How To Choose The Right Pool Builder

“Where is your place of business? Do you have a showroom?”

This industry is famous (or infamous) for what is known as the “one-poler” - a couple of guys working out of their pick-up truck, trying to build pools. Anybody who lives in an RV, motel, or apartment and works out of the back of a pick-up truck can leave town in the blink of an eye with all of your money. Check to see if the builder owns their own home, or is just renting. A pool builder with strong ties to the community isn’t likely to leave town quickly.

Look for a pool builder who has a showroom or long-term lease in a commercial building. A showroom lets you view the builder’s products, see their operations, and meet some of their employees before you sign a contract. This shows that they’re serious about their business, and not likely to disappear. This type of builder is also more likely to have the financial resources to take care of things if there is a problem with your pool.

“How many years have you and your company been in business under the PRESENT NAME and PRESENT OWNERS?”

Shady pool builders don’t like this question, because it’s too easy to check out. It’s sadly common in this industry for someone to build some pools, run into financial trouble, go bankrupt, and leave a bunch of unfinished pools in people’s back yards. A few months later they open a NEW company with a new name, and start all over again.

They may change towns in an attempt to put their bad reputation behind them. But sometimes they’ll open that new business right next to the ashes of the last one, hoping most people won’t notice that they abandoned their previous clients.

By the way - when a pool builder goes out of business, your pool warranty disappears. So why risk your home and financial investment? The rule of thumb is that if a pool builder has been in business less than three years, forget them. Or, to be really safe, only deal with pool builders who have been in business for ten years or more.

“Have you, your partners, the owners, or the officers ever declared bankruptcy or gone out of business?”

This should be an easy question to answer. Those who have not will respond with a resounding “No.” Those who have are well aware that - thanks to the internet - their secrets are not safe. So they’ll either have to admit it and give you a sad story about why it wasn’t their fault, or you simply won’t hear from them again.

Note: “Whose fault it was” really doesn’t amount to a hill of beans when you’re stuck with an unfinished pool and no warranty.