Full backyard renovation in Charlotte, NC

[ogjorge]

We almost did the Leonardo but went Ivory based on our house. The Leonardo is a real nice classy product. We are in Charlotte as well. Who did you go with for the renovation of your pool? Looks like it will be very nice. One warning about dark pebble is pool lights will not reflect much so if you want a brighter pool at night you might need to add additional lighting. We went with mini pebble Tahoe Blue w/blue glass and our neighbor went with the white mini pebble. Same lights but his pool is 3 times as bright at night.

Thanks! We're planning on lime washing the red brick to white and thought the ivory would be too light. We're planning on sealing the silver travertine as dark as possible so that it contrasts with the white house exterior.

I can share the contractor and my experience by private message. I told him I would write a public, honest, thorough review, including his contact information, once the job was fully completed. He's one of the 3-4 guys that all the big companies in Charlotte use as a subcontractor, so in theory I'm getting the quality of one of the big pool companies without the markup.

 

[kimkats]

the brick columns fell over after the railings were taking off. Settling had sunk the rest of the brick, so instead of raising the pool 1.5", it needed to be raised almost 4" to be flush with the new pavers.

They just fell over?? Will you have them rebuilt? Man I bet the guys about pooped their pants when the first one feel down

4"?? That is quite a bit further up!

removing 3 coats of plaster before getting to the shell.

sigh...........so YOU end up paying the price of the ones before you cheaping out. I have a sad for you wallet

The work done looks great! Does it look as good in person?

Kim

 

[ogjorge]

They just fell over?? Will you have them rebuilt? Man I bet the guys about pooped their pants when the first one feel down

4"?? That is quite a bit further up!


sigh...........so YOU end up paying the price of the ones before you cheaping out. I have a sad for you wallet

The work done looks great! Does it look as good in person?

Kim

The column was wobbly as they removing the railings then tipped forward and fell after the bolts was loosened. The contractor said that the railings and bolts were keeping the columns up, not the mortar.

In person, to my untrained eye it looks like they're doing good work. Part of the reason I'm putting so many pics up is so that the collective wisdom here can spot any problems that I don't know to look out for. But so far, other than the usual unforeseen issues, I think it's going well.

 

[kimkats]

The pictures will show a lot to us for sure and we WILL let you know if something looks off.

It sounds like you are doing the best thing in having it all re-worked if the columns are any indication of the past work.

So how will they raise the pool that 4"? What are their detailed plans?

 

[ogjorge]

Question: Does anyone have heater recommendations for the pool and spa? What brands and models would you suggest I look at?

 

[l1ltaral1l]

Raypak brand is spoken highly of here. I'm also on the hunt for a heater (possibly) this year.

 

[ModernCha]

I have the Jandy pro 400k, it's a good smaller heater not too loud but I haven't had it that long. Raypak seems to be rated a bit higher if you have the space and is supposedly quieter but I didn't have the room for one.

 

[ajw22]

Question: Does anyone have heater recommendations for the pool and spa? What brands and models would you suggest I look at?

Natural gas, propane or Heat Pump heater?

You buying the heater through your contractor for professional installation or for DIY install?

Check on what warranty you get depending on where it is bought and how it is installed. No warranty for Jandy products purchased through the internet or DIY installed.

 

[ogjorge]

Pictures Update! We're finally plastering! Ended up with Mini Pebble Midnight Blue with a touch of glass. The guys tell me the plaster work will be done today and tomorrow is the acid wash.

Natural gas, propane or Heat Pump heater?

You buying the heater through your contractor for professional installation or for DIY install?

Natural Gas heater for pool and another for spa. I reached out to the Raypak representative in my area but haven't gotten a response yet.

 

[kimkats]

Now THAT is BLUE!!! Can't wait to see it with water in it!

When the water starts to flow do NOT turn it off. Stopping the flow of water could cause a ring in the new plaster.

Kim

 

[ogjorge]

End of day update!

 

[ogjorge]

So I'm sharing these pictures with my wife and she's not happy about the darker spots in the plaster. She's adamant that the color should be uniform throughout and thinks that the darker spots are evidence of a poor plaster job.

The crew made sure to point out to me that the color would get more uniform after tomorrow's acid wash and with some time, but she thinks they're saying that to avoid having to fix the problem.

So my questions:
1. Are the dark spots in the plaster a sign that the job done was substandard?
2. If so, what can actually be done to create a more uniform color throughout the plaster?
3. Is the crew correct that the acid wash will fix the issues with the darker plaster spots?

Thanks for the help!

End of day update!

View attachment 128328 View attachment 128329 View attachment 128330 View attachment 128331 View attachment 128332

 

[kimkats]

You never judge an artist's work until they step back and say done! The same thing applies here. Let them finish THEN see what it looks like!

 

[ModernCha]

Agreed pre acid wash you can't say anything post acid wash you can. As for fixing things to have no variance most pebble mixes have some variance built it. Not sure about your color but my Tahoe Blue has tons of slight variance due to the pebble mix and that is on purpose. I would expect some variance in yours but post wash would expect the whole thing to be darker as more black pebble is exposed. We saw a few pools with your finish and really liked it but my wife was off dark when she heard it can fade and some stories of snakes in the pool blending in.

 

[ogjorge]

So, bad news.

While going through the curing process on the new mini-pebble, we realized that the pool was losing 3-4 inches every single day. We had to constantly refill the pool just to keep the water running through the skimmers. The pool maintenance company recommended a leak detection company, and they came out to check. Sure enough, there's a leak under one of the returns. So today, the leak company came to the pool, tore through the brand new mini-pebble plaster, through the concrete shell, and down to the pipe. Fortunately, the leak has been repaired and the follow up pressure test came back with no more leaks. He covered the hole back up with concrete.

Now, the plaster company has to come back out, remix a batch, patch up the hole as close to the original plaster as possible, and then we can continue curing the plaster to hope it matches the original plaster as closely as possible. Right now, it's added about $4500 to the total cost. The pool contractor (as of now) is including the plaster patch and is supposedly not charging for it.

One thing the repair guy said, "Something definitely caused this. This doesn't just happen to PVC pipes." He wouldn't go so far as saying it was the pool company, but he also said it was possible that a jackhammer hit the pipe while they were chipping away the old plaster.

Has anyone else had to do this? What was your experience like? Looking at these pictures, any idea what can cause a crack like this in the PVC pipe?

 

[kimkats]

Man that had to hurt you when you found that......but you say under one of the returns..............do you a main drain? Returns are almost always on the sides of the pool.

Right now, it's added about $4500 to the total cost. The pool contractor (as of now) is including the plaster patch and is supposedly not charging for it.

So when you say added $4500 BUT he is not charging for the patch.........what is the $4500 for?

Do you have a good pic of the area right after it was chipped out?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I'd say this entire thing still comes under their jurisdiction and he ought to eat the entire cost. Your pool is not a month old.... where is their guarantee if not a month later!??!

Maddie

 

[ogjorge]

Man that had to hurt you when you found that......but you say under one of the returns..............do you a main drain? Returns are almost always on the sides of the pool.


So when you say added $4500 BUT he is not charging for the patch.........what is the $4500 for?

Do you have a good pic of the area right after it was chipped out?

To repair the broken return line. The returns on this pool are on the bottom floor. 2 main drains at the deep end and 4 small returns in the shallow end of the pool.

Attached are the pictures I took while chipping but before plastering. Thanks!!

 

[ajw22]

One thing the repair guy said, "Something definitely caused this. This doesn't just happen to PVC pipes." He wouldn't go so far as saying it was the pool company, but he also said it was possible that a jackhammer hit the pipe while they were chipping away the old plaster.

This is not a natural occurrence. Your PB should cover all the costs of the repair.

 

[kimkats]

They chipped DEEP to get around those returns................I have to agree with Allen........PB should cover all the costs! Share these pics with your PB IN WRITING and say nope to the extra bill.

Every thing from now on should be ONLY in writing between you and the PB.