Water Line Tile Concern - Please help

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TK13LG

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Mar 19, 2012
100
Am I being too picky or should this be fixed. I don't like the way the water line tile is lining up vs the water level. If you look at the pictures there are areas of water touching the tile and other areas 2" off. The PB hasn't responded as of yet and the tile people are out there now.

HELP!
 

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I think once the water is higher you wont notice it at all. There are a few areas that are worse than others but overall, once the water is up I think it will look better...but its your pool! Make sure you are happy first.
 
Even when you look at the grout line at the top of the tile from the coping you can see the grout is wider/thicker in areas than others. I just spoke with the tile guy and he said he had to do it that way becuase the way the concrete coping was done. He said it is unlevel which makes it hard for him to get a consistent grout like and make the tile look good. If not I would notice a bit difference in the tile level.

I am just so frustrated becasue the PB has NOT had a foreman on the job to oversee things nor has he been out here himself. I keep reporting things that I think are right, but this is my first and only pool build so I am no expert. I am really upset by this whole process.
 
duraleigh said:
Why is your water low? You need at least another 2" of water in the pool. Judge the job after you get the water at the correct level. Are you running the pump?
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The water is low because they were coming to caulk/grout the underside of the tile. They had to pump water out due to the rain.
 
Regardless of the water level, its not going to fix difference in grout thickness at the top of the tile where it meets the coping. I agree once the water is at the correct level it may look a little better, but its not going to hide it...and I hope it does look better to you with more water, I dont know how that could be an easy fix if it is that off level.
 

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PB/owner finally agreed to meet tomorrow morning. I can't say where the true issue lies. The tiler says it was the concrete people, they say it was the people who set the pool, and so on. Again, this all comes down to no foreman being placed on the job. I doubt seriously that the PB will be willing to rip up the whole thing and start again.

I just don't know what my true options are at this point. I just feel that I spent all this money and I'm getting a subpar job done.
 
TK13LG said:
Even when you look at the grout line at the top of the tile from the coping you can see the grout is wider/thicker in areas than others. I just spoke with the tile guy and he said he had to do it that way becuase the way the concrete coping was done. He said it is unlevel which makes it hard for him to get a consistent grout like and make the tile look good. If not I would notice a bit difference in the tile level.
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I'm sure you are familiar with my awful ongoing build, but they did the tile/coping a bit differently than this. The first thing they did was find the highest spot of the shell (if you remember, mine ended up set with the middle 1.5" higher than the ends), and they started the tile from there, making it level relative to the waterline all the way around (so, in other words, the tile was sticking up about 1.5" past the shell on the ends). Then they laid the brick (using a thick mortar bed in the areas where the tile was sticking up). The end result is that the tile is consistent relative to the waterline all the way around, and you can't tell that the shell was set unlevel (well, aside from the hundreds of gelcoat cracks, but that's another story).

It sounds like your pool shell is maybe not consistently level all the way around, and the coping was just set to that varying height, leaving the subsequently installed tile to then "take up the slack".


I am just so frustrated becasue the PB has NOT had a foreman on the job to oversee things nor has he been out here himself. I keep reporting things that I think are right, but this is my first and only pool build so I am no expert. I am really upset by this whole process.
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I know the feeling. One of the reasons I hired my builder is because he lives right around the corner from me... and while I didn't necessarily expect him to be out here shoveling dirt every day, I did think that he'd be here regularly. This hasn't been the case. He's more of a salesperson, with the major work handled by subcontractors, and some of the more minor tasks by his own workers. I mean, he shows up every now and then, but no one is really supervising the build, with this task falling on my shoulders. I should get a paycheck.

--Michael
 
mcaswell said:
TK13LG said:
I know the feeling. One of the reasons I hired my builder is because he lives right around the corner from me... and while I didn't necessarily expect him to be out here shoveling dirt every day, I did think that he'd be here regularly. This hasn't been the case. He's more of a salesperson, with the major work handled by subcontractors, and some of the more minor tasks by his own workers. I mean, he shows up every now and then, but no one is really supervising the build, with this task falling on my shoulders. I should get a paycheck.

--Michael
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We have had only subcontractors show up. I told the owner that when a house is being built, someone oversees the project. The same thing should be happening here. When all the indians are left to themselves without a chief to oversee, they have no one to answer to...hence the subpar work. I even told him that I am not a foreman nor am I recieive a paycheck from his company.

I am having to take off work tomorrow to meet with him in the morning. I won't be compensated for that either. If we can't agree on a fix, then I may just have to ask for a refund of part of the build. I figured what it cost me in tile upgrade and part of my concrete work, since I will have to finish sanding the areas they left rough. Does that seem fair if I have to live with it?

And, yes...I need a drink.
 
TK13LG said:
We have had only subcontractors show up. I told the owner that when a house is being built, someone oversees the project. The same thing should be happening here. When all the indians are left to themselves without a chief to oversee, they have no one to answer to...hence the subpar work. I even told him that I am not a foreman nor am I recieive a paycheck from his company.
Click to expand...

I'm trying not to blame myself too much for what has happened with our build, but I can safely say that neglecting to ask the builder how much he subcontracts vs. doing with his own people, and who (him, or a foreman) would be on-site making sure things were being done right was a big mistake on my part. I made an assumption, and I was completely wrong.


--Michael
 
We actually had a person that was suppose to see this through. He showed up to mark where the pool was to be set, he delivered the pool and then was released from the company. He was replaced by no one....so we have been flying solo. Personally, I blame the owner of the company for not ensuring a job well done.
 
PB states that a 1" variation between levels is acceptable. The tile to the water line is off 1", but he refuses to address the thinness of the grout in some areas vs. others. I guess that bothers me so much because it stands out so bad because the concrete is 1 color while the grout is different which you really tell from pic 6. Also the concrete bull nose if very rough in areas and the transition from the bull nose to the top of the decking has "lines". If he sands it down any further in areas to even up the surface he will hit aggregate. His suggestion is to cover with Cool Deck, down to the top of the tile. This way it's all the same color and would clear up the rough patches.

Anyone think of any reason's NOT to do this? He is footing the bill on this one.
 
I would be pretty upset as well. I'm a pretty realistic person and I know things arent perfect but this would be a little bit much to swallow. If a bandaid is all you can get him to do then a machting color kooldeck would be something to consider.
 
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