Lately we have seen an increase in the number of people entering the “build your own pool” market. They advertise to the consumer that they will design your pool and provide you with subcontractors. You would in turn pay the subcontractors directly and pay the “middle-man” a fee. Is this always the best option? Here, I’ll discuss the pros and cons and let you decide.
Cons:
- No accountability for the subcontractors work.
- You don’t know if the “middle-man” is qualified to oversee a project. Do your homework and find out the credentials of the person selling you the “build your own pool” package. If they are merely a designer with no construction experience, red flags should be going off.
- Less Overall Control (quality, response timing, schedule)
- When problems arise, it leads to finger pointing (each sub blames another for a problem)
- The design may look good on paper, but you may have drainage issues in your yard and end up having to build costly retaining walls.
The value of your time is not taken into consideration. How much is your time worth? If you are spending hours scheduling various subcontractors, are you really saving money? - It may be a few months or even a few years before you discover problems with your swimming pool (i.e. cracks in the concrete shell, leaks in the plumbing, problems with costly pool equipment). Where’s the warranty? Are they going to stand behind it? Are they still in business?
Pros:
- Potential for savings to the consumer
In my opinion, the cons far outweigh the pros. I would much rather pay more for a product, with less of my time involved; knowing that a company will stand behind its warranty. As the old adage goes, “you get what you pay for”.
With any pool contractor, you should always ask for a list of references. Be sure to call the references too. Here at Watercolors Custom Pools, we are never afraid to give our potential clients any of our references. We do quality work and we stand behind our products. All pool companies should be willing to do the same.
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