Using accessories to get the client excited
Glen Bullard of Forth Worth Custom Pools in Fort Worth, Texas, says they get their foot in the door starting with renovating the pool’s tile, coping and equipment.
“Then we show the client some of the products and accessories they can add to their pool to update its look and functionality—this is what gets them really excited,” he says.
Clark agrees, “Once we get into the backyard, we then find ourselves adding various other profitable accessories as part of the project.”
Slides and diving boards
Whether they are standalone products or custom designs, slides and diving boards offer builders great profit potential. Many homeowners had pools built before they had children or when they had older children. Now that they are grandparents, with young children coming over to enjoy the pool, this has changed. As a result, this can be a key factor in up-selling slides and diving boards.
“Slides are key to our renovation projects,” says Bullard. “Not only are custom slides a great profit centre for us, they also help distinguish us from our competitors. We sell a lot of these accessories by taking our customers to completed job sites, which incorporate these accessories.”
For builders interested in a faster profit centre, standalone slides or diving boards, which do not require additional rock and concrete work, are also popular among pool renovators.
“Slides are a big part of our remodels; we’ve had great success with them as they make the pool more fun and appealing to children,” says Clark. “They take less than five hours to install and at a sale price of approximately $3,500, pool renovators may see a profit of $1,400 and upwards.
In terms of diving boards, Fort Worth Custom Pools has seen a lot of profit in renovations related to these accessories that have deteriorated and/or rusted over time.
“It’s easy to remove an old, corroded diving board and install a new one without having to rip up the deck,” says Bullard. “In less than two man hours you can make a profit by simply replacing the diving board.”
Water features and fire pits
Additional backyard accessories builders are finding success with are water features and fire pits. In fact, companies like Sterling Pools and All Seasons Pools (Orland Park, Ill.), say water features are one of the top accessories they sell on renovation projects.
More specifically, deck sprays have been extremely profitable and popular for Sterling Pools in the Peterborough region, while structural water features, which can run $10,000 to $15,000 per job, have been the number one accessory for All Seasons Pools.
“In the grand scale of a renovation project, water/fire bowls are great profit centres,” says Bullard. “These accessories can be easily added to any project to give the pool a quick facelift. When I show clients they can spend $20,000 to $30,000 and get a pool that looks brand new, they get really excited.”
Rowland has also seen success with poolside water features such as two-tiered water bowls, saying his customers are pleasantly surprised by their look and appeal and are not too concerned with their cost (under $1,000) in the scope of a $20,000 to $30,000 renovation project.
“They take less than an hour to install and provide an approximate $300 profit per unit,” he says.
Bama Pools, on the other hand, has seen success with artificial rock waterfalls, installing them for clients who are looking to enhance their backyard retreat.
“These types of waterfall features are an easy-to-install accessory that can be used to update any pool,” says Rowland. “In less than two hours, I can install one of these products to enhance the look of the pool and make a nice profit.”
