Possibly signing contract tomorrow. Any advice would be much appreciated

[bloona]

Hi - I've been reading this forum for months. I thought I had developed a fairly good understanding of pool building, but now, as it comes time to sign a contract (ASAP if we want any swim season left), I'm completely second guessing everything. I obtained 6 or 7 total quotes, this is not the least nor most expensive. This is, however, the only PB who actually listened when I described what we were looking for. If anyone has any advice to offer, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[bloona]

Here is a 3D Rendering.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Nice sounding pool, pretty rendering.

But.... you should ditch that ozone/UV thing. If Arizona were to suddenly lose all its sunshine and free UV.... But I suspect it won't in our lifetime. Save your money. Consider a salt water generator (SWG) instead.

Some folks love the in-floor cleaners, others find them troublesome. I have read folks say that they're more handy in your neck of the woods due to the dust?

Sounds like a good price to me for the pool.

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP!

The most important factor is to find a pool builder you can work well with and trust. Sounds like you found the right one.

 

[bloona]

Thanks! I was unsure about the in-floor cleaning system as well as the UV thing. Every pool builder I met with really pushed the in-floor cleaning system with claims that they had undergone massive engineering improvements over the past 2 years. They all also pushed the uv/ozone thing too - I am going to see what they are really charging for that part and see if I can get a credit instead. Anyone know why they all try to sell you something that really has limited to no effect, here in Arizona?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Because the manufacturers give them a nice little kick-back bonus??

Another problem with it is that it still requires chlorine in the water, so why bother with UV/Ozone in the first place?
They do have a use in indoor pools that don't get sunshine, but not outdoor ones.

How do you want to sanitize your water??

 

[Geebot]

If it's any consolation, you'd be paying at least 50% more in the Chicago area.

 

[Wraenking]

He does not mention anything about dewatering in his contract. I'm assuming where you live it is not an issue? I am also close to signing a contract although for an above ground as we go to the beach every weekend but are looking for something the in laws can do with the kids during the week while we are working. I will be including a 1 page terms and conditions along with the builders quite indicating no extra charges that he does not mention in his quote along with a schedule of liquidated damages for falling behind an agreed upon schedule. I'm sure their mouths will drop but to me if your a stand up contractor you will not have an issue signing something like this. Sa maybe on day 1-3 of no shows its no charge, days 5-8 is 300 per day just for an example and it goes up from there.

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[nlindelldc]

He does not mention anything about dewatering in his contract. I'm assuming where you live it is not an issue? I am also close to signing a contract although for an above ground as we go to the beach every weekend but are looking for something the in laws can do with the kids during the week while we are working. I will be including a 1 page terms and conditions along with the builders quite indicating no extra charges that he does not mention in his quote along with a schedule of liquidated damages for falling behind an agreed upon schedule. I'm sure their mouths will drop but to me if your a stand up contractor you will not have an issue signing something like this. Sa maybe on day 1-3 of no shows its no charge, days 5-8 is 300 per day just for an example and it goes up from there.

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If my PB would have signed one of those I would be a millionaire I'd be interested to see the reaction that you get

 

[Wraenking]

Me too! I make every sub I hire for my job sign them although they are multi million dollar jobs so most subs we have are good on their word and have no issue signing them. They are also multiple pages long and sometimes can take weeks of going back and forth over language before agreed upon but it is something that protects you.

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[BigEinAZ]

In almost all cases, the courts hold that liquidated damages are compensatory not punitive. You'd have to prove you suffered financial damages to collect. Usually the amounts are not high enough to make a case financially worthwhile. If the PB has a sense of humor, he'll chuckle as he tears it up.

 

[ellsian]

Seems a tad on the high end of pricing for AZ (especially without a spa?), and the quote isn't listing individual prices for each item (which I do not like, they should tell you what you're paying for in every line). But if they're giving everything you want, and you're happy with the builder, go for it

 

[philboyj]

A couple of things you may want to consider:
a) The payment schedule was not shown - make sure that you have some holdover ( 10%) for final item completions.
b) Get costs associated with upgrades. For e.g. what is the cost per sqft if you increase decking area. Cost increase for glass tile - per sqft. Different travertine cost? Cost increase for different plasters - glass bead? We thought we were fully set with our selections and unfortunately, each upgrade is quoted 20% higher than what it would have been at contract stage.
c) The line item for tax - something I have not seen broken out separately. Not all items are taxable to end customer - thats what my PB told me.
d) Get lien-release forms for each sub vendor. Not sure if subs in AZ can put a lien on your house if the main vendor does not pay them.
e) Get a copy of PB's insurance coverage certificate.
f) Pricing does seem higher than typical AZ builds - so there maybe some margin there. See if you can knockoff an additional 3000 or so. ( Maybe the tax portion) Plus ask for some freebies....TFP test kits, free pool cleaning for a year, upgraded equipment, light at equipment pad, etc.

Good luck on your journey.