A “subcontractor” is some-one who is hired by the pool builder to do work on your pool, but is not an em-ployee of the pool builder. He could be a plumber, a laborer, an electrician, or gunite shooter. Anything that happens to one of these laborers on your property could turn into a liability for you.
Workmen’s Compensation insurance will protect you from having to pay for the subcontractor’s lost wages. A General Liability policy will protect you from lawsuits and other liabilities to these laborers. An inexperienced pool builder may have neither of these policies, and put you at risk. A professional pool builder will have both, and protect you from any liabilities.
Watch their reaction when you ask this question. If they start to squirm, start looking for another builder. Likewise, if they say “I’ll get you a copy,” or just show you something from their briefcase, find another builder. Anyone can easily alter the dates of an expired policy. That’s why the certificate of insurance must come directly from the insurance company to you. A professional pool builder won’t hesitate to give you the name and phone number of his insurance company.
This is another good question to help ferret out the inexperienced, inept, or blatantly dishonest pool builders. Today’s pools are substantially more sophisticated than they were 15 years ago. New features like “vanishing edge,” “in-floor cleaning,” “grottos,” “weeping walls,” and countless others take experience and engineering know-how. There are stunningly beautiful, but can be very expensive and disappointing disasters if built by someone with insufficient experience.
Get the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the pool builder’s clients that have the special features you’re considering. Call them and ask if the fea-tures work as promised, and if they had any trouble with dealing with the builder. A professional pool builder will be more than willing to give you all of the names you want or need.