Liam Brooks
Member
I’ve heard everything from a couple of weeks to months, depending on what’s being done. For those who’ve gone through it, how long did your project really take compared to what the contractor promised?
How long did your makeover actually take from start to finish?
- Thread starter Liam Brooks
- Start date
Megan Lawson
Member
Ours was quoted at about six weeks, but in reality, it stretched closer to three months. Most of the delay came from weather and waiting for materials that were backordered. The actual construction part moved fairly quickly once everything was on site. I’d say if you’re budgeting time, expect it to take a bit longer than the contractor’s best-case estimate. It’s frustrating in the moment, but once it’s done, you don’t really think about the extra weeks.
Kevin Marsh
Member
Honestly, our pool makeover took way longer than I thought it would. The contractor promised about a month and a half, but we ended up closer to ten weeks. Most of the holdup wasn’t really anyone’s fault, some rainy weeks slowed things down, and a few of the finishes we wanted were backordered.
Once the big pieces like plastering and decking were done, the work moved pretty fast, but all the tiny details and adjustments added extra days here and there. My tip: expect it to take longer than the “official” timeline and give yourself some breathing room. It makes the process way less stressful when you’re not counting the days.
Once the big pieces like plastering and decking were done, the work moved pretty fast, but all the tiny details and adjustments added extra days here and there. My tip: expect it to take longer than the “official” timeline and give yourself some breathing room. It makes the process way less stressful when you’re not counting the days.
Abigail Scott
Member
Mine was quoted 6 weeks but finished closer to 10 mostly weather gaps and backordered parts. My tip: add ~30% buffer to your timeline and don’t lock a hard finish date.
Lily Allen
Member
In my experience, it almost always takes longer than the original promise. Weather and materials slow things down. I’d suggest building in extra time from the start so you’re not stressing about the wait.
Megan Lawson
Member
Our makeover landed somewhere in the middle of what you’re hearing. The contractor quoted about five weeks, and it wrapped up just under eight. The actual hands-on work didn’t feel slow at all, but there were stretches where nothing happened because crews were juggling other jobs or waiting for inspections to get signed off.
What surprised me most was how much the timeline depended on sequencing. One small delay early on (demo ran a few days long) seemed to ripple through everything else. Once finishes started going in, though, things picked up quickly and it finally felt like progress every day.
If I were doing it again, I’d assume the quoted timeline is the ideal scenario and mentally add a few extra weeks. That way, when it finishes “late,” it actually feels on time.
What surprised me most was how much the timeline depended on sequencing. One small delay early on (demo ran a few days long) seemed to ripple through everything else. Once finishes started going in, though, things picked up quickly and it finally felt like progress every day.
If I were doing it again, I’d assume the quoted timeline is the ideal scenario and mentally add a few extra weeks. That way, when it finishes “late,” it actually feels on time.
Benjamin Lewis
Member
In my case the timeline almost always ran longer than promised because weather and scheduling delays are pretty common with pool work, my contractor said three weeks and it ended up closer to five, and once everything was finally wrapped up I cleaned the pool surface with aquadoc tile and vinyl cleaner so at least the finished result looked as good as it should.
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Nathan Parker
Member
Ours landed somewhere between optimistic and reality. The quote was four weeks, which sounded reasonable at the time, but from first demo to actually swimming again it was closer to six and a half. The funny part is the heavy work moved fast, demo, coping, surface prep, then everything slowed down with curing time and a couple weather hiccups that nobody could really control.
What I didn't expect was how much happens after the “big stuff” is done. Waiting for plaster to cure, balancing the water so the new surface doesnt get messed up, and dealing with early pH drift ate up more days than the contractor timeline ever mentioned. We couldn't really use the pool right away even though it looked finished, which mentally made it feel longer.
Once we were finally cleared to use it, I did a full clean before letting anyone in, mostly to get construction dust and residue off the tile and waterline. Using aquadoc tile and vinyl cleaner helped the finished job actually look finished instead of like a dusty worksite. If I had to do it again, Id assume the quote is best case and add a couple extra weeks in my head so the delays don't feel as painful.
What I didn't expect was how much happens after the “big stuff” is done. Waiting for plaster to cure, balancing the water so the new surface doesnt get messed up, and dealing with early pH drift ate up more days than the contractor timeline ever mentioned. We couldn't really use the pool right away even though it looked finished, which mentally made it feel longer.
Once we were finally cleared to use it, I did a full clean before letting anyone in, mostly to get construction dust and residue off the tile and waterline. Using aquadoc tile and vinyl cleaner helped the finished job actually look finished instead of like a dusty worksite. If I had to do it again, Id assume the quote is best case and add a couple extra weeks in my head so the delays don't feel as painful.
Elena Neagu
New member
From what Kevin Mars mentioned about giving yourself breathing room, I learned that the hard way too. Mine was quoted at 6 weeks and ended up closer to 9 because of rain and crew scheduling conflicts. The actual work moved fast, but the gaps between stages stretched everything out. Now whenever I hear an estimate, I automatically add a few extra weeks in my head so I’m not frustrated if it runs long.
Andrew Coleman
Member
Ours was quoted at 5 weeks. From first demo day to actual swim day it was just over 8.
The pattern seems the same for most people. The messy, loud phases move quickly. Demo, tile, coping, equipment swaps. Then you hit the “nothing is happening” stretches. Weather delay. Waiting on inspections. Crew finishing another job. Those gaps are what make it feel endless.
The other piece nobody really spells out is startup time. After resurfacing, we had daily brushing and constant testing because pH wanted to climb into the high 7s almost immediately. I was keeping alkalinity steady and watching the saturation index so we didn’t mess up the new finish. The pool looked done, but it wasn’t really ready to be used hard yet. That added another week or so mentally.
If I had to give advice, take whatever number they tell you and add 30 to 50 percent. Not because they’re dishonest, but because their timeline assumes perfect sequencing and perfect weather. Real life rarely cooperates.
Once it’s finished and the water’s balanced and stable, the extra weeks fade from memory. But during the project, it definitely feels longer than advertised.
The pattern seems the same for most people. The messy, loud phases move quickly. Demo, tile, coping, equipment swaps. Then you hit the “nothing is happening” stretches. Weather delay. Waiting on inspections. Crew finishing another job. Those gaps are what make it feel endless.
The other piece nobody really spells out is startup time. After resurfacing, we had daily brushing and constant testing because pH wanted to climb into the high 7s almost immediately. I was keeping alkalinity steady and watching the saturation index so we didn’t mess up the new finish. The pool looked done, but it wasn’t really ready to be used hard yet. That added another week or so mentally.
If I had to give advice, take whatever number they tell you and add 30 to 50 percent. Not because they’re dishonest, but because their timeline assumes perfect sequencing and perfect weather. Real life rarely cooperates.
Once it’s finished and the water’s balanced and stable, the extra weeks fade from memory. But during the project, it definitely feels longer than advertised.
Jacob Foster
Member
Reading through all of these, the pattern is pretty spot on. The “build” portion moves fast, but the sequencing and startup stretch everything out.
Our remodel was quoted at 6 weeks. From demo to swim day it was just under 9. What slowed us down wasn’t the actual crew work, it was waiting on an inspection after electrical was rerouted and then a two week gap before plaster because the applicator was backed up. Nobody really warned us about how much scheduling between subs can domino like that.
The other hidden time sink was equipment dialing. We upgraded to a Pentair IntelliFlo and a new cartridge filter at the same time, and I underestimated how long it would take to get flow rates and filter pressure dialed in. First couple days the pressure was running higher than I liked because there was still fine dust in the system from surface prep. It wasn’t a big deal, but it meant brushing, cleaning the cartridges early, and babysitting chemistry so the new finish didn’t scale while the pH was drifting up.
If I had to do it again, I’d assume the contractor’s timeline is the clean, no-weather, no-scheduling-conflicts version. Realistically, add a few weeks for curing, startup balancing, and the little adjustments that don’t show up on the brochure. Anyone here actually finish on time without at least one surprise delay?
Our remodel was quoted at 6 weeks. From demo to swim day it was just under 9. What slowed us down wasn’t the actual crew work, it was waiting on an inspection after electrical was rerouted and then a two week gap before plaster because the applicator was backed up. Nobody really warned us about how much scheduling between subs can domino like that.
The other hidden time sink was equipment dialing. We upgraded to a Pentair IntelliFlo and a new cartridge filter at the same time, and I underestimated how long it would take to get flow rates and filter pressure dialed in. First couple days the pressure was running higher than I liked because there was still fine dust in the system from surface prep. It wasn’t a big deal, but it meant brushing, cleaning the cartridges early, and babysitting chemistry so the new finish didn’t scale while the pH was drifting up.
If I had to do it again, I’d assume the contractor’s timeline is the clean, no-weather, no-scheduling-conflicts version. Realistically, add a few weeks for curing, startup balancing, and the little adjustments that don’t show up on the brochure. Anyone here actually finish on time without at least one surprise delay?
Amber Chase
Member
Ours was quoted at about 4 weeks and the full timeline ended up closer to 7 from demo to actually swimming again. Nothing major went wrong, it was just a bunch of small delays that stack up.
The demolition and prep stage moved quickly. Same with tile and coping. Where time stretched was the gaps between steps. One week we lost a couple days to rain, another time we were waiting for an inspection before the next crew could start. Individually those pauses didn’t seem like much, but they add up fast.
The other thing that made it feel longer was the startup period after the new surface went in. The pool looked finished, but we were brushing daily and testing a lot because the pH kept drifting up during curing. I was also watching filter pressure closely because plaster dust pushed it up about 3 or 4 psi until everything cleared out.
Once the water stabilized and the brushing phase slowed down, it finally felt like the project was actually done. If I had to do it again I’d assume the contractor’s timeline is the best case scenario and mentally add a couple weeks for weather, inspections, and startup chemistry. That way it doesn’t feel like the project is dragging when it inevitably runs a bit longer.
The demolition and prep stage moved quickly. Same with tile and coping. Where time stretched was the gaps between steps. One week we lost a couple days to rain, another time we were waiting for an inspection before the next crew could start. Individually those pauses didn’t seem like much, but they add up fast.
The other thing that made it feel longer was the startup period after the new surface went in. The pool looked finished, but we were brushing daily and testing a lot because the pH kept drifting up during curing. I was also watching filter pressure closely because plaster dust pushed it up about 3 or 4 psi until everything cleared out.
Once the water stabilized and the brushing phase slowed down, it finally felt like the project was actually done. If I had to do it again I’d assume the contractor’s timeline is the best case scenario and mentally add a couple weeks for weather, inspections, and startup chemistry. That way it doesn’t feel like the project is dragging when it inevitably runs a bit longer.