Bidding a Pool in Minnesota

[chaswelf]

I think I found this forum just in the nick of time, wow what a knowledge base. We are getting bids to put in a pool and I'm looking for some help to make sure we can make a good decision. We have a limited space to put in a pool and it will be in among some very big oak trees and part of the pool will be about 1/4 under the canopy. As I was looking at the 2 bids we have (1 more tomorrow) and putting it in a spreadsheet I realize I don't have enough information from either of them to compare but its a start. So here is what I have, please provide feedback and please what should I be asking that I don't know to ask? what would you change? btw bid 2 has a bunch of ? because it just says "standard install features" and doesn't list them. He told me but I can't remember what they are so I'll have to get them in writing..

		bid 1	bid 2
Pool	14x28	APC vinyl	Vinyl
filter		Pentair sand or cartridge	Cartridge (unknown brand)
Pump		Intelliflo	intelliflo
Skimmers		2 wide	?
Inlets		4	?
main drain		2	?
heater		266,000 (unknow brand)	pentair 250
ladder		in-wall	?
steps		90" w/bench	90" w/bench
handrail		yes	?
slide		Wildride	no
automatic pool cover		apc-undertrack	Cover pools undertrack
pool cleaner		polaris 360	pentair racer
underwater lights		2 led globrite	3 globrite
purifier		intelliclhor salt	easy touch salt
auto control system		screenlogic	just says iphone add on
		52k	51k

 

[kimkats]

Until you get the ? filled in it will be next to impossible to know which one is better. I do see the only real difference that stands out right now is one has a slide and one does not.

Take a pic of the yard the pool will be going in and we can start with that as far as design.

Kim

 

[Jimrahbe]

Chas,

Welcome to TFP... A Great resource for all your pool building questions...

Your last two items are identical... Both are quoting a Pentair EasyTouch automation system with Intellichlor Saltwater Chlorine Generator (what you call a Purifier) and ScreenLogic2, which allows you to control your pool via a computer, tablet or phone...

Make sure you get the "real" EasyTouch, and not the "lite" version. You do not want one that has an "L" in the model number, such as PL4 or PSL4..

I know that the electrical rates up in the frozen north can be expensive, so the IntelliFlo pump, that is recommended by both pool builders, is very economical to run and is also very quiet.

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[Sseaman]

My Inlaws are looking to build a pool and the bid was very vague like yours, I gave them a list of questions and they slowly got them answered but not sure why the PB couldn't just put it on there to start with.