How to Compare Pool Bids From Tucson Pool Builders

The best way to compare pool bids is to make every quote describe the same pool. Put the bids side by side, check that each one itemizes the same parts of the job (dig, steel, shell, plumbing, equipment, finish, tile, coping, decking, permits, barrier, utilities, cleanup and startup), and only then look at the totals. Then check each builder’s ROC license and make sure the payment schedule follows Arizona’s pool contract law.

Here is the checklist we would use if we were the ones shopping.

Why do pool bids vary so much in Tucson?

Two quotes for “a 15 by 30 pool” can be tens of thousands of dollars apart and still both be fair. The usual reasons:

• Different scope. One bid includes 600 square feet of travertine, a block barrier wall and the gas line. Another stops at the coping.
• Allowances. A low allowance for tile or decking makes a bid look cheaper today. You pay the difference later.
• Equipment. A single-speed pump and a basic filter cost less up front than a variable-speed pump and a large cartridge filter, but cost more to run.
• Dig conditions. In Tucson, caliche can change the excavation cost a lot. Some bids plan for it. Some push it into extras.

So the first job is not finding the lowest number. It is finding out what each number buys.

What should a pool quote itemize?

A good bid reads like a build plan. Use this table as your pool quote checklist and mark each bid yes, no or “allowance.”

Excavation and the caliche question

Much of Tucson, Marana and Vail sits on caliche, a hard, cement-like layer that can show up a few feet down or right at the surface. Ask every builder how they handle it. A bid that bills rock excavation extra by the hour is very different from one that includes it, and a bid that says nothing leaves you guessing. We wrote a full guide on building a pool in caliche if you want the details.

It also helps to know whether the builder owns its digging equipment or rents it. Builders who rent may pass on delays and extra costs when the ground is harder than expected.

Steel, shell and plumbing

These are the parts you never see again once the pool is done, so get them in writing. Look for rebar size and spacing (or a note that it follows the engineered plan), the shell method, and how the plumbing is laid out. Ask how many return lines and skimmers you get and whether water features and the spa have their own lines.

Equipment brand and model

“Variable-speed pump” is not enough. You want the brand and the model number on the bid so you can look it up and compare. The same goes for the filter, heater and any automation. Two pumps that both say “variable speed” can be very different machines. For reference, we list the exact equipment on every build in our post on Pentair pool equipment.

Finish, tile and coping

Interior finish names can hide big quality gaps. Ask for the brand, product line and color. Do the same for waterline tile and coping. If the bid uses an allowance, ask what that allowance actually buys at the supplier.

Decking by the square foot

Decking is one of the easiest places for bids to drift apart. Make sure every quote lists the material and the square footage. If one bid has 400 square feet of pavers and another has 800 square feet of travertine, they are not the same project.

What is often left out of a pool bid?

These items get skipped or buried more than any others:

• Permits, plans and engineering. Who pulls them, and is the fee included?
• The pool barrier. Arizona requires a barrier around residential pools. We build every barrier to at least 5 feet. Our post on Arizona pool barrier rules covers the details.
• Electrical and gas. Panel upgrades, trenching and long gas runs to a heater can add real cost.
• HOA approval. In Gladden Farms, Dove Mountain, Rita Ranch and other newer subdivisions, plans often need HOA sign-off before a permit. Ask who prepares the submittal. Our guide to HOA pool approval walks through it.
• Access and repair. If a block wall has to come down for equipment, who rebuilds it?
• Cleanup and startup. A real startup includes balancing the water, brushing the new finish and showing you how the equipment works.

How should the payment schedule work in Arizona?

Arizona has a specific law for residential in-ground pool and spa contracts. Under A.R.S. 32-1158.01, the down payment when you sign can be no more than 15 percent of the original contract price. After that, payments are tied to finished work:

1. After excavation: no more than 25 percent of the original price, plus approved change orders.
2. After steel, plumbing and concrete: no more than 25 percent, plus approved change orders.
3. After decking: no more than 25 percent, plus approved change orders.
4. The rest is due before the interior finish goes on or when all work is complete.

The statute also says you can ask for a payment and performance bond (you pay for the bond, and the contractor may not add a surcharge), and that changes to the work must be written up as change orders. If you require the bond, the payment terms can be changed by agreement. Read the full text for the details, and ask your own attorney if anything in a contract is unclear.

What this means when you compare bids: a builder asking for a large chunk of money up front, before any work is done, is a warning sign. Payments should follow progress you can see in your backyard.

How do you verify a pool contractor’s license?

Every bid should show the contractor’s Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) license number. Look it up yourself on the ROC contractor search. Check that:

• The license is active.
• The business name matches the company on your contract.
• The license class covers pool or residential work.
• You are comfortable with any complaint history shown.

If a bid has no license number, ask for it. If the builder cannot give you one, move on.

What are the red flags in a pool quote?

• A large deposit due at signing, or payments due before the matching work is done.
• No ROC number, or a number that belongs to a different company.
• “Pump” or “pebble finish” with no brand or model.
• No mention of caliche, rock or haul-off.
• Big allowances for tile, coping or decking with no product named.
• No barrier, permit or electrical line items, with no note saying they are excluded.
• Pressure to sign today to “lock in” a price.
• Vague timeline promises with nothing in writing about what happens if weather or inspections cause delays.

How do you make the bids truly apples to apples?

Once you have two or three bids, build one spreadsheet with the line items from the table above down the side and each builder across the top. Fill in what each bid includes. Where one bid is missing something, call that builder and ask for a price to add it. Now your totals mean something.

A 3D design helps a lot here. When every builder is looking at the same layout with the same depths, ledges, spa and decking, the quotes line up. We include a 3D design with a VR walkthrough on every project, so you can see exactly what you are paying for before you sign.

Finally, compare the cost over time, not just the price on day one. Efficient equipment and a cartridge filter that does not need backwashing cost less to run each month in Tucson’s long swim season. For overall budget ranges, our pool cost guide puts most custom concrete pools at about $40,000 to $120,000 or more.

Get a bid you can actually compare

Every Meraki project starts with a 3D design, and our quotes name the Pentair equipment we install. If you have other bids in hand, we are happy to walk through the line items with you. Because most of our work is done by our own crew, there are fewer layers of markup in our price. See how we keep custom pools affordable.

Call (520) 342-8335 or request a free estimate. Meraki Pools AZ is family-owned and licensed, AZ ROC #342505 and #352797.

Put this guide to work

Planning your own project? See our Custom Pool Construction in Tucson, or read about building a pool in Marana, Gladden Farms or Vail.

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