Lisa Johnson's House and Home - Articles on Home, Family, and Living

Lisa Johnson on Buying a New Swimming Pool

Chapter 4: Designing the Swimming Pool

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October 1, 2003

Before you actually make the decision to hire a contractor, the contractor should have presented you with their plans and their estimate of costs.

During the interview, the contractor should have listened to exactly what kind of swimming pool you envisioned, what your needs are, and how much you are willing to spend.  

After the interview, the swimming pool contractor will return to his or her office, and begin work on designing the pool, including whatever other new amenities you might want to throw in (patio cover, barbeque, etc.).  

In our case, we had nothing in our backyard, just dirt.  In addition to a swimming pool, we also wanted a spa (jacuzzi), a patio, a patio cover, a built-in barbeque, plants and trees, a sprinkler system, the whole schmoe.

About a week later, the contractor called to say that his plans and estimate was finished.  He showed up at our house that evening, and presented us with the blue print for the backyard:  

Your contractor should present you with a blue print similar to the above.  Actually, this is not the "official" blue print, but a colorized illustration.  The actual blue print is not colored, and has all the dimensions.  But you should still be presented with a professionally illustrated depiction of what the final result will look like.  Don't hire a contractor until they have presented you with this.

The cost estimate was within our limits as well.  

We were very impressed with the plans, and we liked the contractor.  We didn't hire them because they were the cheapest, but because we felt they were the best.  Their estimate was still within our limits, so, hiring the best was a luxury we could afford.

Next > Chapter 5 - Costs and Financing

Suggested Links

·  National Swimming Pool Foundation

·  Swimming Pool Energy Costs

·  PoolSpa WebCenter

·  Leslie's Swimming Pool Supplies

·  Swimming Pool Buyer Beware