6 Questions You Should Ask Your Pool Resurfacing Contractor

November 10, 2021

While in operation for more than 20 years, all of us at Fibrestyle have worked to not just resurface your pool to better-than-new condition, but to educate our customers on how to maintain that pool for years to come. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best questions we’ve heard over the past years, and we encourage you to ask any pool resurfacing professional you choose some of the following questions.

1. Are you a registered/insured business that carries liability insurance?

This is extremely important, and should be your first question when discussing a job with a contractor. Any qualified business will carry extensive liability insurance, which will cover an employee if they get hurt. The importance of this cannot be overstated. Without liability insurance, an employee of the contractor who gets hurt on the job can potentially go after you (the homeowner) for damages. This insurance protects more than just the contractor, but you as well!

2. How long have you been in business?

When dealing with a contractor that gives extensive warranties, the amount of time they’ve been in business can serve as proof of their skills. Giving a long term warranty on a service is great, but what happens if the contractor closes their business before you need to claim against that warranty? As a rule of thumb, if a business is offering a 7 year warranty, hopefully they’ve been around longer than this. This way you can be sure that they produce good work, and have not had to redo many (if any) jobs.

3. Have you done a job like this before?

You want to be sure that when you choose a contractor that their experience is in line with the scope of work. Ask the contractor what other jobs they have done in the past that compare to the one you’re offering, and if they have any references that they can give for the quality of their work.

4. What is the timeline from start to finish?

Most residential pools can be resurfaced over a 7 to 10 day period. Many companies use tents and tarps to cover the pool while work is being done, but there are some cases where the weather becomes a hindrance to the timeline. When dealing with fibreglass, resins and gel coats, the elements can take a real toll on the production. Under perfect conditions, 7 – 10 days is very reasonable, however it is always safe to add an additional 3-5 days for adverse weather conditions.

5. What precautions are taken to prevent damaging the pool or having it pop out of the ground?

We’ve all heard stories about hydrostatic relief causing pools to pop out of the ground, or the walls of a pool collapsing in (particularly in fibreglass pools and modular pools). A qualified pool resurfacing pro will take all the necessary steps to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you!

These necessary steps include:

  • Ensuring that the hydrostatic valve is operational, in order to relieve pressure under the pool
  • Bracing the walls of your pool to safeguard them against a collapse
  • Closely monitoring the pool while it is being emptied to observe any early signs of structural weakness

6. Is the bid an estimate or a quote?

How many of us have brought in a contractor to perform work under a given quote, and then receive a sticker shock at the end when you learn the quote wasn’t even close to the true cost of the job. Naturally, you want to know that the price that you are being provided is a firm and accurate. Furthermore you should request to see a formal statement of work, with every key deliverable item included in it.

Things that you want to make sure are in the statement of work:

  • Pool draining
  • Hydrostatic Valve replacement or repair
  • Pool preparation (drying and grinding)
  • Any built in items such as stairs or swim up landings
  • Resurfacing (and the associated steps)
  • Refilling instructions

Things that may not be in the statement of work that end up adding to the cost are:

  • Peripheral Equipment
  • Skimmer Box
  • Pool Pump
  • Lights
  • Ladders
  • Other Pool Equipment
  • Pool Refilling
  • Chemicals and Balancing Agents

That’s about it! A qualified pool resurfacing pro should be able to answer all the questions without a second thought. If you think we missed anything, or even just want to talk pools, contact us today.

About the Author

Derek is the owner and manager of Fibrestyle Pool Resurfacing. Located in New South Wales, Fibrestyle has been proudly serving the Sydney area with an unwavering focus on quality for over 10 years. Derek is passionate about exceeding expectations, and this attitude has been the driver in Fibrestyle's success through the last decade.

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