If you are planning to install a fiberglass pool in your yard this summer, you are probably wondering just what to expect when dealing with local pool builders. While no two companies are the same, the majority of reputable contractors will follow similar procedures when quoting for and installing new inground pools. In this article, we outline what to expect when dealing with a contractor in Toronto. From the initial contact all the way through to the completion of the project, we give you the lowdown on how it’s likely to unfold.
How the Best Pool Builders Work
The first time you speak to a local contractor, you should be as clear as you can about what type of pool you would like them to build and the timeframe within which you would like the work completed. Most problems occur when the homeowner’s expectations and the contractor’s understanding of what their client wants do not match. Here’s how a good builder ensures everything goes smoothly:
- Obtaining a Quotation – The first thing you will need, before you can decide whether a particular contractor is right for the job, is an accurate and detailed quotation that covers all of your needs. This will usually be supplied after the contractor in question has visited your property to survey the plot of land where the pool is to be installed and discussed exactly what you would like them to do.
- Starting Work – Once you have approved the quotation, having made any amendments to the scope of work that you may wish to make, the pool builders you have decided to hire will produce a legally binding contract, based on the details contained therein. You should have this checked over by your lawyer if you are not sure about it and, once you have satisfied yourself that it is both fair and accurately reflects the work you want your contractor to carry out, you can sign it and give them the go ahead to start work.
- Layout of the Pool – Your pool builders, working from measurements they have already taken, will create a layout for your new pool, outlining exactly where it is to be positioned in your yard.
- Excavation – Having established the precise location of your new pool, the excavation work can begin. Although heavy equipment will almost certainly be used to make light work of the task, this stage of the project is simply digging a hole in your yard, into which your new fiberglass pool can be dropped.
- Setting the Base – Once this stage of the project is reached, you can expect your contractor to proceed with great care. This is because the base of the hole into which your pool will be lowered has to be at exactly the right level. It is created, after marking the level with rails or string, by filling the hole to the marked depth, with base material rather than cement.
- Setting the Pool – Your new fiberglass pool will now be lowered into position, using a crane that is capable of lifting such a weight with ease. Once it has been lowered into position, small adjustments may need to be made before the final stage is started.
- Filling & Backfilling – This is the last stage of the construction phase, and involves your pool being filled with water at the same time as the hole in which it is sited is backfilled with gravel.
The main construction phase having been completed, your pool builders will now move on to the plumbing, after which you will finally be able to go for a swim! For further information on the process, please call us at any time.