Fiberglass: The Friendly Pool Contractor Product

There have been reports on the increase in popularity of fiberglass pools over the years. Quite often, fiberglass pools are part of the building tools used to offer an extensive product line. Various pool categories provide corresponding advantages hence enabling a builder to deal with a wide variety of customers. An example is gunite, which can be modeled to meet customer needs, even though it takes a prolonged period to set up, and a lot more effort in its maintenance. On the contrary, fiberglass is relatively cheaper and sells fast but offers limited design options.

The advantages of both materials enable pool contractors to set prices depending on facets of the materials with the primary objective of increasing customer satisfaction. It is important to note that the type of pool significantly impacts the constructions of the builder who deals with the entire supply chain to maximize annual revenues.

Less install time means more installations

From Aqua Med Pools, Jason Branco ventured into the industry in 2006, but it took him a while before he adopted fiberglass and acknowledged how it’s helpful in scheduling. “My team is made up of 3-5 persons, and I involve myself with everything in the field,” Jason says. “Fiberglass installation is normally complete within 1-3 days, thus enabling my team to stay productive. Consequently, we can have more fiberglass installations than vinyl liner installations; this has assisted us in completing more service work annually.”

Effective teams and attributes of fiberglass secure his action plans in the face of an unusual risk that all constructors in the area face -a sudden cold snap. “The levels of water are frequently affected by cold weather, thus dictating the amount of time a vinyl liner can be installed. “A vinyl liner pool consumes 2-4 weeks of groundwork, and installation, unlike a fiberglass pool that needs 1-2 weeks for all installation activities, including fencing.”

Fiberglass is not affected and can be installed even when the weather is freezing with a few workers

AQUA MED POOLS, JASON BRANCO

Furthermore, the Co-owner of Bob Pools, Bob Schaeffer, sought to analyze and identify the better option. He says, “Unlike the vinyl liner and gunite, fiberglass pools pose great advantage to builders as they can be installed even in cold weather. However, activities can slow down during the wet weather due to difficulty in moving the equipment, which applies to the other materials.”

Crane, telehandler or excavator

Fiberglass is manufactured through an entirely distinctive process far from the way concrete and vinyl pools are created. They are produced inside a factory, piled and transported on open trucks, then hoisted into their rightful position by hydraulic apparatus. During this process, some builders seize the opportunity to make money from the supply chain in different ways.

Minimizing the costs in the construction process involves working alongside competitors for everyone’s well-being. Schaeffer jointly works with other fiberglass builders to reduce per-unit transportation costs. “As long as we have an open truck to transport the fiberglass pools, we have time in our control.

Moreover, Branco admits that cutting down costs is essential. “You are primarily spending money every mile; we spend about $3 to $5 on shipment. Luckily, these pools can be delivered across different states; therefore, they need daily or weekly travel authorizations. For instance, special permits such as a state police escort are required in Massachusetts when transporting anything bulky ranging from about 15 feet to 9 inches. “Therefore, if I’m acquiring pools from, say, New Jersey, which just 400-500 miles, I might strategize and order many pools concurrently to minimize transportation costs.”

When lodging the pools, several companies heave them into position by a crane while others fasten them to the bucket of an excavator, move them to the hole and place them. Assembling this bulky equipment creates a dilemma; Do you purchase or rent the pool?

Michael Berggren, the owner of Berggren’s Backyard Oasis Pool Construction, forgoes the crane either for a large excavator or telehandler due to the cost. The telehandler can carry 10,000 pounds, thus making it quite reliable to the company. “We pay $800 per day for the telehandler and possess our excavator. We do not aspire to rent a crane since it is costly compared to the telehandler; instead, we use our saved coins for the installation process.

As opposed to Berggren and Schaeffer, Branco utilizes the crane and excavator to position pools but organizes numerous drops in series to lower the rental price. “Once the multi-pool shipments are delivered, we use a crane to separate them from one another, dropping each pool in their respective location. Afterward, an excavator used in digging the holes is used to position the pool appropriately. The set-up of the pool has to be inspected to ensure it is uniform. “The holes are cut into the fiberglass shell using a hole saw,” Branco says. “Plumbing lines are installed before the last step, which is spilling a concrete collar.” Ultimately, Branco says, “A main drain on the fiberglass pool is installed to prevent water table issues.”