Help evaluate the quote we recieved

[Notacop]

Looking for feedback on pricing as well as what we have on the quote that we don't need, and what we don't have on the quote that we do need.
Here is a snippet of the quote with the options we have in mind so far:

-Leisure Pools Moroccan 38n Australian Blue $41,885.00
-Accent color concrete to lower deck only limited 220 sq $ 2,860.00
-1100 sq ft 4000 psi. " light broom" concrete @ $10.25/ft $ 11,275.00
-Cantilever concrete edge of pool $no-charge
-Crane service and hauling of pool to job site $ 1,400.00
-PAL Treo multi color lighting w/ wire tran qty 3 $ 2,700.00
-Dirt from excavation remains on site $no-charge
-Ultra Temp heat pump 60 amp service $ 5,450.00
-Intelli-Flo w/ variable speed pump exchange $ 1,975.00
-Automatic cover system w/ top track & lid $10,975.00
-SR Smith Turbo Twister in sandstone left swing $4,290.00 installed
-Electrical service: pool light, cover, heat & pool pump Max 3,500.00

Sales Tax on materials only base 31,300.00 $ 2,425.75

Adjustments to the intial quote we already requested but have not yet recieved an updated quote: The PB said he has an SR Smith Vortex in stock that he got "Display pricing" on over the off season and he will give us a great deal on. We are thinking of switching from the PAL 3 LED system to a single Intellibrite color LED in the deep end. The auto cover is from Cover pools, and we want to go with the flush track rather than the top track as spec'd, unsure on hidden reel vs bench kit. PB is ALL about sand filters and does not normally stock cartridge filters. He is also very against SWG saying that a normal 3 step process is not as difficult as some make it out to be. He was pushing a UV sanitizer along with the 3 step chlorine, but I think we are going to pass on that. Concrete is listed as broom finish but he was displaying some sort of acrylic sealant (I am assuming sundek or equivalent). Initial thought was for the concrete used for coping to be dyed for contrast from the rest of the patio. At the present we are thinking broom finish with cantilever edge. No color, no stamping.

Here is a rough "blueprint" of what things will look like:

It was drawn with excel so it should be fairly accurate. Top of image is South, Right is West, etc.

We are looking for the most bang for the buck, willing to spend extra for features that add value, not as interested in things like water features, extensive landscaping, etc. Thanks in advance for any feedback!

 

[bk406]

Where are you loacted? Prices vary in differnet parts of country.
I assume this is a fiberglass pool? Seems like its pretty expensive.

 

[JasonLion]

Generally those prices look a bit high. That is an especially high price on the Intelli-Flo upgrade unless it also includes an automation system of some kind. The Ultra Temp heat pump price also seems a little high given that they are charging quite a bit for electrical work separately.

I don't see any mention of a filter. Are they including a standard pump and filter in the base price, and then only charging for the upgrades from that?

I recommend getting a SWG. Standard chlorine works just fine, but it is very nice to have a SWG. I don't see any point in getting a UV system.

 

[Martha]

That slide is wicked expensive. The slide itself should be in the neighborhood of $2500. $1800 to run the plumbing seems a bit steep.

 

[Notacop]

BK406: Yes, fiberglass pool from Leisure pools. Central Illinois. We are 60 miles away from PB.

JasonLion: The PB mentioned a sand filter, but no mention of size/capacity. No mention of an automation system, but he did say digital controls on the pump with several programmable macros.

How tough is it to add a SWG after the fact? A lot more $$$ than if it is put in initially?

Martha: I was thinking the same on the slide, I will have to clarify with the PB.

 

[jhalpinjr]

It would be easier to have the SWG installed during the build. You can do it later- but why? Remember its your money and your pool. Dont let the PB tell you what he wants to do. Research and choose for yourself. I am not saying he is doing anything wrong, but most PB's will install whatever they have the most margin on and what they can make after the sale.

There are however, many reputable PB's that pride themselves on building a great pool. I would research yours more as others have said- he seems a bit steep on some pricing.

Most people who went to swg will never go back. But then again everyone has their preference. I know I would never go back.

 

[briansturgeon]

Because you are in IL and not on an island where concrete has to be shipped in I would be tempted to run from this builder just based on his concrete price for standard broom finish. I have gotten prices for our concrete in southeastern IN for 2.50-4 for standard broom finish and around 8 for stamped deck. His price is crazy.

As it has already been mentioned don't let this PB tell you what you get. We were in that boat with the first one we chose and then decided to walk away and tell him bye when he acted like he was doing us a favor by installing out pool. He wasn't flexible at all and even tried to tell us that if we used anything other than a 1 hp single speed pump on our 24K gallon pool it would turn green!

I looked around more and finally found the perfect company. Very nice people who know their stuff and are up to date on things. Also, they don't expect to be given business they strive to earn it and earn your trust. We are very happy now.

 

[deer hunter]

We are going to start building in July.(18x36) I have received two quotes for flat work, and both were under $6.00 a sq. ft.. That price included rebar and also fill rock. Where are you located at in central Il. I am from Chatham.

 

[XsAllOverIt]

On the concrete statement, he indicates maximum maximum 220 sq ft. I'm assuming that's around the entire pool. If so, you'll use MUCH more concrete and if he's charging you $10/sq ft, you as briansturgeon suggested, should RUN... $4-5 sq ft for stamped concrete. Also, make sure you indicate the price for additional concrete. I paid $9/sq ft for brushed concrete in addition over the 450 sq ft that was in my contract and he also measured 100 sq ft more than I did and to-date I haven't gotten that money back YET... Be VERY PATIENT on finding the right PB. It's worth the wait. Here is a URL of my entire building process which will give you good ideas on what to watch, etc... http://www.golfmd.com/BaurPhotoAlbum/PoolConstruction

 

[Notacop]

We are going to start building in July.(18x36) I have received two quotes for flat work, and both were under $6.00 a sq. ft.. That price included rebar and also fill rock. Where are you located at in central Il. I am from Chatham.

The pool will be going in on the FAR west side of Springfield, half way to Pleasant Plains.


Who is your quote from? We didn't like Springfield Fiberglass Pools (San Juan Pools dealer) and are pretty set on a FG pool. This led us up to Bloomington for a PB, but we are thinking of checking if the Leisure dealer in Morton would come down to do it.

The pool is actually for my parents (I live about 25 miles away), I am always glad to offer my research and evaluation skills to help them get the best deal.

XsAllOverIt, the 220 sq ft is just for the contrast color on the coping, 1100sqft for the whole deck, but we redrew the deck down to about 880 sq ft and are skipping the contrast color (over $2K for a brick red coping?!?!)

Trying to get the price down to something reasonable, but not cut corners on the functional/structural things.

 

[kenandshari]

I'm no pool expert, but I went through all of the shopping and installation about 6 months ago. Here's my thoughts: B.L.U.F. Your pricing seems really high to me. (We got some really high quotes when shopping as well.)Over $40k just for the pool?????

Perhaps we got a once in a lifetime deal, but our pool as it sits, ready to swim with all of our extras including solar heat (self installed the solar), deck jets, diving board, solar cover, robot cleaner (pool toys & floats not included) came in just under $30k. Look on our builder's site http://www.nagypools.com for some pretty good pictures of our pool if you want to see it. He featured our build on the installation tab on his site. (Search "tallman pools" and you can see more on our particular model if you care to know for comparison sake. We did get an end of year close out model deal on the pool itself and we did our install the first week of January 2011 when I understand that the pool building business is super slow. It may sound silly, but being a "cash buyer" was a barganing chip as well. I saved a few thousand by taking a week off of work and assisting with the install as well. I had extra use/lose leave time anyway and being a DIY type of guy, I wanted to be involved and get dirty working.

We poured over 800 sq feet of concrete decking and he even did the knockdown texture (cool deck) finish on it in "sensational sand" color. He did a lot of "extras" that were more about labor than materials at no extra charge as well. We shopped some of our equipment online and our PB was good with us providing things we could source cheaper. We literally saved thousands by doing this. One example was the Pentair VS pump & Easy Touch controller, we got them online for about $1300ish for the set (different vendors for each-both Pentair approved dealers). PB provided ET upgrade would have added $2600 to the price. Not all PBs are OK with you providing things you can order cheaper, but ours was. Also, if you go that route, verify with the manufacturer that you are buying from a legit dealer. I don't know why it works this way, but Pentair in particular told me that unless it comes from an authorized Pentair dealer, the warranty may be voided. Bottom line, we shopped around and then when we found our best deal, we did due diligence and checked out his references, went to see their pools and let them tell us about their experience with this particular builder before we settled on him. We have been extremely pleased so far. Do that in your area and you'll find the most bang for the buck that's available to you. Best of luck to you.

 

[Notacop]

Construction started week of 6/4, pool has been done for a little while. Fence posts were set yesterday, waiting for the PB to come back and install auto cover "guts". Other contractors are here replacing old rotting cedar porch with ultra dek composite and installing an under-deck ceiling. Electrician coming by today to wire ceiling fans for under the porch. Might have the electrician run some wire for outdoor speakers (looking at the OSD planter speakers). After that, just a little bit of landscaping to finish.


I have tons of pics, but need to go through them and resize, etc. Will post a build thread soon.

 

[Winger 03]

I've got the same pool (38' Moroccan). Had it installed last year, loved my builder. I had a friend who installs Trilogy pools in PA look over my quote and he said we were in the ballpark. Does your guy use subs or are they all his employees? My guy had all his own people (and equipment) for everything except electric.

- The 40k or so for the shell seems a little high, and the charge for crane service is BS. What is he digging with? My guys used a backhoe set up with a spreader bar to get the pool onto my property and set it in place. Of course, I have a large lot with really eeasy access, so YMMV. My shell was around $36.5k

- Fiberglass pools work really well with SWCG's, you will not regret the added cost.

- We did a contrasting color stamped concrete coping 18" wide and that was an extra $1500

- 2 lights were incluuded

- Concrete was about $6 per ft for broom finish

- Rough plumbed the slide (we added the slide this year) for $250 (not sure why your guy is proposing such a high fee for the plumbing)

- SWCG for $1000

- No heater for us, but did get a solar cover and reel for $675

- Got the slide installed this year for $3k (Interfab X-Stream2) I think it is similar to yours.

I think you can do a lot better on some of the items. Shop around and let your PB know you are speaking to others. Mu guy tossed in $3k of electrical work for free when I was dragging my feet. (I needed to pull electricity about 400 feet to get to my equipment)

***

If I had it to do all over again, I would get waterline tile and the Moroccan looks great with a small waterfall in the bump. Just a small slit in the shell that water flows from. Given how much I paid for everything else, the extra $2k or so for those items would not hav emade much of a difference, but I was so far over budget that I reisisted and now regret it.

EDIT
Just noticed that the OP was from some time ago. I wish I would have seen this a little sooner. Congratualtions on your pool!