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I am considering having an in-ground pool installed. I have picked three reputable local companies from whom I will solicit proposals. While I know what I would include, I'm open to suggestions.
I will inquire about Saltwater Chlorinators, a retracting pool cover (I have 6 kids, including one with a wheelchair), colored concrete and other ideas to save on heating costs. |
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Over the past week, I interviewed three swimming pool contractors, two local and one national.
The national company game the best presentation, of course, but being national they have the most negative feedback on the internet (mad people are more vocal than happy people). Prices were all over the board, eliminating one local company immediately. Short of calling a few additional contractors, picked randomly from the Yellow Pages, I am no closer than I was a week ago. |
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We have an inground pool that was here when we bought the house in 1986.
Ours has a vinyl liner which has to be replaced about every 7 or 8 years. It looks like our pool will need to be completely re worked when this liner wears out. There is crumbling concrete, leaks in the underground circulation system, rusting of the side walls. We are going to see what alternatives there are besides a vinyl liner pool. What ever you decide to do, I would suggest to take advantage of any extras or features that make maintenance easier...they are worth paying extra for. Do you know of others in your neighborhood with pools? Maybe they could recommend a good company or at least tell you what features they like or don't like. |
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We 10 years ago went with a smaller local place with a list of happy customers 3-4 pages long. Gave me the list with the price. There price was in line with everyone elses. They did a great job and every time we had a problem they are right there. Usually with in a day or to there at the door. Our pool has a liner. I am not fond of gunite pools what you don't pay in replacement liners you have repairs and painting of the cement also cracking.
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Our inground pool has a vinyl liner also. Gunite hurts my feet.
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Of the original 3 contractors, I let one go because of personal issues and another couldn't work with my budget. The third is a national company that has less than a stellar reputation in some regions, but I have visited some pools they have recently built and am confident they can do the job.
I contacted a fourth contractor and let him know up front what my budget was (okay, so I didn't tell him the full amount). He has been to the property twice and discussed various options for a slide (a must-have feature according to my kids) and handicap accessibility (I have one child who uses a wheelchair and another who uses a walker/crutches). Next week he will return with some ideas and sketches. |
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It turns out that the fourth contractor has yet to actually build a pool. They have refurbished pools that were built when they were partnered with contractor #2. So, we have decided to go with the local franchise of a national company. They are bringing papers tomorrow, to set the process in motion.
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It's a long process but feel it's worth it. I think it's a good idea to go local with a national company. Pool construction is important maintaining is also important. Good Luck and hope you get to enjoy it this summer!
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Your vinyl liner should last at least 20 years. We went with a local company that has been in business for at least 40 years.... they have been just great to work with!
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Here's an update on the progress of the pool:
http://web.mac.com/aeolius/turucambi/August_Pool.html |
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I guess I don't get why its so hard to find a good contractor. Most have their own stores they sell supplies through. We looked at 6-7 pools our contractor had completed in our area before choosing them. They didn't come in the lowest, but somewhere in the middle. We also had to spend $800 on fill dirt and we got my dad to wire the pool and hired our own concrete guy as the guy they used was 2 months out. Our total cost ran about $22K. We put our own brick patio in and built our fence ourselves, that added about another $3K in materials.
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Be very careful who you pick for a pool installer. Check out pools that they have installed and how long the company has been in business. We have had a liner pool and the liner lasted over 20 years. That was a local company installer. We now have a concrete pool in FL with the salt filter and we can't find anyone to come and service this. The pool companies are mad because this system cuts out the sale of clorine.
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