Gardner Pool Plastering Co Inc

Good friends recommended Gardner Outdoor and Pool Remodeling to us.  We knew we wanted a large company with a good reputation that had several crews, as this was a big job and we knew (from personal experience and from Angie's List)  that small contractors usually run on thin margins with few workers -- most of whom are subcontractors -- which could make this type of project drag on twice as long.  We were correct: all the workers were Gardner employees who reported directly to a manager with a foreman checking out each phase and overseeing the work. They all showed up on time with the right tools and materials. Almost all the workers wore Gardner shirts and showed pride in their work and respect for us and our property. Some of the workers had worked for Gardner for many years and knew every phase of the job and explained details to us. 

Before starting the project we had consulted with our pool service provider, Dave Smith (Left Coast Pools) about different finishes and requirements.  He had several suggestions, including that the pebble finishes would be harder to clean and explained why we should have a saltwater system installed whenever we replastered the pool. 

The project went very well.  We believe that Gardner's quality, materials and knowledge warrant the price we paid for the project. 

We met with Julie Oppenheimer, the Pool Specialist (sales representative), on March 5, 2014.  She came promptly with all possible samples of surfaces, tiles and grout, price lists of all the options plus photos of other pools showing various features, styles and colors to use as a guideline.  She explained the process step-by-step.  She was upfront about various options that would last longer and pointed out items that would be required (new steps, removing some hardware we never use) and the cheapest way to deal with a non-functioning skimmer that we don't use anyway (NOT fix it but epoxy it shut). She explained why tearing out our perfectly intact and attractive pool tile would ultimately save money: trying to preserve the tile would take longer (with increased labor costs) than a total tear-out, because the crew would have to make a fine cut under the existing tile to preserve it -- and if any tiles shattered then new tiles would have to be found and installed. She gave us a color catalog and price list of all the available tiles and worked out some sample costs to help us.

This was a complicated job, especially since it was difficult to estimate exactly how much rebar was rusted beneath the old plaster; in addition, there are new materials, techniques and requirements in the intervening 20 years so we learned a lot in a short time.  The initial proposal and contract which we signed on March 12 specified the number of rust spots that could be seen, and we knew that more would be found once the crew started the tear-out. The proposal and contract were precise and the Gardner staff and I used it as our guide.  Rosa, one of the schedulers in the Project Manager's office, worked with us on a start date.

The first worker arrived on June 23 to pump out all the water. We worked with him to determine the best drain to use.  Our two direct sewer lines -- the kitchen and the bath stack -- couldn't be used because the hoses wouldn't fit well, plus we were afraid that the high pressure would burst an internal pipe.  So we directed him to one of our garden drains which flowed into the street.  The only problem was nosy neighbors who came by to innocently inquire if we had a leak -- but were really concerned if we were ignoring water regulations.  (NO - we had already checked with the city water department.)  Ultimately we had to post our own sign that we were legally draining a pool.

After that was the demolition team -- all with jackhammers.  It took several days as this was a very big pool, plus they had to cut out a lot of rusted rebar. (The foreman came out and marked all the rust spots, requiring a change order that added to the cost -- but we knew this would happen.)  The demolition was the loudest part of the entire project. 

New tiles and grout were brought in by the 3-man masonry team.  At the same time an electrician and plumber duo arrived to install the saltwater system and the new underwater lights. (It took longer for the electrician as he had to do some rewiring of our old system, but he eventually came back to finish.)  The tile team worked long hours for two days, even until dark on a Saturday to finish up..  That impressed me -- until I noticed a few days later that the tile guy had made two glaring errors on the jacuzzi tile.  Ultimately a month later, Marcos Ortega, the foreman, came out to fix some details -- including pumping out some jacuzzi water into the main pool so he could pull out and install the proper design.  (He had to wait a month for the plaster to cure before he could repair the tiles. I also subsequently learned that the tile team was fired because they'd made too many errors on various pools, not just ours. I commend Gardner for watching the quality of their crews' work.)   The plaster crew came, and when they left they instructed us how to refill the pool.  (We learned that plaster cures in the water.)  When the pool was filled the acid wash team showed up and they were the best!  Sandy Lemon and his sons Anthony and Cody  are real pros, explaining the process and helping us understand the entire job. They suspended pumps in the jacuzzi and main pool to keep a constant flow and it looked and sounded like we had fountains in our pool -- a pleasant relief after all the noise and dust! 

Eventually Chris arrived to start up the pool. He explained what we had to do (brush the pool gently twice a day, keep the pump running for 72 hours to keep circulating the water) and what not to do (e.g. no "kreepy krawly" navigator and no wheels when vacuuming the pool for 30 days).  He came for 3 consecutive days to test the pool.  Meanwhile, Randy from Concrete Coating Specialists had come out to see the progress and his crew come out and spent 5 days repairing and resurfacing the pool deck (separate evaluation) while the plaster was curing.  Chris returned a month later to start the saltwater pump, leaving me bags of salt should we need it and showing me how it worked.

There were two problems, both of which related to the Project Manager's office. We are very detail-oriented especially on such an expensive project like this, and are accustomed to good communication with the contractors we engage. 

1. We understood change orders but there was always a lag and it was hard to figure out exactly what services we were paying for with each change order.  I finally got one of the schedulers to email me an itemized spreadsheet but the change orders were not specific -- just listed as  "Change Order #1" and "Change Order #2."  This was weeks later and we couldn't recall all that had happened. (Marcos eventually explained everything on one of his visits. I never knew when he'd show up, either, but I had my list of questions waiting.  Maybe that's the normal procedure.) 

2.  I never knew when the next team would come. The next day? Two days later? The previous team would say X or Y, but often it didn't happen.  Sometimes there needed to be a pause for a specific reason but we didn't know this.  Rosa emailed me a payment calendar that outlined each job and when each payment was due (which we appreciated and expected from a pro

This was a total remodel, plastering and new tile. There was no project manager assigned and it was difficult to know who to discuss the project with. The plaster was deficient and our pool looks terrible.

The actual work went smoothly from start to finish. The completion date was slightly later than originally promised, but this was at least partiallyt due to the rain experienced during the time the pool was being refurbished.

They did quality work at a fair price. They stood behind their work. They were timely.

They weren't the cheapest but they were very good. They stayed on time and the work they did was professional. The job was done and I got what I paid for.