Just a quick-ish update. They removed a lot of the debris and cleaned it up a bit. I asked them to touch up more of the bottom which they said they would. After they did more touch ups on the bottom, we went ahead and had them install the liner. We talked with the other company who would do the repairs in September and they didn't think any irreparable damage to the structure of the pool would be done even if the job was inadequate by our current contractor. One reason I decided to move on with the liner install was because the 2nd company wasn't sure they would be able to do it in September. They were estimating late fall or next year (they were going to give me a more accurate estimate in the coming weeks). I was also concerned about have the pool empty for the next 9 months if they couldn't get to it this year. I'm not sure what more damage could have been done, but figured it being left empty would only hurt. Lastly, we already paid half as our deposit, which they made very clear they would not refund. We thought about just walking away and losing our deposit, but ultimately decided that we would have our current contractor install the liner and get the most out of it as possible before we would need to get a new one.
They filled it with water and there were no issues with the bottom collapsing or anything like that. There are noticeable issues with the substrate in the deep end. You can see some of the areas that were not smoothed, and they didn't touch it up as much as I hoped. But after getting a second opinion, it doesn't seem like it will reduce the lifespan of the liner by much. Nothing seems sharp or anything like that.
Unfortunately, there were more issues with the installation
Here is an image of the liner after being installed.
It's sort of hard to tell in this image, but it appears that the liner is too small. The walls and floor make a 90 degree angle, but the liner is not skin tight and it curves a bit so it is not touching the area where the walls and floor meet. It does this even in the shallow end where no repairs were needed. Unfortunately, I wasn't there before water was added (I might not have noticed anyways). When I was in the pool, I noticed that it seemed spongy in those areas. That's when I went back and looked at this picture that the contractor took and noticed it wasn't tight in those areas. After searching around TFP, it seems like this is the case when the liner is too small.
In addition to all of that, the coping near the skimmer is really rusted. There are a few other spots where the coping is rusted (although not this bad), and majority of the coping isn't rusted. When our current contractor did our pool inspection for us when buying the house, he said this needed to be taken care of or it would be an expensive replacement (8-9k). He said it would only cost a couple hundred to sand and paint the coping. When we contracted him for the liner install, the coping work wasn't in the contract. I called him and mentioned that the coping wasn't written in the contract and he said it's fine and that he has that on his list to do. It was a red flag for me at the time, but as a first time home buyer (owned the house for less than a month), I didn't push for it to be in writing. I asked him about it for a second time in May and then again in June when he first came out to install the liner. Both times I got the same answer. By the end of it, we had obviously pieced together that he was saying whatever it was we wanted to hear all along. The second company we have involved (and who has been giving me good second opinions on everything) said this should definitely be done before the liner goes in, but that they can do it with the liner in if need be. So they are coming out in the next few weeks to help with that along with some other minor repairs.
Nevertheless, the liner around the skimmer looks bad. I'm not entirely sure why it was put in this way. Maybe there was a reason, or maybe he just didn't care? I'm thinking it's the latter. In the picture below, I can actually see parts of the old liner still in the track (above the top left of the skimmer faceplate and to the right of the liner lock). Replacing the weir door tomorrow by the way.
It's been a stressful time getting this done, but fortunately, we have 2 good options for contractors that will repair the substrate and other items. Both places gave really good estimates for repairing the substrate for when it comes to that again. My biggest hope is that we can get a few years out of the liner. If in a few years we need to replace it, we will know what to expect, as well as the companies to call and those not to call.
Sorry as this really wasn't a quick update at all, but if you are still with me, I appreciate the help TFP has given me!