Our pool is under construction so I'll just tell you what I was told (northern Virginia): 1. Heating: want the water warmed fast? propane. One builder said he only uses his heater in the spring; opens the pool and burns 400gal propane to heat it up and he's done for the season (allows him to open early). Everyone we know has propane so I can't speak to a heat pump, although a lot of builders I talked to pushed them. Our friends nearby with propane love it because if they have a pool party on a chilly day it heats the water quickly. 2. Decking: we are doing aggregate. I do not like pavers (although they do look nice in pictures); we have a perennial garden with pavers and it is a maintenance nightmare (it's about 10 years old). Ants, weeds, shifting, you name it (the grass & weeds out here are on steroids or something: they will destroy anything). We really need to have the pavers re-sanded / pounded down or whatever one does in this situation. Anyway it was enough for me to veto pavers around our pool. Sundek sounds nice but I've never seen it and I believe it is expensive in this area - but if price isn't an issue check it out. And report back :) Good luck!

Things are a bit trickier here in Northern NJ than in many other parts of the country. We have fewer of what I would refer to as "actual pool builders" for in-ground concrete pools. I did not end up using a "national company." That being said, I realized during this process of discovery that the factors for choosing a builder were more complex than I initially thought and I wouldn't rule anyone out at the start. You'll see a range of nice pools from all types of builders on this site. To a vast degree what you get from any of the big guys will vary from each office or franchise and your experience will depend A LOT on who you get as a salesperson. There are posts with some fabulous custom pools from some of these companies on this forum. In many cases, it is the customer that deserves the credit for what you see on the surface (regardless of the type of builder) as there are some very creative non-pros out there. There are some very experienced, good people that work for the big guys and you can get a great looking pool built from them that may be just fine for your construction needs, aesthetic desires and your budget limitations. There are some small builders who are "johnny-come-lately," are financial risks, or just incompetent or inexperienced, while others are extremely professional, knowledgeable and reputable, but just have maintained a presence under a small business paradigm. Some of these builders are real artists who are a credit to their industry and others are just hacks that dabble in what has been a profitable sideline. In another thread about bids there was a discussion of is buying a pool the case where "you get what you pay for." We discovered some "less than good builders" who were smaller contractors that were willing to substantially over-charge the unsuspecting consumer versus other "good builders" who charged far less for quality workmanship and materials. There are very few "large" private builders as the northern NJ market just hasn't had the same level of demand for these high-end pools (or pools at all) as in other parts of the country or even to the degree as in other areas of our own state. Weather, burdensome zoning & regulatory restrictions & fees, soil conditions and the cost of doing business in NJ and particularly in this part of the state are all contributing factors. That being said, there are so many factors to consider starting with your preference of construction materials & methods, preferred equipment options, need for the builder or salesperson to actually help you in the design process, comfort level with how much they oversee the actual construction, what you expect in terms of their level of knowledge and expertise, how much you need to count on them afterwards for support, how close want or need to be to their location for service--if they even provide their own follow-up and maintenance service, what material options do they offer, what portions of the project will they let you DYI or do off-contract with other subs or suppliers, do you want them to just build your pool or do you want someone who will arrange for everything from your decking, landscaping and fencing all done through their company. Some of the smaller, custom builders have excellent reputations--but expect a higher price tag as they actually do more work that comes with being more hands-on and taking more pride in what they do (and justly so if you realize the time, effort and risks factors that come with a custom job). Smaller, however, doesn't necessarily mean more expensive nor does bigger necessary mean bad--there are just way too many factors here to consider. Yes, some of the more pricy builders are willing to reduce their profit margins now to get work these days-- in some cases it is because their material, equipment, and transportation costs may have been temporarily reduced due to the downturn in the economy and also because their subs may be cutting their margins as well. But some of these guys were the type that would have "blown you off" if you didn't bite at their first proposal or otherwise didn't start with a minimum 6-figure plus budget last season. However, hard working people do need to be fairly compensated-- bad economy or not you wouldn't like it if your income was arbitrarily expected to be cut or reduced through no fault of your own. There are plenty of professionals and salaried people who don't get hurt in this economy but expect to put the squeeze on others that do. I don't think it's fair to take advantage of anyone--pool buyer or pool builder. Yes, anyone who is building a pool is not "poor," but that doesn't mean that they haven't worked hard for their money and for some of us it represents a huge risk to spend our savings on a luxury purchase at this time or at any time. For others, they may be wearing more than the cost of a pool around their wrist or their neck. The more you shop around the more you'll get and idea of what's reasonable and how much you can afford. You'll never really nail it down to apples to apples, so go with your gut and who you think you can trust in the end. In my journey, I found builders who I thought would do a good job, but they met less of my needs criteria than others. I just didn't care for others, but they built nice pools for some neighbors. In a couple of cases, I realized I dodged a bullet by not choosing a particular builder after I learned more later on. Some PBs do a great job for one customer and then do a lousy job for another. There was a discussion in another thread about whether "you get what you pay for." I don't think it is just that simple. Again, it is a tricky process for anyone as a buying a pool is not like buying a trivial item like box of salt--and even that commodity varies in price depending on the brand! Do you research, learn what you can through this forum and from others (I really appreciate those who have been brave enough to discuss their mistakes and mishaps for the benefit of others). It is difficult to have "champagne tastes and a beer budget," so unless money is no object--be forewarned--reading this forum is hazardous to your wallet!!!! LOL You will want to feel as good as you can about your decision before starting because it can be a bumpy ride once you get going and you may never know if you made the "right choice" until long afterwards. Just do the best you can. The company we chose was the best fit for our needs at the time--not a perfect fit, but we felt we made the best decision in our case. Everyone should way the pros and cons of various PBs as it applies to them personally and you need to reflect upon the experiences of others with some perspective. Expect good and bad reviews on the very same builder--it's just how it is it seems. I met some very nice "strangers" through this forum who were very helpful to me even though they were located in areas where I didn't intend to use their pool builder. I have gotten good advice, information and support from both pool customers & pool builders and service & technical professionals throughout the country through this forum, therefore I try to return the favor when I can. If you like, you may contact me at NJFolks4@gmail.com for more specific information as I looked into several companies throughout our region. In any case, good luck to you.

All three tolerate the weather changes quite well. The installer is as important as the materials used. Stay involved. Know, don't assume. My first question is "What do you want to do with it?" While this may seem like a Duh! type question, it really does require a lot of thought. Who's using the pool, who's hanging out by the pool, what activities in and around the pool and yard are all pertinent. Prioritizing the wants vs needs vs cost needs to be done. It's not just the construction aspects, there will be on going costs. Then there is the care and maintenance questions involving generalized who, what, and how. Be honest with yourselves about what you can afford vs. want. Plan for cost over runs. They are darn near impossible to avoid. Gunite and Shotcrete are concrete. They are shot out of a large, pressurized, hose and nozzle when they are applied as opposed to being poured like traditional concrete. HTH, Scott

Look at the engineered plan from each PB. This will show rebar spacing, gunite thickness, and mix design presented as minimum PSI for gunite. Ask for a copy of their engineer stamped structural plan. Structural parameters are usually pretty similar. Other questions should be about deck preparation. Do they compact under deck? Do they water jet trenches? Do they use a sand or rock base under the deck? What size plumbing is being used? What type of filter?(i.e. Sand, DE, Mod Media) Are they installing a variable speed pump? Are you getting a pool cleaner? An auto-fill?