Ultimately, the installation team decided to use the barge to be safe and to ensure the pools were not damaged by anything in the reservoir.
“The photos show there were five pools—all being installed in the same neighbourhood over a two-week period. All of them were for one home builder we work with and install all their pools,” says Hendrick. “The barge delivery brings the pools directly into the backyard, so there is no need to worry about craning it over a house, damaging the front yard, or having to close off a road for four to five hours to use a big crane.”
A lot of scheduling and co-ordination was required for this procedure; it was important to ensure everyone was on the same page. As a result, it paid off.
For this location specifically, Hendrick worked with Deaton’s Waterfront services, as they run all the docks on the reservoir. The company used a much smaller crane at the boat ramp and moved the pools from the truck to the trailer. The pools were then picked up off the barge using an excavator and placed directly in each respective backyard.
Since all the houses are on the reservoir, high-water tables made it necessary to plumb and fill the pools with water to ensure they remain in-place securely.
Fibreglass pools and their delivery
Pool builders find fibreglass pools make it easy to schedule multiple jobs at once; this is particularly beneficial for builders that have smaller crews considering today’s labour shortages. Hendrick has been building both vinyl liner and fibreglass pools for the past 35 years, but he is finding his clients and his crew have a preference toward fibreglass pools.
“These pools have all the high-end, resort-style features that consumers want built into their designs,” says Hendrick. “Fibreglass is actually a better solution when it comes to shallow areas, especially for tanning ledges and beach entry pools, as you do not need to worry about what furniture is brought into the area, or how long the nails are on the dogs running into the shallow end, which can be easily torn in vinyl liner pools.”
