FINALLY!!! My Fiberglass Pool is PERFECT!!!,Well "Pretty Close" to "Perfect"o

[Guest Suesan Jean]

Hello, Hello, Hello!!! Some of you may remember my name from quite awhile back, actually, three years ago, when I was "researching" fiberglass pools. I wrote all about our experience when we had our "San Juan, Vegas" pool installed, our happiness with our pool, then some of the problems we had and how we had hoped to have things resolved. Well, I am here to report the "final outcome"!!

First, let me say that we LOVE OUR POOL!!! I am so glad we got it, I/we have spent many, many, many happy, relaxing hours in it, we have had some wonderfull "pool parties" and we have many happy memories from just three years of pool ownership, but, we did have a few problems.....

The biggest problem was the unlevelness of the deep end of the pool, it was off by three and a half inches, (sinking down) it was and looked awfull. The pool company said they would fix it, but did not (I could go into excruciating detail, but I won't, if you want details, you can e-mail me...) Plus there were other issues with the pool tile being put on EXTREMELY SLOPPY and a spider crack, but we choose to zero in on the unlevel problem, we had another pool company fix it and our pool is NOW, LEVEL!!! For the first time in three years!!

THAT pool company, which I HIGHLY reccomend is: "UNDERHILL CONTRACTING" of Katonah, New York. They install San Juan pools, for anyone who would like their number, please e-mail me.

Stephen of Underhill and his crew have been WONDERFULL and very professional. We could have choosen him the first time around, but we went with a company that has been in business for over 20 years, I thought (wrongly) that the more experience, the better.....

For anyone contemplating a Fiberglass Pool, it IS a WONDERFULL product!! Our pool is three years old and looks great!!! Fiberglass is an EXCELLENT product for a pool, it is VERY easy to keep clean and maintain, I reccomend a Fiberglass Pool HIGHLY!!!

If anyone has any questions, just ask, either here or e-mail. Good Luck with ALL your pools!!!

Suesan

[Guest jennifer m]

Hi.

We are considering a fiberglass pool. We are building a home with a courtyard in the middle. We are concerned about any major problems with the pool popping out. How will they be able to get in and fix it when it is surrounded by four walls? The last wall to go up, after the pool is in, is a 6 foot wall with no house behind it (just a side yard) but the other three walls are just 2-3 feet away from the bedrooms/dining area, etc...When they came out to fix your pool, did they have to do any major digging?

Jennifer M

Lakeland, FL

[Guest Debbie]

Thank you for the information. I cannot find anything on the internet about pricing. How does the price of a fiberglass pool compare to a concrete pool? Also, have you had the pool tile and spider crack repaired? If so, was that costly?

Thanks for your help,

Debbie H

Bakersfield, CA

[Guest Suesan Jean]

Jennifer- The courtyard pool sounds REALLY neat!!! Very unusual and different. Don't worry about a fiberglass pool popping out, if it is installed correctly, it should NEVER pop out!!

How big is your entire courtyard? Is that going to be your "backyard"? Is the fourth wall on the property line? (just trying to get a "feel" for how it will look) Will you have space for chairs, tables etc....?

It sounds as if you will be able to just take a few steps out of each room and be in the pool. Am I correct??

When we had the pool fixed they did not require alot of space, but, they needed the yard on the side of the house to bring in the wheelbarrows and equipment. You need to really sit down and talk with a fiberglass pool dealer/installer, have him/her look at your property and make suggestions. Too see if it is do-able. People do have pools IN their homes, your's, for all intensive purposes, will be too!!! You need to talk to the professionals!!!

GOOD LUCK Jennifer!!!

Debbie- I live in Mount Kisco, New York. The prices I got for my San Juan, "Vegas" pool, was $30,000 for the pool, transportation of the pool, installation of the pool, pool appliances (heater, filter, chlorinator), fiberoptic light, hand rail, tile and gravel. Prices may vary for you because of the pool you choose (the manufacturer, the size, color, special tile work, other doodads, like a spa, fountain, etc....). How far it has to be transported, if you have any unusual circumstances during the dig, like water or rock. And maybe out by you they charge more or less, whatever is the norm in your area.

That $30,000 did NOT include the fencing around the yard (as required by the town), upgrading our electrical from 100 amps to 200 amps, all the wiring of the pool appliances, the automatic pool cover, the wiring for the pool cover, the paver pool decking, and the town building permit, all that, plus a paver patio cost ANOTHER $30,000!!!! Also, the landscaping of the backyard was NOT included. You will NOT BELIEVE how much destruction there will be from the excavator, the truck and the Bobcat!!! It is AMAZING!!!

I got three estimates for a concrete pool, 15 X 30, a simple rectangle, the LOWEST price I got (and I am NOT Joking!!!) was $90,000!!!! Yeah, I was stunned!!! I guess my part of New York commands VERY HIGH concrete pool prices. THAT'S when I discovered the wonderfull world of fiberglass!!!

We have not had the tiles fixed yet, the tile guy is very, very busy.....Maybe in the Fall.That will cost another $1,500 at least. We have decided to ignore the spider crack, we can't see it and it is just cosmetic, so, we will live with it.

If you have anyother questions, please feel free to e-mail me.

Suesan

[Guest Theresa Okeraon]

I am looking for answers, and thought you might be able to help. Our fiberglass pool is 4 years old. There is a crack in the middle of the longest straight wall, and it is bowing in quite dramatically. I can only assume it's pressure from underground water. It is going to need major work to fix the problem, including tearing up all the concrete on that side, figuring out exactly what is causing it to bow, and fixing it correctly. It will probably always look "patched". I feel the pool company is going to try to put some of the repair cost on us. Have you ever heard of this kind of a problem?

[Guest jeff]

We had a San juan pool installed. After four months the pool leaked and the pool cracked, The dealer would not correct his shoddy work and the manufacture would not return phone calls or accept certified mail. It is now going thru the court system. As a consumer My advice is to strongly stay away from San juan Pools. If major problems occur, you maybe a consumer like me trying to defend your legal rights against deceptive practices. Reputable companies honor their clients, workmanship and warranty contracts.

[Guest Suesan Jean]

Theresa and Jeff- Both your problems sound quite awfull!!! I am SO SORRY you are having such a bad time with your individual pools.

From what I have learned from this phorum, other phorums and people with fiberglass pools, I have come to the conclusion that the INSTALLATION, WILL make or break your happiness with the pool. Installation is 100%, the key to what kind of problems you will or won't have. The owner of the company that fixed our pool last month said that just FIXING pools keeps him in business and VERY, VERY BUSY!!!

He believes that the majority of fiberglass pool manufacturers make an excellent product, that you really can't go wrong with the pool you choose, but, the INSTALLATION is THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR!!!

Pool manufacturers are NOT responsible for their pool once it goes in the ground, because EVERYTHING traces back to the INSTALLATION, ALL problems....!!! My pool had spider cracks in it which were found BEFORE installation, San Juan WOULD fix them.

The tricky thing is finding a good dealer/installer, they seem to be few and far between......

Theresa, I think you need to consult a lawyer, we did. He reccomended we have the repairs done, then sue for that amount. Your problems sound ALL related to improper installation, which WILL damage your pool. As unfortunately, you know all about....

Jeff, you too need to see a lawyer, your problem is ALL improper installation. It really is disheartning isn't it, to be used and abused this way. Wouldn't it be nice to just find someone who will stand by their work and fix whatever problems occur.....???

Good Luck!!

Suesan

[Guest JM]

I agree with you Susean Jean on all the issues. But i believe all Manufacture's should control their people who represent them at all times. They in fact should be teaching their installers the do's and don'ts and common sense of installing their pools. I am sure they say they do. But not the installer I had. They know who they have that keep ripping consumers off and doing a bad job. I do believe their are more decent installers and people in general that take pride in what they do in life. But sometimes life comes with a twist.

[Guest MJ]

We have a fiberglass pool the same age as your and we are having the same type of problems. We have a 6 inch crack on the deep end walk ledge. The deep end sank about 3 inches over the last three years. We are not happy at all with this pool. It will cost major money to cut the concrete out around the pool. We also have a very expensive fence around the pool, that will have to be removed to do the repair work needed. We have not decided if we should just cut our losses and fill the pool in are pay a ton of money to have it fixed..

[Guest Suesan]

MJ,

I am sorry to hear about your pool problem. Our problem just cost us $7,000 to fix in June!!!

We were NOT happy with the BIG $$$ at all!! But, we love our pool and we wanted to salvage it. And we hope to sue the pool contractor, but, our lawyer doesn't seem to eager to get started on such a "small" law suit. We may go to small claims court to get some of the $$$ back.....

I guess you have to decide how much you enjoy your pool versus the cost of fixing it, look at your long term pleasure and your short term "pain" of shelling out the $$$ to pay for the repair.....

It is NOT an easy decision at all.....

Suesan

[Guest Eric Petronovich]

I have been reviewing your e-mails and believe I have good news for you. I have been in the fiberglass industry for over twenty five years and have dealt with these problems many times. To start with, your " spider cracks" are merely stress fractures through the surface of the gelcoat, these occur from flexing or impact in the local area, they can be fixed relatively easily with the proper technician. If you decide you want to fix them keep these things in mind, first ask the tech if he can match the color of the gelcoat, he should be able to match the color relatively easily if he says he cant match the color then you should look for another tech. Generally most of these pools leave the factory blue and blue is an easy color to match. Make sure to ask questions about what materials they will use, especially if your repairs need any glass work affiliated with them. If glassing and shaping are reqiured before gelcoat then make sure they use vinylester resins, vinylesters withstand water penetration better than polyesters. To keep this somewhat short I will tell you that an average 2 inch spider crack should take about 2 to 3 hours to repair this should cover, sand prep, fill and sand, gelcoat, wetsand and buff. Keep in mind if you have more than one area to repair it is more time efficiant to repair several areas at once.( Multi tasking). If you have any questions regarding other aspects of fiberglass pools feel free to contact me at [email protected] Have a good day

[Guest Bo]

in Florida YOU CAN CALL DEPT. OR BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL REGULATIONS at State Capitol about the contractor. My neighbor has a san juan pool & installed it themselfs 7 yrs ago, & it's fine, My pool is from a different manufacturer, I have a 2' void running across the pool where shallow end starts to slope down to the deep end 16' long, manufacturer sent letter to county without looking at pool that it is under warrenty., your final on the pool can be reversed by city or county if there is enough reason per my county investigator when asked this by Me if my pool gets a final. If anyone else reads this with a void under their pool you need to find a structual engeneer that will get in your pool. The hollow sound & the vibrations on the void will confirm you have a void. You now have dimenished value because if you sell your house you have to disclose this. if you convence a city or county inspector to come to your house, they will not get in the pool use a 2" or bigger pvc pipe, duct tape the bottom, have inspector hold pipe around 2" from bottom, the water will send sound waves through the pipe, like whales singing, if you put pipe on bottom or bounce pipe all You will get is the pipe vibrating. When contractors tell you, or bully you that they are going to turn you over to their attorney because you have a problem, this is a scare tactic for they probable have a problem, it will cost you a lot of money they say, a consultation here costs 100 dollars. To replace Your POOL ?.

[Duke]

Hello, Hello, Hello!!! Some of you may remember my name from quite awhile back, actually, three years ago, when I was "researching" fiberglass pools. I wrote all about our experience when we had our "San Juan, Vegas" pool installed, our happiness with our pool, then some of the problems we had and how we had hoped to have things resolved. Well, I am here to report the "final outcome"!!

First, let me say that we LOVE OUR POOL!!! I am so glad we got it, I/we have spent many, many, many happy, relaxing hours in it, we have had some wonderfull "pool parties" and we have many happy memories from just three years of pool ownership, but, we did have a few problems.....

The biggest problem was the unlevelness of the deep end of the pool, it was off by three and a half inches, (sinking down) it was and looked awfull. The pool company said they would fix it, but did not (I could go into excruciating detail, but I won't, if you want details, you can e-mail me...) Plus there were other issues with the pool tile being put on EXTREMELY SLOPPY and a spider crack, but we choose to zero in on the unlevel problem, we had another pool company fix it and our pool is NOW, LEVEL!!! For the first time in three years!!

THAT pool company, which I HIGHLY reccomend is: "UNDERHILL CONTRACTING" of Katonah, New York. They install San Juan pools, for anyone who would like their number, please e-mail me.

Stephen of Underhill and his crew have been WONDERFULL and very professional. We could have choosen him the first time around, but we went with a company that has been in business for over 20 years, I thought (wrongly) that the more experience, the better.....

For anyone contemplating a Fiberglass Pool, it IS a WONDERFULL product!! Our pool is three years old and looks great!!! Fiberglass is an EXCELLENT product for a pool, it is VERY easy to keep clean and maintain, I reccomend a Fiberglass Pool HIGHLY!!!

If anyone has any questions, just ask, either here or e-mail. Good Luck with ALL your pools!!!

Suesan

Susan, could you please email me the contact info for UNDERHILL CONTRACTING" of Katonah, New York?

thanks,

Duke

[email protected]

[bjd0316]

Hello, Hello, Hello!!! Some of you may remember my name from quite awhile back, actually, three years ago, when I was "researching" fiberglass pools. I wrote all about our experience when we had our "San Juan, Vegas" pool installed, our happiness with our pool, then some of the problems we had and how we had hoped to have things resolved. Well, I am here to report the "final outcome"!!

First, let me say that we LOVE OUR POOL!!! I am so glad we got it, I/we have spent many, many, many happy, relaxing hours in it, we have had some wonderfull "pool parties" and we have many happy memories from just three years of pool ownership, but, we did have a few problems.....

The biggest problem was the unlevelness of the deep end of the pool, it was off by three and a half inches, (sinking down) it was and looked awfull. The pool company said they would fix it, but did not (I could go into excruciating detail, but I won't, if you want details, you can e-mail me...) Plus there were other issues with the pool tile being put on EXTREMELY SLOPPY and a spider 2. crack, but we choose to zero in on the unlevel problem, we had another pool company fix it and our pool is NOW, LEVEL!!! For the first time in three years!!

THAT pool company, which I HIGHLY reccomend is: "UNDERHILL CONTRACTING" of Katonah, New York. They install San Juan pools, for anyone who would like their number, please e-mail me.

Stephen of Underhill and his crew have been WONDERFULL and very professional. We could have choosen him the first time around, but we went with a company that has been in business for over 20 years, I thought (wrongly) that the more experience, the better.....

For anyone contemplating a Fiberglass Pool, it IS a WONDERFULL product!! Our pool is three years old and looks great!!! Fiberglass is an EXCELLENT product for a pool, it is VERY easy to keep clean and maintain, I reccomend a Fiberglass Pool HIGHLY!!!

If anyone has any questions, just ask, either here or e-mail. Good Luck with ALL your pools!!!

Suesan

Hello Susan,

I am considering a Vegas model from San Juan. I am wondering if you could let me know some information about your Vegas model pool:

1. The depth at the deepest part of pool, how deep is the actual waterlevel (after water inside pool)? I am 5ft 7 inch tall, and wonder how deep the water level is (deepest end). I wouldn't mind the pool depth to be up to my chin (face) area.

2. Also, I love the width, is it as wide as it sounds, with alot of swim area?

3. Is the pool medium, large, very large?

4. The steps at both ends, do they take alot of space from length of pool, or does it matter, since pool is large?

5.Also, from shallow end to deep end, is the pool more deep than shallow? (I am 5 ft 7 inches tall, and have two sons plus husband who are 6 ft 3 inches tall. Is the pool too shallow for us?)

6. Do you have white color fiberglass? If so, please about having white, if it is ok, or should get color?

Sorry about all the many questions, but everytime I see a picture of the Vegas pool, they look so elegant, plus I love steps at both ends, and the width. I worry mostly about how deep it is, and if there is more deep in the pool than shallow area.

Thank you much,

Brenda