Choosing a Pool Builder – What you should know.
If you want to be swimming in your own pool this summer, now is the time to start planning. In this second in our Prescription for Pool Procrastination posts, we share some tips on choosing the right builder.
We know how scary it can be to choose a pool builder. When we decided to add a pool to our home many years ago, we had heard horror stories about unethical contractors, rip offs, and fly by night installers who took their customers’ money and never completed the work. We were young, and first-time pool owners – and we learned a lot about what to do and not to do through that experience. In fact, that is what led us to expand our JKD Builder services to pools – and we built our first pool in 2006.
Here are some tips as you begin your pool journey:
- Big isn’t necessarily better. A large regional or national pool company has deep pockets to advertise, and invest in beautiful (and expensive) marketing materials. But once the project is underway, the real test is service and quality. A smaller company with a good, solid track record and local references should not be discounted.
- Local experience is critical. Look for a pool builder who has demonstrated experience in central Texas. You want a pool builder who knows the local soil composition, weather considerations, regulations and permitting issues.
- Expect face time. A good pool builder will be on site from start to finish. While most of the work is subcontracted (excavation, gunite, plumbing, for instance), a good pool builder will keep close oversight with frequent job site visits – daily, in the key construction phases. Over the course of your project, you’ll spend a lot of time with your builder – so be sure to choose someone who not only has credentials but also a personality that you enjoy.
- Get a tour. Ask to see some of the builder’s pool projects first hand –not a show room, but actual backyard pools. Not only will this give you design ideas, but it also is a chance to talk first-hand with clients.
- This is a partnership. You have the vision for your dream pool, and the builder has the know-how to bring it to life. It’s also the builder’s job to guide and advise you – there may be ways to get the look you want in a slightly different/easier/cheaper way. What you want, and what you want to spend, may not align; it is the builder’s job to let you know that – and your job to be open to either modifying the design or to increasing your budget. Approach your project as a partnership.
No matter the space you have to work with, or the budget, if you dream of having a pool this summer, now is the time to dive in, and start putting those dreams into reality.