We are in the process of building a linear pool. It will be 14 1/2 wide in the deep end and 16 wide in the shallow end. 36 feet long. Tahoe blue and blue wave are the standard finishes that are included in the price. In order to upgrade to blue granite pebblesheen our pool builder is quoting us $7200 additional. I am curious if that is what others are seeing in their area. I am located in North Carolina. We were also quoted $3200 to add abalone shell in with the pool finish. That seems quite high based on what I am reading in forums. I would love any input from those on the forum about whether or not our pool builder is just inflating these prices or not. Are these worth the cost? Pool is coming in well over 100k not including pool decking.
Hey Lkn and Welcome !!!! Another memeber, @ajw22 has a GREAT response to your abalone question in the second post of this thread.
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Abalone Shells with QuartzScapes?
Hello everyone, I am super new to all this. I am scheduled to get QuartzScapes Barbados Blue tomorrow. I you originally asked for the Reflections but the builder is saying they are out. He is offering to put abalone shells or Puerto Rico blend instead. I have seen those two options in the...
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Thank you so much for your response and linking the information about Abalone. That gives me lots to think about! We have been given 6x6 squares of everything to make finish choices. Its difficult! Worse than choosing paint colors! I appreciate all of the insight this forum provides as this process is a bot overwhelming of you aren't in the habit of building several pools!
You have probably realized this - but Tahoe blue and blue wave are PebbleTec finishes, and blue granite is PebbleSheen finish, which uses smaller pebbles, hence the large upcharge.
Have you felt the difference between PebbleTec and PebbleSheen in an actual pool? I have Slate Blue PebbleSheen and would not hesitate to purchase another PebbleSheen pool.
Blue granite looks very beautiful online, but we were not able to see a blue granite pool in person, so we passed. Prism Blue is also somewhat similar and was our 2nd choice.
Some PebbleSheen finishes already have abalone (shimmering sea) mixed in. Not sure about blue granite (slate blue did). I trust that Pebble Technology International sources their abalone correctly, based on the size and reputation of the company, so I did not worry about potential negative effects. The shimmering sea is very beautiful.
Have you felt the difference between PebbleTec and PebbleSheen in an actual pool? I have Slate Blue PebbleSheen and would not hesitate to purchase another PebbleSheen pool.
Blue granite looks very beautiful online, but we were not able to see a blue granite pool in person, so we passed. Prism Blue is also somewhat similar and was our 2nd choice.
Some PebbleSheen finishes already have abalone (shimmering sea) mixed in. Not sure about blue granite (slate blue did). I trust that Pebble Technology International sources their abalone correctly, based on the size and reputation of the company, so I did not worry about potential negative effects. The shimmering sea is very beautiful.
I have been in pebblesheen pools but not pebbletec. I have a friend with a blue granite pool. It seems to be a base Pebblesheen color so i was very surprised at the $7000+ difference in price tag.
Don't beat yourself up too bad with the seemingly impossible color decision. It'll be stunning no matter what. Any pics you see are only a momentary snapshot of that days weather, time of day and/or point in the season. It will be many shades of the general family of the color you choose. Some days it will even go completly sideways on you.
Thank you! I appreciate your positive outlook! We will probably choose Tahoe Blue simply because im not crazy about thw shallow color of Blue Wave but we hope to visit at least 1 or 2 pools that feature these two colors.
The color variations above are from a slim few pictures taken throughout the season. The pool got filled in June and the yard was a war zone for the rest of the summer so I didn't take many pics. We witnessed 100 other variations along the way. You'll like them all in person, I promise. You may even see the one you picked from time to time. 
Toxophilite
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I know when I did mine 1 year ago, Tahoe Blue, glass beads and abalone was a $2,500 upgrade. In the end, I didn't go with the upgrade, but the PB, through mishap ordering I guess, called and asked would I accept it for no upgrade charge. I did! Glass beads I could take or leave, but the abalone sparkles a lot in the light.