We messed up: our pool is too deep!

[gunnut81]

My wife and I have literally just finished getting a brand new Inground pool at our new house that is under construction and when I say just finished I mean it is being filled today.

The company that built it for us is amazing and the owners have become friends of ours. The problem is we messed up in planning this isn’t our 1st pool but it is the 1st we have had built our old one was already there when we bought. We have what is supposed to be a sports pool that is shallower on the ends and deeper in the middle. The pool was my one demand before we sold our old house I didn’t want to downgrade but this one is too deep in the middle I trusted my wife’s judgment and she said it is the same measurements as our old pool. However this one is 5.5 ft deep in the middle and I could touch in the old one but I cannot even see outside the pool in the middle of the new one. The ONLY activity I enjoy in a pool is basketball and being so deep I seriously doubt it will work so the pool I wanted is pretty much useless to me. I know this is our mess up and not the companies and we got the pebble style plaster and there is drains in the bottom. I said I thought it was going to be too deep the whole time but I was assured it wouldn’t be so I figured it just seemed deep because it wasn’t finished and being our 1st I had no way to tell.

Is there any way it can be fixed I don’t know much about pool construction but it seems to me like pouring more concrete in the bottom and putting plaster over it should work as long as the drain was raised too, it seems like the bottom would just be thick but I don’t know if it could cause problems or not. Has anyone else dealt with a pool that was too deep?

Being brand new I would hate to screw it up but I don’t have a good feeling about it and don’t think it will be very enjoyable and feel like a huge waste of money.

[PoolDoc]

IF the structure of the pool is sufficient, AND the dirt UNDER the pool is stable, THEN you can raise the bottom.

I've done it. There are several ways to do it. Regardless, trying to blend the new bottom into the old is a trick that may not succeed. Also, it won't be cheap, in part because it's non-standard work and your builder will have to use his 'smart' workers on YOUR pool, instead of scattering them around. You may have to wait till fall, just to get out of the busy season, so your builder can focus on your pool, without crippling other jobs he's working on.

Since you are this far along, there's little to lose by finishing it. I'd recommend going with what you've got, making sure it all works properly. Once it's full, you can see if it's as bad as you think, and make a decision.

Keep in mind that -- because this will be very NON-standard work -- your warranty may be compromised.

[PoolDoc]

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[gunnut81]

Well we got in it for the 1st time yesterday and it is exactly what I was afraid of I hate it no adult there could touch in the middle and my chest hurts from swallowing so much water trying to get used to it. I did find out it is much deeper than the plans called for, appearantly we had 6 inches extra when they measured it so it was put in the depth and it is almost 6ft deep in places. I really hope the company will fix it or I pretty much have a 50k$ bath tub.

[PoolDoc]

Sorry for the problems.

If the contract drawings show a pool 6" shallower . . . that should be a material difference that's a basis for a 'fix-it-free' claim. Maybe you can come to an agreement,t that you'll pay a PART of the cost -- say, 2/3 of ACTUAL invoices for materials used -- in exchange for them raising the bottom 12" instead of 6"

[gunnut81]

Thanks for your help I measured it at 5’11 in the middle way too deep for a sports pool I’m hopeful things will work out.