How do I choose a pool builder??

It’s easy, you choose US!

Some of these tips may lead you away from us, but your priorities are your own, and we know we can’t build them all!

Timing

To me one concern would be timing. You have to evaluate how important is to you compared to some other criteria. If you NEED IT NOW than you may go with the guy with the shortest backlog of secured work. BUT I strongly encourage you to finish reading this before you decide.

Price

Price is another big factor in deciding what to do with your backyard. Price and value are not always the same thing. We offer some major “upgrades” on our pools that to us are “standard” features because we believe some of the industries outdated practices and products should no longer exist...so as far as our projects are concerned, they don’t! This adds to the beauty of what we do, but also the longevity and reduces the cost of ownership. I could go on for pages but we can cover more of the specifics in our first meeting.

Craftsmanship

Out of the 3 things listed so far this one would be at the top of my list. Hiring a contractor is tricky because you don’t always know what to look for. Without giving away all of our secrets, I can say that when you speak with a pool contractor you should pay attention to what they are talking about. If they mention specifics about what makes their product above industry standards they likely know what it takes to get the job done right. I would love it if all contractors built pools above industry standards, but the truth is, they don’t so make sure you are confident that your builder knows their stuff (more than just what is in the catalog.)

When it comes to craftsmanship the pool is only 1 part of the project, there are a whole bunch of different processes and products going into your backyard and each of those comes with its own practices. In our meeting I am happy to discuss any questions you have on these with you in detail. Make sure you ask to see photos of their work and examples of what they are talking about when they mention what they do. This helps you know that 1. you like what you see and 2. they have done it before!

Speed

To some buyers the length of time the project will take is rather important. I don’t think this one should take precedent over the others, but it is important to know that your builder will not show up for a few days, then not return for a few weeks, then work a few more days, then take a month off from your job. This sounds like fiction, but I have heard this horror story more times than I’d like to admit (Especially since 2021!!!). We all get busy and it can happen depending on project workflows, material delivery, and other variables outside of the builders control, but it shouldn’t be an ongoing problem. The reason I say not to weigh this section too heavily is that being too fast is not a good thing. I famously repeat the phrase “haste makes waste” when I am on a job site and see someone moving faster than a process should take. This is true to many things that occur during a pool build. Our Dream Team has a great system in place and gets things done much quicker than my brother and I did when we first started inground pool construction, but the systems we have in place do encourage that things are done with quality as the leading priority.

Trust

This is a tough one. My own mother in law has been duped in a major way by contractors that she invested her hard earned and trust in. I despise dishonest contractors. It is very hard for some folks to know who they can trust and I am passionate about making sure that when I leave a sales meeting, the potential clients I spoke with are educated enough to be better inground pool shoppers, whether they choose me or not.

As you meet with pool contractors you should feel comfortable discussing anything you are curious about. Ask questions if you aren’t sure about certain things they are talking about. Make sure they have the time and ability to ease your concerns immediately. If they don’t have time for you before you commit to them, imagine how they will act once they have you locked in. Also make sure you are comfortable with their answers, a good contractor will know the answers to some pretty detailed questions and wont give you the run-around!

Go with your gut! If you feel like someone is not a good fit for your family, don’t ignore that feeling. That may happen with me, who knows? I hope not! But even if it does you are likely better to go with your gut than invest lots of money with someone you have doubts about.

Client Relationships

To me it is important to choose a builder who will be there for support after the build. We take pride in our client care for life! We offer discounts to our VIPs (that’s Very Important Pools! aka people who hired us for their pool build and continue to shop with us), special sales, water care, technical support, pool school, and as many other opportunities we can think of to show our appreciation for our build clients after the build.

We have a retail location, full service department, and some EXTREMELY EXCITING news regarding water care so you know we are in it for the long haul.

Eye for Design

As our design consultant you would think this would have been at the top of my list, but I almost forgot to add it! Every client I have met has had different design needs, not all designs have tremendous waterfalls and grottos. Sometimes being a good designer is making the best use of a space within a set budget. I take pride in being able to take your vision, add any input I may have, and turn it into your very own Dream Pool. Some folks have a tough time visualizing the project in their yard. We can help with that with our virtual tours. You can check out the view of the pool from you kitchen, or see how the pergola by the deep end looks from the sun ledge. The possibilities are endless and we can help visualize the design for all of them, even custom slides!

Reliability

This may not sound like much, but a contractor that takes care of their crew just as much as they take care of their equipment is important. Our crew is known as The Dream Team because they really do build people’s dreams and they take pride in that. We do as much as we can to take care of our crew so that they are happy to take good care of you when they are in your backyard. We hire personality and have training systems in place and financial reward for fulfilling each tier of training. this works well to keep our crew motivated to keep on learning and growing with us to build your Dreams. We think we have the most reliable crew out there because they care, and that’s what matters.

Much less important, but still important is equipment reliability. We also keep our equipment maintained right to ensure it will not go down on us, costing us money and you delays on your project! We have to go full steam ahead all summer long to make progress while the weather is nice, so we make sure we are prepared to handle the stresses of the job and so is our equipment.

That ended up a good bit longer than I thought it would and I “sold” our own business a bit more than I intended, but I am proud of who we are and what we do so I’ve got to throw a bit of that in there! If you made it this far, you are likely getting pretty serious about an inground pool project, so please fill out this form and we can set up a no-obligation consultation!