[RecentlyRetired]

My pool contractor wants to charge me $1,300 to reconstruct the 10 foot section of the block wall that they had to tear down to gain access to my yard so that they could dig the hole and install my new pool. This price includes materials and the re-hanging of my 3' gate so that it will be self-closing as required to meet Code. $1,300 seems high to me. Does anyone know a company or someone that might offer a better estimate for the job? Avante Homes gave me the name and phone number of the company that originally installed the wall six months ago, but they no longer do this type of work.

[BobKovacs]

$1300 isn't a bad deal, especially if it includes making your gate code-compliant. I worked for Sylvan Pools in Las Vegas in the mid 90's (and Avante Homes as well- I built Aventura for them in Summerlin), and it wasn't unusual for close-ups to be $1000-$1500 even back then. You've got to remember that the mason has to do a site visit to take measurements, match your block, go pick up materials, and then make at least two trips to build the wall and get the gate hung. The gate work itself is typically around $300, so the mason is only getting $1,000 for all of his labor and materials. Of course, the pool company is keeping a few hundred of that for themselves, but they're also giving the mason alot of work, so he's working slightly cheaper for them than he would for you. You'll likely end up paying $1300 or more if you have the work done yourself (assuming you hire a licensed, insured contractor, which I hope you do....).

Bob

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

$1300 isn't a bad deal, especially if it includes making your gate code-compliant. I worked for Sylvan Pools in Las Vegas in the mid 90's (and Avante Homes as well- I built Aventura for them in Summerlin), and it wasn't unusual for close-ups to be $1000-$1500 even back then. You've got to remember that the mason has to do a site visit to take measurements, match your block, go pick up materials, and then make at least two trips to build the wall and get the gate hung. The gate work itself is typically around $300, so the mason is only getting $1,000 for all of his labor and materials. Of course, the pool company is keeping a few hundred of that for themselves, but they're also giving the mason alot of work, so he's working slightly cheaper for them than he would for you. You'll likely end up paying $1300 or more if you have the work done yourself (assuming you hire a licensed, insured contractor, which I hope you do....).

Bob

Isn't the rebuild normally bundled in the bid? I have had two pool contracts over the years both of which included restoring walls.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Isn't the rebuild normally bundled in the bid? I have had two pool contracts over the years both of which included restoring walls.

Depends. Some companies breakout the pricing so you can see what it's costing- in case you want to do it yourself. Alot of it comes down to the salesman being able to feel out the client- if it's high-end client who's plunking down $40-$50-$60k for a pool, they likely wouldn't want to be bothered with doing any of the work themselves, so the salesman just puts in everything necessary and gives them a price. With some of the starter pools, the client's budget is already tight, so the salesman will give them the base price w/o the gate/fence work, with minimal decking, etc., to get the "first price they see" as low as possible.

I can't say for sure, but based on the fact that the OP is buying an Avante home, I'm thinking it's probably a starter home and a low-end pool. I say that because other than the Aventura subdivision I did for them, which one of the partners suckered the others into building so he could build his house there (long, interesting story there.....), Avante was generally a low-cost homebuilder. Of course, that may have changed since I left in 1999, but seeing how the OP is looking to save a buck on $1300 of work, I'm thinking I'm on the right track.

Bob

[RecentlyRetired]

There is nothing low end about any of this. I paid $400,000 for the house and am paying $45,000 for the 40' x 8.6' San Juan Fiberglass Marathon pool with spa.

The first question I asked the Pool Salesman was "I know you will have to take down part of the wall to gain access to my yard. Do you put the wall back up?" The answer: "Yes unlike some pool companies who tear down the wall and then make you put it back up, our company puts the wall back up and rehangs your gate so that it is code compliant. We do this because we want to make sure the pool passes all inspections and we can be guaranteed to get all our money." I then asked "Will this be an additional cost?" The answer: "No, our total quote will include everything."

Unfortunately, I later found out that the quote they gave me over the phone which lead me to want to go ahead and hire them to build my pool, was not the total quote.

It was only after I paid my $1,000 deposit and was about to sign the contract, that I discovered that although they were going to re-construct the wall, I would have to pay extra for this. I asked what it would cost and was told between $500 - $700. Now when I found out that the total cost was more like $1,300, I asked why the jump in price. The answer: "The $700 we originally quoted was for putting the wall back. The gate is extra."

[BobKovacs]

Well, as much as it sucks that you've got a slippery salesman (there's tons of them in the pool business, so don't think that you found the only one...lol), I'm still thinking it's easier and just as cheap to just let them do the close-up. Especially for small jobs like this, Vegas is full of half-azzed contractors who won't show up, won't return calls, will take your money and do 1/2 the job, etc. If you'd like to get a chance to enjoy that pool before winter comes, I'd suggest just biting the bullet, and making sure that San Jaun knows how displeased you are with their salesman.

Bob

[RecentlyRetired]

Thanks, Bob. I think you are right. I'm going to let them finsh the entire job and pay whatever I must to get it completed. When they are done, I'm going to tell them how great they are and that they should place me on the top of their Client Reference List.

I am pleased with their work, but I just want to tell potential clients to be sure to get everything (and I mean everything) in writing before signing any contract.

I agree that I should let them do everthing. That way if something should go wrong and I need to have it fixed, they won't be able to come back to me later and say "We're not responsible bcause we didn't do the work on that."

I did check their references prior to hiring them, and was told that they were a great company and did fine work. Some also told me to be sure to get everything in wirting before signing...so I have no one to blame but myself.

Thanks again for the advice.