Construction Delays? High Demand/Covid Delays = Long Waits

[Apsuhead]

I signed my contract this April and our fiberglass install is scheduled for November near Nashville TN. A neighbor just called my PB and the wait is now until Fall 2021 simply because of the high demand. I know some places have a back log due to manufacturing shut downs due to Covid. How is it in everyone’s part of the country? It seems everyone wants a pool after being stuck at home, low interest rates, etc.
This story was just on the news today ... Pool Demand at All-Time High

 

[bmoreswim]

I know of one fiberglass locally that is being delayed about 6 weeks from original date. Much better than you are seeing. Not sure of the manufacturer. But yes, everything pools and outdoors is in high demand.

 

[mjacks]

Signed contract on Monday 7/27 and expecting an October dig date. Lots of pool builders here though.

 

[gingrbredman]

The building season is shorter up in the Midwest so the builders at least in my area are all slammed. My PB who does inground vinyl as well as fiberglass is now booking builds for June of 2021. A few other people I have talked to about putting a pool in are also being told spring to summer 2021.

Add to the number of new builds going in at one time, all over the country, and a lot of parts that go into these builds are sourced from areas that had to shut down for some time, or even run limited schedules, and you also get a supply chain issue for the critical parts of any build. My PB right now has to move some builds around due to the inground vinyl parts being difficult to get.

 

[mlggator]

Wow. I think everything is still running on time here in SoCal. When I got my bids back in May, every PB said they were getting slammed though.
Our biggest delay was getting the HELOC. We didn't want to move forward until we were approved and close to funding. It took them 6 weeks just to get through underwriting. We still haven't gotten funding and are past 60 days. I think they are also slammed with new loans.
I will count my blessings that everything still appears to be running on time and cross my fingers that doesn't change.

 

[guinness]

There's also shortages of pool equipment like heaters and automation. Something else to bear in mind for new builds.

 

[spd500]

When we hired our builder we were hoping for completion close to Labor Day, now we are hearing that we will be getting started the week before Labor Day and that is just to get started. We had planned on an earlier dig date and missed it because the PB didn't have it scheduled early enough, then we reset the dig date to 8/3, had a week of bad weather and got pushed back to 8/24. I am still trying to figure out how the few days of rain pushed us back over 3 weeks, but the PB says there is nothing that they can do to make anything happen any faster.

 

[Watershow]

We signed our pool contract mid to late June. PB submitted application for permits 3 weeks ago. Still waiting on approval from the city. No dig date yet. From the way it’s looking I probably won’t have a pool until late Fall early winter .

Wow. I think everything is still running on time here in SoCal. When I got my bids back in May, every PB said they were getting slammed though.
Our biggest delay was getting the HELOC. We didn't want to move forward until we were approved and close to funding. It took them 6 weeks just to get through underwriting. We still haven't gotten funding and are past 60 days. I think they are also slammed with new loans.
I will count my blessings that everything still appears to be running on time and cross my fingers that doesn't change.

 

[dmlk]

Well we started the process last fall before Covid was even a thing. Finally signed in Feb/March and they are pouring concrete as I speak. It has been delayed. We also did a fiberglass again. Good luck!

 

[Dirk]

Good thing pools aren't built out of toilet paper!

 

[dprorie]

We signed the contract at the end of Mar, started digging 6 Jun and we started swimming today. PB initially told us 6-8 weeks, but they got super busy soon after we signed and that delayed us a few weeks. My sister-in-law lives in Columbia, SC...they have a year wait list.

 

[Winger 03]

The folks who built my pool just mentioned on twitter that they were scheduling 200 days out from contract signing to begin.

 

[TheRaven]

Mine has been in the works for almost two years. Actually signed the contract in mid-Feb of this year. Was originally given a "Memorial Day-ish" start date. Then the shutdown started and I figured i'd be lucky to have a pool by the end of summer. But I called the builder in mid-May after I knew he'd be back at work for a couple weeks and he said early June to my surprise. But early June came and went with no sign of him so I called again and he said the delays had started - a week or more just to get concrete, couldn't get equipment, etc. So we actually got started on July 1st. As of today all that's left to do is the liner - we're on week 7 of the wait. I've been in regular communication with my builder and he said that my pool is the last one he'll be able to finish this year. He's being told 4-6 weeks for panels (he normally gets them overnight) and Spring 2021 for equipment.

So yeah it looks like if your build isn't already well underway, it's not going to happen this year, and if you aren't already at least contracted, it's not happening until 2022. It's really odd the effects that the shutdown has had - the real estate market is a comedy right now and so is the used car market...many used cars are selling for more than they sell NEW...which is absolutely ludicrous. "Luxury items" are selling like crazy which is the opposite of what should happen in a recession.

 

[Sotex]

Mine has been in the works for almost two years. Actually signed the contract in mid-Feb of this year. Was originally given a "Memorial Day-ish" start date. Then the shutdown started and I figured i'd be lucky to have a pool by the end of summer. But I called the builder in mid-May after I knew he'd be back at work for a couple weeks and he said early June to my surprise. But early June came and went with no sign of him so I called again and he said the delays had started - a week or more just to get concrete, couldn't get equipment, etc. So we actually got started on July 1st. As of today all that's left to do is the liner - we're on week 7 of the wait. I've been in regular communication with my builder and he said that my pool is the last one he'll be able to finish this year. He's being told 4-6 weeks for panels (he normally gets them overnight) and Spring 2021 for equipment.

So yeah it looks like if your build isn't already well underway, it's not going to happen this year, and if you aren't already at least contracted, it's not happening until 2022. It's really odd the effects that the shutdown has had - the real estate market is a comedy right now and so is the used car market...many used cars are selling for more than they sell NEW...which is absolutely ludicrous. "Luxury items" are selling like crazy which is the opposite of what should happen in a recession.

Just bought a truck and at almost 50 years old, I've only bought brand new three times - Honda Odyssey, Honda Element, and Honda CR-V. Shopped for used trucks and what I wanted were all $35,000+. Many of those should have been at $28,000 but no one was negotiating down. Ended up buying a new Tundra for $35,500 all in, out the door. The sales manager said, "you know you could drive that to Carmax and probably get $2,000 more than what you paid!" (the sticker on it was $42,000 or so with dealer add ons - $40,000ish straight sticker).

It's crazy!

 

[Newdude]

It's crazy!

Dealer incentives this time of year are usually better with the ‘new ones’ on their way than a used one. A few vehicles ago i bought an ‘old’ one at a steal once the new ones were in. The final assembly paperwork from the port in NJ (Nissan, they put the headlights and some other things in to claim it was assembled here) was 1.5 months before but 1 year older on the model. As long as there isn’t a massive redesign you don’t even know the difference. And even then most folks wouldn’t care enough to pay sticker price for the ‘new’ one.

 

[batesjer]

Just bought a truck and at almost 50 years old, I've only bought brand new three times - Honda Odyssey, Honda Element, and Honda CR-V. Shopped for used trucks and what I wanted were all $35,000+. Many of those should have been at $28,000 but no one was negotiating down. Ended up buying a new Tundra for $35,500 all in, out the door. The sales manager said, "you know you could drive that to Carmax and probably get $2,000 more than what you paid!" (the sticker on it was $42,000 or so with dealer add ons - $40,000ish straight sticker).

It's crazy!

We use an old friend when buying cars and purchased one a couple months ago. He said new car prices are going to be high for the next few months as their inventories are really low due to production more or less stopping in March/April. GM removed a lot of their incentives in August. Low supply is pushing the price up in both the used and new car markets.

 

[Sotex]

We use an old friend when buying cars and purchased one a couple months ago. He said new car prices are going to be high for the next few months as their inventories are really low due to production more or less stopping in March/April. GM removed a lot of their incentives in August. Low supply is pushing the price up in both the used and new car markets.

My appraiser experience helped me for sure. Many were saying to wait until the 2021s come out as that is when prices on 2020s would normally be low, but I knew this is a weird time in our life and NOTHING is happening as we expected.

Once I reviewed my deal with others in the industry (I'm no longer in that industry), I knew it was too good to pass up. $10,000 below MSRP is basically unheard of in today's economy.

 

[S S]

definately delayed her in So. Cal--I was just informed that due to the fires in No Cal concrete is in short supply and they only have gunite right now for one more job--with no idea of when they will get more.

 

[mlggator]

definately delayed her in So. Cal--I was just informed that due to the fires in No Cal concrete is in short supply and they only have gunite right now for one more job--with no idea of when they will get more.

Oh Gosh, I hope that doesn't happen to me here in San Diego. I'm supposed have shotcrete in about 2 weeks. We are about to start plumbing and electrical. Now I'm nervous.

 

[Green25]

I think we had a bit of bad luck or inexperienced PM, but I’ve heard there’s a backlog locally. Permits in April, excavation first week of May, and we finally got plaster today.