OT Pool Owners- Questions

Haven't heard of that finish. Sounds like pebble-tec to me. You can haggle to a point. Best thing to do is get them to itemize everything and include model numbers on everything. That way you can compare apples to apples on the bids and see where you have wiggle room to negotiate.

I'll give you some advice that you didn't ask for:
- read your contract clearly before signing, make sure the design they showed you is the exact thing they bid. Pool contractors are notorious for giving you a pretty CAD design with a bunch of options. Except, they don't tell you they are options until after you signed the contract. If it isn't written in words, they don't consider it part of the contract.

- get them to clearly define the payment schedule... For example, they will want money up front, money after excavation, money after they complete gunite, again after coping, and then a final payment when there is water in the pool, leaving 5% outstanding to cover the final 20 - 40% of the work.

Here's the catch, they will throw the coping around the pool before they do any decking. They will have water in the pool before any decking. Basically, you may get yourself in a position where you have to pay out 95% of the project, but you won't be able to swim for 2 more months. Once they get to that point, you will see the crews working very sporadically because they will move focus to the next project to get its 95%.

I made sure the final 30% payment would not be paid until the final punch list was complete. You will get a lot of, "that's not how we do things"- but if they want your business, then make them work for it.

Also, they will tell you that you have a warranty. What they won't tell you is that the plumbing was subbed out and the sub will warranty that component. Gunite is a different sub and different warranty, plaster is a different sub and different warranty. The actual pool builder will be responsible for very little of the warranty. Some builders are a bit more helpful than others when it comes to putting you in contact with the correct sub for warranty work. My suggestion, have the builder identify I the contract what components his employees are doing, and what components is he subbing out and to whom. You will be surprised at how little the pool builder is actual responsible for.

Go vinyl, less maintenance/cost over the long run.

Go salt.

Do your research is all I can say

good points of having line item for everything and make sure you know what's in the actual bid vs list of options.

Only my opinion but...

1. which EcoFinish product? I know it's a newer product and it's a poly-plastic coating trying to compete with a pebble finish. I personally wouldn't touch it only because it's still newer product. It has a 10 year warranty I believe but what did they say when it needs to be redone? Maybe b/c I havent' seen it enough to be fair for me to say but Again, IMO Pebbletec/pebblesheen, will last longer than typical plaster and has been around for a long time, and has the best look.

2. Of course you can haggle but will lose something off the line item and I'd be willing to bet change orders would be coming down the line.

Above poster said 30% final which I'd be shocked if a pool contractor agreed to that unless he really knows you. 10-15% is a resonable completion.

Saltwater is trashy. Eats up everything over time. Will tear your door knobs up and things like that. Ozonater is what I have on my pull puts all water through an electronic pulse to help purify it to keep it clean. Combine that with chlorine and I barely ever have to do maintenance on the pool. Plus salt just gets in your mouth and ruins the taste of everything.

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Above poster said 30% final which I'd be shocked if a pool contractor agreed to that unless he really knows you. 10-15% is a resonable completion.

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I got 4 bids for my pool, deck, outdoor fireplace... 2 agreed to the 30% hold after the punch list, and 2 did not. Oddly, the cheapest and most expensive bids were the two that wouldn't agree. I went with the 3rd highest (wasn't that much higher) because his office was closer to my house, he wasn't a national chain and has been in business here for 25 years. I don't mind playin a bit extra knowing he will be around to honor the warranties. Plus, he was the only builder that put in writing that he would honor all warranties personally, even if a sub went out of business.

No matter what, "shite" will get in a pool.

theyre correct. It is no good for your situation and most others.

I'm just Leary of something not ever needing to be redone and a step above pebble. But I'm not real familiar with it other than reading about it and seeing it on a couple of jobs. Tell me how it turns out for you.

Floating change up gave good advice, I started a 35K pool remodel in early April and still haven't made the final payment because there are still things that need to be fixed. I held 10% until project completion, not water in the pool, project completion.

Make sure your contract spells out everything and put in writing in the contract that anything they expect as a change order must be given to you and signed before the work takes place or you aren't paying for it. My guy tried to add 2K in change orders after all the work was done. The kicker was they were things his foreman told me not to worry about because his guys would just take care of it when they were there without extra charge.

He threatened to sue me for final payment and the change orders, so I had an attorney send him a letter asking him to produce signed changed orders and spelling out the things that still need to be fixed for the project to be complete. It also told him I was having another company give me a quote to finish the job and I would take it out of the final 10% payment if he didn't address it in 2 weeks. That was a week ago and no word since he got the letter.

Just prepare yourself, you project manager won't ever show up to check peoples work, so take pictures every day of the contractors work. I did this and had the pictures to prove that his subcontractors had charged him for things that never even were done, and he had already paid them and was charging me.

I love my paver stone deck. Looks great. I get compliments from everyone that sees it. They can also put some nice designs with the way the bricks are laid.
It does get hot but I've honestly never been around a pool thats deck didn't get hot.

if you taste or smell salt in a SWG pool then they are not running their generator correctly...which is prob 75% of the people out there

SWG should taste, feel, look like mountain spring water and have no ill side effect on any pool hard scaping If it does they are not running their chemistry right and if your getting your advice or chemistry from a pool builder or local pool testing store than you're really lost