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.