Angles Custom Pools

We hired Mark in March 2017. Signed a contract and paid $12,000 in advance. Mark was to obtain the permits, provide all of the drawings and schedules. The build was to meet all of the local codes and the customer expectations. I reached out several times to Mark to request the drawings, permits, schedule and his licensing and bonding information. It wasn't until May that he responded that everything was on schedule for Mid June. We landed on June 19 and were told that the project would be finished by July 8. I took 2 weeks off work to monitor the build. Mark did not show up until July 3rd and spray painted the pool area in the grass. Fortunately my wife sketched the pool because Mark miss marked the pool area and he would not have had enough materials to finish the project. Mark did not show back up to the property until July 10. He said that he had to make some repairs to his last pool. There was an issue with an underground spring. I asked Mark for a copy of the schedule, drawings, permits etc. He countinued to procrastinate. Mark assured me he had a blanket permit that allowed him to complete all the work on property. He went in to detail about the permit. Mark finally started the project July 10 when I was on a 2 week business trip. I came back and it appeared that Mark was actually going to build the pool. He dug the base of the pool. I had to watch YouTube videos to understand what to expect from the build. Mark had originally promised to walk us through the entire process. Soon after the dig, Mark stopped working on a routine basis. I had to check on him daily to understand the plan and the build schedule. This project was supposed take approx 2 weeks. I soon discovered that there was no plan or schedule. July moved in to August with little to no progress. I mention to Mark he had a poor review on the BBB that had me concerned. The person mentioned that Mark was unable to pay his associates and shorted materials on the footer causing the stairs to float. Mark lost his temper and replied back in text using the F-bomb. Later he called and apologized. Mark continued to struggle with his manpower. He eventually installed the side walls and footer (very shallow footer) Approx a week later on a Wednesday Mark left the property for chest pains. We did not hear back from him until Monday. We reached out several times to see if he was ok. It wasn't until Monday when we asked if we needed to find another contractor that he responded. He said he would finish the project. He gave a rough schedule and asked for the next installment of $12000. I told him that I was not comfortable paying the next lump sum not knowing if he could finish the project. I provided him an alternative payment schedule after consulting my attorney. I told him I would pay after each item on the schedule was complete. However, I wanted the permits posted and his licensing and binding information. Mark agreed to the payment schedule. I made another payment of $3500 for running the plumbing and wiring and the salt generator etc. after the payment Mark completed half the work and then quickly fell off schedule. I became more concerned about the project wanted to have another pool builders opinion on the build. I received feed back from two pool builders. One retired and one on Angie's list. I received the same concerning feed back from both. The active pool builder advised I should check with the inspector to address my concern. I called the inspector to bring up some of the construction concerns. I discovered that no permits has been filed. A stop work note was placed on the property. At this point we are working with the Township zoning, Health Dept, and County to understand if we can use the pool or if we will need to remove it, move it, etc. Marks response was that we would be ahead if we started working with another pool builder. He replies that he thought he applied for the permits. We are very frustrated. He was listed a A+ on the BBB. It appears his licensing expired March 2017. I have not found current information on it. Researching construction sites indicates Mark Completed 1 pool last year. He said he booked 8 this summer. Some research shows he used to work for Poseidon Pools prior to starting his own company. Buyer beware. Update: We finished the pool ourselves contracting out the vermiculite, concrete and fence install.