How to ensure you are receiving competitive quotes!

Swimming pool companies are asked every day to provide quotes on residential pool and spa projects. Often a homeowner or a general contractor will say "How much for a 16 foot by 32 foot pool."

This approach can cause uncertainty for both the estimator and the prospective client.

After a site visit or a look at the landscaping plan an estimator can usually come up with a price quite quickly and provide a 3 or 4 page quote. But how does he know what he is actually supposed to be bidding on?

At first glance, as prospective client, you may think that three or four phone calls, a couple of site meetings and you’ll have plenty of choices. Unfortunately it isn’t as simple as that. There is no standard form for the estimator to fill out. Every company has different standards as to what they include in their quote and what they don’t so it isn’t always easy for the person receiving the quotes to make their decision.

When bidding on commercial work the contractors are provided with detailed drawings and specifications regarding the pool’s structure, finish, and mechanical components, this allows all parties to bid on a level playing field. Without a similar guideline for your residential project the specifications are left to the individual bidders and may not all be equal.

By asking questions, being certain of what you want, and making sure all bidders have the same information you can be more confident as you make this important decision!

1. Your pool’s size, depth and location.
Seems simple, but being clear about the most basic information is the starting point for receiving fair and competitive bids!

2 What is included
Again, seems simple, but knowing exactly what you expect from your pool contractor and being clear with all the bidders helps us keep the playing field level. Answer these simple questions:

Who is responsible for the excavation, gravel placement, and backfilling?
Who is responsible for the gas, venting and electrical work?
Who is responsible for the coping and decks?
How much decking do you want and what materials do you want?
Who is responsible for building the mechanical room?
Who is responsible for water and sewer connections?
Who is responsible for permit applications and who is paying for them?
Who is supplying the necessary damage deposits to the city?
What other services may be available? For example landscaping, irrigation and retaining walls if they are in your design.
What else is included? Lights? Covers, automatic or manual? Waterfalls? Spa jets?

If you have a general contractor he may be taking care of many of these items, if not either the pool contractor is the general or you are! Make sure this is clear!

3. The structure
As part of the permit application process your city will require engineered drawings detailing the rebar and concrete requirements. The engineer who provides these drawings will also be required to inspect the forms and steel before the concrete is poured so you can be confident in this portion of the job. Be wary of a contractor who wishes to build your new pool or spa without a permit though.

4. The finish
Most contractors provide pricing including a basic level of tile and plaster. Be sure you understand what is included in the basic price and that you will be satisfied. Tile and plaster material upgrades can be expensive so be sure you are clear on this from the beginning.

5. Options
Research on-line and discuss with pool owners you know what options you may want. Beyond upgrades to finish material and decking there are unlimited options for your project, from built in hot tubs and automatic covers to fountains and rock waterfalls!

6. The mechanical system
Unless you are having your pool designed by a professional separate from your contractor, you are to a certain degree at the mercy of your contractor at this point. Pipe sizing is important, as properly sized pipes will allow the filtration system to operate more efficiently. When it comes to the equipment, most estimators will not provide you with details regarding pumps, filters and heaters but will tell you what brand they install. It’s fairly simple to discover relative pricing on the internet and you may soon see that there can be a difference of several thousand dollars in the equipment alone! This is not to suggest that more expensive equipment is necessarily better but cheaper equipment is rarely the best. This one time only savings can cost a lot in increased maintenance and repair costs over the life of your pool.

7. Needs and wants
A pool can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Knowing what you need as opposed to what you want can help keep the bidding process fair.
Having answered the questions above, and knowing what you need in your pool, meetings with contractors will inevitably provide you with new ideas for your design. Ensure that all bidders price the same basic set of specifications, then ask your bidders to price any other items they may suggest as extra line items. This will allow you to compare the basic proposals and the extra items separately. Sometimes having a proposal with all the "bells and whistles" included from the start will make the project appear too expensive or too complicated. Simplify the bidding process for all concerned.

8. Confidence
Make sure you are confident in the contractor you choose. Building a pool is a large undertaking, both financially and emotionally as you see your yard destroyed to make room for the new addition. Feel free to ask to see other projects in various stages, from excavation to completed yards, and if you wish to speak to former clients feel free to ask for references too.

We are confident that if you follow these general guidelines you can be more comfortable when choosing your pool contractor.

Good luck!

Would you, as a prospective client, find this information useful? Would finding this information on a contractors web site influence your decision making process in any way?

I notice now that my title is the same as another thread on the first page, hope it doesn't cause any confusion.

Would you, as a prospective client, find this information useful? Would finding this information on a contractors web site influence your decision making process in any way?

I notice now that my title is the same as another thread on the first page, hope it doesn't cause any confusion.

Others look at it as if they are buying a car and don't want to know how. This is where people get themselves into trouble.

Not much can be done to change it.

Scott

You hit the nail on the head with a 16 lbs sledge there. It seems alot of my clients see our product and expect that they will get the same quality out of every builder. I have found that often times my competition makes a higher prfit than I even when my price is higher. This comes down to a misinformed client. They look at all of the "pretty pictures" and then feel as if they can just choose the lowest price and all is good.

I love dealing with an educated consumer and have great success closing deals with them. We plastered a pool today for a client who told me I was $6000 higher than the other guy but he chose us because of the intangibles. He did his homework, got referrals from people he knows, had extensive meetings with me and the other guy and made an informed decision. He said today he is very pleased with his decision and he will be referring us to his friends.

I accept that there will always be those who make decisions based on price without making an effort to understand all the details in the various proposals. I accept this and honestly don't mind losing those jobs.

I am attempting to help provide information for those who want it.

I'll second this.

Here's a perfect example of this last week when a designer sent me to see a potential buyer who wanted to meet me to discuss the bid and the pricing.
After seeing his picture with a fairly equal amount of perimeter, surface area, and peagravel decking he informed me that we were 3600 higher on an equally appointed pool and can we match this price. I'm like "There's no way he's building this pool of this size with a radio remote controlled computer and salt water chlorination at this price, If you would please show me his bid".
He was apprehensive at first and I said "You've got nothing to gain and everything to lose by not showing me".
I had a suspicion who I thought it was and told him the builder I expected it to be and and if it was I could probably show him a bait and switch tactic he used to get a few pools I felt we would capture last year.
He said it was and then showed me his bid. It went just the same way as the others. He talks up a big computer this and computer that game during his presentation and then writes on the bid form "Intermatic digital controller with radio remote" What he fails to mention is that it'll only control one remote circuit. On his potentials upgrades list it shows the Pentair radio controller that compares to my PDA as a 2800 upcharge.
Adding this to his bid placed me only 800 higher.
I then offered him a number to a buyer who didn't sign with me and went with him. After start up when they found out that it wasn't what they were expecting he told them it was now 4500 after construction because the installation labor goes up to quadruple the new installation charge during construction. I did it for 4000 and made awesome money and a new pool buyer referrer even though I didn't build the pool. They were truly upset about the tactic and have referred me to some newer neighbors in the development. I built 3 of the pools on their street before they moved in and they wanted to go with us but I couldn't drop my sales price any lower. After the 4k their pool cost them almost a grand more than my original quotation.
I wished that I'd of known of his MO when I bid them, I could have salvaged the capture and got the pool like I closed the one last week when armed with the truth.

Note to all readers,
There are some really good men in my industry you never hear about, and there are some scoundrels too. They promise big returns on a low purchase price investment.
Very few have made good on this promise.
The bait and switch works after you've signed because your locked in and your stuck with their terms and pricing on any change order.
Out of all the pools (well over 1000 as Atlantis and 5 times that number as a mechanical contractor prior) I've constructed there might been a couple of hundred that went full term without a single change. When a buyer comes to me with a change I place my standard markup on it. These scoundrels use it as an ability to make 4 to 5 times more than their normal markup because your locked in with no leverage like you had during negotiation.

Cascade,
Thanks for this thread. I sincerely hope it'll help potential pool buyers who come in here searching for info.
WAY TO GO!!!

See ya,
Kelly

I'm at the point now where i don't even follow up on some quotes. Like the "contractor" a few weeks ago who started our first meeting with "I know all you pool guys work on big margins, I've got 3 pools and you're going to give me a discount!" Then he showed me the house we were at, said a friend was the second pool and was evasive about a third one. I told him I'd be happy to give him a hefty discount....on the third one. I sent him a quote and never heard back. He was one of those guys who tries to come off as a big shot. I asked the name of his company, he asked why, and I told him I've been building pools in that neighborhood for over 20 years and hadn't heard of him.

That one could turn out interesting, as I'm pretty sure I know who will build the guy's pool and I'm building one for the guy's son-in-law a few blocks away.

Your document is a good first step in educating pool buyers but I would go a couple of steps further. Create a downloadable document for the buyer that matches your proposal technique so the buyer knows all the componets they have to decided on (or you recommend). That should make it a lot easier for you to bid on jobs and for buyers to understand what they are buying. I love spreadsheets because changes are immediately reflected in the price and you don't have to recalculate. BTW, I put the three proposals I received into a spreadsheet and found several thousand dollar errors in the addition since they were done by hand.

What is the link to your web site and I'll take a look from a buyer's point of view.

diyspa

On the actual quote show what the options are and how much more they would cost. It is easier to start low and upsell than come in at the top of the bids and try and justify it. You may not get called back at all. You don't have to put pricing on the web proposal but you should show components. As a buyer I'm not impressed by a proposal that just has a bottom line price without the details. It looks like the builder hasn't done the homework and just pulled a price out of thin air.

regards,

diyspa

See ya,
Kelly