I live in Cypress, TX I have plenty of space for a pool and spa , but like most of us i don't have plenty of money. Haha. I have 6 kids from 1-10 i am hoping for a 20x40 pool with a spa. Do you guys think there is any significant savings by buying during late fall or winter?
In your opinion do i save $ buying a pool in winter
- Thread starter Codyj1983
- Start date
I wouldn't imagine any savings - however more pool builders will be available and possibly not as rushed.
If you go the owner builder route, competitive quotes for sub contractors may be easier to find.
Also to reduce the costs, you can always get a stand alone spa, put it under a nice pergola or pavilion.
Pools are very expensive but a liner pool could drastically reduce your cost by many thousands and get those kids swimming even sooner.
Good luck!
If you go the owner builder route, competitive quotes for sub contractors may be easier to find.
Also to reduce the costs, you can always get a stand alone spa, put it under a nice pergola or pavilion.
Pools are very expensive but a liner pool could drastically reduce your cost by many thousands and get those kids swimming even sooner.
Good luck!
- May 23, 2015
- 24,382
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Agree with above, not so much $$$ saved, just more ability to get competitive quotes and a more relaxed build schedule. Owner/build pools easily come in 25-30% under what a PB will quote.
20x40 with an attached spa is a huge pool. I've got to imagine that's easily going to start at $50k and just go up from there. I agree with decoupling the pool and spa. I have an attached spa and it's really underutilized. I'd much rather have a bigger Baja shelf than the spa. Attached spas are just areas for adults to socialize in while the kids play in the pool. As far as "therapy uses" go, attached spas are really too weak in that aspect. If you're looking for a hot tub like experience (therapy jets, hot water, etc), a standalone hot tub will provide a much better experience than an attached spa. Just my opinion on that...
Good luck!!
20x40 with an attached spa is a huge pool. I've got to imagine that's easily going to start at $50k and just go up from there. I agree with decoupling the pool and spa. I have an attached spa and it's really underutilized. I'd much rather have a bigger Baja shelf than the spa. Attached spas are just areas for adults to socialize in while the kids play in the pool. As far as "therapy uses" go, attached spas are really too weak in that aspect. If you're looking for a hot tub like experience (therapy jets, hot water, etc), a standalone hot tub will provide a much better experience than an attached spa. Just my opinion on that...
Good luck!!
We contracted in the fall/winter and received a 5% discount (not the reason we chose this PB though). Not a huge discount, but enough for us to spend it on some upgrades. Most of the PBs we interviewed said they don't really give discounts.
That's assuming the subs don't generally have other business in fall/winter or take the season off. My neighbor was quoted an off-season discount but he paid for it in significant delays in getting the work done.
Cody, I also live in Cypress and am looking to build a pool this winter. We have family members & friends that have had their pools built in the winter and mentioned that the builders did give a little bit more of a competitive bid, but I am not sure the savings are astronomical. My FIL's PB told him he saved about 10% versus what he would have been quoting in the summer. I am not sure if was just trying to make him feel better or that was the truth. We did get a bid from a well known PB here a few weeks ago and we plan to get more bids in November/December, so I can let you know then what our results are.
We built in Fall I don't think we paid any less but I am sure the PB would tell you we got an awesome deal 
.
For us the main reason to build in fall was reduced stress both on us and the builder. My thinking was any project of magnitude is going to have delays and if a delay means one less day I get to swim that was going to be hard to take. This way when something came up my answer was always who cares it cold out there anyway. While it is hard to measure I think you can get a better product when the workers are not stressed out working in 90 degree sun and have two more jobs to get to that day, not to mention it's easier on fresh concrete, gunite, and plaster when the weather is cool.
Another benefit is TFP is easier to learn when the water is cold, you get several months where a mistake is less likely to lead to algae. So by the time summer comes around you are an expert at testing and maintaining levels.
. For us the main reason to build in fall was reduced stress both on us and the builder. My thinking was any project of magnitude is going to have delays and if a delay means one less day I get to swim that was going to be hard to take. This way when something came up my answer was always who cares it cold out there anyway. While it is hard to measure I think you can get a better product when the workers are not stressed out working in 90 degree sun and have two more jobs to get to that day, not to mention it's easier on fresh concrete, gunite, and plaster when the weather is cool.
Another benefit is TFP is easier to learn when the water is cold, you get several months where a mistake is less likely to lead to algae. So by the time summer comes around you are an expert at testing and maintaining levels.
It certainly should not be more expensive in the fall/winter, so to the extent there is any seasonality in pricing, the fall/winter would be when you benefit. Having gone the O/B route in spring/summer, I can attest that (i) you can save money going O/B instead of PB, but (ii) when a contractor is busy, they are much less interested in negotiating on price.
I wouldn't expect to receive many discounts just for showing up during the off-season. But if you are willing to get multiple competitive quotes from different pool builders (which you should no matter what season you are in) and willing to try to squeeze their margins by working them over, then I think there is a potential for non-trivial savings in the off-season.
"Attached spas are just areas for adults to socialize in while the kids play in the pool." - This may be mostly true during the summer, but in fall/winter/spring, the spa (with some heating) becomes the main pool for my kids to really extend the pool season. Mine are 3-10 yrs, and will spend hours in the heated spa with breaks to take polar bear plunges into the pool. That's not to say that a stand-alone spa wouldn't do the same and at a cheaper price with more therapeutic options.
I wouldn't expect to receive many discounts just for showing up during the off-season. But if you are willing to get multiple competitive quotes from different pool builders (which you should no matter what season you are in) and willing to try to squeeze their margins by working them over, then I think there is a potential for non-trivial savings in the off-season.
"Attached spas are just areas for adults to socialize in while the kids play in the pool." - This may be mostly true during the summer, but in fall/winter/spring, the spa (with some heating) becomes the main pool for my kids to really extend the pool season. Mine are 3-10 yrs, and will spend hours in the heated spa with breaks to take polar bear plunges into the pool. That's not to say that a stand-alone spa wouldn't do the same and at a cheaper price with more therapeutic options.
I have actually had a PB show me "Summer and Winter" Pricing and say "I am giving you Winter pricing to get the job". So be careful, it's all just pricing tactics.
I had the PB quote me what I wanted and then after some negotiating I asked for Fall pricing and got 5% knocked off the total.
I am in the process of seeking quotes for a pool build in Cypress, expecting to have construction begin in January/February. Have met with two builders, and am working with a third to obtain competitive quotes. Had not occurred to me to ask for "winter" pricing.