My name is Janine Wilson, a Pool Building Professional, certified by the APSP (Association of Pool & Spa Professionals), in Houston Texas.
Homeowners contact and hire me for consultation. They are experiencing problems with swimming pool work or swimming pool builders. Sometimes, they contact me about work performed or work in progress.
Recently, I was contacted by a homeowner who was under contract with a swimming pool builder, for approximately $200,000 market value project. I reviewed the design and found many functional errors.
The builder had not started the project for a swimming pool in Spring Texas. The project was for a lazy river style, swimming pool. The width of the river was too narrow. The flow was not going to work properly.
In the same design, there was a slide. The slide exit point (off the slide into water) was near a sharp 90 degree corner, near the drop-off point, where a child could land.
This dangerous situation is avoidable with a proper design. Manufacturers of slides assist pool builders with specifications. S.R. Smith supplies drawings, to show a safety envelope for pool professionals.
I found so many problems with the function of the design that the homeowners confronted the pool builder and swimming pool designer. Fortunately for the owner, many of details were corrected, before construction commenced.
The problem starts with the salesman or the designer. Most of these “professionals” have no education in pool construction. They are not certified with rigorous standards. They have no idea of the manufacturer’s requirements. Salesmen typically do not study the codes or specifications for products. They sell, because that is their primary role.
So when a project is sold, which was the case with the clients for the lazy river, the superintendent tries to make corrections to the design, if he knows what he is doing. But that only creates resentment, because the extra work is not his job.
Another homeowner told me that when she and her husband were shopping for a pool, a pool salesman told her that he would beat any price.
Can you imagine how he would achieve a lower price? There is only one way: by removing quality. To be the lowest price is his objective.
Believe it or not, the client spent more 50% above his proposal and never called him. Many clients are very intelligent shoppers and are interested in price second, quality first.
It amazes me when a client describes some of the other ‘swimming pool builders’ and their experiences. Many tell me that they assess others from the introduction and consultation that I offer.
I not only build pools but offer professional assessments. I specialize in high-end swimming pool projects. With an integrated approach, I design, specific, study specifications, build, superintend, inspect; attend weekly webinars to improve my knowledge, and write reports about swimming pools.
