How to Choose a Pool Builder: What I Tell Homeowners to Look For

Before comparing prices, compare scopes.

This sounds obvious, but it's one of the biggest problems I see when homeowners bring me competing proposals.

A homeowner may tell three companies they want a pool with travertine decking and a pebble aggregate interior. One proposal may actually include those materials. Another may show brick pavers and a quartz interior in the base price.

Those aren't comparable prices.

We've seen this become a sales strategy in the industry. Get the initial proposal as low as possible, get the homeowner excited about the project, and get them into the showroom ready to sign.

Then the homeowner discovers that the travertine they discussed isn't included. The pebble aggregate isn't included. The material or feature they thought they were buying is actually an upgrade.

At that point, they're already emotionally invested. They've made the appointment. They're excited. In some cases, they've brought their checkbook expecting to sign.

Now the salesperson is asking for forgiveness instead of asking for permission.

The homeowner may still move forward, and the final price can end up significantly higher than the number that originally won their attention.

That's why our approach is different.

We try to price what you want, paired with what you need to properly support it.

If you tell me you want travertine, I want the proposal you're comparing to include travertine. If you want a pebble aggregate interior, that's what I want reflected in the price.

I'd rather have an uncomfortable conversation about price at the beginning than a disappointing conversation about upgrades when you're ready to sign.

Transparency matters. We wrote more about that in how to spot a reliable pool builder.

Some of the most important differences between pool proposals aren't visually exciting.

Equipment is a perfect example.

I've reviewed proposals for pools around 35 feet long by 15 feet wide with a single nicheless pool light.

Can you build it that way? Sure.

Would I recommend it? Not if you want your pool lit properly.

The same thing happens with filtration. Putting the smallest available filter on a larger pool may lower the proposal price, but equipment should be selected based on the pool it's expected to operate, not based on which model creates the lowest number on a quote.

Look at circulation. Look at the number and placement of returns. Look at plumbing sizes. Look at pumps, filters, sanitation, automation and lighting.

Then ask one simple question:

Why did you specify this?

Your designer should have an answer.

The equipment package shouldn't be a collection of the least expensive components that can technically be installed. It should be a system designed around the specific pool, features and functionality you're asking for.

Equipment should be sized for the pool you're building, not the price a builder is trying to hit. Getting it right the first time can save you from an expensive equipment upgrade shortly after construction.

There is no perfect pool deck material.

There is no perfect interior finish.

There is no single material I would recommend for every homeowner.

What matters is understanding the objective qualities of each option and choosing the material that fits both the way you plan to use your outdoor space and the style you want to achieve.

Porcelain pavers are a great example.

They're beautiful. They can create an incredibly clean, modern outdoor space and can make the pool deck look almost like an extension of the flooring inside your home.

But they can also get hot in direct Florida sun.

If walking barefoot across your pool deck during the summer is important to you, porcelain probably isn't the material I'm going to recommend.

That doesn't make porcelain a bad product. It makes it the wrong product for some homeowners and an excellent product for others.

Every material has tradeoffs.

How hot does it get? Does it require sealing? How does it handle staining? What happens if an individual piece is damaged? How much maintenance should you expect? How does it perform around saltwater and a coastal environment? What will it look like five or ten years from now?

A designer's job shouldn't be to tell you that every option is great.

Our job is to explain the advantages and disadvantages clearly enough that you can decide which tradeoffs matter to you. Our decking guide works through those same questions material by material.

Pool design software has become incredible.

We can create realistic renderings that allow homeowners to visualize their backyard before construction begins. That's an important part of the design process.

But the rendering doesn't show you everything you're buying.

It doesn't show plumbing sizes. It doesn't tell you how the pool shell is being constructed. It doesn't show whether excavation was accurately priced for your access conditions. It doesn't tell you whether drainage, elevation changes, retaining requirements or structural support around the deck have been considered.

Two identical looking pools can be completely different construction projects.

A flat, wide open backyard is different from a waterfront property with limited access and elevation changes.

This is also why comparing pools strictly with square footage doesn't work. We went through this in detail in what actually drives pool cost in Tampa Bay.

Your property matters. The design matters. The construction method matters.

And the builder should be able to explain how those things affected your proposal.

Don't be afraid to ask technical questions.

You don't need to become a pool contractor before buying a pool. But the person designing and selling you one should understand the answers well enough to explain them without hiding behind technical terminology.

The salesperson or designer is usually the person you know best when you sign the contract.

Then construction begins.

Before you sign, understand what happens next.

Who manages your project? Who communicates with you during permitting? Who will you hear from during construction? How are schedule changes communicated? Which portions of the project are subcontracted? Who is ultimately responsible for that work?

Then ask about what happens when something goes wrong.

Verify the contractor's license and insurance before signing. You can look up any Florida contractor through Florida DBPR. Understand the warranty. Ask who handles warranty issues and how the process works.

Most homeowners spend months evaluating designs, materials and prices.

Very few spend enough time evaluating what owning the project will feel like after the contract is signed.

That's important because almost every builder looks good when everything is going perfectly.

The real difference shows up when something doesn't.

By the time you've worked through these questions, you should have a much better idea of whether you're comparing similar projects. A lower price may be genuinely better value. It may also be the result of different materials, smaller equipment, fewer features, lower allowances or items that will become upgrades later.

That's why I don't believe homeowners should choose a pool builder based on the bottom line alone.

I think homeowners should get multiple quotes.

But don't stop at the number at the bottom of the page.

Compare the actual materials. Compare equipment. Compare lighting. Compare plumbing and circulation. Compare construction specifications. Compare allowances. Compare what's included, what's excluded and what you're likely to upgrade before construction ever begins.

And if you're considering Pool Perfection, bring us the other proposal.

I'm perfectly comfortable going through it with you line by line.

If another builder included something we didn't, you should know. If we included something they didn't, I want you to understand why. And if another builder truly designed and specified the same project for less money, that's useful information too.

What I don't want is for you to choose between two numbers believing they represent the same pool when they don't.

The best proposal isn't necessarily the cheapest one or the most expensive one. It's the one that clearly and honestly tells you what you're buying.

How do I compare two pool quotes properly?

Compare scope before price. Check that both proposals specify the materials you actually asked for, then compare equipment, lighting, plumbing and circulation, construction specifications, allowances, and what is excluded. A difference of $10,000 or $20,000 often reflects a different project rather than a better deal.

Why is one pool builder so much cheaper than another?

Sometimes it is genuinely better value. Often it reflects undersized equipment, fewer lights, lower grade finish allowances, different decking or interior materials in the base price, or components reduced to the minimum needed to bring the initial number down. Items you assumed were included can reappear later as upgrades.

What should I ask about the equipment in a pool proposal?

Ask why each component was specified. Look at circulation, the number and placement of returns, plumbing sizes, pumps, filters, sanitation, automation and lighting. Equipment should be sized for the pool being built rather than for the price the builder is trying to hit.

Is a rendering enough to know what I am buying?

No. A rendering does not show plumbing sizes, how the shell is being constructed, whether excavation was priced for your access conditions, or whether drainage, elevation changes, retaining requirements and deck support were considered. Two identical looking pools can be completely different construction projects.

What should I ask before signing a pool contract?

Ask who manages the project, who communicates during permitting and construction, how schedule changes are handled, which portions are subcontracted and who is ultimately responsible. Verify license and insurance, understand the warranty and ask who handles warranty issues and how the process works.

Should I bring a competing proposal to a pool builder?

Yes, and a good designer should welcome it. Going through a competing proposal line by line is the fastest way to find out whether the two quotes describe the same project. If another builder included something we did not, you should know that, and the reverse is equally true.