Price Check in Aisle 1 - Replaster pool bids?

[RichTJ99]

Hi,

I am in NY & have a gunite pool. I believe it was originally built in 1986'ish? I bought the house in 2012 & the previous owners had the pool painted around 2010 to sell the house.

The pool is working well but the paint is fading, chipping - basically its time to redo the plaster - not to mention the tile looks like its straight out of the 1980's (which it is).

I had someone come out & quoted me at $20k:

Empty Pool
Sandblast
Prep
Plaster (white) - other colors +$5,000ish
Tile (limited 6x6 selection)

I think the refill pool was on my $$$.

Is that a reasonable price for NY? Seems like a lot more than I was planning on

Thanks,
Rich

 

[jblizzle]

Sounds really high to me. You need at least 3 quotes.

I would also suggest a full chip out of the old plaster and not just a sand blast.

 

[Foosman]

What size is the pool?

 

[RichTJ99]

Hi,

The pools is 47' x 21'. I have two more people coming out to look at the pool. I just dont fully understand the pricing in terms of materials which I suspect is what makes this whole thing so expensive.

I was told that it would take a week & the pool would be off limits for 2 weeks after the work was done while the plaster cured.

Somehow I think the pool being down for 3 weeks is a wishful thinking.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[jblizzle]

Well that is a pretty big pool so maybe that prices in line. It still seems a little high to me for plain plaster though

 

[kcindc]

I'm in the Washington DC metro area which is a similar cost market. I just got a quote for my 20x40+additional square footage for the lazy L+ attached spa, prior owners painted and is circa 1980s. I has never been replastered and very little of the original plaster is present and you can see the gunite in a lot of areas, so strong sandblast will remove most of what remains.

I went straight to the sub-contractor that most of the pool companies hire to do their work. My quote is $13k for sandblast, chip out 50 square foot of non-bonded plaster, white plaster, replace tile.

In addition to to the 13k quote, I'm also replacing my expansion joint for about $1k. I opted out of replacing my coping which would have cost me an additional $4.8k. I have an old Syvan pool with safety grip coping, so regular coping wouldn't align very well with the bond beam, deck tile, etc. My quote would be lower if I had a different pool layout.

Since they are a subcontractor, I will have to get a regular pool company to replace my spa light. I will have to hire my own company to truck in water, but they will recommend a company that coordinates well with them.

 

[gwegan]

20 K sounds high but thats a big pool. I would definitely get a couple more bids.

 

[RichTJ99]

I'm in the Washington DC metro area which is a similar cost market. I just got a quote for my 20x40+additional square footage for the lazy L+ attached spa, prior owners painted and is circa 1980s. I has never been replastered and very little of the original plaster is present and you can see the gunite in a lot of areas, so strong sandblast will remove most of what remains.

I went straight to the sub-contractor that most of the pool companies hire to do their work. My quote is $13k for sandblast, chip out 50 square foot of non-bonded plaster, white plaster, replace tile.

In addition to to the 13k quote, I'm also replacing my expansion joint for about $1k. I opted out of replacing my coping which would have cost me an additional $4.8k. I have an old Syvan pool with safety grip coping, so regular coping wouldn't align very well with the bond beam, deck tile, etc. My quote would be lower if I had a different pool layout.

Since they are a subcontractor, I will have to get a regular pool company to replace my spa light. I will have to hire my own company to truck in water, but they will recommend a company that coordinates well with them.

That sounds great! 13K would be a deal (at least compared to 20K).

Next quote:
Renovate pool & add new plaster (white or grey): $11k

Options:
Sandblast Pool to remove existing paint - $4,500 (How is this even an option?)
Upgrade to Quartzscape finish - $4,500
Remove tile & install new 6x6 tile - $6,000

Total: $26,000

Original Quote:
Drain, remove tile, sandblast existing paint: $9,000
Tile installation: $7000
Install white finish: $12,500

Option:
Upgrade to onyx or cobalt - 6500

Total: $35,000 (-3,500 discount).

Ugg- I should fly a crew in from Florida at those prices...

 

[rlefig]

Those costs are pricey. Good luck and glad my 1070's pool is smaller and therefore cheaper.

 

[pushin glass]

The prices are typically based on competition and distance the plaster crew needs to travel. A redo is usually about double the cost of a new finish as the chip out and prep work is considerable. This is why it is a good idea to go with the longest lasting finish you can.

To chip out, prep, and replaster (pebble) with new waterline tiles for us was around 30k. The reason is there is only one plasterer for my area who is 4 hours away. Next closest is 8 hours. I checked with a crew out of St. Louis that I knew and they said the price was reasonable as it would cost them the same to haul materials, etc.

I know the cost is a lot and not what you want to hear, but at least with this information and a few bids you will know whether you are getting screwed or not.