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!!

Ponz, Interesting quandary! We are going through the same decision right now. We are planning a pool house and pool. Our issue is not related to the budget, but the design limits of a pool fit for a cover. We absolutely want to have a slide (tacky as they may look) BTW - you should look at SR Smith - their turbo twister looks awesome. Lucky for us we can tuck the slide at the back of the yard close to the block wall where it won't be the focal point of the pool. Also, if we were limited to a rectangle shape, the pool would have to be about 25% smaller. With this in mind, we could sacrifice the Baja shelf and spa, but we want it all (of course). I have asked a lot of people about the cover. I have a sister plus several close friends that have the cover. All of the people with a cover are happy with the cover and try to talk me into putting one in, however, everyone who I've talked to that have a pool without a cover love their pool. I have also asked people who were going to put the cover on and decided not to if they regret not putting a cover on - the answer was no. What does this tell me - everybody loves their pool. Good news considering the size of investment. Some things I have considered: *The tile located under the cover (where it is rolled up when fully retracted) always seem to turn a lovely shade of slime. This has happened after a few years with each pool I've seen. What this says to me is - maintenance! It kind of grosses DH and I out - I know I would be under there with a kitchen brush on a regular basis. *After a year or two the cover ends up looking really bad. My sister's is 5 years old - which is probably the average life of a cover - and it is faded and stained where water puddles on it. Again, you can probably scrub the puddle stains off - but again - maintenance. *This may be a Las Vegas thing only, but when the pool cover is on in the summer, and you open up the pool, some spots in the pool are so hot that it is unbearable to get in. We have actually added cool water to the pool to make it swimable. *Replacement cost. It is a hard number to believe, but my sister keeps throwing out $5k as the replacement cost for her cover and says it will need to be replaced every 5-7 years. Now I know I am probably going to stir a little reaction with this post from the cover lovers. I am not totally against them; I just think there are positives and negatives. The main reason I considered the cover is for the safety issues. I have resisted getting a pool until now (my 4 children are 4-12 yrs) because drowning risk scares me to death. DH and I do not feel comfortable that a fence can prevent a drowning. We are now pretty sure we will get a pool safety net. There is a time commitment involved, but the 100% safety rating is the piece of mind I am looking for. We have absolutely decided that safety is non-negotiable, so the net will be on each day after swimming and during all breaks from swimming if a non-swimmer is in the vicinity. We made our final decision based on the feedback that we received from friends without an auto cover, personal observation, and input from kids. Nieces that are in teens wish they had a more exciting pool, always seem to be at other friends pools with slides, diving boards, spas, etc. Son practically begged us not to get a rectangle pool. On a different subject, how much do you think you will spend on the pool house? We need one as the closest bathroom in the house is through the kitchen and down the hall (all over wood floors). Also, hate the look of pool equipment in a tuff shed or scattered all over the deck. As mentioned before, land is at a premium, we can only eek out about 8'X11' for the pool house. I'm curious if you have received a price for yours and how large you are planning. Good luck with all your decisions! Kim

We have built two houses before so we weren't strangers to the process but this is the first time we have extensively remodeled and that process is unique, especially if you are living (camping) in the mess. But it had been 16 yrs since last built so prices have changed. I know, not an excuse, but we both work a million hours a day and decided to hire a GC that we knew personally to make it all go smoothly. We we still like our GC but realized he has several big drawbacks. First, he doesn't have a lot of experience with remodeling, he mostly builds spec cookie cutters smaller homes. He is extremely fair, honest, friendly, does terrific work but he doesn't know "custom" or higher end appliances, tile, carpet, cabinets, details, etc. at all. He thinks that a one piece fiberglass (molded) bath/shower compartment is high end. We are also in an historical area which has a number of requirements. He did not work and play well with the architect, which in reality was probably the architect's fault as he saw this as his "project" and nobody could interpret it but him. He bid the project, we had several other much higher bids, and we thought the others were too high and realized he might be a little low but should be okay. We told him what we wanted but soon realized he had bid really low for laid tile work including blue board. Well, needless to say the tile work is twice that especially since laying on diagonal and not ceramic tile. So, we solve it by him writing the tile company his portion of the tile check and we write another check to the tile company to cover the overage, same with carpet, cabinets, paint, etc. That way, we don't have a huge overage at the end and pay overages as we go. We aren't doing even high end, just really nice medium we think. But, we are getting to the limit of the $$$ and may have to not complete several portions upstairs, landscaping, patio, etc. I am doing more research on products, prices, etc. than I thought I would be doing as I can't ask the GC his opinion on things so feel pressed. I am also having double knee replacement in 3 weeks and will leave my husband alone with this. Our project has been going on since before Thanksgiving and it should have been done a long time ago. I can't reschedule my surgery for a number of reasons. I guess I am just really stressed trying to get as much done at work and home before I go to the hospital. The other thing is we seem to be in a real rainy spell, it doesn't just rain but huge rains lately every few days and that sets back the outside work. Thanks for listening to me whine.

You need to talk to a lawyer. It sounds like cash to the GC would be 'hidden' and no tax paid. It isn't illegal, immoral, or even questionable to pay people for their products and services, and it isn't your job to consult with an attorney every time to spend money for products or services. Yesterday I didn't question the motives of the dog groomer when I handed them cash, so it seems silly to question a builder for writing them a check. If the G.C. wants to evade taxes, you aren't going to stop him, you aren't going to find it, and neither is your attorney, so spending money on an attorney to learn that, is just throwing good money in the trash. As to your question. It doesn't matter to the bank, a full cash build might have some benefit to the contractor, but not enough to matter to most contractors and it also has some risks. Banks are fairly solvent and though the contractor will have to argue with the bank and he will say he hates draw schedules, the process to get paid is rather objective and assured. With a build that is fully cash I suspect that the builder is going to want cash in advance of his purchases to mitigate his risk. A 30% cash build will matter very little to him. Generally, the bank just doesn't care who you pay. I spent my own money on a bunch of stuff prior to the build happening (I had all the appliances, flooring and lumber for custom kitchen cabinets I was going to build). The bank offered to write me a check to refund all of that money I spent and even offered to pay me a profit on my cabinets. I admit to having a fairly liberal bank, but many banks don't care about the cash in and out, so much as they care about the value of the asset at the end of the loan and whether or not their position in that asset is less than or great than the approved percentage and amount. Finally, you might talk to your bank or a financial adviser about your thoughts. The financial adviser in me would advise you to keep your money and finance the limit to keep you out of PMI, but I understand how people can be hesitant to do this.