New Pool in Orlando

[SchubeyDew]

Heard back from the PB yesterday. They sent me a text saying that everything was normal and not to worry. I followed up with a phone call and asked them to explain. They stated that when the tile guy comes he will fill in what needs to be filled in so that it looks good using thinset or concrete. I let them know that 3.5” thinset would not be an acceptable solution and that it definitely needed to be concrete. Also explained my concern with the two walls being 10” and the other two being 12” possibly being an issue with the coping. They said they would have the owner look at my pictures again and express my concerns but that it would be handled. Ball is in their court now, but if a tile guy comes out and tries to fill that front wall with thinset I’m going to lose my mind.
They also let me know the plumber should be out next week. It’s been a few weeks so it will be nice to get some more progress done. As much as my son likes playing in the dirt I think he will enjoy the pool more.
Trying to coordinate my fence guy as well and nail down the schedule a little more. Before I signed with them the sales guy stated that they would order the fence once they had my deposit and then hold it until I scheduled the installation. When I called yesterday to see how far in advance I needed to schedule he could not confirm if the fence had been ordered. I asked him to find out for sure so I would need to give them two weeks lead time for scheduling installation or 4-6 weeks so that they can order the fence. Hopefully the fence doesn’t turn into a bottleneck…

 

[TampaKathy]

Is the wall that has the overflow into the pool a 10" or 12" wall?

 

[SchubeyDew]

Is the wall that has the overflow into the pool a 10" or 12" wall?

The wall with the waterfall and the part of the front wall are 12”.

 

[TampaKathy]

In my unexpert opinion, that would have been the hardest wall to fix so it's good that it's 12". When my tile guys came out, they had to widen some spots as well...not 3.5 inches but maybe 1 inch before they put the coping on. They also had to raise some sections about 1/2 inch.

 

[SchubeyDew]

Is the wall that has the overflow into the pool a 10" or 12" wall?

In my unexpert opinion, that would have been the hardest wall to fix so it's good that it's 12". When my tile guys came out, they had to widen some spots as well...not 3.5 inches but maybe 1 inch before they put the coping on. They also had to raise some sections about 1/2 inch.

I appreciate the insight Kathy. I know that the gunite is rough and that they will need to build it up some to level everything out. That’s totally understandable. The front wall is a little mind boggling, but as long as it gets fixed correctly, it’s fine. My concern is that my friends had the same issue and it caused close to a month’s delay on their pool build while the PB figured out how to fix it. I’ve done what I can do at this point.
On another note, how is your pool build going?

 

[TampaKathy]

Nothing has been done this week...footers were dug last week so I keep expecting concrete to show up...every time my Ring spotlight cam tells me there's motion, I get excited and think it's them only to find out it was a stupid bird that set it off, haha! I feel like we're still on schedule for now though.

 

[SchubeyDew]

Nothing has been done this week...footers were dug last week so I keep expecting concrete to show up...every time my Ring spotlight cam tells me there's motion, I get excited and think it's them only to find out it was a stupid bird that set it off, haha! I feel like we're still on schedule for now though.

I definitely know that feeling. Every time I start to think they have forgotten about me someone shows up to do some more work. If the plumbers show up next week it will be three weeks since the last contractor was here, but that’s the longest it has been without work being done. If your footers are the next step you must be getting close. Hopefully you’ll be in the pool before summer is over!

 

[TampaKathy]

I'm a little nervous b/c there's no equipment yet, lol. I do have like 8 pallets of travertine here so at least that's ready to go!

 

[SchubeyDew]

I'm a little nervous b/c there's no equipment yet, lol. I do have like 8 pallets of travertine here so at least that's ready to go!

I was wondering at what stage they do the equipment. My friends had their equipment early on, but I know my PB said he was stockpiling equipment. It’s a good sign that you have travertine though!

 

[sureshot015]

I was wondering at what stage they do the equipment. My friends had their equipment early on, but I know my PB said he was stockpiling equipment. It’s a good sign that you have travertine though!

They did our plumbing and equipment install on the same day 05/24- the plumbing ditches stayed open for a week before the filled them back & we haven't seen any work since..... & the misses is getting antsy... I dont want to call and bug them (not likely to get an answer any how) just curious if we are waiting on a contractor or waiting on a product? Did we pick something they are having a hard time getting or is the tile guy 2 weeks backlogged?

 

[SchubeyDew]

They did our plumbing and equipment install on the same day 05/24- the plumbing ditches stayed open for a week before the filled them back & we haven't seen any work since..... & the misses is getting antsy... I dont want to call and bug them (not likely to get an answer any how) just curious if we are waiting on a contractor or waiting on a product? Did we pick something they are having a hard time getting or is the tile guy 2 weeks backlogged?

That’s good to know about the equipment and plumbing installation. They still haven’t come to dig my trenches and there’s a gigantic pile of dirt where the equipment pad will go.
As for not wanting to bug them- both of my friends that built with them said to stay on them. Not saying to incessantly call them, but if a few weeks go by without any progress, you’re paying them enough that a quick phone call isn’t unreasonable. I’ve built two new homes in the last few years and the pool building process seems very similar. There are a lot of contractors involved and it’s easy for things to fall through the cracks. Hopefully you will get some movement soon!

 

[SchubeyDew]

Been a while since my last update. Plumbers came out a week or two ago and equipment is here and on the pads, other than the SWG, which they are waiting on still. Double checked with the plumber when he was here to make sure he knew about it and he confirmed they are waiting on it to get here.
Had a close call with the equipment installation. Since I am getting a fence (PB knew about this), there needs to be enough room for the gate to swing outward, away from the pool (code). It will barely clear, but it will. I wish they would have factored that in and given another foot or so but they didn’t seem to be too interested in moving everything and it does look like it would be a lot of work. The PB did try to tell me the equipment couldn’t be moved because of code, first trying to say it couldn’t be too far from the pool and then trying to say it was because of the air conditioning unit, which is on the same side of the house. I called the county building inspector and he confirmed that there is no requirement for distance from the pool and that there needs to be 36” (I have 52”) from the air conditioning unit to meet the “Serviceability” require for code. He recommended that if a builder ever tries to cite “Code” as a reason why they won’t do something, to ask what the specific code (number) is.
Moving on, I had to chose a different tile because the one I chose was on back order until September. Thankfully they had the same tile but in more of a white as opposed to gray. I think it will look fine and that will be my next step, hopefully this week.

 

[SchubeyDew]

Correction: I guess they showed up at some point and installed the SWG. Waiting on electrical still.

 

[TampaKathy]

Did the gunite issue ever get fixed?

 

[SchubeyDew]

Did the gunite issue ever get fixed?

They said that will get fixed when they do tile, so I’m curious to see what they do. I know for my friend’s pool the tile was a multi day job and they just had an 11k gal pool. Mine is 20k. I’m thinking they will come out, fix the gunite and even everything out where it needs to be fixed and then do tile.

 

[TampaKathy]

They said that will get fixed when they do tile, so I’m curious to see what they do. I know for my friend’s pool the tile was a multi day job and they just had an 11k gal pool. Mine is 20k. I’m thinking they will come out, fix the gunite and even everything out where it needs to be fixed and then do tile.

My pool is about 22k and it took them a week to do the tile...I couldn't believe it took that long but I'm glad they took their time, I am happy with it. Now if they would only do something else!

 

[SchubeyDew]

My pool is about 22k and it took them a week to do the tile...I couldn't believe it took that long but I'm glad they took their time, I am happy with it. Now if they would only do something else!

I agree that I would rather have them take their time and do it right.
Did you get your equipment yet?

 

[TampaKathy]

I agree that I would rather have them take their time and do it right.
Did you get your equipment yet?

Nope! About a month ago they dug the footers but then never poured the concrete so the holes filled back in and they had to come redig last week...so inefficient...and I still don't have the concrete, arg! Supposedly tomorrow and then the pavers get laid next week. We shall see.

 

[SchubeyDew]

Nope! About a month ago they dug the footers but then never poured the concrete so the holes filled back in and they had to come redig last week...so inefficient...and I still don't have the concrete, arg! Supposedly tomorrow and then the pavers get laid next week. We shall see.

How frustrating! I know the Orlando PB have slowed down on new pools because of cave ins. Not surprisingly, but definitely aggravating when stuff like that happens. I heard of one PB who forgot to put the footer in

 

[ajw22]

I saw the small size of your filter and immediately knew you were in FL.

You will regret putting in those two orange ball valves if you are in the house for more than a few years. They will stock, the handles will break, and they will be difficult to replace being glued right against the ground.

I would have your PB replace them with 2 way diverter valves now.