Some Peachtree

City residents paying to have swimming pools installed in their back yards

have to pay thousands of dollars more due to problems contractors couldn't

find above ground.

One of the

more common problems occurs after digging for the project begins, said

Dan Hanekamp of Hilltop Pools and Spas in Jonesboro.

"We hit

a portion of Stone Mountain," he said, referring to crews striking

granite, which requires blasting work to remove.

At older homes

in the city, pool crews also run into pits of debris that were buried

after homes were built. The trash has to be excavated and replaced with

soil, which then has to be compacted, Hanekamp said.

Another high-cost

problem with pool construction is the discovery of soil with poor load

bearing capability, some of which looks like "quicksand," Hanekamp

said.

"It can

take from $3,000 to $4,000 or $15,000 to $20,000 for us to take care of

stuff we didn't see," Hanekamp said.

City building

official Tom Carty said such problems lead to complaints from residents

who didn't realize such problems could occur and significantly drive up

the cost of their pools.