HOW LONG DID YOUR POOL MAKEOVER REALLY TAKE?

I spent way too long agonizing over grout colors, too... There’s still a stack of tile samples in my garage that I can’t bring myself to toss.

Totally get it - I think I spent more time debating between “greige” and “warm gray” grout than the actual tile install took. The delays are rough, especially when you’re watching the budget stretch longer than planned. Did you feel like the extra months added to the cost, or was it more just frustration? I still have leftover samples too... can’t help but think they might come in handy someday, but probably not.

I still have a drawer full of grout color swatches from our last pool project... I kept thinking I'd use them for touch-ups or something, but nope. And yeah, the extra months definitely pushed up the costs - storage fees, more takeout, you name it. I actually think picking the grout took longer than demoing the old tile, not even kidding.

I actually think picking the grout took longer than demoing the old tile, not even kidding.

You’re not wrong - grout color selection is where time goes to die. I’ve seen folks breeze through demolition like it’s a CrossFit challenge, then freeze up in the tile aisle for hours, holding up swatches and squinting at them in different lighting. I once had a client who made a spreadsheet just for grout options. Not even kidding.

And those “just in case” leftover swatches? I swear they multiply in the dark. I’ve got a whole toolbox that’s basically a graveyard of sample chips and half-used caulk tubes.

The cost creep is real too. People always budget for materials and labor, but nobody ever factors in the pizza delivery bills or the price of sanity after week six of living with tarps everywhere. At this point, I tell folks: plan for delays, expect to eat more takeout than you want, and accept that you’ll never look at grout the same way again.

The cost creep is real too. People always budget for materials and labor, but nobody ever factors in the pizza delivery bills or the price of sanity after week six of living with tarps everywhere.

I get what you mean about the hidden costs, but honestly, I found the waiting-for-contractors phase way more brutal than grout decisions. At least with grout, you feel like you’re making progress. Waiting for someone to show up? That’s where my sanity went.

Waiting for contractors is a special kind of torture, honestly. I remember thinking, “Hey, demo day is done, we’re moving!” - then nothing for two weeks except dust and a half-dug hole. At least picking tile colors felt like progress, even if it took forever to decide. Did you run into any surprise delays, or was it just the usual no-shows?