Need Help with Owner Build in Phoenix, Arizona (AZ)

[flubez]

Hey guys,

Long time fan of the forum. My wife and i have decided to put in a pool and redo the backyard. We really enjoy the set up that my neighbors have (picture attached) and i want to do an Owner Build to help save on the costs. We want a rectangular pool with no spa, and small sports court and some grass area for the dog. . I was thinking of going with Pool Design and Spas out in Scottsdale? Does anyone have other recommendations? Any other words of caution? Any good reading material? How to cost out the pool build and then the other parts of the backyard build?

Thanks again.

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

Reading materials ....

Construction Best Practices - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[mslaman]

I have heard great things about Pool Design and Spas out in Scottsdale.
We will most likely be using them with our build.

 

[TKR]

Does anyone have other recommendations? Any other words of caution? Any good reading material? How to cost out the pool build...

I assume you want to act as general contractor? Rule #1 with subcontractors - keep the work ahead of the money.

Pools are expensive but we will eventually have a great pool we'd likely not have been able to afford to have someone build.

We started our build a few weeks ago. A detailed understanding the install process and best practices of each trade helped with my confidence to get started. That knowledge will help find good subs, keep you out of trouble and manage costs.

Lots of great experience here on the TFP forum. River Pools videos and others on youtube help me picture the process. Using a fiberglass shell seemed the most straightforward route for us o I found two companies willing to work with owner/builder. Pricing that is simple.

With a knowledge of the build steps, a dig diagram for the pool, and a sketch of the pool placement, I talked to a few excavation contractors. The excavation contractor is central to the pool build IMHO so I found one willing to work with me and give me a rough price. At this point a basic project plan (Gannt, PERT or pencil/paper) will lead you to other sub contractors. I'm doing the plumbing and electrical myself but getting a price from local subs should not be a problem - know what you are talking about before you call them and give them all the same specs for what you want done so you are comparing apples to apples.. They may suggest changes but that is a good sign.

That is about as far as I have gotten. Having the pool in place now and just a rough design, allowed us to refine some things we'd not thought about - thanks to great advice here at TFP.

 

[QC Pool Dreams]

We are using PSD and have had an awesome experience! I know there are a lot of people who have used BYOP with good results but Jaime with PSD has been awesome! TFP forums are full of great knowledge to help guide you through the process. There are countless people that helped us along the way and I am always happy to return the favor so feel free to send a DM if you want to chat more.