Overstocked Pool Equipment

The current economic turmoil has caused many pool builders to be stuck with excessive inventory. A new website, according to Pool and Spa News, has popped up to help move all of that stuff.

Overstocks can mean big savings to consumers with pools. That's the plus. The minus is that builders may be sticking last year's model on your pool to get rid of it. Meaning, you could be paying for an updated product but getting the old one.

If you are okay with that and they have been up front about it, so be it. But, you should keep on eye on the components being installed and check them out to make sure they are the newest and most up-to-date products. Asking your builder up front about it can be helpful as well.

Pool & Spa News - Wal-Mart Sued Over Inflatable Pool Drowning - June 2009

Pool & Spa News - Wal-Mart Sued Over Inflatable Pool Drowning - June 2009

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Undersell/Overdeliver

Through the years, I have heard salesmen use the phrase "undersell and overdeliver" too many times to count. There are a number of schools of thought in the selling world. No matter what they are, they are all geared towards one objective...converting you into a sale.

Understanding some of the techniques and philosophies will help you level the playing field. The undersell/overdeliver strategy is typically one of the last commandments of selling and is part of a culmination of the overall goal.

It can be difficult to determine if this is being used on you. Doing your homework helps and knowing where they are coming from will only benefit you.

In the realm of the swimming pool industry, you need to understand that there is only one objective when it comes to a potential customer. That is to turn you from potential to actual customer. Sometimes it ends there and other times the goal is to keep you coming back for more.

Underselling means that you could have bought more pool than you got. There are two reasons this is done: One, the salesman thought he was only going to get the sale based on price. Two, the salesman thought that making as few promises as possible would allow him to overdeliver.

Overdelivering means that you are a happy pool customer. That is great but what happens when you find out that there were more options or you could have got more pool?

In fairness to the salesman, he has a tough job determining how much money you have to spend. Competition in the pool industry is fierce as well. Particularly in the current economy.

You may have seen a competitor before this salesman that is much cheaper. The salesman may have an uphill battle in convincing you that his product is worth more money and may feel that you are stuck on a number. Your budget is a big factor in why you might be undersold.

The other side to the story is that the salesman wants to make sure he overdelivers on his promises. Although this is an acceptable strategy, there can be underlying agendas as well. Those agendas can be time frames to build a pool, problems the salesman might foresee in delays and so on. By keeping promises to a minimum, he can reach his target of overdelivering on the pool. Your best bet is to get him to be on the level with you so you get what you expect and what you paid for.

The ABCs Of Closing Sales

Here are a couple of clips from the movies Boiler Room and Glengarry Glen Ross. This is a little insight into what you are up against in the sales process. Warning: Adult Language

By the way ABC in sales refers to Always Be Closing.

Healthy Swimming

CDC Healthy Swimming

Pool & Spa News - Abandonment Issues - June 2009

Pool & Spa News - Abandonment Issues - June 2009

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I have read a bunch lately about abandoned pools in California. Most of those articles related to foreclosed homes that no one was living in. This story tells about how it is not only the homeowners bailing on their pools, it is also some builders.

This is important to consider. Although your builder might seem perfectly stable, things happen. In this economy, a lawsuit, a missed payment from one customer, or a whole host of other things could send a builder into financial disaster.

So, what do you do?

Good question. No matter what you do, you may not be able to fully protect yourself but should take as many precautions as possible.

Here are a few things to consider for this situation:

Make sure you are not maxed out. If you are buying a $30,000 pool and only have $30,000, you could be putting yourself into a bind. With any construction project, it is always recommended that you have a percentage of the budget put away for incidentals and unforeseen emergencies (and pools tend to have unforeseens in general). In this economy, you should have enough put away in case your builder goes under and you have to go it on your own. You may want to add potential legal fees into this equation as well.

Fully vet the builder. There are new companies popping up everywhere right now and there are still those that have been around for years. You have to do your homework on these guys. Where are they financially? How are current customers being treated? And so on. Don't just take the word of the salesman, look up as much as you can on them. Remember, a salesman is never going to say things are bad, they will just spin it to a positive. For example, if you ask them how business is (and their sales are a 1/4 of where they should be at that time), they will say business is better than they had projected. See the spin? They avoided answering your question because salesmen are never supposed to downplay their business.

Check up with current customers who are in the middle of their projects. Keep in touch with them. The company abandoning their project can be an indicator of what will happen to you.

Renegotiate the payment terms of the contract. The builders need cash flow. Getting big deposits and upfront payments may be keeping them afloat. Although that may be business as usual, it is not your job to finance their operations. The builders will fight you tooth and nail on this but if they want your business, they will have to compromise. Your objective should be to have exactly what you have paid for in your backyard. In other words, you don't want to have 25% of the product installed and have paid for 95% of it.

Some builders will get your money and put you on the back burner as they rush to get others to a payment phase to collect cash. This is actually pretty commonplace even when the economy is good. It goes back to cash flow. This situation, particularly right now, is how they get themselves into trouble.

Pay attention to what they are doing back there. Are you getting what you paid for or are they cutting corners? The builders are trying to find any way possible to make more money right now. Make sure that it isn't going on in your yard. See the article Trusting Your Builder To Do The Right Thing. Although that situation may not be a result of cutting corners and could just be negligence or inexperience, it is why you need to watch what is going on.

Don't fret. The good news is that the builders want to get your money and get out of your yard as quickly as possible. That can mean shorter building times than usual.

Pool Picture

Pool & Spa News - Seasonal Visas Meeting New Roadblocks - 5.13.2009

Pool & Spa News - Seasonal Visas Meeting New Roadblocks - 5.13.2009

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If that tile crew is behind schedule, this could be one reason.

Sliding Dog

Funny video of a dog and a pool slide...

Trusting Your Builder To Do The Right Thing

My Spa Is Cracked!

The above forum link on GardenWeb is one of those horror stories you hear about pool builders. In this instance, a brand new spa has cracked and will have to be ripped apart to fix. There are a number of reasons that this can occur.

After looking through the construction pictures from this, it is my opinion that the builder did not install the spa correctly. Whenever a spa is raised this far out of the ground, there should be a footer under it. There are also questions as to the stability of the soil under it, how the steel was run, and so on. Attention to detail would have prevented this from happening.

To credit the builder, they seem dedicated to fixing the problem. Although, the proposed solution seems to me to be a temporary fix and I believe that the spa should be completely ripped out and built correctly. Yes, a nightmare. Either way, a brand new spa has to be torn apart and repaired.

I have seen situations like this many times. They can result from a whole host of things. Even though you are trusting your builder to do their job and to know what they are doing, being involved back there will benefit you greatly.

Since I haven't seen this project firsthand, I can only speculate as to what all of the factors were that caused the spa to crack. In all fairness, this can happen for reasons out of the builder's hands as well.

This may or may not be what happened here, but these are some examples of how things like this occur:

The salesman never designed a spa like this before, didn't talk to a construction authority about the proper design.

The company didn't look over the design carefully and question it.

Someone raised a red flag but the salesman didn't want to go back to the customer for more money. The salesman decided not to ask for more money (maybe he got the job because he was a couple of bucks less than the other guy, etc.). Maybe he hoped no one would catch it, or that they would catch it and just do what they needed to do. Salesman are good for "missing" things and hoping that construction will do what's right and at their expense. Sometimes the salesman does this with the intention of just being back charged for the mistake or taking the chance that they won't be back charged.

The subcontractors saw this, but there wasn't extra money in the job for their extra work. Therefore, they just did what was on plan. Maybe they were ticked off that day because they didn't get paid for a similar thing last week.

The supervisor was non existent or inexperienced. In the thread, the homeowner mentioned that the supervisor just came by to pick up the checks. This sounds like the pool was left up to the subcontractors to build. If the homeowner paid considerably less for the product than he would have from others and had no expectation of supervision, okay. If not, this is unacceptable. I would suspect, do to the size of the company, that he was sold on supervision and experience. Both of which, seemed to be lacking on this project.

The job was sold on a number, not on what was the right thing to do. Salesmen are in a bind with fierce competition right now. Many buyers are fixed on a bottom line and this can put the salesman into a box if he lets it. If you are fixed on a bottom line instead of what actually needs to be done, things like this can happen. Maybe other companies didn't calculate extra engineering or work into their bids and the salesman was afraid to with his for fear of losing the job by being significantly more expensive.

Construction didn't catch the design flaw. Mistakes happen but this should have been caught before any of the work was scheduled.

Whatever the case, it starts with the salesman. With most construction projects and particularly pools, once something goes wrong it can be a snowball effect from there.

As you can see, there can be a number of factors that can attribute to a disaster in your yard. It is a place where you don't want to be. If you have a question about something that is going on, stop the project and get answers. Buyers get scared of doing this because they see the finish line and often just hope things will work themselves out. Ultimately, it is you that will have that mess in your yard. You will be the one dealing with it and the one staring at it. It's your money, so take the time to supervise the supervision.

Suggestion Box

How To Survive Buying And Building A Swimming Pool is looking to feature your comments, questions and suggestions in upcoming posts. Please feel free to leave anything in the comments section of this posting that you would like answered or think would be useful.

A few sample questions to think about:

1. What would you like to see addressed on the blog?
2. What questions have come up for you during the pool process?
3. Where have you searched for answers, did you find them?
4. Were there any things that you wished you knew more about before moving forward on your project?

The Swimming Pool Sales Funnel

For years, salesman have used a selling system labeled as The Sales Funnel. There are arguments out there that this has become outdated but many follow this school of thought.

The basics are quite simple and can give you some insight into how you are being herded through the sales pipeline. It is a you versus the salesman principle that you need to keep in mind when purchasing a pool, or anything else for that matter. Not all salespeople are evil though but they do all have one objective: to turn you into a sale, therefore making a profit off of you.

The Sales Funnel:

picture provided by creative commons license granted by http://engineerscansell.com/ from Wikipedia Article: Sales Tunnel

Source: Wikipedia

The Sales Funnel converted to Swimming Pools...

New Opportunity
It is here that you enter the world of becoming a potential buyer. You are looking at websites, pictures and thinking about how nice it would be to have a pool. The salesman is sitting by the phone waiting for you to move to the next level.

Initial Communication
You order a brochure, fill out an online inquiry about pool contractors or call that ad you just got in the mail. The salesman now has the opportunity to get your information and convert you into a lead. Actually, as soon as you give any information to anything or anyone, you become a lead. A sales lead is a potential buying customer and you can expect to be treated as such. That means, you are going to get a call from someone that wants to meet with you. That is fine, if you are ready for this process. In this step, you will be contacted by a salesman, a lead manager, a secretary, or someone else from the pool company. In some cases, you will receive a packet of information or a brochure before a phone call but you can count on being personally contacted. That is, unless they are not interested in earning your business. The initial communication then leads to the fact finding phase.

Fact Finding
The salesman will contact you and want to find out where you are in the thought process of a swimming pool. He will want to find out the basics like your name and location but he is really looking to see where you are in the thought process and how much you potentially have to spend with him. This stage is very important to the salesman because it can dictate what his strategy for you will be. Salesman aren't in the practice of wasting time, so they want to find out if you are really serious about a pool and what it is you are looking for. The salesman is looking for as much telling information as he can get in order to convert you into a sale. Things like: have you met with other pool companies, location and how hard it is to build a pool there, if you can even build a pool in your yard, if you can afford his pool, if you are in his market, are you ready to buy now, etc.

Develop Solution, Propose Solution and Solution Evaluation
The problem is how to get you to buy and the solution is to present different avenues that push you to that point. This can be anything from showing you pictures to laying out a design in your yard. If you are being resistant to moving forward the salesman needs to figure out what your objective is and find a solution to it. For example, you don't want to buy right now because you were hoping to wait for another month or two. The salesman wants the sale so he may come up with an incentive to get you to move now. This may be a deal or it may be a statement to the effect of "now is the time to do this because we are going to be really busy in a month or two." Even though a pool is typically more of an emotional purchase, look for the salesman to play on this and to build up that it can be a rational purchase. A good salesman should have a counter to whatever your argument is for not buying. In other words, a solution.

Negotiation
You have been presented the concept of having a beautiful new swimming pool in your yard. Now, you need to negotiate. Yes, there is always room for negotiation, particularly in the current economy. You will be much better off if you have at least a couple of other proposals when moving into this phase. The salesman is paid a commission on the pool. That commission can be a minimum or it can be a home run. Obviously, the salesman isn't looking to make the minimum and you shouldn't be interested in making him rich off of one sale. The salesman will use numerous tactics to steer you towards the commission he is seeking and negotiating can help you get to a fair median. This phase can be frustrating and difficult but doing it smartly will be of great benefit to you.

Purchase Order
The contract is written and handed to you to review. Once everything is agreed upon, the sale is made and you are on your way to getting a new pool. What is on the contract is what you should be getting. You can't expect that any freebies will come your way, so make sure everything is on there that you think you are getting and make sure you understand everything that is on the agreement. Surprises down the road are the majority of complaints lodged against builders. Sometimes they are the builder's fault. Sometimes they are a salesman fault. And, sometimes they are the result of a buyer not fully understanding what they bought or confusing what another company told them with what this company told them. Whatever the situation, it is ultimately up to you to be your best protection or worst nightmare.

Account Maintenance
A good salesman provides service not only to get the sale but during and after the sale. In the pool business, there are good and bad salesmen. Although thoroughly vetting the salesman helps, most of the time it is just a luck of the draw scenario. Finding out how well the salesman services his customers after the sale is usually an indicator of what to expect. Many pool customers feel lost during the process and having a crutch, such as a salesman that stays involved is a big help.

How To Brush Your Pool

Video on brushing your pool...

Swimming Pools And Pets

Okay, I saw this and had to post it...
(warning: there is a bad word or two spoken in the video, so you may want to turn the volume down if kids are around)

Swimming Pool Design

There are several different ways that a potential builder may deploy to design your project. The old fashion, or least expensive, way is graph paper and a pencil. The new high tech way is with a design software program. There are general CAD (computer aided design) construction/engineering programs and a couple of swimming pool design programs.

The salesmen will use this to not only design your pool but also as a tool to stimulate your senses. One of the rules of sales is to create a visualization of what it would be like if you owned the product they are trying to sell you. Since a pool is rather hard to picture in your yard, the design programs actually do the work for the salesmen.

Here is a video of a 3D design program:

The BBB And What It Means

The Better Business Bureau is a good place to check up on potential pool builders. You can find out if they are in good standing, have any complaints and how they operate. Although this is an excellent source, it should not be your only research tool.

When looking at the BBB, there are some things to take into consideration. Just because they have some complaints may not be enough to run for the hills. Take into consideration how many pools they build in relation to how many complaints they have. Also, complaints may not have necessarily made it onto those reports. Of course, the pool builders will tell you that they have a few complaints but it is because they build so many pools. You will have to look into this and decide for yourself. Remember, they are going to spin it however they can. Also, see if the complaints all tend to be about the same thing.

Another thing that can come up is if the business is accredited with the BBB. If not, it could be for a simple oversight like they have not paid the fee yet or it could be for something that is cause for concern. Either way, you should look into it and address this with the potential builder.

I just did a search on a pool builder and found that they are operating under several different names (although all are very similar). This can be a red flag. Each of these could be independently owned, franchised, or set up to protect the parent company from lawsuits. In this situation, it is important to find out who you are signing a contract with and who is going to be standing behind the product. Are they being upfront and honest with you about how their business is set up or are they hiding something?

The BBB can be very useful, but don't stop there. In order to file a complaint with the BBB, you have to go through a little bit of a process. Many complainants shy away from this but still have a story to tell. The complaints sites are easy to post your disgust and do it anonymously, so many people choose that avenue. Look into it all in order to get a better perspective.

Here are some videos from the BBB about hiring a contractor. Even though they are not directly about pools, they are very relative...





These are the first two of a series. If you want to watch more, the rest are here on YouTube.

If you really want to look into a business, you can get the Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) report on them. This delves further into the operation than the BBB but it does cost money. The D&B can tell you the company's financial situation and who actually owns the company.

Doing Work Off Contract

Many homeowners decide to use their own contractors outside of the pool or do things themselves. Normally, this is perfectly fine but there are some things you should consider. This could be anything from landscaping to decking.

Make sure that you have fully discussed your intentions with the pool builder. Even if you have a non pool related project going on, the contractor and the builder should be apprised of what each is planning on doing. There could be things that the pool builder expects from his contractor that your contractor is unaware of when they bid the job.

For example, you use your own decking guy. He bid the job thinking that he just had to come in, form and pour the deck. When he shows up, there are forms, rebar, etc. that need to be removed from the pool before he can start and he has no place to throw that stuff away. He now has extra work that he wasn't paid for and wasn't expecting to have to do. The pool builder's decking guy is paid a couple extra bucks to take care of this and you took the decking off contract. Now it becomes a finger pointing episode and a matter of who is paying for what.

There may also be things that your contractor needs to do the way the pool builder wants. Not doing so can comprimise your warranty.

For example, your decking guy lays pavers around the pool without putting in a foam expansion joint between the deck and the pavers. The paver guy didn't think it was necessary and that it was ugly. The pool guy thinks that is necessary because it can put pressure on the pool coping and cause problems down the road. That beautiful paver job may have just voided out part of your warranty. A simple phone call would have eliminated all of that.

I mentioned decking guys because that tends be the biggest problem area when taking it off contract. Decking guys may have done lots of jobs but not done a pool. They also may have done pools but for a different company. Whatever the situation, it is important that everyone knows what they are doing and what is expected.

Swimming Pool Waivers

Here is an example of what can happen if you sign a waiver for something. The homeowner saw a picture of a grey finish pool and really thought it would fit in nicely with their backyard. They were trying to create a pond-like look. The builder handed them a waiver stating that a grey finish can have variations in color and differs from job to job. They signed it, thinking that it was no big deal. Imagine their surprise when they did not get what they thought they were getting. Unfortunately, they were stuck with it. Before you sign anything, make sure you read it and read it again. Wording like this can mean just about anything and is purposely done to protect the builder.

Complaints Sites And Forums

Here are some links to a few complaints sites:

http://www.complaintsboard.com/

http://www.ripoffreport.com/

http://www.complaints.com/

http://www.bbb.org

These are good for doing searches on any of the builders you plan on talking to or have talked to. A few complaints may not really mean anything but lots of them very well could. It comes to the argument of how many pools they build. Of course, I have seen salesman tell someone that the reason they have so many complaints is because they build so many pools. That could be true but it could also mean that those were the only complaints that were reported. There are companies out there that go to great pains and money to refute these complaints and get them removed from the Internet as well. You kind of have to figure it out on your own as to the relativity.

Here are links to a couple of forums about pools:

http://www.poolspaforum.com/

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/pools/

The forums are good for posting questions about builders or in general. They usually have some disgruntled and some happy customers. You will find everything from excitement to full out misery with pool experiences. Keep in mind, these forums are watched closely by the builders. so, you may get hit with a sales pitch or even someone pretending to recommend someone (and they happen to be the person they are recommending). Overall, these are really good places to check out and even use down the road.

Here is a really good blog to check out about pools:

http://buyingaswimmingpool.blogspot.com/

Ha, just kidding...well sort of.

Have any of your own? Or something to say about these? Feel free to tell us by leaving a comment.

Update: Which Pool Builder Is Right For Your Project

You have some big decisions to make about which builder is right for you. Do you like the builder? Does he seem like a nice guy? This is a start but you should be cautioned that the builders are in this for profit. They are not there to make friends. Although, referrals are certainly a good way to get business.

There are several different types of swimming pool builders and stark differences between each. Whatever direction you decide to go, they all have one objective-to get you swimming.

National
Franchise
Local
Landscapers or other contractors that also build pools

National builders
Pros-national presence, financial security, warranty, experience
Cons-deal in volume, you can feel lost in the system, lots of red tape, strict contracts, management may not be familiar directly with your project (if you have a problem)

Franchise
Pros-backed by a bigger builder
Cons-only as secure as the individual franchise, may be backed by a bigger builder but they could be in another state or far away from you

Local
Pros-they are right in your backyard, probably know lots of people in your neighborhood, tend to be more directly involved in a project
Cons-a major lawsuit, missed payment or anything financial could bankrupt them, they may not be as up to date on technology as a bigger builder

Landscapers or other contractors that also build pools
Pros-they tend to deal mostly in custom projects, landscapers look outside of the pool itself for other things that may need to be done, they may be the ones that do custom stone work for the big builder anyway
Cons-lack of general pool building experience, may be wrapped up in one project for long periods of time and unable to get to yours, may not carry proper insurance tailored to a pool, may think they know how to build a pool but find themselves in over their heads

There are many pluses and minuses for each type of builder. In all honesty, I could sit here and argue for or against each one of these. I could be working for a national company this week and tell you how much of a risk it is to go with the local guy. Next week, I could go to work for a local guy and tell you how awful the national guys are. Truth be told, many of the employees of one have worked at the others at some point. It is up to you to find out what feels right and go with your gut. Referrals are a big help as well.

Example sales pitch from national pool builder:
We have been the largest builder year after year. We have the stability of a national company. We stand behind our warranty like no local builder can. Imagine what would happen, after your pool is built, if that local guy got sued on another project and it bankrupted him. How good would your warranty be then?
The truth: warranties are only as good as the company standing behind them. The national company can file for bankruptcy just as well as anyone else. They can also merge, sell out or be taken over with conditions that the new company is not responsible for any business dealings the previous company had. Plus, they can hide behind teams of lawyers or in house legal counsel.

Example counter sales pitch from local pool builder:
Those big guys are gonna run you through the ringer. Do you want to call a person or a call center with a question or problem? Their warranty seems really great. Wait until you have an issue and spend the rest of your life in litigation with them.
The truth: the warranty issue can be argued either way.

Swimming Pool Construction Basics (With Video)

The Basics Of How In Ground, Concrete Swimming Pools Are Built

This is usually broken down into phases.

Phase 1: Excavation



Phase 2: Steel



Phase 3: Plumbing, equipment set


Phase 4: Gunite (or Shotcrete)



Phase 5: Tile and Coping



Phase 6: Electrical and Gas (if applicable)

Phase 7: Decking

Phase 8: Fencing

Phase 9: Plaster

Phase 10: Start up

Phase 11: Swimming

Basically, this is how the pool is constructed. It can vary and depends on the company, the specific pool, inspections and other items. Some builders do a couple of phases at once, others do plumbing before steel, etc. In between several of the phases inspections will need to occur. That is dependent on your municipality requirements.

Swimming Pool Preconstruction Phase

What to expect before any groundbreaking begins:

Design of the pool
Landscaping plan for around the pool
Access-how equipment and trucks will get in and out
Sales calls
Contract negotiation
Financing, payment schedules, deposits
Permitting, requirements, setbacks
Engineering
Pool and pool equipment placement in yard
Removal of obstructions to and from pool (fences, trees, shrubs, sheds, swing sets, etc.)
Approvals to being construction
Scheduling

These are the basics and can vary greatly depending on where you live, time of year, weather and any number of other factors. Make sure you find out what you are responsible for and what the builder includes. Ensure that this is clearly worded in the contract. Many a pool builder has pulled off day one because a swing set was in the way and the homeowner just figured the pool company would move it. The contractors (or employees) typically get paid per job by the builder, so anything out of their agreement may be something that they are not going to get paid for.

Weather Permitting And Completion Dates

The weather permitting clause of a swimming pool contract is something most buyers overlook or do not fully understand. There are several factors that attribute to this: haste, excitement, vagueness, wording, etc. Whatever the case, it will save you great pain to know exactly what this phrase means to you and what it means to the builder.

Completion dates are another aspect of this area that can be confusing. You should be aware of the exact wording and the legal translation. Not taking the time to understand all of this will create a world of stress and anguish down the road.

Pool contracts normally state how long it will take (or they are allowed) to build your project. I say normally, because they should state this but some contractors find ways to leave this wide open. You should protect yourself by making sure this information is included in the agreement. Typically, it can be found on the back and usually in fine print.

Although time frames may be declared, how they are worded is the key. They can say anything from 30 days to several months. They can also have phrases to create a great amount of leeway for the builder.

I have seen customers get very upset because they were on day 31 and the pool was not complete. What they did not realize is that it said 30 business days, not 30 days. Business days are not weekends nor are they holidays. This oversight creates a volatile situation and is very simply avoided.

Another critical factor to be aware of is the clause of weather permitting. Sometimes this is clearly defined and sometimes it is about as vague as that salesman was when you asked him when they could get started. As you should probably be aware of, the weather is usually the number one factor in how quickly your project can be completed. After all, this is being built outside and the weather can pose quite a problem for builders. Weather permitting can mean everything from they won't be there today or it may be days. A good rule of thumb (although it really depends on the builder) is that one day of rain usually means at least 3 days tacked on to your project. I am going to pick on rain but you can imagine all the other weather conditions that can impact your pool (too sunny, too windy, too rainy, too cold, too hot, etc.). The reasons a rained out day can mean a delay of several days ranges from scheduling glitches to cash flow issues for the builder. In all fairness, the weather is often a factor on its own.

Remember, just because it isn't raining in your yard doesn't mean they are coming. Oftentimes, they have to make a call at 0500 in the morning. It can be rather expensive to send crews out that can't do any work.

Here are some examples of one scenario that can give numerous results:

Scenario: Crew did not show today due to rain.

What can result:
Tomorrow they have to go to the Smith's pool to finish work they started before the next crew shows up. They are scheduled for your pool the day after tomorrow.
Supervisor makes the call that (because they have to get the truck in your yard) that it will take several days to be dry enough to return.
They will be out tomorrow.
Tomorrow they have to have their truck inspected (which was scheduled weeks ago), so they will be out the day after tomorrow.
It rains for 3 days straight and there is no telling when they will be back out.
-----

As you can imagine, they are about a million different scenarios that can impact when the crew will be there. You should know that the weather permitting clause gives the builder plenty of latitude. Remember, nothing in the fine print is there to protect you (except what the law requires them to put in).

Building Permit Basics For Swimming Pools

If you build a pool, you are going to need permits to do so. Don't panic though, most builders take care of getting this for you. It is typically a good rule of thumb to only deal with contractors that will obtain the permit for you. In some areas you may not need a permit and it may be something that you are required to do yourself by law. The builder should know what the deal is.

Once you have signed your contract, the pool builder will submit to the appropriate authority (usually a zoning officer) an application to obtain a building permit on your behalf. Depending on where you live, this can be approved in the same day, a few weeks or even months. It can also cost a few bucks or thousands of dollars.

The costs associated with permits vary greatly because every area has its' own quirks. You may be required to have surveys done or even engineering certification.

Included in the permit application are the design, engineering, plans and specs for your pool.

After the permit is approved (and sometimes they take several submitalls to get there), the builder will be ready to start your project. That could be tomorrow or it could be weeks. The time of the year and the schedule of the builder will dictate this.

It is important to keep in mind that some areas will require separate permits for work like electric, gas and fence. Make sure you find out what the builder obtains, what the subcontractors get on their own and what you need to do yourself before they start the project. Time and time again a homeowner finds out they need a separate permit for a fence the day before the pool is scheduled to be finished. In some places, it takes 5 minutes to get a fence permit. In others, this can hold you up for days.

Also, if you live within the limits of a major city, it is quite possible that permitting is very strict and takes a long time. Contractors may even require special licensing there that they do not normally need in other places. Most likely, if the builder is coming to your house for an appointment, they already have that license or aware of what fees they need to pay to get it.

Potential Problems And Expenses Down The Road With Your New Swimming Pool

Once you have decided that you want a pool and have come up with some sort of justification for needing one, you should be aware of what you may run into down the road.

In the above picture, you can see that the tile is popping off. The pool was several years old but the problems they were having with it were premature and preventable. The pavers were installed incorrectly, shifted and starting causing problems with the pool.

This was a classic case of having different contractors working "against" each other on the project. The pool builder just built the pool. The landscaper was hungry to get more money out of the job. He figured that since he had done some paver patios that he could install coping and do a swimming pool deck. Tile is normally covered under warranty (typically for 3 years). The pool builder claimed that the pavers and coping were installed incorrectly (and they were right). The landscaper was long gone. So, the homeowner was stuck forking out just as much money to repair the deck and pool as he had originally paid for the pool. Ouch!

This is not to say that landscapers don't know what they are doing with pools. As a matter of fact, there are landscapers out there that actually do nicer work than the pool guys. Some of them even branch out into building pools on their own.

The moral of the story is that you should probably take some interest in your project and not let the contractors run wild. You are the one ultimately responsible for what is going on in your yard and you cannot always trust someone that says "no problem, I can do that."

I got off on a tangent there, let me get back to the point of this posting. At some point down the road, a swimming pool will need cosmetic work and repairs. That stuff is referred to as renovation work in the industry. If you have never had a pool renovated, you should be sitting down when you receive the quote. The most common response to that quote: "Holy C---, that's more than I paid for the pool."

The key is to make sure that you get a good builder, that those doing work outside of the pool know what they are doing and that you keep a close eye on things. So, a renovation is a potential expense down the road.

Potential problems and expenses down the road with your swimming pool:

Tile comes loose or off
Coping cracks
Plaster becomes ruff
Plumbing piping, pumps, filters need to be replaced
Price of heater operation increases significantly
Your taxes are reassessed
A new code is enacted and your pool is not up to date-problem if you want to sell the house
Your insurance provider decides to no longer ensure diving boards
and so on

Protect yourself and make sure you use a reputable builder.

Understanding Swimming Pool Warranties

A Jeep in a pool-photo courtesy of Joe_13 on Flickr.com(cc license)






Ouch! Think this is covered under warranty? Think again.


One of the most important deciding factors in your pool purchase should be the warranty. Compare each company side by side. They may look similar but they are not all the same.

The warranty is normally straight forward. This is covered, that is conveniently not mentioned. It is important to find out what each item means. You may want to consult an attorney to review the contract and warranty information. Just remember, an attorney is an attorney and may not know what a term like coping means. So, you should learn what the components of a swimming pool are to better understand the fine print as well.

Typically, the fine print in a swimming pool contract is found on the back. I have seen all sorts of stuff on there. Contrary to what the pool guy tells you, nothing is on there to protect you. All of that mumbo jumbo comes from experience and comes to serve as protection for the pool company. The more you understand about what it all means, the more of an advantage you will have over them.

Let's breakdown an actual warranty. The warranty should go into effect as soon as water is put in the pool. That usually means that anything that happens during construction is on the pool builder. Usually though. There is that little clause about natural disasters and acts of God that your homeowners insurance would have to cover, not the pool builder. And yes, you need to have that pool on your insurance even during construction. Imagine if a hurricane comes through and destroys the half built pool.

You should realize that the pool builder considers your project complete once you start adding water. Keep in mind that it may be a day or two or three before anything is actually running. This means that you could be in a warranty situation without even jumping in yet. Make sure this is clearly spelled out and you understand what happens when there is a problem.

A lot of builders offer a lifetime warranty on the structure and integral components. That does not mean that the pump, the filter, heater, etc. is covered for a lifetime. They should clearly define warranties on that stuff, normally they are from the manufacturer. I would recommend that you get copies of warranties on the parts and make sure they define who would be coming out to fix any problems and see if the builder covers anything on top of it.

You should look to see if the warranty is transferable and what the conditions are. This is especially helpful if you plan to sell the house at some point (particularly if soon). It will give potential buyers comfort if the pool is still covered.

After you have sorted through what is covered and what is not, look for the limitations and exclusions. Here is the kicker. It is imperative that you know what these are and what they mean. Some companies state that you need to have a qualified or recommended service dealer take care of the pool. If you were planning on doing it yourself, you just voided your warranty. They do this for a couple of reasons. One to protect them from you causing a warranty situation by doing something wrong and the other is to pawn off having to pay for anything that a service dealer does wrong. As you can imagine, it is easier to point fingers than it is to pay to fix something. Other things to look for in this section are occurrences that void out the warranty. Actually, this section should be labeled "stupid things you can do that we will not pay for".

Either in the exclusions or somewhere under customer responsibilities, you should see all things that you need to do (or not do) that will void your warranty.

Those are the basics. If you have a comment or question, feel free to leave one and I will respond accordingly.

Here is a link that explains warranties from an consumer advocate perspective:
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Consumer+advocacy+group

In the future, I will post a section on warranty stories.

Reasons To And Reasons Not To Own A Pool

Reasons to own a pool:

Vacation in your own back yard
Gets the kids out of your hair and out of the house
Pool parties!
Fun
Exercise
No more public pool

Reasons not to own a pool:

Accidents can happen
Liability
Can raise your insurance
Expensive to maintain and operate
Potential money pit

Have any to add? Feel free to comment.

Things To Look For When Buying A House That Already Has A Pool (updated)

If you are thinking about buying a house that already has a pool, you should know a few things before you get yourself in trouble. A swimming pool can often be like buying a used car, you could be buying someone else's headache. Here are some things to look for and to ponder when you are looking at a "used" pool...

How well was the pool taken care of?
Pools are just like everything else, some people take care of them, some people pay someone to take care of them and some people have nothing to do with them. How much care was given is usually indicative of how much you may have to fix down the road. Plus a well kept pool is easier to deal with when you move in.

Did the owner service the pool or did a service company?
Most of the time, a homeowner who does their own service work is not a problem. But, they may have thought they were doing it right when they were doing something horribly wrong. Water chemistry is a big one, something slightly off can slowly ruin the finish.

How old is the pool?
Depending on the type of pool it is, age can be problem. It could be just clinging onto life. You may not be able to buy parts for it anymore. You should be looking for how long you are going to enjoy it before having to fix problems yourself.

Is the cover on the pool?
Believe it or not, there are people that buy their house while the cover is on and without ever taking a look inside the pool. In the winter it may be difficult (it is not impossible) to have the cover off for you to look in the pool. It is absolutely necessary to get a look. Even if just a section of the cover is rolled back. If you buy a house with the pool covered, good luck. Imagine going to look at the house but there was a big pest control tent over it. You couldn't go in it at the time. Would you buy the house anyway? Same thing with the pool.

Does it look like it just had cosmetic work done to it? Is it a complete makeover, or is it just enough to distract you into thinking it is new?
Many times a seller will get something like tile work done to spruce up the pool to sell. They may be doing the cheapest, most noticed thing to hide other problems. It is like how a realtor takes you into a house, there is always a reason for which way you go in. It could be to hide something or to create a feel or something else. What if the pool needed a new plaster finish and the seller just slapped some paint over it? They just did you a great disservice because it would have been cheaper for you to have the pool replastered than what will be involved in removing the paint now.

Does the equipment look old or outdated?
Older equipment can work and do its job just fine. You should just realize that getting parts for older equipment may be a problem as well as it may be nearing the end of its life cycle.

Is the pool running while you are there?
You need to see the pool running and not just for a couple of minutes. Did they go over and turn it on to show you that it works and turned it right back off? Red flag if so. A pool should be running the entire time you are there so you can see if everything looks okay.

Are there any signs that the pool was filled right before you got there?
One trick sellers use to hide a leak is to fill the pool right before you get there. Is there a hose still run to it or nearby? Is there water on the deck from just pulling the hose out. You don't want to buy a pool that is leaking, so look for any indicators that it might be.

Ask the seller lots of questions about the pool. Are they skirting around something, stumbling through explanations, etc? Asking a yes or no question will usually leave you with a yes or no answer. Asking more in depth questions that may reveal more to the story is the best thing to do.

Who built the pool? Are they still in business? What was their reputation?
Was it some fly by night operation that is long gone? If something is wrong, you need to know who to go back to and if they are going to do anything to help you.

Is the pool still under warranty? Is the warranty transferable to you?
No warranty equals full responsibility for anything that happens. Of course, a transferable warranty may have a million conditions in it and be worthless anyway. You should read any paperwork you get. Something as simple as the previous owner not maintaining proper water chemistry can void a warranty for you. A pool company can very easily determine that the water was out of balance and therefore it is not covered under warranty.

Was the seller the person that built the pool or was it there?
If they were there, they will probably have more information about the pool.

Is the seller willing to walk through how to run the pool?
You should know who is going to teach you how to run the pool. If they are willing to do it, that is normally a good sign.

Has the pool been renovated at any point? How long ago?
A recent renovation isn't necessarily a good thing. The seller may have needed to do some major work to the pool but went the cheapest route possible. Pool renovation companies turn down doing something like this all the time but there is always someone else out there willing to do something like this. Maybe the tile needed to be replaced and the seller just slapped a few tiles back up there to make it look good.

Put your hand into the pool and feel the finish (particularly the top step). Is it rough, feel like it is going to need to be replaced soon?

Are there any signs of leaks?
Look for drips in the plumbing, lower than normal pressure and wet areas around the pool.

Does anything look suspicious?
The more you look, the more you will find.

Can you take a water sample somewhere for analysis?
Water chemistry can tell you a lot about a pool. Plus, you want a water sample from the source where you will be filling the pool from on occasion. If you can't use that water for some reason, how are you going to fill the pool?

It is important to assess just how bad you want that house and how much risk you are willing to take with the pool. For some, the house outweighs the pool. Also, it may be really exciting that there is a pool. Therefore sparking an emotional attachment to buying the house (realtors live for this). You have to have your rational self present with you while you are being shown the house.

Breakdown Of The Entire Swimming Pool Process

How you go from thinking about buying a pool to actually having one in your yard. Typical attitudes along the way for each step.

Thinking about how nice it would be to have a pool. (happy, excited)
Hunting around the Internet, visualizing, looking up builders. (anxious, nervous)
Contact with potential builders. (stressed, pressured)
Sales appointments. (pressured)
Designs, proposals. (decisions, decisions, decisions)
Sign contract. (relieved)
Day one of construction through filling with water. (excitement through misery)
Start up, indoctrination. (wow, this is finally over)
Running pool, enjoying investment, maintenance.

Swimming Pool Contractor Mentality Towards You-Top Secret Stuff

Not all pool companies are created equal. There are some amazing practices in this industry and what goes on behind the scenes would blow your mind. Many times, I have shook my head and wondered how some of these companies actually stay in business. Not all of them operate like this, but there are a number who do. Here are some experiences I have had first hand and are things to look out for.

1970's mentality that the pool guy is right, the homeowner is wrong.

The homeowner is crazy, or just looking for something for nothing.

Give them a free raft so they quite calling 50 times a day.

I'm not calling Mrs. Smith back because she does nothing but yell at me.

It's not in the contract, so they can p*** off.

I'm not here for my health lady, now give me a check.

Go ahead and call your lawyer, I already have all of your money.

Maybe the electrician won't realize that I only put 50 feet of wiring in the job when it needs 300 feet.

I know. It seems like we have lots of complaints, but that is because we build lots of pools.

Yeah, we put the wrong tile on but it is going to cost too much to replace it with the right stuff and it won't ever be the same.

The pool was placed in the setbacks because you didn't have your property markers in the right spot.

You authorized us to change that color and I'm sorry no one told you how much that was going to cost. Here is the $1800 upgrade bill, pay or we don't finish the project.

Hi, I'm here to go over the contract you already signed. I see you didn't buy the best pump for running both a pool and a spa. Let's just upgrade that for you.

I don't know why the salesman told you that but that isn't what is in the contract. Oh, you can't call him because he doesn't work here anymore.

At least one of them speaks English, they are just pretending not to so they don't have to talk to you.

We supervise all of our subcontractors. (actually can mean from an office where they never see your yard)

Oops, I wrote that wrong in the proposal so we will just adjust it here on the contract.

We have to get all of your money up front. It is industry standard and because we have so much wrapped up in materials before finishing. (actually, they know that if anything is left undone without having all of your money, they may never see it.)

I could go on and on.

Setting Your Swimming Pool Budget

What to expect with your budget.

Things that can impact the budget/change it.

If you have a question about this topic, feel free to post to the comments. Thanks.

to be continued...

Impact Of Swimming Pool On Insurance, Liability, Safety, Taxes

Here I will cover what exactly building a swimming pool in your yard can potentially do to your taxes, insurance, liabilities and safety.

Swimming pools can impact your life in many ways. Most buyers are caught up in the positives and tend to overlook the potential negatives.

Potential negative impacts:

Tax reassessment and/or increases

Increase in insurance costs

Current insurance company does not cover pools

Increased liability and increase in potential for an accident

Understanding A Swimming Pool Contract

The overwhelming task of interviewing builders and picking through proposals has come to an end. It is time to sign a contract. Oh boy, here we go. The contract typically appears to be straightforward. That is, until you turn it over. There it is, the lawyer speak.

Should you have a lawyer review it? I would recommend it. Of course, every attorney I know would tell you that you should always have a contract reviewed. It's up to you, but keep in mind that the builder's attorney wrote all that and it may take an attorney to decipher it. It's your call.

The salesman will tell you that the back of the contract is there to protect you...yeah, right! Everything on it is there to protect the builder. As a matter of fact, a lot of what you will find on there comes from bad experiences they have had. In other words, they were sued because of one of those items.

Before getting into the front of the contract (all of the goodies you are paying for and supposed to get), you need to go through the fine print (usually on the back). Surprises later will only complicate your mission towards surviving building a swimming pool.

One of the clauses you will see, is that the contract is subject to management's approval. That means that signing the contract, handing them a deposit means nothing until the manager signs it. This is to protect the company from their salesmen. As smart as salesmen think they are, they do make mistakes. For example, he is selling you the pool for the lowest amount the company will allow and forgets to add the cost of a heater in. Management can review it and say no way are we going to sell it for that. Once the manager signs it, you are sort of locked in to what you signed. By law, you normally have a three day rescission period. That means you can back out of the contract for any reason with a full refund of any money you have given them. After that, they may let you out of your contract but keep your deposit (or any other money you have given them). The rescission also protects you if that overpowering salesman made you sign something and now you aren't feeling comfortable about it. The last day to get out of it, is supposed to be clearly written somewhere on the contract, normally off to the side or at the bottom.

to be continued...

Sorting Through The Swimming Pool Proposals In Front Of You

Sitting in front of you are several proposals from contractors. This is a defining moment. They may be all close in price or they may be all over the place. Now, you need to go through them line by line. What are the differences? Why are the numbers so far off? Making a comparison chart is helpful. Break down each one and compare side by side. Not taking the time to do this will come back to bite you.

If you have met with a few builders, you can become confused as to which one said what. Besides helping to clarify the differences, going through these estimates will help you down the road. I have seen many times, a buyer get confused with what they were getting with the pool. They thought they were getting something from me that I didn't even offer. Reason was, they had seen so many potential contractors that they forgot who offered what. This can also be problematic during construction. Imagine you were thinking that the pool you bought was getting two lights (as one company told you they offer on all of their pools-BUT, you signed up with a different company), you look out and only see one light. Of course, you freak, calling the company to see what the heck happens. They explain to you that your contract only calls for one light. You think you were lied to or the salesman pulled a fast one. The reality is, it is a common and easy mistake to make. A side by side comparison chart will help eliminate this from happening.

to be continued...

What Kind Of Pool Is Right For You?

There are a number of types of pools. In order to decide which is right for you, budget will play a major part. Sure that in ground concrete pool you saw on the cover of your latest home magazine looks really inviting. If it is on the cover of magazine, it may very well have cost over $100k.

The basic types:
Vinyl liner
Fiberglass, prefab
Above ground
In ground concrete (aka shotcrete or gunite)

The price and type of pool is also relative to what area of the country you live in. The same pool in Florida will cost much more in New York. In areas where there are freezing and thawing, rocky conditions or high water tables, pools can cost considerably more. Also, where it is nice and sunny for most of the year, you can build pools year round.

For years, there really was nothing as sturdy or as nice as an in ground concrete pool. In my opinion, that still holds true. Just my preference, for those liner guys who are going to bombard me with negative comments. To be fair, vinyl liner pools have come a long way and some are very nice. Look at pictures of the various types and decide what is best for you.

If you asked some people with pools about their projects, then you may have an idea of costs. Unfortunately, the only way to find out what they are going to cost may be to have a salesman out. Liners and fiberglass may be more inclined to give you a ball park without coming to your house. The concrete builders probably won't give you any indication without coming to your house.

The differences between each type is significant. With liners or fiberglass, you are limited to certain shapes. With fiberglass, you may be limited to what can fit on a truck and legally drive down the road. With concrete, you are limited to how much money you have to spend, what is legal and what is safe. Weather and ground conditions in your area may dictate which type is best for you as well.

What the contractors (or salesmen) from each type will say:
liner-concrete cracks, you have to renovate them every few years
concrete-liners rip, leak
fiberglass-lasts forever, unlike a liner or concrete

You can get the picture. A salesman from one is going to try to talk you out of why you should buy another. Truth is, if it is built right, they are all good and will give you a long lasting product.

Pluses and minuses of each:

to be continued

Setting Expectations And Surviving The Process

If you want a divorce, build a pool. You laugh, but I have seen this more than once. Reason being, those couples did not realize what they were getting into. Keeping your sanity is key during the construction process and your patience will be tried. It is all about how you perceive what is going on, how your expectations were set and how well the communication to you is going. Knowing what to expect is half of the battle.

Here is a checklist to help soften the blow of what is about to happen in your yard:

1. Keep in mind that it is you versus them. Although the salesman seems like a really nice guy and the builder seems like they are there to build your dreams, they are really out to make a profit. Making money in the pool business is all about getting in and getting out.

2. Have you been through a construction project? Did you go through building your house? Have you built a pool before? If so, you are ahead in the game because you have probably experienced delays, problems and so forth. If not, you need to prepare yourself for Murphy's Law. There are many potential pitfalls and traps you can fall into and knowing what they are will be helpful. Brace yourself for delays. Being prepared for this can save you considerable anguish. Your first dealings with a construction project can make everything seem like a total disaster. After enduring numerous projects from all aspects, the only disaster or nightmare to me, is one where someone gets hurt. Someone not showing up at 0800 is not the end of the world, someone not showing up at 0800 for days on end, very might well be. Address every situation individually and try to keep your cool. Being that nasty person who repeatedly calls to give someone an earful will inevitably put you on the back burner. Know what battles to pick.

3. Understand what delays mean and what causes them. Weather is the biggest contributor to delays. Just because it rained today, does not mean they will be there tomorrow. A day/s of not being able to work on your project can through the schedule into chaos.

Scenario: You were scheduled to have the pool dug on Monday. It rained cats and dogs. You assume that instead they will be out on Tuesday to dig. They decide it will be too wet at your yard, so they schedule someone else where they think it will be drier. Or, they already had something scheduled for Tuesday that can't be pushed back.

4. Make sure you have as many phone numbers as possible for as many people as possible. If you aren't getting somewhere with someone, call someone else. Make sure the contractor has as many numbers as possible to reach you. There may be a disaster going on in your yard while you are unavailable.

Scenario: Excavator digs up your water line while you are in meetings. They try to get a hold of you, because they need to get in the house and shut the water off. After leaving messages, they just try to plug the water and call it a day. You come home to find your basement flooded out. Ouch!

5. Certain times of the year (depending on what region you live in) are worse for construction than others. Not only does weather play into that but also the scramble to get people in their pools. Maybe your pool is nowhere near being done by July 4th but someone else's is. There may be a concentration on getting them in for that and you put on the back burner for the moment.

6. Never, EVER, plan a party around a construction completion date. In the history of construction projects, nothing has ever been done by a completion date. I can't tell you how many times I have seen someones life turned upside down because they planned a graduation party around a pool that wasn't going to be completed on time for it. If you want to cause yourself considerable grief, plan a party around a date you think (or may have been told) that the pool will be complete.

7. The definition of completed project is viewed differently by the builder than it is by the buyer.

Their view: construction is done and you are filling it with water. Will be days before you can actually use it.

Your view: pool is done when you are swimming in it.

8. Will one spouse be at home while the other is at work during construction?

Here is a scenario I saw time and time again: Wife didn't want to call husband and bother him at work about the tile being out of stock. She went ahead and picked another one, which was an upgrade. Husband gets an invoice for $1800 he didn't expect or budget for and hates the new tile, which he first sees installed when he gets home from work and is now stuck with.

9. Communication is key. Don't make decisions without consulting your significant other.

10. That mess in your backyard is considered an attractive nuisance. That crumby orange construction fence around it that keeps blowing down won't keep the kids out of it. They will be drawn to it and it is a very dangerous place. Not only can they get hurt but they can damage the work done. I was looking at someones pictures on the Internet the other day. The pool had just been finished being plastered and they were filling it with water. Standing in the middle of the pool was their kid. Well, guess what, that plaster is soft and not set up yet. They very well may end up with footprints in the plaster now.

11. Read everything the pool company gives you to read. Listen to whatever instructions they give.

12. Know your contract. Know exactly what they are and aren't doing. Know what you bought, not what you think you may have bought.

13. The pool company is not a charity. They typically are not in the habit of giving you something for nothing. Because you are not happy, does not always equate to you getting something to lesson your misery.

14. Know what types of pools the contractor normally builds. Is yours one or do you have some other crazy over the top options? If you do, expect complications to the construction of your project.

15. Rely on your common sense to guide you. If the guy in your backyard is telling you something that just doesn't seem right, call someone that clarify it for you.

16. When it comes to contractors (and not just swimming pool ones): the guy before them was an idiot and they have to fix all of his mistakes. That may not really be the case but this is how a lot of them operate. Take it all with a grain of salt.

17. When the going gets tough, try to be positive. After all, most people who have problems with construction end up happy when it is all done. When they are wet, they forget.

18. A subcontractor knocking on the door for more money knows that the threat of pulling off the job might entice you to go ahead and write a check. Always verify that they are legitimately in a situation that warrants more money and that you haven't already paid for that.

19. Keep your cool. Everyone responds better to someone being nice rather than nasty. There may become a time to be nasty but it shouldn't be for tiny, little things.

20. Have fun with your project and laugh off the craziness that will go on in your yard. After all, it hopefully not be too long until you are enjoying it.

What The Economy Means To Pool Buyers

There is no secret that the economic downturn is in full swing. Credit is near impossible to get, particularly for home improvement projects. The credit problem started a couple of years ago with the pool industry. Builders were scrambling to find ways to finance sales and creditors were bailing out of the pool market left and right.

Prior to this credit crunch, the pool industry was experiencing record sales. Now, builders are in a pinch and trying everything they can to stay in business. Pool companies and offices are closing across the country.

What does all of this mean to you? You should not only be thinking about how you are going to pay for this but also if this is something that you should put off for the time being. From the looks of it, things are going to get worse before they get better.

The stability of the builders is in real question. Should you run for the hills? Not necessarily. There are still builders out there that will weather the storm. You are going to have to find out who they are. Being a big national company does not necessarily mean they are safe. If they close up shop in the middle of building your pool, you are going to be stuck.

Losing your job during construction could also be problematic. Imagine being in the middle of construction, having tons of money tied up in a pool and being unable to pay your next payment. The pool company is not a charity and you can guarantee that they will not be out to do work for free. That unfinished mess back there could be a financial strain.

Still thinking about a pool? Figure you can afford it and your bases are covered? If so, what does all of this mean? It means that you may have the advantage and this just might be a good time to buy a pool. The builders are in trouble, they need cash flow. This is particularly true in areas where winter has prohibited building for months now.

They will be running sales and the competition will be fierce. Play your cards right and you could make out with a really good deal.

If you see two companies that are strong competitors and they basically build very similar products, you should see competitive prices. If one is $15k less than the other for the same pool, look out. This is why it is important to see several prospective builders. That substantially lower price could be a low ball attempt to gain cash flow. Or, it could be more on the level and the higher priced one is a result of a salesman who is starving and needs a home run to pay the bills. Carefully screening through several companies can put these more in check. Do not be afraid to pit them against each other and beat them up. They are hungry for sales and going back to them with better prices can cause them to drop their drawers.

Which Pool Builder Is Right For Your Project?

National companies v. local/regional v. small (Mom&Pop) builders

Differences. Plus and minuses of each.

to be continued...

see Update: Which Pool Builder Is Right For Your Project?

The Swimming Pool Sales Process-Secrets Pool Builders Don't Want You To Know

If you thought the research and homework part of pools was fun (ha!), just wait until you start the sales process. Once you request a brochure or sign into a site for information, your name is entered and becomes a sales lead. A lead is a potential customer to the pool companies. Some pay money to sites that furnish them with leads and others use a free brochure to get your information. If you fill in your name, address and phone number, you can guarantee that a sales person is going to call you. A site that promotes information to you about pools, one that is not a specific builder, will typically give your name to multiple builders. If you are ready to move forward with talking to a pool company, this is okay. You are going to have to deal with a salesperson at some point anyway. If you aren't ready to talk with someone, make that clear when they call (and they will-unless they aren't interested in making money).

For the remainder of this section, I am going to refer salespeople as salesmen. Just to make it easier, not that 90% of all salespeople for swimming pools are male (and they are).

Who is calling? Depends on the size of the company. It could be a salesman, the owner of the company, a manager or someone who processes the leads. Typically, they are calling to set up an appointment. Normally, this is a no obligation, free assessment of your project/yard. Although it is free, you should beware that no is not in a salesman's vocabulary. Don't get me wrong, I am not here to bash salespeople or stereotype them. Rather, I think it would be beneficial to you to know what you are in for.

There are many types of salesmen and they go by many different titles. I would be surprised if anyone in this business still goes by the title of salesman. You will see titles like consultant, designer, design consultant, pool specialist, etc. Whatever the title, don't kid yourself. They are what they are. In the pool industry, just about everyone is a salesman. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you get the upper hand. There are, however, true consultants and true designers. These typically do not build pools, rather guide and design one for someone else to build for you.

What to expect once the salesman comes to your house...

He shows up, with a big bag of stuff. Tape measures, computer, presentation books, pictures, brochures, etc. Usually, they should want to go out into the yard right away. Think about it, don't they want to see if you can even fit a pool back there. From there, he will give a presentation showing you how beneficial a pool would be and how beautiful it will be. During this time, he will be feeling you out. He wants to see how serious you are, if you have talked to his competitors and how much money you may or may not want to spend. By the way, hiding that new sports car in the garage doesn't fool him into thinking you are on a tight budget. And yes, he is looking at everything closely trying to assess how much money he can get out of you. That Rolex, that Italian leather sofa, that BMW and that Plasma TV are all dead give aways that you have money or like to spend money on nice things. What does that mean to you? He may inflate the price, in hopes of getting a nice commission or so that he has room to haggle with you. This is also why he wants to try to find out if you are seeing other competitors. If he has been doing his job for any amount of time, he is probably aware of his different competition and their prices. And, there is a broad spectrum with regards to prices.

You should see as many different builders as you can stand. This can be a tedious, boring process. They know that and they bank on that. If you cave into signing a contract because you have had enough of sitting through sales presentations, good luck. The average buyer sees three builders before signing a contract. Those pitches can be an hour or they can be hours. I have known salesmen that have spent 8 hours on a call. The strategy is to stay there until they get the sale. If you aren't willing to put that time in, make it clear and usher them out the door. After all, there is really no reason whatsoever that they need to be there for hours and hours. Expect though, a couple of hours on a first call.

While he is feeling you out, it is time for you to return the favor.

You want to find out how long he has been selling pools. Salesmen in this business come from all walks of life. He could have been selling cars 2 weeks ago, cell phones a week ago and mattresses yesterday. In sales, it is often believed that if you can sell one thing you can sell another. You need to be careful, because this is not a car or a phone, it is a transformation of your property. Experience goes a long way in discovering what works best back there. On the flip side, selling pools for awhile may not necessarily mean that he knows what he is doing in your yard. Usually, a good combination of different jobs, experiences, and time in the business is best. Unfortunately, you are usually at the mercy of the company and how they assign sales leads as to what salesman shows up at your door. You are stuck with whatever he sells you, so make sure that it looks like it is going to work.

Good salesmen will try to downplay or hide their inexperience. Do your part to find out who this guy is and how much he knows about what he is selling you. This can be part of why the construction office hates the sales guy. Like, he sells you something that construction has to clean up.

How do you tell when a salesman is lying? His lips are moving. Sometimes, his lips not moving can speak volumes. It is you versus him. No matter how hard he tries to act like he is on your team and wants to be your best friend, he is there to get paid. Keep this in your mind. Pulling a dog biscuit out of his bag is not him being cute or thoughtful. It is him pulling tricks out of his bag. Everything in that bag, is a trick to get you to become a sale. The sooner you realize that, the better off you will be.

During the presentation, he will talk up the company. Here is where he will try to throw all the great things about how his company builds pools at you. What does any of that mean? Depends. Design awards are just that. Because you won an award for a design doesn't mean that you built the pool fantastically or even that buyer was satisfied. Pool and Spa News ranks the nations top builders. That list is a culmination of numbers. It is based on how many pools they sell and how much money they bring in. Being on that list has nothing to do with how many lawsuits they have, how good customer satisfaction is or anything like that. Doing your homework before the salesman comes to your house plays a big role in knowing what he is really telling you.

There are a lot of good guys out there and there are some real sharks. How he presents himself, speaks volumes. It is his job to sell you a pool and he does not get paid anything if you do not buy. In the process of selling you a pool, his objective is to sell you on the value, the company building it, himself and how you cannot live without his pool. Is he acting like a good guy or is really just a good guy. You have to figure that out. You will be trusting your property, your money and your satisfaction to whatever he is or isn't telling you. If you do not feel comfortable with him, do not deal with him. However, if you like the company, you can always call them and request someone else.

The salesman should have the information from the permit office about requirements in your area. If not, red flag. If he did not take the time to find out what can and cannot be built in your yard, why is he there? Is he familiar with your municipality, has he dealt with them or is this the first time he has ever tried to build a pool there?

You should see if the salesman has any pools in your area that you can go see. If not, why not? Do they just have a display pool at their office or do they have pools in the area that they would be happy to show you. If he has been in the business for awhile, he should have some pools to take you to. If not, this should be a red flag.

I have come across builder's sites where they recommend you get referrals from the potential builder. This is a good idea. Problem here is, do you think that the builder is going to give you a list of referrals that he hasn't made sure are actually going to refer him? Probably not. Are there 3 people on that list or 30? I know of a company that actually pays the people on their referral list when they talk up the company and they get the sale. The complaints sites are good places to balance out the referrals dilemma. Regardless, call the referrals and ask questions that may pry information out of them that they aren't used to giving. How do you like your pool points them in a standard answer the company would want them to give. Did you have any problems during construction or is there anything you would do differently inclines them to give a more truthful answer.



TO BE CONTINUED...

Questions To Ask Yourself Before Contacting A Builder

Why are you thinking about building a pool?
Who is it for? You, kids?
What do you know about pools?
What type of pool do you think you want?
What features do you want on the pool?
What features, what type of pool is right for your budget?
Should I get a landscaper involved? Should I have them design it?
Should I use a consultant or will the builder suffice?
Will this take up my entire yard?
How will a pool impact my yard? My neighbor's?
Do you have a homeowners association that needs to approve it or be involved?
What damage will happen to my property putting this in?
How will this affect my homeowners insurance?
How are you going to pay for this?
Do you know anyone with a pool? Are there any being built around you?
When do you want to be able to use the pool? When you should build it to achieve that goal.

Swimming Pool Complaints And Stories

Here I encourage you to post your complaints, experiences, stories and thoughts. Good, bad or indifferent. I will post some of mine and reply with my thoughts to yours.



The salesman was my buddy, then I gave him the check and never heard from him again.
-Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence in this business. Basically, the salesman works on a commission and his job is to sell you a pool. Once the pool is sold, the paperwork in order, the salesman turns the job over to the office. From there, he is off to another appointment to sell a pool. A good salesman will follow up with you, return your calls and continue to maintain contact with you. In defense of the other salesmen, their job is to sell a pool not hold your hand. Regardless, you should expect, once you sign a contract, that you may be dealing with someone else. The other unfortunate problem in this structure is that different factions in the company tend to work against each other. Construction does not like sales, sales thinks construction is deliberately delaying their job, and so on.

The builder destroyed my yard! This is unacceptable and they should pay to fix it.
-Read your contract. Normally, the contract specifically outlines that the builder and their crews need an access to the pool area. This can be across a brand new paved driveway, that gets broken. The trucks coming in and out are very heavy and can wreak havoc on whatever they drive over. The builder gets you to approve an access route. From there, most builders clearly define that and state they are not responsible for what happens in that area. Cleaning up the mess from construction is usually on you. Pool builders have learned over the years and that lengthy, fine print, found on the back of the contract is there to protect them, not you (no matter what they try to tell you).