Tough decision for you. Length of time in the business is not always a precursor to good results. There are some long time builders in my town that have trouble paying their bills and have left some homeowners with liens against their homes. It is a good idea to get references. Some people compare price, but that is not all there is to it. Ask the PB for a detailed list of specifications they will use in building your pool. Include it in the contract. How far apart will the steel be placed? How many skimmers and returns? What size plumbing? etc. There are some of the big chains who, in my opinion, skimp on some of the structural components to get the price down. In the end, go with your gut. Who will be on the job site or answer a call when you make one. How long will they take to build the pool? Don't give too much money at the first draw. PBs in trouble will use your money to pay the bills for the last pool and may need to wait until they get someone else's check to be able to proceed with yours. A good PB will build quickly, will provide you with legitimate lien releases and will be onsite or quickly available when you need them. They should also have a healthy list of happy owners.

womanowned gave you some good advice.

Start asking everyone you know, everyone you work with if they have a pool. Almost everyone will have a horror story of one sort or another.

You will need to sort out the horror stories about a builder who screwed over their customers, from the horror stories that all might have to endure - such as the mess with all the dirt that that is excavated, or perhaps a high water table, or city/county permit difficulties, etc.

Thanks, womanowned. One of the things that impressed us about Builder #1 was his emphasis on these details from the very beginning. In our first meeting he made sure we had the details of his liability coverage, workman's comp, promised subcontractors releases at every step, discussed how he wants even minor mid-project changes (which are common) to be written and initialed as a contract addendum, etc. His "sales pitch" was focused on half inch bond beam and expansive steel and large pipe diameter and a whole bunch of other stuff like that. We couldn't entirely process these details during a "pleased to meet you, here's our yard" first meeting, but it left a very different impression from the sales pitch from the slick big company.

Is it legitimate to ask for references for pools he built as an employee of the defunct company, or should we stick with the new company? Those refs can only be recent, though they should at least confirm his site management abilities. Still, without much track record we'd be largely taking him at his word.

lbridges,

Good advice, but unfortunately we know hardly anyone who has done a new build - almost everyone we know who has a pool bought it with the house. Among those few we did find, oddly, we have yet to hear a single horror story - the most negative review we've heard was, "eh, they were ok but I'm not sure I'd use them again."

Do a little more research. Is he a member of the BBB? I would ask him if he would mind if you contacted the last three people that he has built pools for. Even if you don't feel comfortable contacting them, if he is reluctant to use them as references, there is your answer. Ask him a few of the subs that he uses. Research the subs online!!! Pick one of them and call them to see if the builder pays them on time every month. If they don't, it may take a LOOOONG time during this busy season for the subs to find time for him. Typically, they will make their most devoted paying builders a priority.

As a teacher, some of the best advice that I used to give my students was, "Your first answer is almost ALWAYS your best answer." Sounds like your gut is telling you Builder #1. Research them hard & then see if you still feel that way.

Since the company builder #1 used to work with is no longer in business, I don't see a problem with asking him if you can see at least one or two of those pools or at least talk to the owners. That would let you know if they had problems that weren't immediately obvious. You are still taking his word about the contractors used, but you can ask him about the building specs and standards and whether they are any different now that he's calling the shots. You may find that he's improved things.

The year of free service is good because you shouldn't be able to get too far off kilter with anything and any problems you might have can't be your fault for not maintaining the pool properly. Even so, I would ask what is included in the service and what they test for when they do water tests. What is needed will differ with the type of pool and systems you put in, but pH and chlorine are just the starting point to really keep your pool in top shape and preserve its longevity. For example, alkalinity and calcium hardness as well as pH are especially important to a plaster finish -- if those get out of whack, you can leach calcium from the plaster and substantially shorten the life of the pool. The newer quartz and stone finishes are less sensitive to water balance and that seems to be one of the reasons for their popularity.

When we first moved to this area, our neighbors had started a pool while we were under contract. They had problems with things not done right during the pool build and then everything backing up for months. They later found out that the builder had been through bankruptcy a couple of times and had a bad reputation for losing money gambling and then using new pool money to pay off old pool debts. They did get a great looking pool, but it took them 6-9 months and a lot of headaches.

I agree with trusting your gut and doing the research to back it up. You may get a deal that looks like quite a bargain in a few years when this guy is more established.

Hi txmom,

He's giving us a reference list of all the pools he's completed under the wing of the new company - it's only a few, but at least we know it's a representative sample and not just his happiest customers. We can also contact the owners of pools he built with the defunct company. All the photos from his brochure and website were actually designed and build by him at the old company, and they are lovely.

The subs are not busy. Nobody is busy; all the pool builders in this area are just getting by, hoping the turnaround continues to pick up steam. We heard this from big and small companies alike. This builder emphasizes that he writes a guarantee of subcontractor lien releases into the contract. And he's building under the name of a company that has been in business for 20 years, even if they haven't been building pools for long. They don't need to build pools to stay afloat, since the rest of the business is successful and stable - I think that provides a little extra security.

You're right - our gut is telling us to go with this guy, even though big and pricey builder seems like the safest choice.