Pool Estimates: What's the magic number?

For some mysterious reason when it comes to home improvement there seems to be an unspoken 11th commandment. "Thou shall not engage in home improvement without a minimum of three estimates." (I can almost see Moses taking notes and looking confused) I don't know where that came from OR what benefit it serves, at least anymore. Most people with a little internet research KNOW what they want and who they want to work with. Besides meeting with three or four "pool guys" is frankly time-consuming and not that fun.

I met with a young lady and her husband last night in Columbus, Ohio to discuss her new fiberglass inground pool. I asked all them about how they were going to use the pool and about their vision of the new space. She was, as most of our clients are, VERY informed and educated on what types of pools are available and the pros and cons of each. She went on to tell me that she had a vinyl pool growing up and wanted to pursue fiberglass because she understood the advantages and benefits.

It didn't take long before I knew this family wanted us to build their pool. I knew because they told me. They had been through the website, watched all our videos, read our blogs, played 20 questions with me for an hour and wanted a Luxury fiberglass pool. At the end of the meeting I asked them for their business and their response was a complete surprise to me and even seemed to surprise them. "Matthew" she said, "we really feel like we need to get a few more estimates." As she said this to me, I could see the confusion even in her own eyes. "What for?" I asked. "Is there another fiberglass pool you are considering?" "Definitely not" she said. "We love what Leisure manufactures and are set on it. I just feel like I have to talk to some other companies." I could tell this was almost embarrassing to her.

Ultimately this customer admitted to me that she had scheduled two more meetings with vinyl builders even though she had grown up with a vinyl pool and ruled out a tarp pool as an option. She said she simply felt that she HAD to have three estimates even if they were products she had already decided against. We have been trained as a culture that in order to make an educated decision we must follow this 11th commandment of getting three estimates. After hearing herself say this out loud I think she realized how silly this was and did go ahead and place an order for her new Leisure Pool.

The lesson here is this: Do your homework, educate yourself, listen to your instincts when speaking with pool builders, and then TRUST YOURSELF. Reputable companies will have references for you to check and with the information available to you online, you don't need three or four estimates, you just need one good one.

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