We're using Pools By Young, a small company which is up near you in Aldie. So far we've been pleased; signed contract on 8/6, permits were issued late last week and they're excavating today (were going to start Tuesday but weather prohibited). BBB members with no complaints, have been around for 30-some years and references were all positive. We also looked at NVBlu and Lewis Aquatech, both of which we also heard good things about, offered decent quotes, and would have seriously considered going with had we not chosen the PB we had. Good luck.

We used NVBlu after seeing another pool done by them in our neighborhood. We're now in our second swim season with the pool and could not be happier (other than the recent cold snap which dropped my pool temp to 75 this morning). I learned alot from trolling this forum and took what I learned to review what they (and other builders) were proposing. While not the cheapest, they were great to work with during the whole process and am very happy with the quality of the final product.

ps. I'm also in Leesburg.

Thanks to both of you for the replies, will do some follow up and thanks again.

Have met with two builders so far, waiting to see the designs they come back with after the visit. Both seemed knowledgeable and took plenty of time with us to understand what we were looking for and explaining some of the updated technology since we built our last pool in 1993.

Some interesting perspectives as well. Our setting will be wooded so will have some leaves to deal with in the fall before shutting down for the winter. Once PB recommended an in floor system (Paramount I believe?) and the second recommend against an in floor system and recommended using a Polaris unit.

Different perspectives on filters as well, one felt a traditional DE filter was the way to go and didn't recommend a cartridge unit.

Both recommended SWG systems and propane heaters given we won't be heating a spa although both said they would price in a heat pump in case we were interested because of the longer term efficiency.

From a manufacturing perspective, both PB's used different manufacturers with no overlap- they did both say that in our area, it was only one company that did the gunite and the Pebbletech so they will be similar there I expect. The use of sub contractors was interesting, one completely subbed out and the other partially but both assured us they would be managing the project all the way through.

All in all, an interesting and good experience so far although the prices were higher than I expected, well over double the price of the pool we build in Texas 13 years ago so ($28K) and haven't even seen all the options yet. This doesn't include the fencing or taking down the trees in the building area (both said to leave the trees cut at 3 foot and they would take out the stumps but wanted the trees down and out of the way before they start.

Thanks again for the choices, will probably get a third opinion once we see the designs from the first two companies.

Hi Davemartin88....

Did you decide which pool company?? And if so could you maybe explain how they stacked up ?? I am interested if you chose the company which does some of the pool construction in house.

Haven't made a decision yet, probably a few weeks away at this point. We have one more company coming on Friday as we wanted to get three options. Will keep folks posted. We also received a couple of local references from one of the companies that we'll be calling to take a look at as well. We're not in a real hurry since we're not swimming this year and have to build up the courage to commit to this big of an expense!

I know what you mean about the major decision. We are compiling our list of estimates and not sure what metric to use. Unlike building a home, this pool thing is a bit confusing.

Had a first visit from a PB on Friday, our third company. Very interesting discussion and process with Lewis Aquatech- first visit was a discussion of what we were looking for, discussion about how we wanted to pool to fit in to the yard, etc. No brochures, no samples, just some straight forward conversation with a promise to follow on with some details now that they know what we're looking for.

Most interesting, this builder didn't try to talk us out of a spa we could use year round as the first two did. Said it would create some issues we'd have to work through and probably some cost since the plumbing for the spa would have to be capable of running on it's own when the pool is closed. Net is, he said it could be done and would work up th numbers, if it works, great, if not, can go with the same approach recommended by the other two builders which is to keep our self contained hot tub in use.

If we're able to integrate a year round spa in to our plan, we won't have to move the pool out towards the woods on our property as it could replace the decking where our hot tub currently sits and the overall plan could integrate with a 20'X25' fish pond we already have in the area.

Net is, an interesting approach and will see what they come back with in a week or so, quite a journey! Glad we started now rather than waiting for spring!

Lewis-Aquatech does build some wonderful pools. We are alkso waiting to hear back from them on the cost.. Right now I have two numbers which are 63K for A&S and 50K for a local builder. I would like to get two or three more and then decide and start but the others are taking their time... A&S is out as far as I am concerned.

Good luck to you

I can second the NVBlu recommendation. They just built my pool in Arlington.

We met with several poolbuilders last year - Sunrise Pools, Maryland Pools, Town & Country, Lewis Aquatech and NVBlu. Maryland Pools was out, struck us as a pool factory. Sunrise Pools was small but it definitely wasn't a good fit. Town & Country we actually had talked to about a preliminary design and, while they seemed good (and came very highly recommended), the preliminary pricing they gave on a very simple design was completely outrageous.

We actually put it out to bid to Lewis Aquatech and NVBlu with pretty detailed specs. Their pricing came in extremely close, within a couple of thousand of each other. In the end, we went with NVBlu because they were more flexible about adjusting contract provisions we were uncomfortable with, including the payment schedule. Lewis Aquatech was very bureaucratic in the way they dealt with that - they didn't like changes to their preprinted forms.

We've been pleased with NVBlu. That's not to say the process was perfect - there were two heart-stopping glitsches along the way. But in the end NVBlu stood behind their product very well and worked out the problems very reasonably.

We're greatly enjoying our first pool season - we had a solar company put in solar heat and still have pool water in the high 80s.

Pool construction costs here are similar to what they were when we built in Hawaii 4 years ago - that is to say, high. Texas is a very low-cost market, so don't expect to get anywhere near there.

Received our first detailed proposal today, from NVBlu, good session, good discussion and in the ballpark of what we were expecting. Have some research to do on our own and some changes that were dealt with well. There were some upgrades we want to consider and want to find out a bit more. Have two more proposals to review, in the next week or so, hopefully. We're also going to want to include some landscaping and a fireplace/firepit but trying to start with the pool to make sure we're talking apples to apples with the PB's.

Chasaz, you're right, no comparison to Texas.

One thing I'm wondering is how much room for negotiation in the pricing we see from the builders- on a $70K bid, is there 10%, 2%, or something else? When we get to the final stages, guess we'll find out.

Thanks again to all that have posted and provided feedback.

Wanted to pass along an update to our progress- we now have quotes from 3 builders and going through the process to make sure we don't compare an apple to an orange. Two of the three are very close to each other and the third is much higher, won't name names (on which builder is where in their pricing) as we're still going through the process at this point but quite a bit of differences in the approaches- some load you up with the options separately and low base price, one pushed a more inclusive price that has all in and probably the pool we'll end up closer to in terms of options so not necessarily a problem.

Where there were detailed breakdowns for comparison, the cost for Pebbletech stood out with one of the builders charging twice as much as the other two. Given they all buy from the same contractor, found this interesting.

We're looking at about a 500 sq ft pool at this point with a pebble tech finish, heater, salt generator, flagstone coping, 600 sq. ft of decking (exposed aggregate), cover, separate year round spa (40-50 sq. ft.) and the usual equipment, prices coming in at the $70K-80K range. One offered a discount up front related to time of the year and if we moved quickly (not going to move that quickly so will be interested to see if that pricing really goes away).

Still have a few more reference pools to look at and not making our decision completely on price- 2 of the three builders are taking a more flexible approach and one is a larger company where we've seen some impressive work but maybe a bit less flexible (not a negative at this point).

Guarantees are another area I want to research a bit more, trying to understand what a "lifetime" guarantee really means for a pool, all leaks or cracks covered, semi-covered, etc. Hard to sort out all the equipment options/manufacturers as well but will get there.

Just wanted to provide an update and solicit any comments related to guarantees, in floor systems (Paramount specifically), etc.

Thanks to those that have replied previously.

Thanks for the update Dave.... We pretty much in line with you on the comparison for the three and ended up deciding to go with the one offering the discount....

Main issue finally was that all three would have built a good pool. Similar experience on the pebtec. What I also did was go to a reputable pool supply store and get their advice on equipment and setup. stuff like DE filter, number of inlets drains skimmers.

We are at 750 sqft, with us providing coping (travertine finally decided) and a cover with the brackets...

Best of luck in your decision...

msbaseballl

Care to elaborate on the DE filter???

Thanks...

ethiojazz: DE is made up of fossils which have been on this planet forever, it is a substance that you can not get rid of, you can't burn it or anything it is here---always. It is a carsigen (sp?) so picture this: YOU put DE from the container into your filter, when you do this it becomes airborne (kinda like flour does when you dump it into a mixing bowl) when you inhale it goes into your body and can not be carried out... it will stay in your body FOREVER>>> Long after you are gone. So while it filters well it is quite risky, and it has been proven to cause some types of cancer in humans and pets.
So be careful...

Thanks msbaseball for the information. Lewis is one of the builders we are still considering. Thanks for the feedback on the Paramount cleaning system, only one of the builders I've talked with is offering this cleaner (not Lewis btw) and they said they are the exclusive dealer for this area. We had a Caretaker unit in a previous pool and wouldn't recommend it although that was a number of years ago.

Read your comments on DE, agree it's something to be careful with but seriously doubt that the average pool owner who handles the DE carefully as part of their filter maintenance is at a real risk- understand many will disagree but if we go with a cartridge filter, it will be because of the maintenance ease versus a fear of using DE.

Thanks again for your feedback, still a couple of weeks away from making a decision, one of the builders said their price was only good til the end of September so guess they may be out of the running although they were the leading candidate. The car salesman approach didn't win us over, LOL.

I bet the sale will extend till the day you decide. Lewis were also one of our top and would have done a great job I believe...

msbaseball

Thanks for the heads up. Indeed there is lots of stuff we will need to consider but hopefully with proper training and protection I will be good at protecting myself. Since we areplanning an auto cover I am concerned that with no UV rays the pool could have excessive bacterial content and thus the reason for the DE.

Did you make a selection??? Where are you in the process???

Down to two builders and getting final proposals, we changed the location of where we're going to put the pool so needed to make some changes- we were going to put it away from the house and take down a few trees but now looking at having it near the house so will have to tear out an existing deck and move a hot tub (will do that part myself). Hope to wrap up this week or early next, thanks for asking!

Hope you get what you are looking for... We are close to completion for this year with Coping, Tile and Peb slotted for next year as well as setting everything up. Our big decision now is what to do about automation and whether to include a system like EOS or maybe even upgrade to an EZ Touch and a 4x160 pump.

We've selected our builder, NVBlu, (barring any last minute complications as we finish the contract)and will be looking at a spring build. Pricing, while high to us, is in line with the others and after looking at a number of pools, we decided we liked the work they had done and the people we've dealt with so far. Will have the contract wrapped up this week and have a landscaper coming by to help us a bit as we're going to integrate the new pool and decking in to our yard and fishpond so want some advice there- way more than we were expecting to spend at this point but really looking forward to swimming next spring. We're going to get estimates from two landscapers and now that we have a pool design, we can get this going as well.

Bad news is I'll have to have a septic line moved, have an estimate for this as well but no way to make things work where the line is situated- this is the line from the tank to the leach field so not that big of a deal to move since it's mainly just a flexible piece of PVC to put in a newly dug trench.

Will try to keep folks updated as we move along. Thanks for the feedback so far.

Congrads and best of luck... We have completed the gunite and all the rough in but will be in waiting for spring mode from now on...

Dave -

Pebble Tec is very nice. take a look at pebble sheen sheen too - it's a LITTLE bit smoother. Not by much though, but some.

definitely go with the salt system - some models are more user friendly than others - but they have a lot of benefits compared to "old fashioned" ways of dropping chlorine tabs in a chlorinator. You still want to remain vigilant about testing your chlorine levels though

feel free to ask me any questions about pool construction - I can give you alot of advice on pools and i enjoy talking about this stuff

good luck

Thanks, we did look at the Pebble Sheen, it actually feels "sharper" to the touch to both my wife and I. We have a pool at our house in Texas with Pebble Tech and were happy with it so decided to go with it again. This time we'll be able to get the dark color we both like as we think we'll need some help keeping the water warm because of the shade in our yard!

We are going with a salt system for sure but also looking at the Delzone which has ozone as well but want to make sure that the Delzone would integrate in with the Jandy wireless system.

Plenty of time to decide as no work until spring- early March is the construction start.

Thanks again.

if you're interested in ozone too - you need to get the D*l Oz*ne Tri* Pur*

The TP is a saltwater system WITH an ozone system.

Actually, other way around maybe ...

Ozone systems need some type of "back up" or, for lack of better words, a "boost." Ozone oxidizes as soon as it hits the water (i.e. thru the returns) - thus cannot maintain a high enough chlorine residual.

The salt system, however, (which you know is simply a chlorine generator), compensates for what Ozone lacks (i.e maintains the necessary chlorine residual).

So, it is a 2-in-1 system. While it costs about the same as if you did purchase a seperate salt system and a seperate ozone system .... you'll save money on service later on and it will simplify your system

Thanks novapools, that is the system from Delzone we're looking at, about $600 more than the salt only system we were quoted. If it integrates in well with the remotes, that's the way we'll probably go.

We have the Delzone system. Overall, we've been pretty satisfied with it but can't compare to other salt systems. But, wrt automation, I don't think you will find that it integrates with ANY system. It's really a set it and forget it. You will obviously be able to power it on/off from an automated system but setting clorine production levels or monitoring statuses, I don't believe you will find any of that available with Delzone. That said, I rarely adjusted the system unless I knew there were some upcoming heavy bather loads, etc..

I think you will be pleased with NVBlu.

Thanks under_h2o for the feedback, good to hear you're happy with the Delzone system. By integration, I was really just thinking of being able to see the water temp, etc. We're hoping to start looking at tile and coping during the holiday and will ask a few more questions then with the folks at NVBlu. Thanks again.

Hi Dave...

So you are well ahead of us now... Congrads... Do you have any pictures of the pool?? We have decided to hold off the tile and coping until spring.... I was thinking if there was any disadvantage to setting mortar in the winter...

Ethiojazz

your main factor when it comes to tile/coping this time of the year is going to be freezing temps. If the mortar is wet and it freezes overnight, the water in the mix will freeze, creating many little voids in the mortar - which can potentially lead to problems down the road.

But - there are a couple "tricks of the trade" that can be applied here to prevent this from happening.

In addition, temps in the area are kind of jumping around (i.e. one night it's freezing, next night it isn't). So there is still time ...

On the other hand, the only real "damage" done if you wait is just in scheduling. If you're having a deck done, 99% of the time you'll need the tile/coping installed first. So this would hold up decking progress. If you're doing a regular concrete deck ... obviously this would not be much of a hold up. Now, if you're doing flagstone, or pavers ... yeah, you'll lose some time.

Thanks Novapool....

Just being risk averse... plan is to wait till spring and do the decking right along the coping/tile. By the time we do pebtec and get the water filled it will be May but that will also mean it will be good swimming time...

Sorry for any confusion, we're "selecting" tile and coping over the holiday, no work is starting until early spring!

what kind of coping are you going with dave?

Aha.... That makes perfect sense then Dave....

Are you going to try and do the clearing before???

novapools- will be going with a tumbled flagstone coping and an exposed aggregate decking- the flagstone will help us integrate the pool in with our fish pond and the rest of the landscaping.

ethiojazz- going to leave the current deck and hot tub in place until February but will have it out before the pool builder starts- there is one tree that I will have to have taken down- a 60 to 70 ft oak about 20" in diameter (will make some nice lumber) and already have a tree service that will do this next time they are in the neighborhood. I have a small sawmill so just need to have it dropped and I'll take it from there- would drop it myself but I don't cut any trees that are tall enough to reach the house. LOL

Will also get the septic line moved before construction starts.

Will probably start a new thread in the spring when construction starts, hopefully to document a smooth process!

Thanks for checking in.

Dave

We ended up using Lewis Aquatech. Great experience.
They did a wonderful job and I truely enjoyed working with all of them. Caser is the best stone mason I have ever seen. A true CRAFTSMAN! Thx Lewis aquatech!!

Chazas,

I really related to your feedback about the Pool Builders that gave you estimates. Would you mind providing more details of your experiences with those companies offline. My email is ssquareds@yahoo.com. Thanks.

We hired NVBlu to put in an inground pool. It is a beautiful pool. But their after-installation communications are terrible. They do not return phone calls nor answer emails. they have left us hanging on several emails. I would think getting back to your customers would be a priority. But it isn't. So if they build one for you, make sure you keep them on your property until they provide everything they said they would and don't pay final invoice until they do.