Plan your pool before you ask for bids

Haven't picked a builder yet? Decide what you want built first, then have every builder price that same pool.

Most homeowners ask three builders for a bid and get back three different pools: different shell thickness, different steel, different equipment, one deck included and one not. The low bid usually isn't cheaper. It's just pricing less pool. Randy Beard writes the specification first, so the bids you get back can be compared line for line, and what you were promised is in writing before anyone digs.

What you get: $1,495 flat

• A 60-minute call about what you want, your yard, your budget and how you'll use the pool
• A written pool specification: size and depths, shell and steel requirements, plumbing and drainage, equipment by type and size (pump, filter, heater, sanitizer), finish, tile and coping, deck, safety features, and what the soil and site call for
• A bid sheet every builder fills in the same way, with line-item prices, allowances, exclusions and a payment schedule that follows California law
• The contract terms to require, from the before-you-sign checklist
• A license check on every builder you invite to bid

Options

• Specification plus bid comparison: $2,250. When the bids come back, Randy reviews up to three of them against the specification and tells you, in writing, which ones priced the job you asked for and what to clarify before you sign.
• Site visit: add $495 in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties. Elsewhere in California it is quoted first. Otherwise you send photos, a survey or plot plan, and measurements.
• Commercial and HOA pools are quoted first.

What this is, and what it isn't

This is a written specification and bid package from a licensed C-53 pool contractor. It is not a set of engineered or stamped permit plans. The builder you hire still prepares the plans and engineering the city requires, built to your specification. If your site needs a soils report or an engineer, the specification says so, so every builder includes it.

How to start

Email what you have (photos, a survey or plot plan, your wish list and budget) to [email protected], or call (949) 264-3466. Payment is up front. Randy receives nothing from any builder, and if he has a conflict with a builder you want to invite, he will tell you.

Already have a bid? The $495 bid review is the faster option.