Hello and welcome!
My wife and I are in Henderson and are halfway through our O/B pool. We are very DIY, but realized there are a lot of things we couldn't do without the manpower or know-how. With that being said, we still decided to general-contract everything ourselves and asked a LOT OF QUESTIONS! We also got quotes from about 6 different pool companies and realized that ALL of them were trying to screw us one way or another. They have huge markups on their equipment and labor, some as high as 30%!
It's not very hard to do an O/B pool, just time consuming. We're on the phone with one contractor or another at least twice a week. But I would take the time to educate yourself on all the lingo, the hardware, the process, and the different trades. I took a good two months just trying to learn what everything does, only to realize I wasn't going to know everything, but at least I had a better grasp! I'm still researching every day to find out what others have done, or how to best be prepared for whatever contractor is coming by the next morning. If I can help in any way, here are some things I found important. Some of these are specific to Las Vegas:
- Have a plan and stick to it! This can't be stressed enough. Things change during the construction process, but there is nothing worse than continually veering from the plan, especially if you have people standing in your yard ready to work.
- Buy your equipment online. They have much more competitive pricing and their shipping is usually free.
- Learn about the materials and hardware you'll be installing. I don't know how many Pentair Installation guides, Pavestone brochures, and Tile pamphlets I read just to familiarize myself with these aspects.
- Be prepared for no-shows, no-call backs, not showing up on time, and weather delays. We moved from Chicago and never had an issue with promptness with contractors. Part of it may be that they're incredibly busy building pools, but I personally think there isn't enough competition in our area. They don't have to be on time because they know you have limited options with who to deal with. (at least from our experience)
- The building department is your friend. One of the things we were most impressed with here in Henderson was the building department. They were incredibly helpful and resourceful and answered all of our questions.
- Speaking of questions, ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS. Most contractors have been good about this, and are often eager to talk about their trade.
- Get a lot of bids! At least three per trade so you can compare. Also, talk to others in your neighborhood who may have connections.
- Keep a spreadsheet with all the contacts and quotes, as well as your actual costs.
- Buy coffee and donuts for every contractor! It goes a LONG way. The nicer you are to them, the better the job they'll do!
- Go out and look at the product. Stop at a Leslie's Pool store and look at the pumps and heaters, go to Arizona Tile and look at the tile, go to Parson's Rocks and look at the landscaping products. There are quite a few stores and showrooms here in Vegas to choose from and the more you interact with the products, the more you'll understand them.
- Lastly, we definitely saved $10k - $15k doing this ourselves. You just have to figure out what your time is worth, and how quickly you want the pool done! At least for us, we probably would've had a pool by now if we didn't do it ourselves, but we most definitely would not have the pool we wanted. Going through this process really helps you define what you're looking for and how to accomplish that, whereas with a pool builder, you're more confined to what they offer.
Well, that's all I can think of off the top of my head! PM me if you have any other questions, or are looking for any contacts! I relied heavily on this forum and the kindness of others to start our project, so I'l like to pay it forward!
Good luck with everything!
