Pool design has changed dramatically over the last decade. In the past, builders either did a hand drawing or used a series of stencils to quickly come up with a pool design concept. It’s only been within the last decade that pool companies felt the need to begin incorporating free designs into their sales process. In years past this had become a common practice. Builders created advertisements with tag lines like “Get a FREE Design” to attract homeowners, hoping to sell them a pool and gave the designs away for free.

One thing that the pandemic has done is reignite an interest in swimming pools the likes of which has never been seen. The days of having to go that route and give away a valuable service like design are behind us. Builders no longer have to do that to entice homeowners. These days everyone and their mother-in-law wants a pool. It’s time to start saying no to free design.

A decade ago using 3D design presentations was considered a differentiator. Over the past 10 years that perception has changed. These days the majority of large pool companies incorporate some aspect of 3D design as part of their sales process. Homeowners have come to expect a 3D rendering and their tolerance for quality is quite high given the status of the technology available today.

Why Giving Away Design Is Bad For The Industry

One major and significant aspect of doing designs is often overlooked and that is the amount of time needed to create a sophisticated 3d design. Even when using cutting edge technology like Structure Studios, a design could take anywhere from hours to even days or weeks to complete depending on how elaborate the design plan is.

Accommodating every single prospect that could conceivably want a pool this season with a 3D design is impossible says Cameron Rhodes, co-owner of Southern Poolscapes. “We’ve gotten away from doing free designs a while ago. Honestly, with the amount of folks that want an inground pool right now, you really don’t need to be doing that anymore.”

Ryan Baird of Beyond Blue Pools in Houston said that he has done away with free designs altogther. “Honestly, I feel like if a homeowner truly values the work that is going into the design they should pay for it. There is a cost associated with doing these designs as well as how much time they take.” said Baird whose design / build firm has had their busiest season ever.

Design is a Painstaking Process

There is a growing consensus in the pool & spa industry to do away with free designs. Many experts feel that offering a design service for free commoditizes and devalues the creativity and labor that is involved with creating a custom backyard design for the customer.

The level of detail and intricacy programs like Vip 3D are capable of achieving has upped the bar for pool designers considerably. An incredible amount of personalization is involved with creating one of these designs. Just learning the software itself takes professional pool designers a long time to perfect.

Swimming pool designer Brandt Gibert of Windgate Custom Pools said his process is seldom a one off design. “Each version of one of my designs takes me a few hours to complete and customers sometimes want to see 2 or 3 different concepts before they come to a decision.”

“Even using a design template only gives you the basis for creating a foundation for a backyard design. It’s not like you can hand that to a customer and say here’s your design.” said Denis Nadeau of Your Backyard Haven in Ontario. When formulating the overall design concept of the pool, experts say it’s difficult or impossible to make a one design fits all type of solution.

“There is no cookie cutter or templatized approach towards designing custom luxury inground pools” said Jason DeBosky of Crystal Blue Aquatics, “People want something unique. A truly discerning homeowner is going to want to see their home, their environment, and the elements discussed during project planning in their design concept. I don’t know how you make that happen with a template.”

Lack of Accreditation

Being a designer in the pool industry has its own unique set of challenges. Most designers get their experience once they are actually in the industry. While there are a number of training programs such as Genesis and Watershape University, there are currently no prepatory or formalized college programs specifically focusing on pool design. Quite often, pool builders who are adept at construction struggle with learning the design aspect and mastering the software. In fact, many builders prefer to subcontract out the design process entirely and pay a staff to produce designs for their customers. Which makes one wonder, if companies are paying for the designs, why are they giving them away for free?

Education is one thing that differentiates pool designers from landscape architects or engineers. Each has accredited college degrees associated with those disciplines. Many pool builders say that not having a pool design focused degree they can hang their hat on has been what has held them back from charging for their services.

The vast majority of professional designers have spent weeks and months first learning and then perfecting this new design craft by watching a series of tutorials and engaging in the trial and error process of teaching themselves to be 3D designers without any formal instruction. This certainly begs the question “how does the pool industry determine who is qualified to be a pool designer?” It’s not an easy question to answer.

One question that is easy to answer is “why stop giving away free designs?” Many pool companies are reluctant to do away with free design because they consider it a value added service. This train of thought is flawed and I’ll explain why. Companies that don’t charge for design train customers to associate zero value with the service.

Truth be told, each design takes someone a substantial amount of time to create. When accounting for the hundreds of man-hours spent learning the software and adding on the recurring costs of purchasing high-end computer hardware and 3D rendering software it all adds up.

The toll on the design staff performing their 20th round of revisions to Mrs. Jones’ pool just to get her to sign the contract is mentally taxing, especially when you’re not being paid for them. The price tag associated with allowing that process to continue during this climate when pools are practically selling themselves is unfathomable. If you are still offering free designs, you should probably stop.

You can turn your backyard dreams into a reality by installing a luxurious inground pool. Luxury inground pools not only offer exceptional aesthetics but also increase the value of your property. Nonetheless, building a luxury inground pool is not a walk in the park. You have to employ a reputable pool construction company in your area. Alternatively, you can conduct a DIY project if you have the relevant background and experience in pool construction.

A detailed process of constructing a luxury inground pool 

Step one: Coming up with the pool design

When constructing a luxury inground pool, the first thing to do is to come up with a pool design that matches your requirements. More often than not, your pool design will depend on the size of your property and budget. Most dependable pool contractors present 3D pool designs to help you choose a good pool layout. All in all, your pool design should complement all your needs and budget. Currently, there are thousands of luxury pool designs to choose from. The design process usually takes about one to four weeks. It depends on the pool contractor you hire. 

Step two: Obtaining permits

Before you proceed with construction, you have to obtain the necessary permits. Usually, your state will require you to meet a certain criterion before you start constructing your pool. To get a construction permit, your local authorities have to conduct a thorough inspection of your property. It would be best to hire a reliable pool construction company to help you get these permits. In most instances, they are in a better position to communicate with the state authorities. Getting a pool construction permit can take about one to six weeks. The time varies depending on your state. Some states can issue a permit in less than two weeks.

Step three: Pool excavation 

Once you get the construction permits, it’s now time to start the work. First, you have to find a good pool space on your property. Most homeowners use their backyard space. Then begin by digging up the pool area based on the pool layout. During pool excavation, get rid of any debris and dirt lying around in the area. It takes a shorter time to excavate a simple pool design. But generally, excavation should be complete within two to seven days. Some pool contractors may use trucks to excavate the pool faster. 

Step four: Pool plumbing, Electrical 

After excavating the pool, install all equipment and cables involved in pool plumbing. The size of the pool plumbing system will depend on the equipment and water features you want to install in your pool. The pool plumbing process often takes about one to two weeks, depending on the extent of the pool plumbing and your pool contractor.

Step five: Installing the luxury inground pool

After completing the pool plumbing, install your pool. At this point, the installation process will depend on your type of pool. At present, there are three major types of pools; fiberglass, vinyl, and concrete. Concrete pools incorporate the longest installation time. These pools take approximately 28 days to cure, so they will likely be complete in one to two months. Fiberglass pools, on the other hand, have the shortest installation time. It takes about seven days to install a fiberglass pool. So, on average, it takes one to three weeks to install a luxury inground pool.

Step six: Landscaping, custom features 

When it comes to constructing a luxury inground pool, you’ll spend more time installing water features and decks. But generally, it takes one to four weeks to install custom features to your pool. Always install the most suitable water features that match your landscape. Also, use high-quality decking material to minimize maintenance costs.

How long does it take to build a luxury inground pool? 

One of the most frequently asked questions by homeowners is how long it takes to build a luxury inground pool. On average, it takes eight to twelve weeks to build the pool. Of course, this time varies depending on a wide range of factors. Although it might take a long time to build your dream pool, consider the benefits you’ll get out of these stunning features. Hire a top-notch pool construction company that is capable of bringing all your pool dreams to life.

Conclusion

Luxury inground pools are fantastic sources of relaxation and enjoyment. However, they are expensive, and they incorporate a long construction period. Therefore, make sure you employ experienced and professional pool contractors who can construct your luxury dream pool. Remember, one mistake during construction can cost you thousands of dollars. If you are conducting a DIY project, ensure you follow all the right steps of building a luxury inground pool.

Complaints have begun to surface from a growing number of customers of Lutz, FL based Olympus Pools. Customers have begun to complain to Better Call Behnken of NBC in Tampa that they are fed up with unfinished pools and little communication from the company. Customers complained to local news station WFLA NBC Channel 8 that they’ve signed contracts over a year ago, have spent tens of thousands of dollars and see little recourse in sight as they continue to wait for their pools to be finished.

Olympus Pool Complaints

“I spoke with the owner’s wife, Alexis, probably about two or three weeks ago and she went over some of the issues they were having and I felt like I believed her and trusted it was getting back on track, but the proof is somebody shows up and actually does my pool,” said Holly Taylor-Hanke, of Wesley Chapel.

Taylor-Hanke signed a contract in March 2020, but she still has a shell of a pool and claims no one from the company has set foot on her property in over a month. She claims that commitments are made and appointments are set, but that staff do not turn up.

Homeowners take to Social Media to complain

Taylor-Hanke’s story seems to not be unique. Homeowners in Pasco, Hillsborough, and Manatee counties have turned to consumer advocates like Shannon Behnken for help. A large number of customers have also taken to social media to voice their concerns.

Man Lam of Wesley Chapel decided to build a pool for his 5-year-old-son in September of 2020. Lam said he paid $54,000 in cash in order to receive a discount from Olympus Pools. Now almost eight months later his pool remains unfinished – and he expressed growing concerns about the foundation of his home.

“The soil degradation is because of rain forcing the soil into the pool, and they’ve addressed it by bringing in workers here and just putting soil back into the foundation,” Lam said.

Lam says workers left his job sitting for six weeks and only came back this week to do emergency repairs and to add more soil underneath his home.

“There has to be a long-term solution, because the rain is coming and it’s going to form again, with a hole underneath my house,” said Lam.

Pool Magazine reached out to the company yesterday for a comment but had not received a response by the time this article was published. Better Call Behnken likewise did not receive a response from Olympus Pool owners James and Alexis Staten when they attempted to reach them.

Big Problems After a Huge Year of Growth

Prior to recent events, Olympus Pools had held an “A” rating with the Better Business Bureau. Their accreditation has since been revoked. The companies rating has now dropped to a “C+” the cause of which has been Olympus Pools failure to resolve underlying cause(s) of a pattern of complaints.

A check of recent permits applied for by Olympus Pools shows that the pandemic brought a huge influx of new business to the company. In 2019 the company had pulled 351 permits in Pasco and Hillsborough counties, that number jumped up to 597 permits in 2020. Aside from a terrific sales year, records show that Olympus Pools received a $264,800 PPP loan in April 2020.

John Vanburen in Tampa said that he first hired Olympus Pools nine months ago. Vanburen says workers have left his backyard an eyesore and haven’t returned in weeks. He also complained of work that has been performed repeatedly failing inspection again and again.

Complaints from Subcontractors have emerged

Complaints have also begun to surface from subcontractors who claim they have not been paid. Aaron Allen of Paver Solutions, a local contractor whose been in business for over 20 years took to Yelp to voice his frustration. We spoke with Allen and he says he refuses to remove the review even if he’s paid the $20,000 he says Olympus Pools still owes his company.

Olympus Pools has posted a message on their website that the waitlist to start pool construction is now 5 months. This however does not appear to answer questions existing customers have. Some complain they’ve been waiting for over a year for their pool to be completed but the company continues to take on new business while their projects remain unfinished.

Featured Photo Credit: WFLA News