Hi All, thanks for all the recommendations!
I met with the 2 pool builders and got initial quotes from them, and I've done a lot more reading, so of course I have more questions
First a little bit about the pool builders:
Both have been in business for about 30 years and they are the most reputable gunite pool builders in the area. They only build gunite pools. The 1st pool builder, lets call them Pool Builder "M", uses all their own people (no external contractors except for patio/fence/gas/electric), they have their own on-site Gunite factory and Gunite trucks. The 2nd builder, Pool Builder "A" subcontracts out the gunite, the interior finishes, and sometimes the tile/coping (kinda sounds like the most important parts). If I go with Pool Builder "A", then Pool Builder "M" will likely be providing the gunite.
Pool Builder "A" has been a Top 50 Pool Builder in the U.S. for 11 years in a row, and was #5 last year (for however much that's worth).
Before getting the quotes I was leaning toward Pool Builder "M", based on research and my interactions when they came out. Good discussion with both, "M" seemed to get what I wanted more, although "A" was very thorough on sizing and location (I did like his attention to detail). "A" recommended a circulation or cleaning system - to be fair, over the phone I told him I was interested in a cleaning system before reading more here.
When they came out I told both builders I wanted:
40'x16' freeform pool w attached Spa level w pool (approximately, I said I'm ok if its a bit smaller/larger, I just want it to fit the space well, and in measuring that seemed right)
Attached Spa level w pool
Saltwater Generator sized for 2x volume of pool
Variable Speed Pump
Large Cartridge Filter
Gas/Propane Heater w/ External Bypass (they recommended Propane because I have oil heat)
Lights
Automation
2 skimmers, with skimmers & returns each plumbed separately
I asked what brand of equipment they use.
Builder "A": Jandy
Builder "M": Pentair
The Builder "M" quote came in significantly lower than the builder "A" quote. I expected it to be somewhat lower because of the inhouse gunite & plaster. Notably, "M" did size the pool a bit smaller, left the Salt Water Generator and Automation off the quote, and sized the heater smaller, so that's at least $5-10k additional I would think.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with builder "M", but I asked for the following initial modifications just to get the quotes to be more apples to apples:
I’d like to modify the proposal with the following:
- Pentair IntelliCenter bundle with IC60 Salt Water Generator Pentair IntelliCenter i8PSIC60 Kit - Pool and Spa with Load Center and IC60
- Pentair Intelliflo3 VS pump with touch screen
- Pentair CCP420 cartridge filter
- Pentair MasterTemp 400,000 BTU propane heater
- External Bypass plumbed for the heater
- High-Temp Unions on all equipment at the pad that allow equipment to be quickly disconnected from the plumbing without having to do any cutting and re-plumbing
- Minimum 18" straight pipe before the SWG
- 4 Returns (3 in pool, 1 in spa) and 2 skimmers plumbed in a multi-line fashion, with 2.5” pipe
- Given the 2 skimmers, I’d like to forgo the main drain altogether
- Spa Jets plumbed with 3” pipe
- 4 Nichless dimmable LED Lights (3 in pool, 1 in spa), wired separately, all facing away from the house (total lumens should be 4x sq ft of pool)
- GFCI outlets at equipment pad and shed & a light at equipment pad (so I can see at night)
- Extra 2” empty conduit to shed/equipment pad
- Wire line at the middle of the pool for the power supply of a Robot Cleaner
- Removable Hand Rail at Stairs
I’d also like to price out several possible options individually to see how they would impact the price.
Options:
- Expanding the pool to a 20’ x 40’ size. I just want to understand the potential price difference if it ended up being larger to fit the space.
- Changing the depth to 4’ to 8’, both with the current 16’ x 38’ dimensions and the 20’ x 40’ dimension.
- Stamped Concrete deck (Builder "M" said they can do stamped concrete themselves)
- Quartz Finish
- Jump Rock
- Toe Tile on the stairs and benches
- Raised spa
- 12 spa jets instead of 6 (6 additional would be positioned lower for legs)
As we get farther along I'm going to ask to have some plastering standards written into the contract per the advice here.
I'm curious as to what you all think. Anything else I should ask for plumbing/electrical wise? Those are my two main concerns at this stage. Anything I should specify about the Spa Blower? Should I ask for a fill line to be hooked up to a future sprinkler system (I'm in CT, so I probably won't get much evaporation)? Do I need an overflow drain?
From what I understand, it seems like the overarching goal is to make sure I have them isolate the different parts of the system such that when something breaks or needs attention (heater, pump, return, SWG, etc.), I can still run the other parts and its easy to change out the broken part. For sizing (SWG, pump, heater), it seems like you want to oversize, so you can run things at lower capacity normally to use less energy, but also have the ability to ramp up when you want something to happen quickly (heat, circulate, add chlorine).
Thanks!
