Having a Swimming Pool Built - The Bidding Process and Construction Part 1 of 3 in a Series
Having a Pool Built Part One of
Three:
Having a new pool built is no small
project. For the amount of money that the project will cost you and
the fact that it will be a permanent part of your yard for years to
come - you don't want to make any mistakes along the way.
Surprisingly there are no concise guides out there for you to follow
to avoid costly mistakes. This series will hopefully change that and
give you a blueprint to having the pool built so that you are
completely happy with the project without regrets.
To guide you along the right path I
talked at length with Mike Willard, the owner of Your Pool Builder
in Montgomery Texas. I asked him to walk you through the complete
process from beginning to end covering every detail of the building
process. You can also go to their website and click on the tab:
“Pools & Spas” to see pricing and the construction process
broken down into detail for you.
https://www.yourpoolbuilder.com/
or call them at 936-463-1812
If you live in these areas in Texas you
can contact Mike directly and have him give you a bid:
Montgomery, Conroe, The Woodlands,
Magnolia, Huntsville, Houston and Livingston.
Choose a Design and Get at Least 3
Bids
Look online at
different pool designs, visit friends and family that have a pool in
their yard, check out pools in your neighborhood, etc. Basically do
everything you can to see as many designs online and in person so
that when you do call a builder you will have a good idea of what you
want a bid for. Do you want a free form pool or a more geometric
design? Water features such as water falls or in deck jets. Do you
want a pool and spa combo or just a pool? You should have a good idea
of all of this and of course the builder can also help you sort out
what would be best for your yard and your needs.
Now you want to
set up an appointment with three different pool builders in your
area. You can get more bids if you like but Mike suggests that three
is sufficient. In order to make sure you are getting fair pricing for
your project make sure all three bids are identical. Same pool size,
same pool surface, similar equipment, etc. so that the prices can be
compared to each other. Then you will want to make an appointment
with the builder's previous clients to see the pools that have been
built by that particular builder. If the builder cannot get you an
appointment to see a built out pool I would be leery of that company.
Look at the pools
built by the builder you are considering and see if the end result is
something that looks good. There is no better way to judge a company
then to see their previous workmanship. And of course check out the
reviews of each company online to see if there are any negative or
bad reviews. You should be 100% confident in the builder that you
accept the bid from. If none of the three you received bids from
feels good to you, get three more bids. There is no rush and you want
this done right.
Get a Quality Pool Built and in the
Right Location:
Visit some pools
by the builder that were done over a year ago or even two are three
years ago and see how they look. There will be some normal wear and
tear but the pool should still look good in most respects. If they
don't then there may be a quality issue and the builder is probably
not the one you want. If the older built out pools look fine then you
may want to consider the builder for your project.
Don't feel you are
asking too much by visiting past clients, you are going to invest a
sizable amount of money and once the pool is completed you don't want
to have any problems. Correcting a bad or low quality pool install
will cost you even more money, resources, time and headaches so you
want it done right. The builder should have no issues with you
looking at his previous pools.
Location and over
all functionality should be a primary consideration when you pick the
pool location. Having the pool installed 4 feet from your sliding
door might suit you just fine, but think resale when you are picking
the spot. If you decide to sell your house the buyer might not like
it as close as that and moving the pool is expensive. Try to think
over all of the pros and cons of the location before you break ground
on the project. I have been to too many pools where the new owner is
questioning the logic of the seller in the selection of the pool
location. If you plan on adding on later or building a patio this
also becomes a huge factor in the pool's final location. So choosing
the right spot for your pool is also factoring in the future use and
functionality of the location. A competent builder will be able to
also guide you in making the right location choice.
To learn more and
to hear these points directly from Mike Willard of Your Pool Builder
you can listen to the entire Podcast recording from the link below.
Listen to the Podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/110832/673035-eposode-38-having-a-pool-built-the-bidding-process-and-construction-part-1-of-3-interview-with-mike-willard-of-your-pool-builder
Subscribe to my Podcast on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pool-guy-show-podcast/id1257613192
Subscribe on Google Play:
https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Imhdwnal25iyl4c2yfceih2ni4y
In part two we will cover surface types
and the equipment type and placement.
In part three we will go over other
details and cautions to make sure you are not forgetting important
details.
Visit
my Website: http://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/
YouTube
Video Index:
http://poolmandave.blogspot.com/2014/03/swimming-pool-tips-reviews-how-to-video.html
– A list of all of my videos:
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