If COVID-19 taught us anything, it’s that you can’t plan for everything – especially a global pandemic! However, there are some things we can and should plan for in advance. One of those is building a swimming pool. Ironically, in light of COVID-19, it seemed just about everyone wanted to find a swimming pool in the summer of 2020. Many public pools were closed and summer vacations were canceled or postponed. This made it a hot, long summer if you didn’t have a swimming pool or someone you knew who could spare you an invite to their pool.
If you recently realized you want to build your own swimming pool, there are several reasons why you should think ahead and start planning now – even if you are years away from your first “season opener.” Here’s what you should consider.
Establish a budget and save toward it.
In doing your initial research about what type of pool you want and its typical costs, you might have a reality check that your budget needs to grow a bit. By planning ahead you can keep this goal number in mind and get strategic about saving toward it. Set up a savings fund and commit to putting so much in it per month. You’ll have the satisfaction of knowing down the road that your efforts to save now is what helped you build your dream pool.
Start getting inspired.
Next, look to Pinterest or Houzz to get inspired by other pool projects out there. You don’t know what you don’t know! And there might be that one project that completely changes the vision you had for your pool. Based on your inspiration, this will also direct you to the best pool company to help you bring your vision to life.
Develop a design and give yourself time to think it over.
Given the backlog of pool projects as of late, it might be some time before your desired pool company can fit you into their design schedule. Until then, you can begin to create your own preliminary design based upon your inspiration. Do you want geometric or a freeform design? What type of features do you desire? Going into your first design meeting with these questions answered will greatly help speed up your design process, and give you more time to think over how you wish to refine it.
Get your pool project in the queue!
With a design in place and a pool company selected, you’re ready to get your project in the pipeline for building. This is so important because most pool companies only have so much space per season for new projects. The sooner you’re under contract, the sooner you can save your spot in the queue, even if it’s years into the future. It’s easy to push back a project if you find you’re not ready when you spot comes up, but it’s much harder to push things forward. You won’t regret it!
Consider a fall dig.
And finally, by planning ahead you may be able to benefit from extending the project timeline for your pool by opting for a fall dig. First, your pool company may have more openings in the fall to start digging as opposed to spring. And this all but ensures your pool will be among the first to be open for the following swim season. Furthermore, by extending your project timeline, billing will be spaced out so if cash flow is a concern for your project, this gives you more wiggle room.
If you’re even curious about someday owning your own swimming pool. Now is always the best time to start taking those first steps forward. Start by talking with friends and family who own a pool to see what their experience has been like and what they’d do differently. Then do your own research and build an inspiration board. When you’re finally ready and able to talk to a pool company about your project you will be well ahead of starting from scratch!
Interested in building with Aquavisions? The best place to start is with our customer assessment. Click here to take it today.