How to Select the Best Contractor (part 2)
In the last post, I doled out some sage advice about narrowing the field of potential contractors to build your family’s pool: ask your friends, family and co-workers; look through the yellow pages, newspaper ads, websites.
Then, go to the Contractors State License Board website (here in California, it’s at cslb.ca.gov). Do some research. Scratch the shady contractors off your list, then make some appointments with the companies still in the running for an estimate. They’ll come out to your home to discuss what you want, what fits your lifestyle and yard. They may work up some drawings and some prices, too.
While they’re at your home, try to narrow the field further. Ask them some questions like these:
- Do you have liability insurance? All contractors should. I wouldn’t hire one if they didn’t.
- How long have you been in business locally?
- Who will be supervising the job? How often can I expect to see you in my backyard? I hear from many of my subcontractors that they never see a contractor or supervisor at the job site. Many of them joke that once the salesman gets a signature on a contract, the homeowner will never see them again. If you are that homeowner, though, it’s not funny at all.
- Do you have some references we can check? Sure, they aren’t going to give you the phone numbers of unhappy clients, but check up on the referrals anyway. Ask the people if they were happy with the work and how it was done. Get them talking, see what you can find out:
- Were lots of add-ons or change orders tacked on that were unexpected? Obviously, this isn’t good. It’s a poor way to do business, if not downright unethical or even illegal.
- Was the level of supervision adequate? Non-existent? Were problems taken care of, or ignored? If you don’t don’t get the right answers, cross that company off the list.
OK, so now that you’ve got a fistful of bids from seemingly competent people. How do you evaluate them? Pools cost a lot of money, plus it’ll be there in your yard for quite a while to come. So you’d better be sure to pick a good contractor that will build your pool right. And how do you know what features are good, better, best? All the salespeople have a different angle, but basically they’re all saying their stuff is the best.
Let’s get a little deeper into assessing the contractor and the plan.
First off, the best value isn’t necessarily the cheapest. If you’re looking for the lowest price on a particular pool size and configuration, be careful. Often this becomes a contest to see which contractor can degrade the pool the most. The winner will use the bare minimums required — or even less. Your pool might have a three-bar bond beam, but a six bar beam costs only a few hundred more and the structure is much, much stronger. Or you may have an up-rated pump and a small cartridge filter that you’ll spend your weekends fussing with, instead of enjoying your pool. Or maybe your pool will always be dirty and algae-filled, while your neighbor’s stays clean.
You get the idea. Sometimes you’re better off spending a little more money to get something that’ll look better or last longer than the rock-bottom priced pool. A contractor who knows all the corners to cut isn’t the guy you want working for you.
Do some research. Find out who knows their stuff, who’s just pulling your leg. Know what’s included in the bid: what equipment, materials, equipment and so on. The more detail, the better. If you need more info from the salesman or contractor, call. It’s a lot of money– your questions need to be addressed properly. It’s hard to compare one pool to another, to know what sort of value you’re getting, if you don’t have the pertinent details on a piece of paper. Apples to apples, and all that.
Evaluating the Contractor
I’m assuming that you’ve eliminated those company’s that didn’t meet your expectations, like we talked about previously. I’m also assuming that you’ve talked to some past clients of the remaining companies. Now comes the difficult part. Whoever you choose will be a part of your life for the next couple of months. Plus you’ll be entrusting them with your backyard and thousands of your dollars. Pick someone who seems honest, knowledgeable, competent. Sometimes you just go with that gut feeling.
Evaluating the Pool Plan
Perhaps the most important parts of a pool– any pool– are its guts: the structure and the hydraulics.
I know, I know: Structure? Hydraulics? Yawn…
Sure, not the liveliest topics in the world, but don’t nod off just yet. The structure determines how strong the pool is, how it will hold up to the stresses it will be subjected to. The hydraulics has to do with how clean the pool will be, how much it will cost to operate, and how quiet the pump will be.
Strong pools are good. Clean pools are good. Right? Since structure and hydraulics are so important, I’ll do separate posts on those topics.
Beyond the strength of the pool and if it functions properly, safety is important, too. Maybe even the most important aspect of a well-built pool. Proper fencing, the right number and type of drains, protecting against electrical shock, providing a hand-hold at water level for kids, making sure the deck finish isn’t too slippery, that the pool is the properly built for things like diving boards and slides. Stuff like that.
It’s also vital that the job looks good when everything is completed. Quality of materials and workmanship is one aspect of this. So is the basic design and layout of the pool and the rest of the yard. Balance, proportion, scale, color, texture. Form, space, order. Lines of sight, framing certain views. Traffic patterns, gathering areas. And then there’s the proper plants…
Besides a good-looking, well-built pool, you want everything thought out ahead of time. Details like:
- Will excess water in the yard (from rain, sprinklers or splash-out) be drained properly? Or will things puddle up?
- Is the equipment located so that it won’t interfere with your family’s enjoyment of the backyard? A noisy pump can be irritating, the opposite of what you want when friends and family are visiting.
- Are elevation changes in the right places? This includes steps, planters, and retaining walls. If things aren’t done right, it can lead to eroded dirt collecting on the deck or even in the pool. Very bad.
- Are the necessary pipes underground and in the right places before the deck is done? Most pool builders will have the pool plumbing lines, and gas and electric lines in. But you may also need pipes for drain or irrigation systems, a water line for a hose bib, or a sleeve to install cable for low-voltage lighting. Maybe piping for a future solar heating system.
- Are the entry steps the right kind for my family? Baja benches are a popular feature for sunning or toddler wading. Or maybe you want a low height on the step risers. Or a long tread.
- Are rope anchors included with the pool? The spa? Most people just hang thermometers from them, but it’s nice to have the option to block off the deep end for the comfort of beginning swimmers.
Some builders think of this stuff and coordinate with you to ensure that it’s done, before concrete is poured, before the pool is done. That’s the kind of guy you want on your team.
The Relationship Is More Important Than the Contract
So, the field should be narrowing at this point. The scoundrels and incompetents have been eliminated. You’ve got a design that you’re excited about. You even have a builder who seems knowledgeable and competent, as if they’ll pay attention to workmanship and detail.
But before you proceed to making a commitment, keep in mind that the builder you select will be a part of your life for the next few months. The two of you will have a relationship, which, like many relationships, will require trust and respect. Sure, everything should be laid out on a contract that both parties sign. But that contract is only the shadow of your agreement and the relationship behind it. If the relationship goes bad, the contract may not always be of help; you probably won’t end up with the pool you’d hoped for. And if lawyers get involved, well, at that point, no one is a winner.Make sure you have a good feeling about the person, the contractor, you select. If you’ve done your homework, picked the right plan and the right company, you’ll probably get that pool of your dreams.
April 18th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Pool-nerd,
You rule! Not to come off as some starry eyed amateur. I dream of building beautiful custom poolscapes some day. A brief history of my back round, I left a small time pool service / steel wall installation co. last year because of their lack of ethics… I am now starting my own co. to enhance the consumers experience in my area ( there is much lacking as far as client service goes) and to pursue my dream of coarse. Needless to say I will not be expecting any help from my former employer. But I am persistent on building a paramount company.
Since I have been reading your site I have grown a great deal of respect for you. So here I humbly ask for you insight, in two parts.
If you were in my shoes, which you probably once have been, how would you go about truthfully gaining clientele? I have a good working knowledge of building steel wall pools and I am certain that I will do so with more attention to the proper techniques then most of my colleagues. I don’t think that simply explaining this to potential clients will help win their business, and contrary to most suggestions I don’t want to “fake it till I make it.”
Part two-How would you make the step with little background or experience in concrete pools into becoming a contender in the market? School? Intern?
I would appreciate any suggestions that you may have.
April 22nd, 2007 at 6:40 am
@Todd
Glad you enjoy this web site. Hopefully you can glean some useful information thta will help you in your endeavors.
And, yes, I was in your shoes at one time — it seems like not that long ago, actually. It is difficult to build a client base, but once you get a few pools in the ground, referrals will start coming in from your satisfied customers. For example, my first big project built from scratch was for a friend, done at cost. That led to referrals for the next two jobs, which led to five or six more referrals in the next couple of years. Now, over 90% of jobs are from referrals from happy customers.
Advertising is also important in the early going: a nice website — lots of photos and especially lots of information for potential clients. Maybe a yellow pages ad and/or a series of advertisements in the local newspaper. Plus many newspapers are eager for news and may welcome a release on a new customer-service oriented business.
As to making the leap into concrete pools … keep in mind that the only difference between a steel wall pool and a gunite/shotcrete pool is the vessel that’s holding the water. Most of the rest of the project is the same: plumbing, equipment, gas and electrical lines, decking, etc. If you get the basics of reinforced concrete construction down (know your standard structural plan inside and out), the rest is just refining things, adding innovative touches, responding to customer requests and so forth.
Besides learning all the intimate details of structure, you would be wise to learn all that you can about hydraulics. Pentair has an excellent manual that gets into the meat of hydraulics: calculating friction loss, generating a “pool curve” (similar to a pump curve, but allows you to see how a system would perform at different losses for different flows), and perhaps most importantly, figuring line velocities. Standards are for 7 feet per second on the suction side and ten fps on the return. Maximum. Six fps or less is better — especially on suction side to help prevent entrapment along with split suction. Lower is more efficient. Anyway, you get the idea.
Perhaps the most important thing though, is education. Never stop learning. Attend seminars at trade shows, or mini-classes that manufacturers offer at your local distributor or at other nearby locations. Subscribe to trade magazines: Pool & Spa News is decent, but their construction articles are often filled with fluff. Water Shapes offers more solid information in my opinion, plus it’s free. Aqua is another magazine, plus there are many more. Also, get the best (not the cheapest) subcontractors in the area and learn from them. The library and bookstore are invaluable, too: learn about architecture, color theory, landscape design, masonry, etc. Get manuals from national trade organizations (e.g., the Technical Manual from the National plasters Council, “Slabs on Grade,” from the American Concrete Institute, or “Specifications for the Installation of Ceramic Tile” from the Tile Council of North America). Learn, learn, learn.
Besides accumulating pool construction knowledge, educate yourself about how to run a business. A book called “The E Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It,” by Michael Gerber is, I believe, an essential for any small business person. Also get a good handle on your pricing. The reason most pool builders go out of business, in my experience, is that they price their product too low. You’re selling knowledge and service, so try to set yourself apart from other local builders who don’t know the stuff you do — structure, hydraulics, design — the guys that are merely selling on price.
But don’t get overwhelmed. You don’t need to know all this stuff before you get going. Just start educating yourself bit by bit, and as you learn, you’ll become a better builder, salesman and designer.
If you need an opinion on a specific subject yo come across, feel free to email me. Good luck.