Can I Really Save
Thousands of Dollars
on a Great Pool Deal?
Contractor - Padre Pools 26 years experience in selling and supervising over $85,000,000 worth of Pool Construction
Questions and Answers
Q. We just got three bids on a pool and while you were not the highest, we can save $4,000 by going with XYZ Company, can you match the deal?
A. If you really think about it, you didn't get 3 bids - you got three sales pitches by three companies. Each is using different methods of pool building, different equipment, different circulation systems, different contract language, different pool sizes and the list goes on and on and on. The only way to get a real bid is to have all three companies give you a line item price on the exact same pool. That means the same exact contract language, pool equipment, tile choice, method of construction, cleaning system and how the cleaning system is plumbed, size of the pipe, type of plaster, etc. There are many more items but this should give you an idea of what is involved.
Q. What's the first step in buying a pool?
A. The first step would be to have an experienced pool designer draw a pool based upon your needs and desires. This may take a couple of visits. Do you want a diving pool, water features, a natural or classic look? Does a maintenance free pool or a water purification system interest you? Do you entertain much? Etc.
Q. How do I find a qualified pool designer?
A. That's the difficult part; most pool companies are lucky if they have just one person who can draw an architecturally accurate pool. Usually what is drawn on paper looks great, but is nowhere near accurate or detailed enough to actually construct a pool from. Utilizing cutting edge design programs, our skilled design team will combine accuracy with creativity and function. In reality, a designer should be your partner and advocate, not an adversary trying to sell you what you do not need for more than you should pay.
Q. What's the status of Pool Builders in San Diego?
A. There are only a handful of qualified companies, who control their quality of work by actually having highly trained employees, doing the fit and finish on your pool. The majority of builders use the cheapest subcontractors who for the most part are unsupervised by the pool company.
Example - we grind the face of flagstone coping so that it is smooth. We also cut the back of the flagstone to accommodate a smooth continuous mastic/expansion joint between the coping and pool deck. If this is not done, eventually the deck will knock the flagstone loose, which in turn will knock the tile off the pool. The additional cost of doing this is $1,200. Many other companies choose to completely skip this important step. This is just one example of the many ways costs can be cut. We simply choose to not cut corners.
We were asked to present an estimate on a pool that was under construction by another builder. This pool and many others had been sitting for well over a year. The company is no longer solvent. You may have seen this on the "Turko Files". The pool was one of many projects abandoned by this "reputable" San Diego pool contractor.
Q. What about the ads I see from time to time in the newspaper claiming low prices. Are they true?
A. . Yes, for first time pool buyers. Lets face it, buying a pool can be very emotional. Advertising is designed to do one thing, generate what home improvement contractors call "leads". Price ads do just that! How do I know? Well it happened to me over 30 years ago. I bought a pool from a company that had a huge advertising budget. I got a GREAT PRICE! It took 6 months to finish and for the most part, I was happy. Then one Sunday, my wife and I were invited to a neighbor's home for a cookout to celebrate their new pool, built by Anthony Pools (No longer in business in San Diego, but a great builder). After a good look at his pool, I felt sick. He had features on his pool such as jets in the spa dam wall, 1/4 round tile on the spa wall, a gorgeous design, and a well thought-out safety ledge. None of these wonderful features were designed into my pool. I would have paid to have these features, but the salesman never gave me the option, just a good deal. Soon after my pool was complete, I got into the pool business with Padre Pools and have been here ever since. I now know why I got "shorted" on my pool; I had a salesman who knew a lot about sales, but didn't know anything about pool construction. This same story could be told by thousands of people in San Diego. Later I did what I could to bring my pool up to acceptable standards. I changed the thickness of the spa wall and pool equipment, but there is nothing I can do about the placement of the skimmer that doesn't work properly or the undersized plumbing.
Q. Are pools inspected prior to close of escrow?
A. Most home-buyers will hire a company to do a pool inspection. It's here that the rubber meets the road. If it's a quality well thought out engineered pool built to professional standards, you will not only get your money back on the pool but the pool would have helped sell your house in the first place. However, if it's a "Sunday Paper Special Deal" you run the risk of having to lower the price of your house to correct the deficiency in the pool. The "thousands" you thought you saved, must now be paid plus potentially much more.
Q. . Are there products that can be added to my new pool to cut down on maintenance and cleaning?
A. Yes. However, you won't find many pool contractors in San Diego who offer such products.
Q. Why is that?
A. San Diego is a very small market. Just to put it in prospective; the total new pool market in San Diego is only 3 to 4 thousand new pools per year. That's why there is not a major builder in San Diego. They need more volume. In Phoenix, for example there are companies that build 3 to 5 thousand pools each per year. The same can be said in markets in Texas and Florida. It is large companies like this who offer products like in floor circulation and cleaning systems that reduce pool maintenance, save energy and cut chemicals.
Q. Does Padre Pools offer In-Floor Cleaning and Circulation System, and why?
A. Yes, we started getting a lot of calls from people in the Phoenix area, where over 90% of the pools have an In-Floor Cleaning and Circulation System. These families wanted a dealer to install this system in their new San Diego pool. We learned how to do it some 15 years ago and are now San Diego's largest installers of In-Floor systems. This system has revolutionized the pool industry by increasing overall customer satisfaction.
Q. Why don't other San Diego companies follow your lead?
A. You can't use the cheapest plumbing subcontractors. You have to do the work in-house and with well-paid, well trained employees.
Q. What about the self-proclaimed experts and past presidents of local and national pool associations who charge $10,000 to $25,000 and more than the local competition?
A. In my opinion, most prey on a customers fears. They have a desire for a quality pool, but have heard the horror stories of pool construction. They try to convince the customer that their company is the only one that they can count on to do the job right. This is in fact, just not true.
Q. . What's your advice on this type of sales approach?
A. Not all people with extensive pool backgrounds are unethical. In fact, there are some very fine and competent design consultants in San Diego County. However, you should be very wary of salespeople who discourage you from either getting other bids or pressure you to "close the sale". If a designer will not allow others to also bid the plan, something is not right.
We recently fired a designer on the spot for a singular ethical issue. We refused to "look the other way". Needless to say, he and others like him, always seem to find local companies who are more that willing to compromise integrity for additional revenue. You can actually look up a home-improvement salesperson or contractor by name & look into any past disciplinary action at this site:
http://www2.cslb.ca.gov/CSLB_LIBRARY/Personnel+Request.asp
Once at the site, type in their name and look at their past license #(s). Click on the License Number scroll down and click on Complaint Disclosure. If you see past disciplinary actions, go to the case number. You may find some interesting reading. Some contractors have actually had their Contractor's License revoked for ethics violations and are now selling pools right here in San Diego!
It is also wise to look into a salesman's past contractor's license as well as the license of a contractor. Many pool contractors currently in business frequently change their license number to hide from past complaints and disciplinary actions. Also remember, the lower the number the longer the company has been in business. Padre Pools has operated under the same license continuously for over 3 decades. This is unique in the San Diego pool market.
From the site given, you can look up any name & check an individual history as a Home Improvement Salesman and more importantly as a contractor. We strongly suggest you look up both Home Improvement Name Request AND Contractors Name Request.
Looking up a contractor's license number(s) can also be very enlightening. Usually, if you find a contractor who has operated under the same name but has changed license numbers several times, it is because of one or a combination of these reasons; 1) previous bankruptcy 2) license revocation or 3) disciplinary action.
With skyrocketing workers-comp and liability insurance, some contractors are looking for ways to eliminate employees and the only way to do this is to sub-contract all the work on your pool. If a contractor does this, he or she must then come up with a story to get your business, and a good one is the "expert story" since they really do not have a legitimate pool company with real employees and their own construction equipment.
Q. In conclusion, can you sum-up your "Can I really save thousands of dollars on a great pool deal".
A. Most people realize that quality and price go hand-in-hand. It is impossible to get a quality built pool built by a well-established, reputable company for less than it costs to build it. The savings will always come out of your pool, either in quality or components.
As time goes on we are seeing more well-informed, sophisticated buyers who understand the need for quality, superior systems and partnering with a builder who has a long standing solid local reputation.
I sincerely hope I have been of some help to you as you go through the pool buying process. It's not easy, but if you do your research and stay away from the "Sunday Super Bowl Special", you will fair much better than I when I purchased my first pool over 30 years ago.
