Boulder Pools & Waterscapes Jim Brisco, Boulder Pools, waterfallsusa sub-standard pool building and pool equipment installation. Kyle, Texas

Our pool was built and finished around the begining of May 2008. Our pool is 20ft wide by 40ft long, with a propane heated Spa about 6ft wide by 6ft long.

When we first met Jim Brisco, the owner and pool builder of Boulder Pools, we asked him if he could build our pool using Diamond Brite Super Blue plaster, manufactured by SGM (www.sgm.cc), to which he answered yes.
After the plaster company he chose applied the plaster to our pool and spa, and after the curing process, they filled up the pool with water. It was then when we noticed that the color of the pool plaster finish was white, not blue as we had asked.
When we brought it to Jim Briscos attention, he stated that he would do an "Acid Bath" treatment to our pool, and that would bring out the color that we wanted.
After he did the acid bath, he required us to brush the pool twice a day for two weeks, to "help" the plaster expose the blue color we asked for.
We followed his instructions, but after the two weeks, there was no change in the color of the plaster.
We attempted numerous times to get in touch with him for at least two months, with no luck. I have the e-mails and phone records to prove it!!.
Finally, since we were holding his final check payment for $3,200.00, he called us.
Then we told him that he needed to fix the plaster to be the color we asked for.

On July of 2008, he finally sent the plaster company to empty the pool and do an "Acid Wash",  which is different that the "Acid Bath" in the sense that they had to spot treat the whole pool in order to expose the blue color we asked to begin with.
Once they finsihed the "Acid Bath", the pool was no longer white, but "spotty": some areas had the right blue color, while other areas were semi-white. We told him that the result was unacceptable.

We had a representative from SGM, the manufacturer of the Diamond Brite Super Blue plaster,  come over to our house, in the presence of the pool builder Jim Brisco, so he could assess the reason why the plaster work had turned out so bad.
The SGM rep, noted that the application was done correctly, but that the acid wash was not done right.
So we were back to square one.

The SGM rep suggested to have the pool emptied and acid washed again.
However, every time you have a pool acid washed, it takes away at least two years of life out of the plaster finish. So our barely one year old pool, would have the same wear of a five year old pool.
The only other option, was for the pool builder to chip-off the current plaster, apply a new Diamond Brite plaster, and acid wash it properly this time. This would cost the pool builder about $6,000.00
We tried to be reasonable, meaning naively trusting Jim Brisco, and decided to give the second acid wash a try, just as the SGM rep had suggested.

Well, on February 27th 2009, the pool builder and his plaster crew emptied the pool and did the second acid wash. The result: Now the pool had "streaks" of white, and scratches to the surface where there  were none before the first and second acid wash.
Furthermore, they "patched" a small area where the acid had penetrated too deep.
The "patched" was very noticeable, because it has a whiter color than the "streaky" areas.
This was, at the time, the last major unresolved problem we have with Boulder Pools.
Other major problems that finally got resolved, which came up over the past year were:
1.Spa shell was leaking
2.Pool Chlorinator was defective, which they had to replace four times, as stated by Jim Brisco himself.
3.Pool pump was leaking, which they had to replace twice.
4.Spa Heater and Pool pump were not "grounded", making them hazardous to be around.
5.Spa heater was not installed up to safety codes.

Now, items #4 and #5 were reported to me by the Hayward Representative, when he came to inspect  after a couple of weeks that the pool pump on item # 3 was installed correctly and that it was working as designed. If the Hayward Rep hadnt come by to do such inspection, I would have never known about those issues.
 
I have more truthful data to come, but for now, let's see what Jim Brisco has to say about these last two rebuttals of his mediocre workmaship and unethical business practices.
 

Do not trust Jim Brisco/Boulder Pools & Waterscapes
Jim Brisco forgets that this website is for consumers that did not get anywhere by reporting businesses like his to the BBB.
Besides, Jim Brisco has only been part of the BBB for barely two years. Just about the time when I was reporting all of these problems to him.
 
Again, Jim Brisco need to read the notes in the invoice from the Hayward Rep.
The mistake was done by Jim Brisco and his crew.
The gas lines and gas lines hookups were not the problem.
Neither was the gas regulator outside of the heater.

Here are again the Hayward Representative's notes. Pay special attention to Item # 2: Gas pressure was not set in heater.

Item # 1. Heater was not set up correctly.
Item # 2. Gas pressure was not set inside heater.
Item # 3. Remote control wire in heater not wired correctly.
Item # 4. Remote control wire not hooked up at all in control panel.

All of these items are Jim Brisco company's responsibility.
The gas lines and gas lines hookups were not the problem.
The propane company can not touch the inside the Hayward heater.
This must be done by Jim Brisco and/or his crew, or by the Hayward Rep. 

The Hayward Rep is on stand by to speak with Jim Brisco at any time to rebutt his lies about the conversation Jim Brisco and him had regarding this last issue.

Just as Jim Brisco put it so "matter-of-factly" on an e-mail he sent me,"I, Jim Brisco, Boulder Pools owner stand behind the work I do".
Well, Jim Brisco needs to stand behind the mediocre work him and his company did on my pool and pool equipment.
Jim Brisco is to be held accountable for his mistakes, not blaming someone else.

Since the heater would not ignite, that incurred into a service call to the Propane people in order to make sure that there was propane in the tank.
Such service call cost me $45.00
Once the Hayward Representative inspected the heater, he found that the heater wiring was not done correctly and the gas pressure inside the heater was not set.
The Hayward Rep service call was $85.00

Such service call charges would have never happened if Jim Brisco had done his job right from the beginning.

Jim Brisco stated on a previous e-mail he sent me that "Hysteria always sounds good, but once you look at the facts, my crew is not incompetent"
Well, the facts are coming directly from the Hayward Rep.

Jim Brisco and his crew have done a mediocre job with my pool and pool equipment.
It does not matter how many pools Jim Brisco have built.
The mediocre job Jim Brisco did on mine is the one I care about first.
Pay for mistakes, Jim Brisco. Do not blame someone else.

Regarding the other issues Jim Brisco mentions on his rebuttal, those were finally "fixed" after I called him and e-mailed him every two days.
Yes they were corrected, but only because besides the phone calls and e-mails I sent to Jim Brisco, I was holding the last check for $3,200.00 that Jim Brisco also mention in his rebuttal.

We had a pool before made with Diamond Brite plaster, and we did not have a problem for eight and a half years.
We also have three friends that have their pools made with Diamond Brite plaster. One of them has it for over twelve years without problems.

Jim Brisco told us he usually did not use that plaster company he chose to use, but that that he trusted the quality of the work they do.
Jim Brisco never "recommended" that we should not go with Diamond Brite for our plaster.
 
I have more truthful things about Jim Brisco to come soon.