Questions to ask a pool builder before you sign

Ohio does not license pool builders at the state level. The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board licenses electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics and refrigeration contractors, and the Ohio Attorney General's home improvement tips say plainly that state law does not require home improvement contractors to be licensed, though many cities do. So you cannot look up a state pool license number and call it done.

That puts the burden on you to ask good questions, and on the builder to answer them in writing. The list below is the one we would want our own family to use, including on us.

• What is your legal business name and address, and can I see your certificate of general liability insurance?
• Do you carry workers' compensation for your crew?
• Which parts of the job do your own people do, and which do subcontractors do? Who does the electrical work?
• Who is my point of contact from design to startup?

Ohio's Home Construction Service Suppliers Act requires a contract for home construction work of $25,000 or more to include a copy of the supplier's general liability insurance certificate for at least $250,000. Any inground pool will be over that line. If a builder hesitates to hand over the certificate, stop there.

Subcontractors are normal, especially for electrical and fencing. You just want to know who they are. Check that the business is registered with the Ohio Secretary of State, and ask the Attorney General's office and the local Better Business Bureau whether complaints are on file, as the AG recommends.

• Will you apply for the building, zoning and electrical permits, or is that on me?
• Which office issues permits for my address?
• What barrier does my town require, and is the fence in your price?
• Do I need HOA approval, and will you prepare the drawings for it?

Permit offices in Northeast Ohio are a patchwork. Some cities run their own building departments, and many townships and villages use the county. Zoning is often separate again. A builder who works here regularly should know without looking it up which office covers your street.

The barrier question catches a lot of people. The national model, Section 305 of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, calls for a barrier at least 48 inches high, openings that will not pass a 4 inch sphere, and self-closing, self-latching gates. Towns write their own versions, and some add screening or setback rules. Ask the builder to draw the barrier on the permit plans so the fence and the inspection line up. We handle permits on every pool and include the barrier in the plans. The fence itself is usually priced separately, because it depends on your yard and your town.

• Have you looked at my site in person, and what did you see about access, grade and drainage?
• What happens if the dig hits groundwater or rock?
• What goes under and around the shell as backfill?
• Where does the dirt go, and is hauling it off in the price?

Much of Northeast Ohio sits on glacial till with slow-draining silt loams and clays. Many of these soils hold a perched water table close to the surface for much of the fall, winter and spring. A good builder will talk about dewatering during the dig and pressure relief under the pool without being prompted. A vague answer here is a warning, because water under a pool is the most expensive problem to fix later.

Ask how extra site work is priced. Pumping water, hauling spoils and dealing with rock are common extras. They should be described in the contract, with a clear method for approving the cost before the work is done.

• Which pump, filter and lights, by brand and model?
• How wide is the deck, and what finish?
• Is the electrical run from my panel to the equipment included, or only the hook-up at the equipment?
• Are startup, chemicals and a walkthrough included?
• What would a heater, a cover or an automation system add?

Brand and model matter because pumps and filters differ a lot in energy use and life. Our packages list the equipment: a Pentair variable-speed pump, a Pentair DE filter and Pentair MicroBrite color-changing LED lights, plus a 4 ft concrete wrap deck, a cleaning kit, starter chemicals, full installation and the electrical hook-up at the equipment. They start at $68,400 installed. Other builders include different things, which is why we wrote a separate guide on comparing pool quotes fairly.

• How much is the deposit, and what does it pay for?
• What milestone triggers each later payment?
• Is the final payment due after startup and final inspection?

The Ohio Attorney General advises that a contract should not require a large down payment or payment in full before the project is complete and inspected. A deposit that secures your build date and orders the shell is reasonable. After that, payments should follow visible progress: dig and set, plumbing and backfill, deck, startup.

If you are financing, give this schedule to your lender early so the money is available when each payment comes due.

• What start date can you commit to in writing, and what is the realistic completion date?
• How do rain, frozen ground and the permit office affect the schedule?
• What happens to my yard if the job pauses partway through?

Ohio's contract law for jobs over $25,000 requires the anticipated start and completion dates to be written into the contract. That does not mean weather stops mattering. A wet April in Portage or Summit County can keep an excavator off a clay lawn for a week, and concrete work stops when overnight lows drop near freezing. A builder who explains how they plan around that is more believable than one who promises a date without any caveats.

• Will you give me lien waivers from your suppliers and subcontractors as they are paid?
• Should I record a notice of commencement?

Under Ohio's mechanics' lien law, Chapter 1311 of the Revised Code, subcontractors and material suppliers can file a lien on your property if they are not paid, even when you have paid the builder. On a residential project a lien claimant generally has 60 days from their last work or delivery to file. Asking for waivers as payments go out protects you from paying twice. The notice of commencement is a document the owner records with the county recorder before work starts, which sets up how later lien notices must be served. Your lender or an attorney can tell you whether it is worth doing on your project.

• How do change orders work, and do I approve them in writing before the work?
• What is fixed price and what could still move?

Ohio law helps here. Under the Home Construction Service Suppliers Act, if unforeseen but necessary extra costs pass $5,000 over the life of the contract, the builder must give you an estimate of those costs before doing the related work, in the form you chose in the contract. Ask the builder to walk you through how that works in their paperwork.

• What does the shell manufacturer warrant, and can I have it in writing?
• What do the equipment makers warrant, and who registers the equipment?
• What does the builder cover on workmanship, and for how long?

The AG's office recommends asking for manufacturers' warranties in writing. For a pool that means the shell or liner, the pump, filter, heater and lights. Warranties often require proper installation and registration, so ask who handles that paperwork.

• What drain covers and suction setup will the pool have?
• Will you show me how to run and care for the pool at startup?
• Do you open, close or service pools after the build?

Main drain suction can trap a swimmer. Federal law under the Virginia Graeme Baker Act sets the drain cover standard for public pools, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission publishes guidance on it. Ask your builder which certified covers they use and how the suction system is laid out.

We do pool openings, weekly cleaning, repairs and closings, so our answer to the last question is yes. Many homeowners like having the builder look after the pool in the first season while they learn it.

Specific and in writing. You should come away with an insurance certificate, a site-specific quote, an equipment list with brands, a payment schedule tied to milestones, a note on how site surprises are priced and a drawing of the pool and barrier on your lot. We design every pool in 3D on the actual yard before anything is dug. Nick S., one of our customers, put it this way: save yourself time, headaches and salesmen in your home. Good answers up front are how that happens.