Should You Have Staycation LLC Build YOur Pool?

12/16/2022.  A lot of the big items on the list like fixing the irrigation system and installing steel edging and landscaping around the bird cage are completed. However, quite a few small things some functional, some cosmetic remain.   We don't have a clear timetable from Danny for their resolution. 

11/25/22, Danny Teems the owner of Staycation came by and we agreed on a punch list of about 11 final items to close out the project. It was friendly, easy, and there were no major issues.  We enjoyed spending time together reflecting on how far the project had come from when we originally signed the papers many months earlier.

November 2nd - Several more days where water temperatures have been warm enough to swim without being able to turn on the heater.  We love the functionality of the pool.  At 45 feet there is plenty of room to lap swim. Can't wait to be able to turn on the heater after the first 30 days have passed.  We are starting to be contacted by people who are coming by to complete the punch list items. We are scheduled for the final sanding and sealing of the pavers this week. We've also connected with the painter who will be touching up areas around our Lanai that were affected when the screens were removed. Danny said it will take three to four weeks to wrap up everything completely.  In the meantime, we are able to entertain in the pool area, and when the water temperature is naturally warm enough, we are able to swim.  The main challenge for us currently is to keep brushing the pool thoroughly every day to keep the calcium that is leaching from the concrete as it cures from sticking to the tile and the other surfaces.

October 25th - Danny Teems came by and we worked out the punch list. Only 11 items and none were major.  You have to wait 30 days to turn on the heater, so we have only had two days so far that have been warm enough to swim. It was a real pleasure to swim on those two days. Our pool is 45 feet long and just about ideal for lap swimming. We can't wait to get the heater going (or more consecutive warm days) so we can enjoy the pool with reasonable temperature water. We aren't done, but we can see the finish line and can't wait to get there.

October 10th - The bird cage is up, turf is down, and today a team is onsite cleaning and draining the pool. We expect to have the inside coated and water in the pool before the end of this week.  There will still be a lot of small punch list type things to complete after this, but water in the pool is the last major milestone.

September - Work has started on the bird cage and teams have come in to clean the site and work on restoring the irrigation system.  Hurrican Ian hit Florida, and everyone lost a week or more of work time.  

August - The paver team finished our rear deck.  The next big step is to get the bird cage in place.  Staycation ran into staffing issues and we are on hold until they can get the bird cage build going.  

July 21 - 25 The paver team started to install the coping around the edge of the pool on Thursday 7/21. Friday and Saturday 7/22-23 a full five-person team was onsite grading the site, finishing the coping, and laying down pavers.  

July 20th - The pavers were delivered today. (See photo gallery for pictures.) Danny said he will send his paver team to our site as soon as they wrap up their current job - probably next week.

July 8th - A team of two came onsite and cleaned up the debris from our site in anticipation of the paver installation.  They left some rebar. Danny says he has them picking them up from all sites in the next few wee

June 25-30th -  A team of two people came onsite several days during this period and laid down the electrical conduit and piping for the hose bib and electric outlet in the pool area per the plan.  They also had to retroactively add the conduit for the lighted bubblers.    A team of electricians also came onsite and hooked up the heat pump and other electrics. The electrics for the bubblers will be installed when they arrive.

June 18 & 22 - Tile team came on Saturday 18th and did the tiling. They finished in a horrendous downpour. Tile installer returned on Wed 22nd to check the finished job and do touch up on a few areas.  Appreciated the follow-up to make sure install was done right. 

June 16th - A tile installer came today. He pumped out the pool and applied mastic base to the surfaces on the water line that are going to be tiled. He said he will be back either Saturday or next week with a team to do the actual tiling.  He said they will wrap it up in a day once they start.  The team that did the footers also returned and took the wood frames off of the concrete.  So, we have another week with progress on our pool while many others in the neighborhood haven't had any work on their unfinished pools for several months.  Our worksite still needs to have a clean-up crew come through. But, as long as progress on the big issues continues, this is not a deal breaker. 

June 9 & 13 - Danny's in-house crew built the frames for the footers on 6/9 and returned today, 6/13 and poured the concrete.  It is another steady incremental step toward completion.  Two bonus points for Staycation in the way the work was done.  First, the equipment was a small cement truck. This enables Staycation to pick up a small load and execute a small job instead of having to keep piling up requirements until they have enough to dispatch a full-sized truck to a laundry list of sites.  Second, at one point in the pour, the workers splashed a small amount of concrete on our painted wall at the back of our home.  They immediately went and got a sponge and water and removed all traces of the splash.  When I commented on their action positively, they said they wanted to do a good job and not leave problems they would have to return to fix.  When workmen are precise on things like this that you can observe, my experience is that they are also carefully executing on other things you might not see.  It's a mark of good craftsmanship. I gave that feedback to Danny. He and his team deserved it. 

May 20 - June 9th, 2022 - Staycation continues to make steady progress and deliver quality work on our pool project.  They completed the strip and back fill on May 27th, and all of the plumbing on June 6th. Today, June 9th, a crew is outside installing forms for the footers to be poured.  Danny anticipates doing the footer concrete pour next week.  The crews that have shown up were fluent in English, friendly, and executed the tasks they were working on with the quickness and efficiency of individuals who are very experienced and know what they are doing.  The only performance issue to date is the continued presence of unused materials and trash on our worksite.  Danny had thought he could get a clean-up crew in this week to alleviate the problem, however, he was unable to get them here. We have ranked Staycation down on this factor in the last two report cards.  However, this is not a majpr concern when weighed against their steady and solid delivery of major completion milestones. Therefore, we have continued to rate their performance A overall on each of the phases completed to date.  We may still encounter major setbacks or issues in the work remaining, but at this point in the project, their performance on work that has been completed has all been very good.

May 13 - May 20, 2022 - Over a total nine-day period, beginning 5/11 and ending on 5/20, Staycation completed the Dig, Steel, and Gunite, phases of our project.  We rated them A on 9 of our 11 individual evaluation factors. The two lower ratings, a B and C, were related to tools and materials strewn across our front lawn. If they do a good job of clean up, we will revise these upward. Overall, we are very pleased with the quality and pace of the work and with Danny Teems' communication and responsiveness during the work.  We fully recognize that there are likely to be challenges on the project ahead. However, Staycation deserves credit for the work they did on these first three substantive work phases, and we are very pleased with the results. 

May 12, 2022 - Second day of onsite work. Irrigation team back onsite to address small issue. Two person finishing crew onsite for full day using heavy equipment and then hand finishing with shovels to do detailed sizing of excavation to plan size.  At end of day, steel, piping and materials required to install rebar and prepare for gunnite spray were delivered to our front yard.  

May 11, 2022 - First day of dig. Danny did excellent job of communicating issue with his equipment that resulted in Wed May 11th being start of excavation work. Once started the work went very quickly. Large team onsite with dump trucks, front loader, excavator.  Ended day with majority of pool area roughed in.   Installation of silt fencing on both sides of site minimized impact of dig on neighbors, a big plus. Access to the back yard via right of way to right of house dug up lawns significantly for us and our neighbor. Will require remediation at appropriate time. 

May 8, 2022 -Irrigation system prepped and capped off.  Expectation is team will start dig on Monday May 9. 

April 14, 2022 - Dig confirmed for 1st week of May per D. Teems text.  Exact day to be confirmed during week of May 1st. 

April 8 , 2022 -  Dig date moved to 1st week of May per D. Teems text.  

April 4, 2022 - Pool trim tiles delivered to our home. Being stored in our Lanai. 

March 12,2022 - F. Lancione exchanged text message with Danny Teems to inform him that necessary pre-dig owner responsibilities had been completed. Key points:

F. Lancione: Danny:  We have relocated the plants, patio, and lighting from the area where the pool will be installed. We are ready for you to dig before the current target date of the week of April 18th if any earlier spots open up on your schedule. Let us know if there is anything else we need to do to get ready.  

D. Teems: Perfect. We were moving really quick and we're a bit ahead . . . I still think we should be earlier

March 1, 2022 - F. Lancione exchanged text messages with Danny Teems. Key points summarized below:

D. Teems:  "Dig is scheduled week of April 18th if anything changes I will let you know."

F. Lancione:  "The landscaper who is moving my patio and plants will also do the follow-up work on my irrigation that I am responsible for per the contract.  He asked that your crew mark the places you've established new end points on the irrigation system with plastic pipe so he can easily find them after the job is done. Will your team be able to do that?"

D, Teems: "Yes"

February 22, 2022 -Danny Teems visited our site to answer questions, advise on the schedule for our dig, and provide information we need regarding moving a patio and plants prior to the dig date.  Key Points:

1. Current plan is for dig in the last week of March or first week of April

2. Deadline for getting plants and patio moved is 3rd week of March

3. Dirt from dig will be staged at the north and east sides of our site. Danny indicated that they will be careful to minimize intrusion of dirt piles into east side neighbor’s yard.

4. Danny or Eric will personally reach out to adjoining neighbors to inform them of upcoming activities and Staycation’s schedule and commitments regarding restoration prior to the dig. Staycation will be the point of contact to neighbors for any issues they have. The goal is to have neighbor raise their concerns directly with Staycation instead of redundantly routing concerns through us.

5. On the east side of our home, Danny said they will clear out the first two plants on the north end of the wall to create approximately a six-foot area for the eventual installation of the pumps and equipment. 

6. On the west side of our home, Danny indicated that we would need to leave a six-foot space from the end of the wall adjoining the garden to the area where we will be storing transplanted bushes and storing stone recovered from the back patio. 

7. Danny said he will be the point of contact for our project up through the dig. Eric will assume day to day responsibility for the project after that milestone. Danny indicated he would text Eric’s contact data to Frank (completed, text received).

8. Danny said he or Eric would advise us what subcontractor companies would be coming onto our property in advance at each major project milestone

9. Danny estimated the project would be complete approximately 20 weeks from the dig date

February 18, 2022 - We received a call from Danny Teems the other co-owner. He apologized for the delay n getting back to us.  When we explained what we were looking for, he volunteered to come out personally on Tuesday February 22nd to inspect the site and advise on how much clearance we would need to leave around the dig area and where it would be safe to replant the items we were moving.    

February 14-18 2022 - We placed several calls into Leigh Ann Teems and left messages indicating that we were trying to schedule landscape resources to relocate plants and take up a hardscape patio in the area where the dig would occur. We left messages asking that we be contacted and apprised of the schedule so that we would know when our landscape work had to be completed.  

 February 9th, 2022 - We received an e-mail from Leigh Ann Teems the Co-Owner of Staycation LLC that we had completed all the necessary steps for permitting. The e-mail said we would next be contacted by Eric, our assigned project manager, and provided information on where we were on the schedule to have our pool dug.