First let me start by saying that I am writing this, not to lash out, punish, or hurt someone’s business (although, I admit, some of those feelings are very strong in me at the moment), but to warn anyone with a website and to apologize for the inevitable duplication that many of you are going to see on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc…

Three days ago our website was deleted by our IT Company. I won’t go into the details of how or why this happened but I will say it was a stressful 3 days! You never know how much you rely on something until you no longer have it. We felt as if we were half of a company and that a new customer that was just starting their search for a swimming pool company in Jacksonville Florida would have very little chance of contacting us without a website. We have been spending countless hours the last 5 months updated our website and following (to the best of our ability) the proper SEO techniques to get a high organic search result on Google. Now, even though our “IT” guys were “backing up” our system, we are being told that “The image level backups we have are for bare metal restores. Pulling just files from them is not an option.”, so we are going to have to redo the work we have already completed…again.

So the moral of the story is, know who is handling your website, be sure they are truly backing it up the proper way (ask them “if my website is deleted can you restore it?”), and never underestimate how important things like your website and emails are.

All of this was accomplished in a shorter amount of time and at a fraction of the price of a new pool!

1. Ask how long the pool builder has been in business under their present name. Some companies will change their name if they have been in trouble in the past and the BBB report won’t show that.
2. If they have a showroom, visit so you can see the product in person, and perhaps even in use (with an indoor swimming pool).
3. Meet the owner and/or manager, to get a feel for the way they treat there employee’s. The way the owner and managers treat employees is a reflection of the way they will conduct their business with you.
4. Verify the name and coverage of their Insurance Company. When choosing a pool builder, make sure they are insured and licensed with your State.
5. Check the pool contractor’s references and client testimonials. Ask friends and neighbors in your community if they have ever heard of that pool builders reputation. And how the problems they may have had were handled and how their customer service was.
6. Check your local better business bureau website. Furthermore, check out the pool builder’s website. Google the pool builders name, this will reveal both good and bad recommendations from all sorts of source – blogs, personal websites, rip off reports, forums, message boards etc.
7. Get swimming pool quotes in writing from at least 3 pool companies. Make sure they actually come to your home to give you the quote. Ensure that the estimates are for the same design and materials so you compare apples to apples.
8. Don’t let a swimming pool company pressure you into making a hasty decision. Sometimes a pressure sale is the realization of the salesperson that if you think about it long enough, you will make the right decision for you, and that’s not them. Take your time and weigh your options, don’t fall for a free heater, or cleaner. These are tricks to get you off the market and into a contract before you realize you should have gone with another swimming pool contractor.
9. Check with the subcontractors and equipment suppliers to see how the swimming pool company pays their bills. The first sign a swimming pool builder is having financial trouble is that they get behind on their bills.
10. Have the swimming pool contractor take you to several of the pools they have recently built. Take your time and see how good or bad the pool is constructed. Look at the equipment setup, even if the equipment is around the corner or behind a wall, a quality contractor will take his time to make every aspect of his work look nice, even if it doesn’t get seen often or ever.

Follow these 10 steps and you will be well on your way to having a quality swimming pool that you and your family will enjoy for years!

Vanishing Swimming Pool

The swimming pool built for the Lott family in Fernandina Beach to compliment his award-winning Sealoft house. Mr. Lott is an renown architect and we were selected to build his backyard dream. This pool has been featured in Water’s Edge and Luxury Homes magazines. It has also garnered many awards including the national Association of Pools and Spas “Award of Excellence.” Among the features of the pool: Travertine deck, vanishing edge, and a lexan face to the spa. It’s no wonder why this pool and spa get so much attention.

Jacksonville Country Day Pool

There were many obstacles to overcome with this project for Jacksonville Country Day School, including removing (2) pools and a building. After we re-compacted the soil we started on building the new aquatic center in Jacksonville Florida. We built a “kiddie pool” with a maximum depth of 32″ for teaching the smaller children. We then built a very unique short course racing pool (77′-0″ X 75′-1″). With a need for a shallow area to use in the diverse programs this school offers, and maintaining the regulations to meet the codes for a racing pool, we came up with a scenario that fit perfectly with the needs of the school. And we would like to add a special thanks to the amazing staff at Jacksonville Country Day School, for all their help and great attitude during the process of an aquatic center that is going to be enjoyed by so many children for so many years!