Is it already in the ground? What stage are you in?

When my pool designer first showed me our final plan, it too was just a slope from one end to the other, shallow to deep. And she initially gave me some kind of bs about length of pool and slope angle, etc. But I just kept saying no (bc who wants to feel like they are on an angle the whole time?) and talked to someone else with the company.

Also, check at troublefreepool.com I posted my plan there and got great feedback and information I took back to my pool builder. In the end I have one half that runs about 3.5-4.5/5 ft, and around 5 feet there is a significant drop about a foot and the rest is 6-7 ft deep.

A structural engineer will conform to a certain slope ratio based on the proposed depths and transitions.

The client would provide the depth(s) they would prefer, the PB would convey this information to the structural engineer and design accordingly. It will include the concrete thickness and other specs, the type of rebar and their placement/spacing and may also so skimmer details in relation to wall thickness and also rebar placement.

Generally depths will vary from the shallow end, the break, and the deep section.

Constant depth pool are designed differently and structural engineer will design based on that.

Ad yes, a tanning ledge can take up a significant portion of the shallow section which results in a short distance to the break point. We have made pools longer because of this aspect in order to provide a longer section before the break.

I went back through all my communications and photos from the builder and there is not one single photo that shows the slope scale. I only have generic photos of the layout. And this isn't the only thing he has made decisions on his own about. He added a deep end swim out without even asking us if we wanted it, where we wanted it or how deep we wanted it. Plus he never asked me how deep I wanted the tanning ledge. Nor did he ask where I wanted our 3 led lights placed. Plus, I wanted glass waterline tile and he tried to tell us it would cost an additional $5000. I know that tile is more expensive but it's only about $900 more, so now I have a tile that I hate. I am so angry over this entire build.

By the sound of it I think it's a finished pool in the ground already?

I think you need to talk to the pool builder about your unhappiness and see if anything can be done. The tile can probably be redone to at least something you love. I'd maybe use someone else unless he offers that at no cost.

If it's any consolation regarding the slope, most of the time we are on a float of some kind so not really walking along the bottom anyway.

@justcallmepool the pool is not complete yet, just gunite and tile so far. I am going to talk to him today. Thanks for the feedback!

definitely get the tile you want at least

It sounds like you have a very difficult problem. I don’t see a good solution. Once the permits are pulled and the basic structure is in place, i don’t see how the structure itself can be changed. Any change in that would require Re permitting at least in our neck of the woods (Gulf coast Texas). Have you paid in full? Do you still owe money? Negotiate best deal you can and hopefully the finished product will hold water and give you years of fun. Hard lessons—in today’s world, you have to get very knowledgeable and deeply involved to pull off any home project. Not saying you did this, but avoid low bidder too. Talk to previous client’s and folks those people know to fully vet contractor. Pools are tricky business for sure!!

@Flo Mangan we interviewed several pool companies, talked to previous customers, read reviews, checked BBB, and they were not the lowest bidder, more mid-range, but had excellent customer feedback. They do good work, but their project manager needs to learn some actual project management skills lol.

Great. You’ve done everything right. Get a face to face meeting with pool company owner and discuss your concerns and desires. Pool companies are in high demand and good craft are hard to find. Hope you can figure out a satisfactory resolution. As I said, wasn’t saying you didn’t do your due diligence but rather for others to gain from your experience. Best of luck.

@Flo Mangan we are paying in stages too, so I told him this morning some things need to be addressed before another payment is dispersed.

Perfect. You have some leverage. Try to be as logical as possible. Think through what your “desired outcomes” are. No need to reveal them but good to be clear in your own mind about what would satisfy you.