Repair for metal coming through pool wall

[Bperry]

I guess, but the inspector didn't actually do any work on my house or pool. So I can't imagine you'd have any recourse anyway, for them giving you bad information.

Yea, recourse is a different thing. Our home inspector chose not to give any advice on the pool rather than bad advice. That would have made more sense. The point being that having a license doesn’t guarantee competence.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

He does kind of have a point about the pool inspectors report though.

I get that and don’t disagree. And I can at least give him points for turning down a job that he doesn’t want to give his guarantee on. He’s a patch guy so he only wants jobs that are easy to fix and won’t come back so he doesn’t have to come back. Given the potential complexity of the rusting rebar issue, his services aren’t the correct way to deal with the problem.

Since this job is likely to cost more than a thousand dollar or so, it’s best to stick with licensed pool contractors that have experience with building pools. A plastering company is probably the best way to go because they’ll have the experience to deal with structural issues.

@Paddo_C - do you have any info on who built this pool? This is potentially a shell integrity issue and the pool wheel (gunite) is typically warrantied by the original pool builder for many decades and covered by the ROC. If you were to get those areas of plaster chipped out and it was confirmed that the pool shell had rebar too close to the surface, then the original builder may be on the hook to cover the shell repair. You could call the Arizona ROC and ask for their advice if you have details on who built the pool and pool shell. Check county records for a building permit to see if the builder is listed if you don’t know who built the pool.

 

[ArtP]

I get that and don’t disagree. And I can at least give him points for turning down a job that he doesn’t want to give his guarantee on. He’s a patch guy so he only wants jobs that are easy to fix and won’t come back so he doesn’t have to come back. Given the potential complexity of the rusting rebar issue, his services aren’t the correct way to deal with the problem.

Since this job is likely to cost more than a thousand dollar or so, it’s best to stick with licensed pool contractors that have experience with building pools. A plastering company is probably the best way to go because they’ll have the experience to deal with structural issues.

@Paddo_C - do you have any info on who built this pool? This is potentially a shell integrity issue and the pool wheel (gunite) is typically warrantied by the original pool builder for many decades and covered by the ROC. If you were to get those areas of plaster chipped out and it was confirmed that the pool shell had rebar too close to the surface, then the original builder may be on the hook to cover the shell repair. You could call the Arizona ROC and ask for their advice if you have details on who built the pool and pool shell. Check county records for a building permit to see if the builder is listed if you don’t know who built the pool.

So this has become quite interesting and amusing.

I checked the City of Mesa records website for building permits, and they only have records as far back as 2004. I thought the pool was built in about 2003 based on conversations with my neighbor who has been in the same house for about 25 years.

So I called around to some pool companies, looking for ones with exceptional reviews on Yelp, to ask about repairs. I found one in Queen Creek, not too far away, who builds pools and has nothing but perfect reviews on Yelp. I looked them up with the ROC as well and they have the KA-6 dual-license for pool building.

I called them, they told me that no reputable company in the state would do the repair without replastering the pool, due to having to warranty it. They also answered a lot of my questions over the phone, and I thought they seemed really pleasant and honest. I agreed to have them come out and give me an estimate, and gave them my address. As it turns out, not only did they build my pool, but the owners of the pool company owned my house at that time and they built it themselves!

I didn't think to ask them about warranty on it. They told me the pool was built in about 1999. The stain was already present in 2016 which I have evidence of in my home inspection report. They're coming out next Friday to look at it, so I'll ask them all my questions then.

Aside from a few general questions about operation of the equipment (which I still haven't figured out after 5+ years), is there anything else I should ask them about?

 

[ArtP]

Yea, recourse is a different thing. Our home inspector chose not to give any advice on the pool rather than bad advice. That would have made more sense. The point being that having a license doesn’t guarantee competence.

I agree with that point. I wasn't asking the guy whether he had a license to see if he was competent - I'm sure that he is - but to protect myself in case of something going wrong with the job. I have heard too many horror stories of people losing money to shady fake contractors. Again, not saying anything about his character or his quality of work, but I asked for my own peace of mind.

This is my first time owning a pool, and 2016 was my first time purchasing a home. If I had known then what I know now about pools, I would have requested to have the pool inspected by a pool professional, and ignored the advice from the home inspector.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

So this has become quite interesting and amusing.

I checked the City of Mesa records website for building permits, and they only have records as far back as 2004. I thought the pool was built in about 2003 based on conversations with my neighbor who has been in the same house for about 25 years.

So I called around to some pool companies, looking for ones with exceptional reviews on Yelp, to ask about repairs. I found one in Queen Creek, not too far away, who builds pools and has nothing but perfect reviews on Yelp. I looked them up with the ROC as well and they have the KA-6 dual-license for pool building.

I called them, they told me that no reputable company in the state would do the repair without replastering the pool, due to having to warranty it. They also answered a lot of my questions over the phone, and I thought they seemed really pleasant and honest. I agreed to have them come out and give me an estimate, and gave them my address. As it turns out, not only did they build my pool, but the owners of the pool company owned my house at that time and they built it themselves!

I didn't think to ask them about warranty on it. They told me the pool was built in about 1999. The stain was already present in 2016 which I have evidence of in my home inspection report. They're coming out next Friday to look at it, so I'll ask them all my questions then.

Aside from a few general questions about operation of the equipment (which I still haven't figured out after 5+ years), is there anything else I should ask them about?

That is a very fortunate turn of events indeed!! If they built the pool, then you should ask them if this type of rebar corrosion is covered under the shell warranty. You might actually ask the ROC first to see what they say as they are the governing body for long term warranty issues. I’m not suggesting you use the information as a “gotcha tactic” but simply to know what your rights are as a homeowner. The ROC may refer you back to the builder for warranty info in which case you’ll have to have a frank conversation with the pool builder. As long as you keep it pleasant and don’t inject any emotion into it, it should be a straight forward discussion. Since the owner built the pool at a home he once owned, there may be some emotional/pride attachments there that would motivate him to cover some of the costs out of his warranty insurance. You never know unless you ask.

It sounds like if you want to have this done right, it’s going to be a big job no matter who you use. If the pool has to be replastered then request a full chip out of the plaster down to the shell and not a skim coat. Also consider asking for equipment upgrades as well. This builder may be a lot happier to do the job if he can do it more as a remodel than just a repair. With plaster removal comes retiling as well as the opportunity to go with different coping.

Perhaps you weren’t banking on having to spend so much money on the pool but it’s opportunity to revisit the design and make changes to your preferences rather than inherit some one else’s design choices.

Keep us posted.

 

[ArtP]

Perhaps you weren’t banking on having to spend so much money on the pool but it’s opportunity to revisit the design and make changes to your preferences rather than inherit some one else’s design choices.

Keep us posted.

Yeah that occurred to me too. I was thinking it would be cool to maybe add a slide and upgrade my water feature, and potentially change my pebble color and finish. I'll have to spend some time finding ideas.

 

[ArtP]

Well I had the guy come out and look at the pool yesterday. He didn't seem to think the rust spot was a huge deal. He said he'd have his concrete guy give me a call and that it could probably be fixed for a few hundred dollars. I still don't know the state of the rebar behind the wall, but he didn't seem very concerned. He's going to send me an estimate anyway for resurfacing. He did say if I decided to do some remodeling, he'd give me a really good deal. Overall, I really liked the guy and I wouldn't hesitate to do business with him.

He also told me that he probably still has the original plans (from 1998!) for the pool, and he'd send those over to me if he can find them.

 

[kul]

Happy this has seemingly worked out so far! Keep us posted!

 

[ArtP]

I know I'm resurrecting a year-old thread here. The conversation kind of fell off last year with that company, and I didn't pursue it much further. I didn't get any work done on the pool. However, this spring I'm working on getting it ready for the summer and it seems the rust spot has gotten worse. Not the rust, necessarily, but the area around it. I poked the surface of the pool there and a large-ish flake of it fell off. That's concerning.

I've also noticed a little bit of surface material missing in a couple spots on one of the shelf-step things. I guess it's time to reach out again and get more serious about having work done on the pool. I want to do a saltwater conversion anyway, and there are a couple other items that need to be looked at (auto-filler leaks at the float, light doesn't work right anymore, etc.).

I think I will ask for quotes for a full resurface, and maybe try to discuss remodeling a few things as well. Equipment upgrades might be nice, but I don't know if that's necessary. I think it would be cool to maybe change my water feature or add a waterslide or something. The kids would love that. I'll try to update the thread as I learn more.