Do you want to pay double for your pool?

14 years ago

Have you ever had a project cost twice as mush as you anticipated? There is no quicker way to have your outdoor project get out of control than to start building with a poor set of plans!

In the swimming pool and landscaping business, what free really means is "pay more later." You would never build an addition or a home without a good set of plans, so why would you build your back yard addition without one? If youÂve ever done any type of new construction or renovation with a bad set of plans then you know about all the extras! It takes a considerable amount of time to collect all the data necessary to create custom swimming pool and landscape project. Elevations, impervious area calculations, existing material inventory and setbacks are just a few of the many steps which are required before the designing even begins!

When you pay for a complete set of plans from a landscape architect/pool builder, the company should guarantee that everything on the plans are included in the bid! With a complete landscape and swimming pool plan, you can send the plans out to bid and get an apples-to-apples comparison to know youÂre getting value. When you are shopping for a car do you get a price from a BMW dealer, a Mercedes dealer and a Jaguar dealer? No: you pick the car you like most and then you shop!

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Comments (5)

dogue_lover
14 years ago
I think my builder and many others start out with a very vague set of plans so they can rip you off at a later date. Or maybe come in with a lowball bid just to get the job? Our builder was not the cheapest bid either. One of the many items we ended up paying more for later was drains installed in our deck as well as an automatic fill line for the pool.. I don't mind paying for those items but why were they not included in the original bid? Obviously they are all needed items, that a builder probably installs in 95% of the builds he does.

I will agree with "ccipriano" that you must start out with as much detail in the plans as possible. My pool was our first big backyard project we have ever done, and I was very naive about the whole building process. We trusted our builder too much in the begining. When we sat down at the table to discuss the whole project. many details were left off the plan that he verbally assured us they would be taken care of. If its not in writing, trust me! You'll pay more later.

But in the end, I have no one too blame but myself. I trusted our builder to treat me, his customer with the same professionalism, honesty, and integrity that I treat all of my clients with? Boy was I wrong. Don't learn the hard way.. GET IT IN WRITING!!
terryibra
14 years ago
if it is too good to be true when you heard it, than it was. everyone has to make a living and protect their margin. If it is not up front than they plan on making it on the back end by cutting corners or up-charging add ons. I tell everyone I deal with, one price and take your time to make it your best price because I don't haggle or share quotes for this very reason.
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natural_one
14 years ago
Sorry for the agony this has caused you...

This is EXACTLY why my agreement is 3-4 times longer than most builders. It is SO detailed it's almost a hassle to go through.

Just had one of my salesguys compare a bid a client brought in and with our pool builder "eyes" we found so many exclusions, one being that there wasn't ANY deck in their bid. This customer had been led to believe there was and couldnt understand why we were quite a bit higher. wow...

there is a book out there i dont think many know about- www.poolbuyersinfo.com

It goes phase by phase to teach home owners what to look for in contracts to avoid surprise exclusions and to get the apples-to-apples bids. definitely worth checking out.
just-a-pb
14 years ago
Here inlies the problem with the average homeowner getting "Bids".
If you want true bids then you PAY someone to design your pool and write up a detailed spec sheet.
This is how it works with commercial projects.
Then when you put it out to bid and everybody is actually bidding on the same exact project. If they forget something it is their bad not yours.

But that doesnt happen. Homeowners get a basic wish list together, and think they are "bidding" it out to different builders, but many do things different, have different "standard" items, and construction practices. So it is really impossible to get a true Apples to Apples comparison like a car doing it this way.

When customers start talking about Apples, I remind them I am a pool builder not a grocer, but would be happy to help them design, and properly spec out for bid a pool.
Of course for a price.
cascade
14 years ago
Again, this thread relates quite closely to one I started earlier this week. Competitive bidding seems to be nearly impossible to achieve on residential projects.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pools/msg0210073111913.html?10

Do you want to pay double for your pool?

Comments (5)

dogue_lover

terryibra

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