Choosing a Pool Contractor: 12 Questions to Ask Before You Sign

The cheapest quote is rarely what goes wrong with a pool job. What goes wrong is everything the quote left out. Before you sign with any pool contractor, ask these 12 questions. A good contractor answers them easily and puts the answers in writing. A risky one gets vague.

We’ve written this from the other side of the table. Our team quotes on renovations, repairs and new pools every week, and these are the questions we’d want our own family to ask. Ask us them too.

Questions to Ask a Pool Contractor About the Business

1. Are you a registered business, and who am I contracting with?

You want a company name, a registration number, a physical address and, if they charge VAT, a VAT number on the quote. If something goes wrong in two years, you need someone you can actually find. A cellphone number and a first name isn’t enough.

2. Can I see recent jobs like mine?

Not just a gallery of nice pools. Ask for photos of jobs similar to yours, taken during the work as well as after. A team that relines pools should be able to show you the preparation, not only the finished water. Ask whether you can speak to a recent client or see the reviews they’ve collected.

3. Who will actually do the work, and who runs the site?

Some firms sell the job and hand it to whoever is free. Ask whether their own team does the work, whether any part is subcontracted, and who you call when you have a question on day three. One named person on site makes a big difference.

Questions to Ask a Pool Contractor About the Quote

4. Will you inspect the pool in person before you quote?

A proper quote for a renovation or repair needs someone standing next to your pool. They should check for cracks, hollow spots, water loss and groundwater, and look at the equipment. A price over the phone for a full resurface is a guess, and guesses get corrected later at your expense. If water loss is part of the problem, ask how they’ll find the cause. Proper pool leak detection should come before any new surface goes on.

5. What exactly is included in the quote?

Line by line. These are the items we’d expect to see on a renovation quote:

Vague lines like “renovate pool” or “supply and apply” make quotes impossible to compare. If one quote is much cheaper, it’s usually because a line is missing.

6. What isn’t included, and how are extras handled?

Water to refill the pool, electrical work, plan fees and hidden damage found once the pool is empty are the usual extras. Ask how they’ll price anything unexpected. Under the Consumer Protection Act, once you’ve accepted a written estimate for repair or maintenance work, the contractor may not charge more than that estimate unless they tell you about the extra cost first and you agree to it.

7. What’s the payment schedule?

A deposit to cover materials is normal on bigger jobs. After that, payments should follow stages you can see, such as preparation done, lining done, pool filled. Be wary of anyone who wants most of the money before work starts, or cash only with no invoice.

8. What warranty do you give, in writing, and what voids it?

Ask what’s covered (workmanship, materials or both), for how long, and what you have to do to keep it valid. Most surface warranties depend on the water being kept balanced, so ask for those conditions in writing too. A verbal promise of “ten years” is worth very little.

Questions to Ask a Pool Contractor About the Job Itself

9. How long will it take, and what happens when it rains?

Get a start date and a realistic number of working days. Resurfacing and relining need dry weather, and coatings need time to cure before the pool is filled. In a Western Cape winter, a job can lose days to rain, and an empty pool needs protecting when groundwater rises. A contractor who’s done this before will plan for it instead of promising a date they can’t keep.

10. Are you insured for damage on site?

Pool work means heavy equipment, grinders, chemicals and wheelbarrows crossing your paving. Ask whether they carry public liability cover and who pays if a cracked paver, a damaged wall or a flooded garden comes out of the job.

11. Who handles plans, permits and electrical certificates?

In the City of Cape Town, a new swimming pool needs approved building plans before work starts. Find out whether your contractor prepares and submits them or whether that’s on you. Any new electrical work, such as a pump supply or pool light, must be done by a registered electrician who issues a Certificate of Compliance. Ask who that electrician is.

12. What do I need to do after handover, and will you come back?

A new surface needs careful water chemistry for the first few weeks. Ask what start-up routine they follow, what you should and shouldn’t do, and whether they’ll come back to check the water and the finish. Good contractors want to see their work again once it’s full.

Red Flags and Good Signs When Choosing a Pool Contractor

It’s also worth matching the contractor to the job. A team that builds pools isn’t always the best choice for a delicate repair, and the reverse is true too. If you’re planning a new pool, our page on pool builders explains how a build is run from plans to handover. For an existing pool, see how a pool renovation is planned, or our guide to pool relining.

Comparing Quotes Without Getting Lost

Put the quotes side by side using the table above and fill in the gaps by asking each contractor the same questions. Then compare like with like. For ballpark figures before you start, our guide to pool resurfacing cost and renovation pricing gives realistic ranges. If you’re weighing a fresh coat against a bigger job, our post on pool paint versus relining sets out the difference.

The same questions apply to smaller jobs. Even a pool pump repair should come with a clear price, a named part and a warranty. Our guide to pool pump repair costs shows what that looks like in practice.

Choosing a Pool Contractor: Frequently Asked Questions