Newbie pool owners- New Build Vero Beach Fl

[MarciaB10]

We are signing the papers today!!!

After many months of research and learning.. obtaining bids from 4 different pool builders.. a whole lot of help here with advice a few months ago..(changed minimum depth from 3-3.6 based on that advice) and a HUGE amount of advice privately from another member(dianthsus) that was just finishing a new pool and lives locally.. today we have started the process to be first time pool owners!!! It will take a while.. but that is ok, as long as it is done by next winter.. They say 8-10 weeks for permit 8-10 weeks to build.

Both of us have lived in the Chicago area our whole lives.. and recently purchased a snow bird home in Vero Beach.. and a pool was a must have!!

So here are the details and a drawing of the pool. (hopefully if the picture posts!) Does the equipment look ok for the size of pool ?? Will post more pictures.. when there is something to see!!

High Strength Gunite Shell(4500psi) with lifetime warranty
All plumbing is 2" Schedule 40 PVC or Larger
Three returns, vac line and valve for auto pool vac
Electric Hook up with transformer, junction box and auto time clock
Jandy 1HP 2Speed pump and 100 GPM cartridge filter - 3 year warranty
Jandy salt chlorinator
117 KBKU Rheem heat pump

 

[Patrick_B]

Welcome Marcia!

You will get lots of review and replies, but your build thread wont be officially kicked off until Kim arrives with some suggestions for Bling!

She will be along shortly I'm sure.

 

[MarciaB10]

Well a little over three months from signing our contract.. today was Dig Day! YEAH!!! We got our HOA approval pretty quick.. and our building permit mid July.. They were all set to dig two weeks ago, but a neighbor denied access to what we thought was a common easement.. ugh..

The lots are very narrow.. when our pool company came out to measure we were not there and our next door neighbors said there was better access on the other side of their house, and suggested to the pool company they use that..( This was before the neighbor on the other side of them moved in!) Since there is no access on one side of our house, due to a utility box.. and limited access on the other side ( abt 8 feet between the homes) The pool company was very happy to have this larger access area.. We asked our construction supervisor and he said he didn't see any problem.. so thought we were good.. but then the first dig day came.. and when all the equipment got there the new neighbor said NO WAY... We did find out that even though this is an easement.. it is his property. even though we were only going over grass and offered him a substantial check to hold if there was any damage.. NOPE.. Whatever... Guess he won't be our new best friend! lol...

So now two weeks later.. we finally got started.. with smaller equipment( and more cost) but the process has begun! YEAH!

 

[daintilus]

Well I guess its safe to say that the neighbor won't be invited to the pool parties :uhh:... Dig day is always so exciting! I can't wait to see it finished!

 

[jstblush]

Why do people have to be that way? Glad you got it worked out though. That's going to be super nice. And beautiful view too!
Congrats!
Sherry

 

[MarciaB10]

Our .. pool build is progressing slowly... being 1300 miles away for most of the build... we missed a lot.. our neighbor sent some pictures along the way.. In the beginning it seemed like construction was moving very quickly.. aug 31

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Two weeks in Sept 15

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And here we are today.. starting week 11... Nov 6th ... still a ways to go!

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not sure why the bottom two pictures are not showing! (I fixed them. You need to use the "bottom" one to make it show up in your post. Kimkats TFP MOD)

 

[MarciaB10]

Nov 6th 11 weeks in

 

[MarciaB10]

Well this is how our pool is looking for the last 3 plus weeks. We are getting very frustrated with this whole process!!! We signed our contract and gave our deposit May 15th.

We were told by our sales person, the time frame would be 6-8 weeks to get a permit, that construction would start immediately after permits were issued, then 8-10 weeks from dig to completion. Using this time table, our pool was to be completed mid September to mid October. This time frame was acceptable. We are seasonal residents, and even though we planned to spend time at our FL home in the fall, and hoped it would be done on the earlier side, we didn't want to be nagging and bothersome. Our primary time table was to have everything completed in December, so all was good when our family, including grandchildren were coming back with us to Florida at Christmas..with more family and friends following. Considering we signed in May, and the project should have been done mid October, from the start we figured even if it went a few weeks over, there would be NO issues to being up and running by early December!

It took over a month for the company to apply to the county for permits, which were approved 3 weeks later on 7/12. This was within the 6-8 week promised timeline, but after that any and all promises went downhill. The immediate start date we were promised turned into 6 weeks later (8/28). In Sept. I know a week was lost due to the hurricane, which is out of your control, but this would not have happened if our pool had been poured sooner, as it should have been. Other than that week weather has been good. The concrete was poured on or about 9/26. So at that point , even though the project was behind schedule, I don't see any reason this project shouldn't have been completed 6-8 weeks after the concrete was poured.. mid-to end of November.

And now we are now dealing with what seems to be a substandard screen company I have never read so many negative reviews about one company on every online venue. In checking further, the person who owns the company also owns other companies with just as many negative reviews. They were not our choice they were the pool companies. .. I am hoping the pool company will stand by their referral if there are any problems because it appears they will not.

Now the pool company is blaming the screening company for the hold up.. we are calling both daily.. and nothing is getting done.. We are very disappointed ....

 

[sehrmude]

In a perfect world every task would start right after the previous...Coping and tile on our pool was done 9 days ago. Since then the pool company has been back once - and that was to remove a tree stump that they were supposed to remove before the pool was dug. We too were told 8 weeks from permit we would be swimming - that would be....TODAY! I expected delays and am not too upset that the pool is not done yet, but the utter lack of communication is frustrating. Sorry to hear that you are going through similar delays - but know that you are not alone and I am sure that the day you are able to jump in this will all be worth it!

 

[PoolGate]

In a perfect world every task would start right after the previous...Coping and tile on our pool was done 9 days ago. Since then the pool company has been back once - and that was to remove a tree stump that they were supposed to remove before the pool was dug. We too were told 8 weeks from permit we would be swimming - that would be....TODAY! I expected delays and am not too upset that the pool is not done yet, but the utter lack of communication is frustrating. Sorry to hear that you are going through similar delays - but know that you are not alone and I am sure that the day you are able to jump in this will all be worth it!

+1, Yeah sadly this is pretty much par for the course. If you squeak more, you will probably get oiled more. But you risk being assigned one of the lower-quality contractors. PB's want to have as many pools under construction as they can at any given time. My PB had like 45 pools going when they built mine and for the most part use all the same contractors on each job. That is a lot of schedule juggling! My "6-8" weeks (LOL) ended up being 12 before we could swim and 16 before everything was done.

 

[kimkats]

I have a BIG sad for you This sure does take quite a bit of the fun of getting a pool. I wish there were something I could do to make them start working on your pool. I wonder what would happen if you showed up at the office and ask to speak to the owner? Make sure to have a smile on your face no matter how much you want to growl.

I would tell them you are not happy with the screen company they picked so they either need to pick a new one or refund your money and you will find one you do trust and pay them your self.

Kim (NO cheering for this one)

 

[MarciaB10]

Still looking the same two weeks later!! Nothing has been done since Mid November... !