New Build w/ Pics DYI Semi Inground

[cincygirl]

Install issue top rail not fitting!

Hello everyone! I have been a "researcher" on this forum for a long while and now I am need of some help from the experts!

My issue is with the with the pool installation. I have an oval 12x24 butress free semi inground. The installers "finished" up for the day to return tomorrow and continue some work. The liner was installed and the hose is in the pool, everything good right?..... NO! We get home 1/2 hour after they left and noticed that that our oval pool is not so oval and a piece of the top railing is not installed? I called the installer and this is what I was told:

That it is not uncommon for this to happen and he can not guarantee a PERFECT fit an oval pool can have a 1/4" error. *The pool is clearly "off" in one corner (I assume this is what is causing the top rail not to fit) and more than 1/4".

That it is not uncommon to have to "trim" top rail pieces down to fit?.

Then he goes on to tell me that all the pieces were uneven and he had to play h**l to get them to fit. *This was towards the end of the conversation and the first I had heard of that.

The installer said he will be back tomorrow afternoon to take a look. He also said that he will remove the top caps and check the post and end caps? and that should help?. He did tell me that if he has to take the pool down and re install he would have to charge me!

So...my questions are 1) will this effect the integrity of the pool? 2) Is this guy full of it? 3) Could someone please help me better understand what is going on and give me any suggestions to move forward with.

Just a side note: I do know that it is not a leveling issue with the base because I was the one with the transit and laser running around the hole 11:00 last night and the entire base was within 3/4"!

~april

 

[woodyp]

Re: Install issue top rail not fitting!

We sure would like to see some pics of the issue. Welcome to TFP.

 

[cincygirl]

Re: Install issue top rail not fitting!

Thanks for the reply. Here are a few from this morning through the afternoon of the pool installers work. I will take some pics in the morning to show you the issue I am having. [attachment=2:qgvv83qw]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1374033709.089229.jpg[/attachment:qgvv83qw]
[attachment=1:qgvv83qw]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1374033745.772577.jpg[/attachment:qgvv83qw][attachment=0:qgvv83qw]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1374033761.422792.jpg[/attachment:qgvv83qw]

~april

 

[Casey]

Re: Install issue top rail not fitting!

What he probably did was tighten the rails down as he went and didn't give himself wiggle room to get the last few screws in on the last rail. What you could do is loosen every rail screw in the rails the whole way around the pool without removing them and make adjustments and I'll bet you a swim it should fix your issue, take about a 1/2 hour total and save you whatever he is going to charge you for an install.

The instructions say never to tighten down these screws until every rail is on and then you tighten down and put the end caps on. Try it and see if that works for you.

 

[cincygirl]

Re: Install issue top rail not fitting!

The first picture shoes a pink string aligned with the far end of the pool top rails and notice how the edge of the pool rails becomes further from the string.[attachment=2:1zk2nmm0]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1374060819.420861.jpg[/attachment:1zk2nmm0]

The second picture is of the missing top rail that the installers could not fit into place.
[attachment=1:1zk2nmm0]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1374060884.271277.jpg[/attachment:1zk2nmm0]

The third picture is of the last (I assume) top rail before the missing one. I'm not sure if you can tell from the pic the screw was fixed into place at a severe angle towards the left side of pool where it is not parallel to the pink string.[attachment=0:1zk2nmm0]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1374061075.120936.jpg[/attachment:1zk2nmm0]

 

[cincygirl]

Re: Install issue top rail not fitting!

I am just so upset. This build has had it challenges that my hubby and I have worked through. We did everything ourselves up to the actual install and I feel so overwhelmed frustrated at this point. I plan to start a build thread sometime this weekend and you will understand from the placement of the pool to the 12 days of rain after the initial dig day!

I would appreciate any knowledge anyone one can share with me.

~April

 

[cramar]

Re: Install issue top rail not fitting!

If you haven't payed the bill in full, don't.
Don't pay up until your fully satisfied, because once you do the installer won't have much interest in fixing anything.
From your pic showing the string, I'm not a "professional installer" but I could have gotten it straighter than he did, I'd wager if you leveled the site you could have gotten it straighter as well.

 

[cincygirl]

Re: Install issue top rail not fitting!

Technically, I have not paid him in full. Our agreed price was $850, for 2 installers and a 2 day job, which I did pay. I got home around 630 last night and they were still there with additional 3 guys and the liner was being installed. He said that he brought in the extra guys to get the job finish up in one day only needing to come back to get the skimmer installed. That is when he informed me that because he had the extra guys come in and he had to get in and out of the pool dig that the charge would be $1200. I paid him the $850 and told him that when he came back to install skimmer and pump that I would finish up payment. I do not feel I owe him additional money 1) because I did not ask him to bring in additional guys or get it done in one day 2) the pool is not installed correctly and he said if he has to take the pool down and put back up he can not do that for free.
Ugh!
I am not a professional installer either and ditto on us getting it straighter as well! We decided to have someone else do the pool work to ensure it would be done correctly now look!

 

[Casey]

Re: Install issue top rail not fitting!

The pool needs taken down. It seemed before the pics it would have been an easy fix but it's just not! This is a total redo!!! Don't pay him n just fire him when he comes back! Don't even let him get out of the truck!!!

 

[cincygirl]

Hello! I have wanted a pool for sometime now so this year I decided to take the plunge! I started this venture with my husband at the beginning of July. We are doing all the work ourselves with the exception of the installation of the pool. We own our own business that is very busy and time consuming so there have been and will be many long nights to accomplish what we want. So here we go....

When we purchased the home the previous owners had a large foundation poured for an addition to be added onto the garage, but that never happened. So that is where we are putting the pool using the footers of the foundation as our deck support surrounding the pool. We choose this spot also because of the tall tree line behind the house thinking this will be the best spot to remove the tall trees without making it look bare directly behind the house. The pool will be buried with 12" exposed and the pool ledge "sitting" on the deck. Because of the limited space the pool size is 12'x24'.
[attachment=2:1hn535ot]Foun1.jpeg[/attachment:1hn535ot]
[attachment=1:1hn535ot]Foun2.jpeg[/attachment:1hn535ot]
[attachment=0:1hn535ot]Foun3.jpeg[/attachment:1hn535ot]

 

[cincygirl]

Re: Install issue top rail not fitting!

That is the last thing I wanted to hear I am at a loss right now.

 

[cincygirl]

We began the dig into the foundation with sunny skies and a 10% chance of rain....well guess what! I know what some of you might think -why would you start a pool dig if rain was in the forecast for the next 8 days. Well in Cincinnati the forecast is NEVER correct and changes day to day on a 5 day outcast. The day we started the dig forecast showed no rain and sunny 5 days out!

My hubby left this process up to me to take care of!

The first picture is after the downpour and we called it quits.
[attachment=2:36wgf9fi]Dig3.jpeg[/attachment:36wgf9fi]

This picture is the what the hole looked like everyday I came home from work.
[attachment=1:36wgf9fi]image.jpeg[/attachment:36wgf9fi]

This is after I would pump the water out every day for hours and hours at a time so I would not have sitting water.
[attachment=0:36wgf9fi]image_1.jpeg[/attachment:36wgf9fi]

 

[cramar]

Re: Install issue top rail not fitting!

He adds guys to his job so now he expects you to pay extra......ya, I know where I'd be telling him to stick that idea.
If he underbid that's his problem, sounds like he's trying to take advantage of you.
If your willing to call it even on the 850 then HE is the lucky one.
From what he's done in the pics, and from what he said about the final rail sometimes not fitting, it's clear he either dosn't really care much about quality or dosn't know what he's doing. I suspect it's the former.

Does anything else look out of place?
Are all the bottom rails securely seated on the ground (no gaps between ground and rail)?
The posts along the sides, did he do a good job of levelling those vertically?

If the problem is only that one post, personally I'd be inclined to fill it up and see how it goes. That said, I don't have an oval pool so you may want to get a bit more feedback from others first, I don't want to trivialize the error made there but personally I don't know if it justifies a re-do.
Maybe others will weigh in.

 

[cincygirl]

On a happy note, our dog loves the sand. We have a doggie door for him and I went out to pump the "pool" and he was playing king of the mountain![attachment=0:2m14qhf6]image.png[/attachment:2m14qhf6]

 

[kimkats]

Oh man this is going to be fun to watch! LOVE the pics! The happy dog is having a blast!

Kim

 

[Casey]

Re: Install issue top rail not fitting!

Is it out on the other straight side?

Before we start freaking you out on a redo, why don't you try what I first suggested and loosen the screws on every top rail and see what happens. The end caps should be the last thing to go on to finish the pool. Please try it. You n hubby can do it yourselves.

 

[cincygirl]

Because of all the rain we decided to dig down a couple more inches and then backfill into the hole. We used limestone grits and fines, I think it has a couple different names like crusher and so on. We would fill for approx. 2-21/2 inches and then run plate compactor over the area. This was done 3 times for a approximate total of 6-8" of compacted limestone as backfill and starting base for sand floor. The installer said he would use 3 1/2-4 inches of sand.
My hubby and daughter hard at work! I had to take a break from the compactor my whole body was vibrating!

[attachment=2:8fkhpkrc]image_3.jpeg[/attachment:8fkhpkrc]
[attachment=1:8fkhpkrc]image_4.jpeg[/attachment:8fkhpkrc]
[attachment=0:8fkhpkrc]image_6.jpeg[/attachment:8fkhpkrc]

 

[cincygirl]

We were up until 11:30 Monday night making sure we had a very solid compacted and level starting point for the installers to come the next day. I personally walked in 2 step increments with my transit and circling laser to ensure it was leveled. After doing that a couple times I was positive that it was level within 3/4". We used all the dirt from the dig to start the grading process of the yard area around the pool.

[attachment=2:hx007g8g]image_7.jpeg[/attachment:hx007g8g]
[attachment=0:hx007g8g]imagecomp.jpeg[/attachment:hx007g8g]

 

[cincygirl]

Re: Install issue top rail not fitting!

Yes, it is straight on the other side. We don't close our shop up until 6pm and then a quick trip to Home Depot for deck posts. If the pool installer has not came by and did what you suggested (he said the same thing you did) we are going to do it ourselves. The water is almost to the temporary tape, do the walls look normal with "wave" where the side posts are? I need to calm down I am about to freak out and think the entire install is wrong! If you want it done right (if capable) do it yourself....

 

[cincygirl]

Re: Install issue top rail not fitting!

Pic of pool wall.[attachment=0:2enlk87c]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1374086361.840533.jpg[/attachment:2enlk87c]