Pool Builder Taking Too Long To Finish?
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When the pandemic first arrived and global travel screeched to a halt one industry that absolutely exploded was the residential swimming pool market. Under normal conditions selling a new swimming pool installation is not just a competition between pool builders...you are also forced to sell the idea of having a new pool installed versus using that money for travel plans, or a new boat, or a sports car, or any other luxury purchase. Travel most specifically is something that many home owners have chosen to spend money on after considering having a pool installed. It is a serious commitment to owning a pool as it is expensive, but also something that requires care and attention whether you intend to use it or not. In this way some home owners shy away from the permanent commitment to owning a pool and instead spend this disposable income on travel plans. When global travel stopped almost every dollar of that extra income was funneled into the pool and spa industry.
Home owners in Canada and the USA in record numbers decided to repair, renovate and rejuvenate swimming pools which had sat empty or derelict. New pool installation requests went up by five to ten times normal seasonal volumes in many places. Without the ability to spend money on other luxuries like travel, or even going out for entertainment like movies and restaurants, the pool and spa industry saw explosive growth. Prefabricated hot tubs were one of the first items to sell out, as many are made offshore and imported (slowly) for retail sales. Every brand, make and model of hot tub sold off the shelves within months, leaving delays of a year or more from some hot tub manufacturers. Swimming pools are most commonly constructed on site due to their size and complexity, and so it is the individual parts and pieces which make up swimming pools that started to dry up. The list of items which have become unavailable during the 2020 and 2021 pool seasons is very long, and likely to continue to grow with the 2022 pool season showing no signs of slowing down. In fact most reputable pool installers are booked years into the future right now.
The list of items which has run out or has met with supply chain issues includes: trichlor chlorine pucks, liquid chlorine, cyanuric acid, muriatic acid, pool heaters, pool pumps, rigid PVC, flexible PVC, PVC pipe fittings, PVC ball valves, diverter valves, skimmers, main drains, channel drains and return assemblies. It is very likely that during the 2022 pool building season some of these items may be in short supply again, and further additions to this list are likely. If you want to know more about why this is happening, read on;
Why is my pool taking so long to finish?
There are a number of reasons why your pool and pool builder might be taking too long to finish your pool. It is far more difficult to organize and complete a new pool installation than normal due to supply chain problems and even labor shortages in many areas. Further, your builder might be too busy right now. With an overabundance of work available right now in the pool and spa industry, some companies might be inclined to take on more than they can realistically handle. Consider that these issues could be contributing to the delays in your pool installation:
Material shortages - In addition to supply chains for pretty much everything globally being interrupted, the pool industry experienced a sudden and dramatic increase in sales of everything from pools to liners to pumps and filters. Since most of these items are imported it can takes months of actual shipping time to receive the goods on order. When there is a sudden increase in purchasing, there simply are no more goods lined up to ship, and even if there were it would take months for them to actually arrive at your local retail store. This is part of the problem and the other part is that manufacturing for plastic components continues to be shut down or operating at partial capacity. This means anything made from or with plastic is currently in short supply. This is bad for pools since ABS and PVC make up many of the materials and supplies that you need to build a pool. Everything from pipe, fittings and valves all the way to pump bodies or filter tanks all require plastics to manufacture. As if this were not bad enough, the shortage of shipping containers makes it almost impossible to ship items supposing you were able to have them successfully manufactured. There are some ways to work around shortages, like main drains for example, as you could buy channel drains instead, or perhaps a frame and grate system and field form your sump pits instead of using manufactured main drains...but once these alternative items run out you can expect more extensive delays to set in. I certainly hope we can avoid any serious delays to integral components, but I do expect the 2022 building season to continue to deal with these problems.
Weather delays - Without a pandemic of global supply chain issues, weather delays would be, and always has been, one of the most common reasons for delays when you are having a pool built. There are many stages of pool construction which need to be completed during dry weather, like pouring concrete for example. In many cases the project itself can not proceed at all until the next concrete pour has been completed. This is how weather delays can compound when building a pool. There is not always some other productive work you can be doing to further the project. There are many times where you simply will have to sit on your hands waiting for the right weather to continue with the project. When a sunny day finally arrives and you don't see your pool builder pouring concrete in your backyard you are inclined to anger, understandably. But it is likely the pool builder has multiple projects on hold due to the weather, and the place they were pouring concrete today is even further delayed than your project. I am not attempting to excuse poor service or communication from your pool builder, but instead just identifying the actual mechanics behind how and why your builder is not able to proceed with your project due to weather delays. In a bad year with more rain than normal you can end up with pool builders being months behind schedule, and very little that they can actually do about the situation. Weather delays are a lose-lose situation for both the home owner as well as the pool builder.
Overbooked builders - Once you start to build a swimming pool pretty much the first thing that needs to happen is the ground preparation and/or the excavation for the pool. Once you dig up the backyard of a customer, that customer has no choice but to let you finish the pool, even if you are far delayed past the original completion date that was initially agreed upon. This is because competing builders will not want to get involved with your project since it was started by someone else. There might be hidden issues that will take extra time to deal with, but more importantly there may be drama due to the failed relationship with the initial builder. You only need one pool built, but these people have to work shoulder to shoulder in the same town for their entire careers. It is easier for them to pass on your half built pool than it is for them to risk taking on your project. It is well known within the swimming pool industry that once the pool is dug, the customer has very little in the way of options, and no appealing recourse to attempt other than potential litigation. It is a reality that some pool installers exploit this "loophole" and overbook themselves purposefully with little intention of actually meeting the agreed project deadline. During peak periods of pool installation like what were are experiencing now, the rate of incomplete pool projects are at an all time high, with some stories being so widespread as to make mainstream news publications about incomplete projects. More than ever you must interview and vet your potential pool builders and choose experience over price. A swimming pool is not the place to take a risk on inexperience or unusually low price quotes.
Swimming Pool Nightmares - Want to learn more about why some pools can be such a nightmare?
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If you are dealing with a builder who is behind schedule and you are looking for advice as to what you should do about it, my best advice is to attempt to work with the company who has started your project. Find ways in which you can meet in the middle, or at least discuss your realistic options and timeline. It is better to be in the know and in communication with the builder rather than to allow the relationship deteriorate to the point of no-contact. You must attempt to avoid this at all costs, as there is simply too much on the line to let things get this bad. Yet they so often do.
Building a pool is hard to do, and challenging over and above the technical application as you are taking money from a home owner, a lot of money, and translating it into some sort of backyard oasis. At least that is what is supposed to happen from the home owners perspective. To the builder this is just another day on the job, one of thousands they will have in their lifetime. Find common ground and keep the communication open even if it means potentially making concessions on your expectations or timeline. A late pool is better than no pool, and a quality pool is better than a pool that was thrown together in a frenzy of frustration.
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Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool specialist from Ontario Canada and one of the most trusted voices in the swimming pool industry. With over 20,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the Pleatco Pool & Spa Industry Leadership award and author of hundreds of pool and spa articles both online and in print. Steve is committed to helping pool and spa owners as well as pool and spa industry workers learn more about the technical side of building, renovating, repairing and maintaining all types of swimming pools and spas. Follow Swimming Pool Steve on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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