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Everyone wants a good deal.  Homeowners, workers and contractors all want the maximum bang for the buck.  But shopping for the lowest price is a real tightrope to walk, especially when it comes to custom swimming pool construction.

Buying a swimming pool is not the same as shopping for the lowest priced TV.  That’s easy because many stores have the same item, by the same manufacturer, built to the same standards, with the same warranty.  You don’t need service when all you’re going to do is take it home and plug it in.  All you want is the lowest price.

But when you enter into an agreement with a swimming pool contractor, you are essentially moving the factory into your backyard.  We’re going to manufacture the product right there. The success of your project will rise, or fall, on the trustworthiness, supervision, workmanship, skill and diligence of the crew that is in your yard, right now.

Once the initial flurry of interviews, sales pitches, pool tours, portfolios and references are over, it’s going to come down to: Whom do you trust?  We believe the best companies have distinct style and values.  Quality builders will collaborate to meet your needs, but in the end, you’ll need to stand back and let the experts do their work.

Successful companies must be very competitive to remain in business. You are not going to find a dramatic difference in price unless someone has cut structural corners to get there.  Is your builder covered with workers comp insurance?  Are they truly licensed in the specific field?  Are you being offered cash under the table discounts?

How many homeowners were promised the world, only to find out there was a lack of supervision?  How about those who paid a larger percentage of money than the work that was completed, who now have no leverage because the money’s gone, whose project is months overdue, etc.  Those were the people who often times went for the lowest price.

Santa Clarita is well-served by many excellent, hard-working builders and contractors.  But during the last few years there have been numerous bankruptcies, closures and licenses suspended or revoked in the local swimming pool industry, which have resulted in abandoned, unfinished projects.  The unlucky buyer usually ends up paying substantially more than they had bargained for, to finish the job.

That is the person who should have asked way back at the very beginning, “Who exactly is in charge here?”

Harry Clay is the designer and President of Castaic Pools Inc.  For more information, please call 661-257-4264.

Santa Clarita Magazine

Santa Clarita Magazine