Carefree Pools along with industry partners ‘pay it forward’

by jason_cramp | November 20, 2015 12:30 pm

By Jason Cramp

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In the spring of 2015, a Kingston, Ont., family decided to have an inground pool installed—an upgrade from the smaller above-ground they had in their backyard at the time. Just like thousands of other homeowners considering a new pool, the family’s timing was perfect—from a planning and construction perspective.

However, what was to happen over the course of the next 130 days with respect to their pool installation would leave many in the industry shaking their heads. In early March, the family did their due diligence by researching different builders and obtaining quotes. By late April, a builder was selected, the permit process was started, a pool was chosen, and a contract was signed.

Between the months of May and July, however, a number of issues arose with respect to the builder’s work ethics and ability to perform the necessary tasks to complete the project. Despite having to pay more than what they budgeted, and what was outlined in the contract, the homeowner was left with their newly purchased fibreglass pool resting beside a partially excavated hole in their backyard. Unfortunately, the homeowner did not select a builder that is a member of the Independent Pool Group (IPG) or Pool & Hot Tub Council of Canada (PHTCC), who adhere to a strict code of ethics and best practices.

Help arrives just in time

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“Like many inquiries, the first step is a call from a potential client, which starts with ‘we are considering and inground pool and want to know what the next steps are (e.g. site visit, design options, etc.),” says Carefree Pools owner/manager Peter Kelly, who was called by the pool supplier to see if his company could help the homeowner during their time of need. “This call was more like, ‘I have a pool and need to have it installed,’” says Kelly. “This is not something we’d typically do, but I told the homeowner I would visit the site and discuss the options. We’re always up for a challenge, so there was nothing lost to investigate the current state of the project site.”

Once Kelly arrived on-site in late July, the talks proceeded to how the homeowner has a pool in their backyard, along with an excavation, but not much else.

According to the homeowner, the original contractor was not worried about hitting rock during the excavation and told them if they did, they could handle it. After several delays with regards to performing property locates and the availability of the pool model they selected, not to mention a crane to lift it over the house, the excavation commenced approximately one week after paying the initial deposit.

As luck would have it, two days after starting the excavation, the contractor hit rock and asked the homeowner to arrange for a jack hammer. Several days later, the homeowner was told the
jack hammer was not working and, finally, after two weeks of impasse, the homeowner hired a subcontractor to handle the removal of excavated rock from their property.

Now, with the contractor deeming the excavation and the base for the pool complete, the next step was craning the pool into the hole. Despite the pool arriving on time, it had to sit on a trailer on the street in front of their house because the contractor did not have the appropriate crane to perform the job. Once again, the onus was left on the homeowner to hire a crane and operator. In doing so, they managed to crane the pool over the house, however, the crane length did not reach the hole, and thus it was set down on the ground beside the excavation.

According to the homeowner, it was a good thing they were unable to set the pool in place because they were told by the pool supplier the initial excavation was not large enough for it to be properly installed and, therefore, the warranty may be affected if their recommendations were not followed.

With the original contractor now out of the picture, and after Kelly reviewed the situation, he concurred with the supplier saying the excavation was not performed to the specifications required for the pool the homeowner purchased. Therefore, the first step taken by Carefree Pools was to check the excavation met the proper setbacks as per the permit issued by the city. As a result, it was determined the excavation had to be corrected, whereby removing additional rock for the pool profile.

After removing the rock, Carefree Pools set the stone base for the pool profile using batter boards (one of a number of boards set horizontally to support strings for outlining the pool’s foundation), while at the same time installing the drainage pipe for groundwater control.

Setting the pool in place

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With the excavation corrected and properly prepared to accept the pool, the vessel could finally be placed in the ground. To do so, Carefree used an excavator to lift the pool and set it in place according to the permit specifications with respect to set backs and easement.

Once the vessel was in place, it was levelled using jacks to fine-tune the pool lip to ensure it was straight and true. After this was completed, the pool was filled with water, and the backfill process was started. While the pool was being filled, the plumbing was connected to the skimmer and return fittings, which were previously installed into the pool shell. Once the plumbing was completed, stone backfill could be placed around the pool structure as the water level rose to ensure balanced pressure on the interior and exterior of the pool.

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Once the water and backfill were level with the plumbing, the lines were encased in spray foam insulation. This was done to protect the lines from the stone backfill, as well as to provide a higher R-value with respect to heat retention. Once this was completed, the area was backfilled to the finished grade and the pool was prepared for the concrete collar (the base for the bullnose coping stone), which adds structure to the pool perimeter.

“Due to the backyard’s elevation (slope) we had to construct a 7.3-m (24-ft) retaining wall to maintain drainage for easement and to retain the backfill from the existing shed,” added Kelly.

This retaining wall also allowed the pool’s solar blanket to be concealed within the completed retaining wall, enabling the homeowner to keep it out of sight when it is not being used.

After the wall was constructed, the concrete was poured for the collar and the coping stone was installed around the pool perimeter using thin-set mortar.

Prepping the deck

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Once the pool’s coping was completed, the base was prepped for the concrete deck. While this was being completed, the filter system was installed in the shed, the lights were hooked up, a salt chlorine generator was connected and the circulation system was started.

With the concrete deck poured and control joints cut to prevent cracking, the final stages of the project were within sight. This meant completing the fence to comply with municipal codes and install the interlocking concrete paver (ICP) patio. To make the backyard child safe, ornamental iron fencing was installed to separate the pool area from the rest of the property, while keeping an accessible play area for the homeowner’s children.

Finally, a 3- x 7-m (10- x 23-ft) elevated deck was installed off of the back of the house to provide an additional entertainment and dining area that overlooks the pool environment. This controlled area ensures access to the pool cannot be gained by the kids, unless supervised.

The Final Word

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“I’ve been in the pool industry for more than 40 years and have seen dealers come and go, poor workmanship, and installations gone awry, but what happened to this family was wrong on all accounts,” says Kelly. “It struck a nerve and I felt, for the betterment of the pool industry, we, together with the Independent Pool Group (IPG), could right the wrongs experienced by this family—pay it forward, so to speak.

“We are in the pool business as a profession providing technical expertise in the design, build, and service of the backyard oasis.”

After the homeowner’s taxing experience of broken promises, appointment no shows, early morning and late night texts and e-mails, the final result of this project was above and beyond what the family expected. Although the end never seemed near, thanks to everyone who lent a helping hand on the project, the family was not only able to swim in their new pool by August, but was also able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing it was installed properly and would provide them years of enjoyment and relaxation.

Editor’s note: This project was completed with the generous participation of the following companies who donated either their time or products: A & J Urethane Insulation,
All Season Fencing, Brampton Brick, Cleardeck Systems Ltd., Fresh Crete, Hayward Pool Products Canada, Hinspergers Poly Industries (HPI), Home Hardware (Brockville, Ont.), Independent Pool Group (IPG), Northeastern Swimming Pool Distributors, Nuvo Iron Fencing, Sani Marc Inc., San Juan Pools & Spas Canada Inc., and the construction and service staff of Carefree Pools Ltd. Their contributions are gratefully acknowledged; without their assistance, this pool could not have been installed.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/carefree-pools-along-with-industry-partners-pay-it-forward/

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