New Pool Build in SoCal

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Well, we're finally getting somewhere. Coping and decking is done and the tile is installed. Luckily, I was able to go home from work as soon as I heard that there were concrete guys there because they were going to do the wrong finish on the concrete. Our house was built in 1960 and we specifically wanted a salt finish on the concrete as that was very typical of the time period. When I asked to confirm this with the concrete guys, they said "we saw that on the work order, but assumed it was a mistake." Of course, these guys clearly had never done a salt finish before because it didn't come out looking the way it's supposed to and I'm very disappointed. But, having them jack hammer it all out not hardly seems worth it. Then there are details like this:


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This just looks so sloppy and as a graphic designer by trade is going to make me crazy. Of course, I know there's no way to fix it now. Just another example of shoddy work. I'm hoping maybe I can fabricate some sort of stainless steel escutcheon or something to hide the insane crookedness of this thing.

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Now trying to find a good landscape designer to handle the remaining hardscape, turf and landscaping projects including resurfacing of the retaining wall behind the pool. Plaster is said to be coming within the next week or so. Fingers crossed.
 
That skimmer is unacceptable and not of industry standards. I have a landscape Designer that I am working with on a job in south OC and he is great to work with and that’s far and few in between but remember you get what you pay for. PM me and I’ll send you his info, Ray
 
And the fun continues! Got home on Thursday to find Swan's construction manager and the pool plumber standing around scratching their heads over the LED bubblers that are in our baja shelf. It seems they installed them incorrectly. They only now are telling me that in order for the bubblers THEY chose to work properly, the water in the baja shelf can only be 6" deep. That's ridiculous! That's ankle deep. I've never heard of a baja shelf that shallow and I've told them it's unacceptable. They said I have to choose between that or not having the bubblers work correctly. Swan is the most incompetent contractor I've ever encountered and it's truly amazing to me how they can keep blaming me for their mistakes. Here we thought we were finally about to get plaster and now they have to jack hammer up the baja shelf to replumb the bubblers. SMH.

In related news, we hired a landscape designer and contractor who told us that in 30 years doing business in SoCal, Swan Pools is the worst pool builder she's ever encountered. I sure do wish I could've found this information before I chose them. When this is all over, I plan to build a new website called SwanPoolsNightmares.com and will be inviting any and all Swan Pools victims to share their stories there.
 
Do you know what make and model of the bubblers are? Maybe their website has a spec listed for them. I am wondering if this is limitation of the bubbler or is it a limitation of the plumbing from your PB. I have a separate water feature pump for my bubblers. At full pump speed the bubblers are shooting 3ft in the air while under 9 inches of water. I would want to know how they are plumbed, hopefully they are on their on dedicated line from the pad.
 
I found the bubblers... Jandy TruFit

Swan Pools specifically told me "these bubblers are designed to only work under 6" of water and any more than that will cause them not to function." The sell sheet for the bubblers very clearly claims otherwise (no shock) and in fact they can work quite well even under 12" of water. So they lied again.
 
We had a meeting with the GM of Swan Pools last Friday to go over all of the things that have gone wrong. We literally shewed him out for a solid 90 minutes. He was responsive and accommodating. We got him to add a secondary pump to run the bubblers so that they will have more than enough power to look right and so they can be running at the same time as the spa jets. Shockingly, the plumbers arrived on Tuesday morning to install that additional pump as well as jack hammer the baja shelf so the bubbler housings could be lowered. Two solid days of work and it now appears that we're back on track for plaster.

Question for the experts out there: Is there a minimum time the patched concrete around the bubblers should be allowed to cure before the plaster gets done? I know they usually say to wait 30 days after gunite before plaster, but the PB tells me that's completely unnecessary and that he'd do plaster the next day if the code didn't require them to wait.
 
They let the patches cure for 6 full days and FINALLY we got the mini pebble installed yesterday. Of course, in typical Swan Pools fashion, it's wrong. It's Stonescapes Mini Pebble and we had asked for a custom mix based on their "Aqua Cool" sample. We just wanted all of the brown/beige left out and replaced with more white and blue. I sent them a photoshopped sample of what I was looking for and they provided me with an actual sample, which I approved. Then they came in and just did regular "Aqua Cool" with no change to it al all. It honestly blows my mind how many things Swan Pools has messed up. Things that can never be fixed and that I will just have to live with for the rest of my life (we intend to die in this house). Luckily, the Aqua Cool doesn't look too bad. It's just not what we wanted. Now I get to see how much they like the idea of eating the entire plaster job cost. I don't think I should have to pay anything for the wrong thing.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: BigPapaSmurf and TampaKathy
So our pool filled overnight and was done at 6:30am this morning. Swan Pools made a big deal about telling us that the start-up guy would be there as soon as it was filled to start up the system and give us a brush to care for the brand new plaster. As of 3pm, still nobody showed up. I called Swan and the girl in the office said the guy was coming this afternoon. Then I got a call from the Construction Manager saying the start-up guy was sick and might be there this evening but might not be there until tomorrow evening. WTF? So after admonishing me that it was my responsibility to care for the plaster, they now plan to leave it sit for 2 full days before doing anything.

The question is, can a brand new mini pebble job sit untouched for 2 days after the pool was filled without being brushed and not end up damaged as a result? Based on everything Swan Pools said (and that I have read here and elsewhere), it cannot.
 

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It took some nasty emails and phone calls, but I got them to get someone out to the house to start up the system. That was last Thursday. I've been brushing the pool daily since then and everything seems to be looking good. There was a list of about a dozen items still to be completed. Things like installing lights installed in the bubblers and getting the bubblers working, some cleanup work, installation of spa jet nozzles and a few other items. At first I was told that the guy who was to do that work broke his ankle so I would have to wait until he could get back to work. I suddenly had the GM of Swan Pools himself at my house in work clothes, knocking left over form boards off of decking, pulling wire, and cleaning up trash. As of yesterday afternoon, I am very happy to say that all items have been completed. All that's left now is to fire up the heater on Thursday (that will be 2 weeks since the startup) and passing the final city inspection.

Now on to the rest of the hardscaping and landscaping work.
 
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I was under the impression that the heater should not be turned on till after 30 days from fill. Now, maybe, that’s only plaster or quartz not sure about pebble. I would check your start up docs to be sure.
 
an1vrsy said:
I was under the impression that the heater should not be turned on till after 30 days from fill. Now, maybe, that’s only plaster or quartz not sure about pebble. I would check your start up docs to be sure.
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I asked both the PB and the independent startup guy about that very question and they said that was more for plaster pools that weren't acid washed and that we are good to go after 14 days. I read on PebbleTech's site "at least 14 days" but I have Stonescapes Mini Pebble and don't see any such information on their site. I don't see even a hint of dust being stirred up when I brush it so I think I'm ok?
 
Hey, sounds like you had a horrible experience with your pool build. I just saw that the contract was signed on October of last year so its now been over 12 months! Was that the planned time to finish the build or when was it supposed to be finished by?
 
jjman said:
Hey, sounds like you had a horrible experience with your pool build. I just saw that the contract was signed on October of last year so its now been over 12 months! Was that the planned time to finish the build or when was it supposed to be finished by?
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They told us when we signed the contract in October 2020 that we would be "swimming by Spring." They didn't even do the dig until April. And yeah, just over a year from contract to completion. Literally the worst experience I've ever had while spending the most money I've ever spent.
 
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