Preplanning Before Jumping Into the Pool Project

Shopping around for a pool is unlike a routine buying experience. It's contract work, so there are a ton of variables you will need to account for. Understanding that you are probably not in the capacity to do this yourself, I expect that swimming pool contractors will need to be contacted.

That being said, before you contact them, you might want to check out all of the local ones that are in your area, and see if you can dig into some research about them. Often, there are sites online that have reviews, or submitted comments about their work or a specific job.

Questions to Prepare for Your Swimming Pool Contractor

Before you hire, or even call your contractor up, try thinking like a construction worker yourself. Read up on how to build a pool. Take into account what kind of pool you have, and the local building codes in your area.

Look to your city's web site to see what parameters you need to stay within or try looking around your neighborhood for neighbors you can ask who have a pool. Get to know their story and any obstacles they encountered and add those to the list of questions you can ask the swimming pool contractors you check through.

Some example questions to have ready are:

- What is the time table for completion (conservatively, think weather delays)
- Will other specialists be needed for landscaping or otherwise
- If subcontractors are being used, will they be as dependable
- Will cleanup be included after it's done

In addition, figure out what kind of pool you intend to build. Some elaborate-style pools may not be in the repertoire of the contractor. So ask them if they have any specialty in specific pool style building.

Types of Pools to Ponder

The following are some of the most popular pool types. With the types of pools in mind, it's good to paint a mental image of what you want and to visualize the pool in your yard and ask yourself if it would be feasible.

The regular "traditional" pool type is the Geometric Pool. This type of pool usually takes on shapes with straight lines that are a pretty even distance from centerline. The Lap Pool on the other hand is quite narrow and long, meant for exercise. The third type, a Diving Pool, is unique in that it has a significant deep end, around eight and a half feet deep or more.

The Play Pool is basically the opposite of the diving pool, where the whole pool is pretty even, not going any deeper than five and a half feet.

Some of the more unusual pools are Negative-edge pools and the Perimeter Overflow Pool. These last two play with horizon and water edge. They use optical illusion to make the perimeter of the pool or part of the pool edge look as it extends further by bringing the water level up to the edge covering the perimeter concrete. Check out some of these names via search engine online to get a rough idea and talk more with your swimming pool contractors.

Art Gib writes for FreePoolQuotes.com (http://www.freepoolquotes.com) who provide an online communication platform where homeowners can submit a pool-building proposal online and swimming pool contractors will compete by providing construction quotes back to them.