Southern CA New IG pool: Steel framing complete

[Rich D]

The joys of homeownership! The PB lives across the street and he and a few neighbors are having issues with their houses sinking.

That is terrible. Those look like some high end homes. As I noted above building on a hillside can be very expensive if done correctly and almost aways should be done with engineered plans and the proper engineer inspections (not just simple cut and fill with a inspection from the building inspector). Hopefully they will be able to get a good lawsuit against developer and put them out of business.

The engineer was there for the remainder of dig and didn't leave till we got the greenlight from him

That is good to hear. I would have questioned the peculiar dig at the deep end if he was not present.

Luckily for me, my lot was a cut pad and is on bedrock.

HMMMMM... Glad your house is not one of the sinkers, However if it is just a slab and seeing how deep the bedrock is I would have a hard time believing your slab is on bedrock... However it could very well be on undisturbed soil... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Mika]

Building on any hillside can be tricky and very expensive if it is to be done correctly.

It is hard to say if the PB was incompetent or overcharging without being there and knowing all of the facts. It is difficult to say if the material that was removed was fill or if it was virgin ground but just a different layer. I feel he did the correct thing by calling in the engineer when he started to question the soils. Whether he or his excavator should have known if this material needed to be removed is questionable. But calling in the engineer was the correct move. As far as the price goes Digging to a extra depth because of a unknown circumstance is certainly a billable extra. I know things are just plane expensive in that neck of the woods and I am sure the engineer did not volunteer his time. If I recall correctly it looked very difficult just to get the dirt out of the back yard. Again, difficult to judge not knowing the facts.

Hi Rich-
I agree, it was the right call...it would have been silly to try to save and then deal with a much more costly mistake later. And yes, things in CA are overall generally more expensive. In terms of getting dirt out of back yard, it was quite easy as they had a very wide clear path.

 

[Mika]

That is terrible. Those look like some high end homes. As I noted above building on a hillside can be very expensive if done correctly and almost aways should be done with engineered plans and the proper engineer inspections (not just simple cut and fill with a inspection from the building inspector). Hopefully they will be able to get a good lawsuit against developer and put them out of business.



That is good to hear. I would have questioned the peculiar dig at the deep end if he was not present.



HMMMMM... Glad your house is not one of the sinkers, However if it is just a slab and seeing how deep the bedrock is I would have a hard time believing your slab is on bedrock... However it could very well be on undisturbed soil... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Oh there are lots of legal and insurance companies involved with my neighbors issues. I feel so bad for them. Per my PB, the builder is not actually at fault as they were given clear soils reports from the original landowner.

 

[Mika]

Well, the steel framing is complete...almost. They messed up on the baja area by the patio so coming back out to fix this week. Plumbing is tomorrow or Wed.


I did away with the $5k bubblers. Increased pool pump size and was able to get the therapy jets! I'm hoping to add a fountain for the sound of water later if I still feel it's needed.

Questions:
1. Pool coping/decking: Right now I have poured in place concrete in a light grey for decking and a medium grey for 3" coping. How long do you all think before the concrete looks bad? Wondering if I should go with a limestone decking and use same for coping. Also, is there a limit to size of pool coping to maintain integrity of seal? Lastly, if I go with a whiteish deck, is that really hard on the eyes when sun is in full force?
2. Pool tile: Is the waterline tile usually same as spa? I'm wondering if I risk going with glass tile for the spa as it will have an infinity edge and do a grey porcelain tile for the waterline. That way the spa really stands out. I just don't know if the glass tile will last and if that will look choppy to have the two different tiles. The spa is only raised 12".

 

[kimkats]

You can clean the concrete as needed. It should not look bad ever. Will you do a broom brush on it to help keep it from being slippery? White will be bright. I would go with light gray with the medium gray for coping. I LOVE that look!

Pool tile-Your idea of the "bling" tile on the spa and porcelain tile for the water line is purrfect! It will make your spa a STATEMENT piece for sure!

Kim