Choosing a builder is so difficult - Tampa, FL

[kimkats]

You need to do some lists....................MUST have....................want to have..............do NOT want..........

Show that to the PB you liked the best and to us here at TFP. In fact show it to us first so we can guide you and maybe have you some money (or help you spend more LOL).

Kim

 

[mgmoore7]

Still continuing to work with builders to try to get 3-5 solid similar quotes. For the most of the companies, the sales process has been pretty bad and I realize why this industry has such a bad wrap.

I have experienced the following:

• Wait weeks to get a sale person to come out. Then to find out it will be 10-14 days before they hear from them again.
• Finally get a bid from a company then they forgot to include something and then it takes another week to get a updated bid.
• No return calls or emails.
• Say they will send / call tomorrow.... never receive anything...
• Screen enclosure prices including the required footers vary by about 3k. How can the same enclosure vary that much from one PB to the next. They all are contracting that out. I am planning on contracting this out myself. I have received 3 quotes from screen companies and they were all within 500 of each other and notably less than the PB.
• The 2 companies that are supposedly the best and "high-end" spent much of their time badmouthing all the other companies.... From their perspective, 90% of the pools not installed by them would have major issues.
• Some tout their build quality, some say nothing about build quality.
• They all say the equipment brand they use is the best. This site would indicate the brand of equipment should not have much barring on the PB choice.
• Some say Wet Edge is far better than Pebbletec but the companies using it are in the minority
• We have a deal on this XYZ finish color, anything else is $2000 more.... Come on, that is just a marketing ploy. In the same line one color over the other 10 available is not $2,000 more....
• I could go on, you get the idea...

There is only one company that I have not experienced any of this but it is also the most expensive.

Due to all of this and the fact that most companies sub this work out anyway, I have been considering a owner build. I am very much a do-it-yourself and have no worries that I could pull it off but I am very busy at work as it stands and can't just get off easily to go home and monitor / direct everything. If I were able to work from home... My wife is home but we have 7 kids and she is homeschooling and running a house with ages from 15 to 3. It would be too much stress on her to try to manage the contractors. I am also not fully convinced that I would save enough to make it worth it right now. I think I would want to save 25-35%. Not sure if that is definitively possible without doing a good chunk of the work myself and the only thing that I would really feel comfortable that I can do just as well is the electrical. Things like pavers and tiles, sure I could do it but am not confident that it would meet a high quality standard. Not for lack of effort but for lack of experience....

I have visited 4 homes in our area to talk to the home owner. 1 was fiberglass so that one did not apply. The other 3 were by 3 different companies. All ended up with what appears to be a good product but they had their issues along the way. One was for a company I ruled out on the 1st home visit because he was so rushed, he just scribbled a rough price down, gave us a brochure and left.

Hopefully, next week I have will have final bids on everything and put up a new post for everyone's comments.

 

[kimkats]

Put the word Roofer or tiler or flooring, etc in instead of pool builder and you will have the same thing across the trades. I don't know why......It is sad to deal with.

7 kids and homeschool???? Your wife has enough to do!

You doing a owner build-------your main "job" will be finding and scheduling the subs to do the work. You would also have to be available to answer questions. Going over their work after they are done will be a big thing.

Kim

 

[OrlandoBull]

I am just getting started over in Orlando, thinking of going the owner-builder route as well. There is a boutique shop over here that I met with last night that actually consults you on that process, helps you find subs, schedule, etc. It's pretty intriguing and probably the route we'll go once we get some quotes from PBs to really compare the savings.

 

[currentking]

my PB saved me 9k for a pool apples to apples as all other builders that I received quotes from. He builds pools on the side and does a great job of it. I learned a lot from just watching him and paying close attention to the process. All other quotes were within $1500 of each other that I received. Some had the screen enclosure much higher while lower on other things compared to other quotes. I guess its just where they want to make their margin. I would have went owner build except part of my pool is financed and the finance company wouldn't let me and i was concerned about warranty. Who do you goto if something fails on the pool build? I know its tough to get $$ out of a contractor that finishes a job and knows they aren't going to be doing any more work for you.

 

[amandahein3]

I wish I had researched and found this site before signing. I would have done owner builder. Look into to it.

 

[mgmoore7]

my PB saved me 9k for a pool apples to apples as all other builders that I received quotes from. He builds pools on the side and does a great job of it. I learned a lot from just watching him and paying close attention to the process. All other quotes were within $1500 of each other that I received. Some had the screen enclosure much higher while lower on other things compared to other quotes. I guess its just where they want to make their margin. I would have went owner build except part of my pool is financed and the finance company wouldn't let me and i was concerned about warranty. Who do you goto if something fails on the pool build? I know its tough to get $$ out of a contractor that finishes a job and knows they aren't going to be doing any more work for you.

I am meeting with a one man company this Saturday that was referred to me by one the screen contractors. He told me that he does alot of the work himself and subs out the rest. I may ask him to help me do a modified owner-build. The hardest thing is finding the good subs.

In regard to warranty for owner-build... I have heard nothing but horror stories when warranty gets involved with a PB unless it was equipment and the equipment was in-warranty. The PB will have to eat the cost of repair or go after the contractor. There in-lies the delays. Additionally, the warranties are "limited" beyond reasonable. They have the control and they are designed so that it is extremely difficult to collect. With owner build, if need be, I can go after the sub and I don't have to pay until I am happy. No middle man. I would also that that with owner oversight, their is a better chance that the issues will get caught by the owner. I think that in most cases, after 3 years, there is no effective warranty on anything anyway. One of the PB offers a lifetime warranty but they have only been in business for 5 years... What value is that. The next recession, they could be gone anyway or if they are on hard times...

On the flip side, subs might try to take advantage of a owner build's lack of knowledge in regard to price / quality.... Also, finding the subs is not really the easiest thing. It is not like they are advertising on the web for hire, at least not that I have been able to find.

 

[Mello]

I have experienced the following:

• Wait weeks to get a sale person to come out. Then to find out it will be 10-14 days before they hear from them again.
• Finally get a bid from a company then they forgot to include something and then it takes another week to get a updated bid.
• No return calls or emails.
• Say they will send / call tomorrow.... never receive anything...
• Screen enclosure prices including the required footers vary by about 3k. How can the same enclosure vary that much from one PB to the next. They all are contracting that out. I am planning on contracting this out myself. I have received 3 quotes from screen companies and they were all within 500 of each other and notably less than the PB.
• The 2 companies that are supposedly the best and "high-end" spent much of their time badmouthing all the other companies.... From their perspective, 90% of the pools not installed by them would have major issues.
• Some tout their build quality, some say nothing about build quality.
• They all say the equipment brand they use is the best. This site would indicate the brand of equipment should not have much barring on the PB choice.
• Some say Wet Edge is far better than Pebbletec but the companies using it are in the minority
• We have a deal on this XYZ finish color, anything else is $2000 more.... Come on, that is just a marketing ploy. In the same line one color over the other 10 available is not $2,000 more....
• I could go on, you get the idea...

Oh I can so relate! I Could have written this post, lol. Especially the part about bashing each other, oh. my. gosh!

 

[Dreynolds]

Wow weeks for a saleman to get a quote to you. I haven't had the problem. But I've stayed away from all the bigger pool companies. I got quotes within a week. But it was the owner of the companies for the most part.It's so hard to try to find the right PB. I'm having some cost issues due to upgrades. But I must say my PB is on top of my project. Signed on the 7/25 and my plans were into the city for permitting 8/4 and the was after we made several changes to the plans and he had to go back to the engineer twice. And I saw several of his pools he does beautiful work. I'm in south Florida. So there are a lot companies that you have to watch out for here. I thought it would me better to go with a smaller PB.