Pool Nightmare Chronicles -How our dream home turned into a construction nightmare
BAD EXPERIENCE - MAGLEBY COMMUNITIES, CRYSTAL POOLS
It all started simply enough..
We set out to create our dream home in 2016 but what we didn't know is we would be dealing with issues far into 2023. We've been involved in the legal process for several years after our general contractor and their subcontractors continuously failed to fix the issue.
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Magleby Communities contracted Crystal Pools to construct the pool and hot tub vault in the back yard.
And then the trouble started..
Shortly after Crystal Pools completed work on the pool and hot tub pad, the concrete supporting the pool began to settle substantially. We reached out to Magleby to come and inspect the settlement. This is what was said in the report made:
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“The purpose of the site visits, interviews, and document review is to perform a
preliminary assessment of the cause of settlement preliminary assessment of the cause of settlement and soil movement in the area surrounding the swimming pool at the subject lot. The damage caused by the soil movement has affected the swimming pool cover vault box and system, the concrete patios surrounding the pool, the Jacuzzi pad and vault box, the retaining walls to the west of the pool, and the landscape curbing. The pool itself is generally intact but measurements taken by Magleby construction indicate that the southwest corner of the pool has settled one to two inches.”
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“Visual observations readily reveal significant damage to all patios, retaining walls, and landscaping in the vicinity of the swimming pool. Concrete patios and the pool cover vault show vertical movements of one to eight inches when compared to the top of the swimming pool structure. These displacements are uneven and differential but are generally the greatest in magnitude on the north side of the pool.”
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“Magleby construction informed TEC that the one to two inches of settlement at
the southwest corner of the pool caused a crack in the pool structure that may have resulted in a leak.”
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It was expected that Magleby would communicate with the engineers and the pool company in order to fix the situation, but the situation has not been resolved or fixed.
What happened next?
A report was done to asses the extent of the issues causing the pool to settle and the reports showed that the collapse potential of the native soil was "extremely severe" and was among the worst the company had ever seen. The report warned that “without full removal of the collapsible soils, the current problems could easily double in magnitude or if only surface repairs were made the settlement would happen again.” And it did..
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The pool would continue to sink over the next several years until it reached the point where the decking and hot tub vault would need to be completely removed and replaced.
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At the present, some areas of the pool deck and spa pad have settled in excess of 6-8 inches, causing damage to the pool and hot tub, including the aforementioned crack in the bottom of the pool causing a leak.
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The subsidence on the pool, decking, and hot tub pad installed/constructed by Magleby, Crystal Pools, and WTI, and as recommended by the Tec Terra Report, WTI Evaluation, and other estimates, the Holmans must completely remove and replace the pool, decking, and hot tub pad at great expense to the family.
What's happening now?
Unfortunately a solution has not been reached, which is the reason for sharing this story publicly. Though extensive legal action has been taken, including mediation, no resolution has been reached. Many parties have appeared to be reluctant to take responsibility and therefore are unwilling to provide anymore compensation than approximately 15% of the total damages.