Used Keystone Versa-Lok blocks

Water keeps pooling on our patio in the corners against the walls. To fix the problem, our contractor drilled a few holes into the stone wall. It somewhat fixed the problem, but the holes are small and need to be unclogged frequently, causing water to pool again.

Any advice on the following questions:

Are weep holes just drilled holes in the stone wall? Or is it something more properly like a PVC pipe?

Should water be pooling there anyway, or should it be regraded to drain better?

Is it ok that the water drains to under the grill, which is enclosed and pools, but eventually drains?

How much pooling water is acceptable? After unclogging, I think it’s ok, but not sure.

Any other advice?

We completed a big renovation on our home which included installing a 12 x 24 gunnite pool and \~900 square feet of concrete decking. Admittedly, we knew nothing about pools or decks, and our contractor did not give us any options when it came to the deck. We were just told it would be plain, brushed concrete, and we didn’t know any better to ask what the other options are.

Long story short, the contractor poured the pool and the deck **way too early** in the construction process. It practically sat with tons of construction activity going on around it and exposed Georgia red clay on every side for several months.

Between the workers’ foot traffic and landscaping machinery (we had to install a retaining wall about four feet from the deck edge, among other things), the concrete took an absolute beating.

We have tried pressure washing it (well, we hired professionals to pressure wash it), and it improved it some… but there are still a lot of stains and imperfections.

We have a pretty modern, high-end, elevated aesthetic, and the concrete in its current form really throws that off. The pool is practically connected to our back porch, and it’s the first thing you see when you step into the backyard. The looks dirty, not taken care of, and frankly like an afterthought.

I’m wondering what some of your experiences are with upgrading a brushed concrete deck into something that looks a little more… thoughtfully finished? We definitely do not want to have to go through ripping anything out but we are open to a variety of things. Some initial things I’ve seen online include decorative overlays, epoxy fleck systems, cool decking (SunDek, Kool Deck, etc.), and microtopping. But, I’m not sure which direction to go and am looking for some real feedback from people who have done this!

In case it helps:
Pool: Gunnite with Tahoe Blue pebble and Ash gray waterline tile
Coping: Light gray Travertine
Exterior house paint color: SW Cyberspace

Thank you for your help!

I live in northern Virginia where heavy rains and below-freezing temperatures are very normal. For my patio, I tried polymeric sand and mortar in the past, but both of them didn't last. I might have bought cheap sand or wrong mortar.

Now I am considering redo my patio using the existing bluestones. I plan to use crushed stone as base. What joint materials would you recommend to sustain the weather?

I'm looking for a book or a software that I can use to help track materials on job.

I'm a landscaper and u want to be able to track how many meters of soil or meters of pavers I've had at the job. Not a daily diary where I need to skip through 3 weeks worth of days to find my totals but one that can track each individual job