Concrete / Pebblecrete pool concerns - new build

TAS1981

Member
Sep 19, 2022
5
Sydney, Australia
Hi all - looking for some guidance or opinions...

We’ve just had a pool built and over the weekend the Pebblecrete finish went in. It’s 28,000 litre pool with a largish step at one end and a couple of smaller steppers to get in and out.
My expectation is that these should be straight and fairly precise, within reason …i.e. they should not be obviously wonky...small imperfections are expected...


The main step looks like it was done in a rush with no care to making it straight, square and it waves in and out along the edge. The steps are the same but not as noticeable as smaller. The shape of the pool is sort of an L with the internal corner of the L creating vertical edge – this edge is straight for the waterline tile of 20cm, but below that it curves away from the straight instead of following a nice straight line to the bottom.
The rest of the pool has been finished to a really good standard (done by landscapers ie pavers, waterline tiles etc) but I’m not happy with the Pebblecrete finish. I’m not sure if it’s the underlying formwork/concrete shell being out or whether the Pebblecrete itself and whether it could have been squared up with the final finish.
I’m going to raise it with the pool builder that I’m not happy but I’m not sure what can actually be done in any case??
I’ll try post some pics later but it just looks .. ameteurish compared to other pics I have seen. I had hoped I would not notice it once filled but I can. And the Pebblecrete team took off sharp before I could get to them.

Any advice? Am I being too nit picky?

Pics:
 
Welcome to TFP.

It is disappointing to see that poor craftsmanship and lack of pride in their work is not limited to the USA.

Was the underlying gunite wall straight?

See what your builder says can be done.
 
I have reached out to the builder - he seems to believe it’s completely normal and that a fox will be very problematic. Not sure if it’s the shell or the crete- but both are his wheel house!

As a picture of what I expect please see the below. It should be perfectly doable to get a straight line. If it’s the concrete or the pebble it should be straight.
 
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