Understood everyone. I have a feeling this will come down to a tear out and re-install. I've told my pool installer that we are ONLY ok with the pool, NOT being reset, if both he and San Juan give me an "extended" warranty, going beyond the scope of their normal warranty. This is what I emailed him:
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1. San Juan Pools will guarantee the pool against cracking, fracturing, leaking, fiberglass crazing or blemishing for 25 years. Pool installer to provide pool guarantee in writing, including parts and labor. If the pool needs to be repaired, the pool installer will work with San Juan to repair or replace the pool at no cost (parts or labor) to us, or future homeowner. We need this in our hands before we will consider any other options aside from re-setting the pool.
2. We would prefer the pool to be re-set in the ground, within standard (and inspected by San Juan). However, if you don't want to do that, we are open to another solution that would make the high area UNDETECTABLE. We are not talking about a tile disguise or water fountain that would "distract" your eye from seeing it. We are only interested in a solution that makes the high spot un-measurable and not visible. At this time we are researching the possibility of raising the pool deck in that ~8ft area, and extending tile up and out of the water at least a foot above the water surface. We don't prefer this solution (we would rather the pool be re-set), but it is the only thing we can think of as a potential fix, and I'm not even sure it will work on a fiberglass pool. The feature needs to look like it belongs, needs to look practical and functional, and wasn't a patch job or after-thought.
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So here is where we are now. San Juan says they will still warranty the pool, but they aren't going to go above and beyond their normal warranty, so it is all on the pool builder. If I pull the cover off the pool in the spring and see gelcoat cracking, it's on him. So if he doesn't want to reset the pool, that's fine, as long as he provides a primo warranty (which covers everything, parts, labor, at no cost to me) above and beyond what San Juan provides. My reasoning for this is because I feel the pool is under stress. We should not have to take on the added risk of fiberglass fracturing or crazing / cracking. He tells me it's ok, and the pool is not under stress. BS. I'm not dumb. If he wants to leave it as is, the risk is his, not mine. So if he does provide me a new warranty in writing, I'll have my lawyer look at it to make sure it's legit.
If he pulls this pool out of the ground, it will take him weeks, and cost him thousands (I would guess $15-$20K including concrete). I'm not a pool installer, but in my opinion, if he TRULY thinks the pool isn't under stress, then he is better off writing an extended warranty, and spending a few thousand on a tile wall and water feature, and then hoping it doesn't crack!
Next week, he is bringing over a company that specializes in water features. He some of my above pictures are do-able. As I said, I will not move forward with any plan until I have a signed warranty in my hands and a sketch up or pictures of what the solution will look like. We won't accept anything that looks like an afterthought or looks cheesy. We have a pretty "plain" looking set up, nothing fancy, so it needs to follow the theme.
