those are the permits that legally have be displayed at any type of construction site.
The PB should send you a contract and construction drawing that details everything, the design, materials, equipment, number of returns, etc. If it is not in writing, it does not exist. Feel free to tell him you'd like to suspend all work until you can sit down with him and make sure all of the bases are covered and everything is documented.
I did meet the owner of my PB company. He told me if my project manager ever gave me any problems to let him know and he'd kick his butt. LOL.
Time for a sit down with ALL-you, PB, owner, etc. If it is going THIS bad now..........what it going to happen later when there is a hole in your yard??? My gut is screaming--------stop, FULL stop now before it is too late.
Kim
Kim
ddjax
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I didn't get all the permitting paperwork until they started the dig. At that point they left it on my back porch in a big ziplock bag so the inspectors have access to it each time they have to inspect. I made copies of everything the first day they brought it. Hope you get it all straightened out with your PB, that's too much stress to have to deal with this early in the process.
We will be speaking to someone tomorrow about our concerns. I'm certain that we can work this out and have a beautiful quality pool at the end of the process. Something in our communication styles isn't working and will be addressed appropriately before we proceed.
We ended up with a new salesperson today after our issues. We were supposed to have an additional meeting before submission to county and items that were missing from the pool should have been discussed at that meeting. I'm hoping this goes better or we may end up with a different builder. Another positive for the day is our exterior house painter was able to start early so that's a relief and I love our new color. I wanted the back to be done before the build (especially the pool cage) so this is awesome.
What does everyone do to cut down on dirt from the backyard during the build? (We have two dogs to accommodate.)
What does everyone do to cut down on dirt from the backyard during the build? (We have two dogs to accommodate.)
ddjax
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With all of the dirt and a big section of the fence that had to be removed for access, our Lab has temporarily lost his backyard privliges until his new pool is ready.... and I'm getting a lot more exercise with him and the lease! Get some cheap rugs or carpet remnants to keep next to any doors near the build area and get some shoes you don't care about to use when you're out inspecting the PB's work
The PB decided our relationship might not be salvageable and offered us to end our contract. We are torn on it as we've invested a lot of time and effort in this project. I was crushed yesterday when it happened but as the day wore on I tried to think of the positives. We know what we want so maybe we'll find a PB with better communication but the big downside is there aren't other builders in our area who use Pebble Tec. That is the main reason we went with them over another builder who uses premix marbletite (but we liked him a lot, family owned business and easy to work with).
The other pool builders in the area use finishes with 5 or 10 year warranties. I really wanted PT...is it worth trying to make it work over an interior finish or should we cut our losses and move forward? The ball is in our court. (We have an option to meet with a new sales guy to fix our problems after Tuesday...) The Pool Builder owner has a good rep but after my husband has requested to speak to him there has not been any contact. The company is really busy with post hurricane pool problems and a local prominent pool company here has collapsed and our PB is getting their business. Maybe they are too busy to deal with anyone who has questions or problems....
The other pool builders in the area use finishes with 5 or 10 year warranties. I really wanted PT...is it worth trying to make it work over an interior finish or should we cut our losses and move forward? The ball is in our court. (We have an option to meet with a new sales guy to fix our problems after Tuesday...) The Pool Builder owner has a good rep but after my husband has requested to speak to him there has not been any contact. The company is really busy with post hurricane pool problems and a local prominent pool company here has collapsed and our PB is getting their business. Maybe they are too busy to deal with anyone who has questions or problems....
Cut and run.........they are telling you they do not want to do your pool. PLEASE listen to them. Things will not go any better and may only get worse if you push to keep them.
PT is nice but is it worth dealing with a company that does not want your money?
I say go with the family business.
Why do you feel so strong about PT? Is there any way the family business could add something to make you like their stuff better? I am not up on the differences in the plasters so these are real questions to help you think it through.
I really thought YOU would be the one to back out but this will work out even better.
Kim
PT is nice but is it worth dealing with a company that does not want your money?
I say go with the family business.
Why do you feel so strong about PT? Is there any way the family business could add something to make you like their stuff better? I am not up on the differences in the plasters so these are real questions to help you think it through.
I really thought YOU would be the one to back out but this will work out even better.Kim
I agree with Kim! If you were to look at what you wrote through someone else's eyes, you'd tell the author to RUN!
Good luck!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
sddiver
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Since the finish is usually applied by a plaster sub anyway is it possible another builder might have access to the same PT sub? Also Wet Edge offers the same product as PT - are there any other builders offering that option? Sorry to hear about the troubles but have to agree with the others that if the PB is trying to back out now they are setting the bar low if you continue forward with them.
There's one company here that does PT as a remodel and one that builds pools but I'm not sure they are even in business anymore. Our PB does Wet Edge too but there isn't anyone else here in Jax that does according to the Wer Edge site. I wanted a low maintenance lifetime finish which is why I chose PT and our builder. Will other aggregate finishes hold up as well? It's the first pool we've ever built and I've tried to do my research. Any other recommendations out there?
I think we're going to think about our options during the weekend. I feel like we're in a dysfunctional relationship and we will end up not getting what we should.
If if we do opt out andvtheyvregund our deposit is there anything we need to be aware of legally? There shouldn't be any liens or anything, right?
I think we're going to think about our options during the weekend. I feel like we're in a dysfunctional relationship and we will end up not getting what we should.
If if we do opt out andvtheyvregund our deposit is there anything we need to be aware of legally? There shouldn't be any liens or anything, right?