Vanishing Edge Pool Expert Witness Consultant

Your dream pool has been completed... but it does not work properly.  Water is spilling down the hillside, not all of the edges are wet, or the pool gets cloudy each time the edge system turns on.  

It is turning into a nightmare.  The pool builder is unresponsive or unable to correct the problems. You are at your wits end.

Reality is setting in...

Lets face it, the reality is that you probably hired the wrong builder for your project.  They either lack the required knowledge, skill sets or ability to build a properly operating water in transit design.  

There are many possible things that can go wrong with infinity edge or overflow pools.  If being someones learning curve is not for you, then investigate their credentials.  Do not select your contractor based upon the lowest bid - that is the wrong mentality for these complex pools.

The lowest bidder is working on the lowest profit margins.  That means that there is little or no extra money to resolve errors in their construction practices or design.  You will be forced to finance any repairs yourself.  

This will oftentimes result in a lawsuit, lawyers and a financial drain (you'll have to finance the lawsuit out of your pocket).  Not to mention the stress and anguish.

Expert Witness

Don't be shocked by the fees charged by an expert to come out and inspect your project.  Experts are just that.  Persons with a significant level of expertise, experience, training and education.  Usually decades of experience designing and building complex aquatic facilities.

You are not an expert.  That's why you hired someone else to build your pool in the first place.  Though you may have identified the most serious defects, you most certainly have not located all of them.  You can be confident that if a property owner is aware of some mistakes, that an expert will locate many more violations.

Embarrassment

Now is the time to put your shame and embarrassment aside.  It is time to bite the bullet and get to the heart of the mistakes.  Do not make the same mistake hiring a cheap or inexpensive "expert."

Remember the adage - "You get what you pay for."  ?


Paolo Benedetti, SWD
Aquatic Artist, Watershape Consultant, Expert Witness, International Construction Management
Contact the author at: info@aquatictechnology.com or 408-776-8220
"Creating water as art."™
Aquatic Technology Pool and Spa©
©www.aquatictechnology.com
All rights reserved.

Expert Witness evaluation of swimming pool construction project

An expert witness evaluation of a troubled construction project entails many steps...

What was promised...

A review of all of the written communications between the contractor and owner is the first step.  Verbal promises are a debate that will rage for eons and don't hold much water.

The expert will want to review:
bids
proposals
contracts
change orders
emails
contractor conceptual drawings and plans
structural engineering
project specifications
images taken during construction
owner punchlist and builder responses
permits
inspection correction notices

What was delivered...

Next the expert will want to perform a site inspection.  They will evaluate the project, comparing the finished project to the contract, engineering and plans and to industry workmanship standards.

This stage can take anywhere from a few hours to weeks.  Sometimes previously undisclosed items are discovered.  On other occasions, a specialized expert is called in to evaluate specific issues.  These can be geologists, electrical engineers or structural engineers.  If the quality of the construction materials is in question, a testing laboratory might remove samples for analysis.

Written Evaluation

The written evaluation will outline the issues, possible causes, the standard or code that was to be met and suggestions for remediation.

While some issues are easily remedied, some required extensive structural repairs.  When the cost of repair exceeds or approaches the cost of removal and replacement, most judicial bodies will opt for the reconstruction of the entire project.

Expert's Responsibility

The expert's responsibility is not to the person paying the bills - it is to revealing the truth.  The facts are the facts and the cards fall where they may.  It is merely the expert's job to report their findings, whether positive or negative for their client.  

You can't twist the truth - unless you're a politician!

Paolo Benedetti 
Aquatic Artist, Watershape Consultant, Expert Witness 
"Creating water as art."™ 
Aquatic Technology Pool and Spa 
©www.aquatictechnology.com