“At Arizona Pool Builders we believe in Quality not Quantity” You would assume that building a quality pool would be simple enough to do, especially for those companies that claim to be "the biggest and the best" in the area because they build more than 500 pools a year. Just like in other industries, you have companies that make their money by selling a large quantity of cheap products and you have other companies that sell fewer products but of higher quality. Honda vs. Rolls Royce. There is a big difference in the quality of a tract home versus a custom built home. At Arizona Pool Builders, we only build about 50 pools a year, but that is because they are uniquely designed and of high quality. "Wait a second," you say. "Aren't those 'production-oriented pool companies' you've been talking about usually the best? I mean, how else would they have gotten so big?" Well, first of all, you need to understand how they got big in the first place. Most high production pool companies started by working with tract and semi-custom homebuilders. They punch out scores of "cookie cutter" pools, assembly-line style, to meet the demands of the masses moving into new subdivisions. In order to keep their doors open, they began selling directly to residential homeowners by leveraging their brand name in the phone book and advertising that they are the largest builder in the area. They are hoping that you will assume that means they are the best and that you should trust them to build your quality pool - when in actuality, they are only good at building cheap pools. “2 obvious ways to identify if your neighbor owns a cheap pool” 1. The most obvious indicator of a cheap pool is the design. First of all, the best money you are ever going to spend on your pool won't be on the tile, the deck, or the landscaping. The best money you will spend on your pool will be on the design. Period. Your pool must both compliment your house and maximize the layout of your yard. Many of the high-volume pool companies give away “free” designs as a sales ploy. They claim is as part of their “service” to you. The reason it is 'FREE' is because it's not a custom design. They may claim it is, but in truth the salesmen is simply pulling “your custom” design out of a portfolio of existing pools and then making a few changes. We call these the “cookie cutter” pools and when you have one in your backyard…it is obvious to both you and your friends. Find out how you can protect yourself from a tacky design and whether or not the person you are talking to has any design experience by reading this Free report: "Design Principles that every pool builder should follow, but won't!" 2. The second easiest way to spot a cheap pool is by looking at the tile and rock work around the pool. The masonry work of a pool includes the tile, grouting, bricks and boulder work. The most common eyesores include:   Crooked vanishing edges, tiles and grout lines   White grout oozing from the grout joints   Poor and lazy rock placements “At Arizona Pool Builders, we take 3 unique steps to ensure quality and that your pool is built right” Step 1 ::   Each designer acts as the building supervisor on each pool they design. This ensures that the designer will have direct involvement and provide guidance to the experienced crews on how to properly build each custom designed pool. Attention to detail is critical. We have therefore found it is essential to have the designer on-site because they possess the skills and experience necessary to properly build many of the common features of a pool, like a vanishing edge. You would be amazed at how many vanishing edges are not built properly. They end up having to be torn out and rebuilt; this is done only after the long and frustrating litigation process. Step 2 ::  At APB we have a close working relationship with every person that sets foot on one of our job sites. Good sub-contractors are a critical component to building a quality pool. These are the guys that are actually on the site and are responsible for the digging, plumbing, plastering, electrical work, decking and the most important part, the masonry and rockwork on the pool. Every pool company hires sub-contractors to perform these tasks. At APB, our designers know each foreman by name and has worked closely with them over the years. We consider them our partners not sub-contractors. In fact, you can read about our partners on our website under 'The Team' section. A great question to ask other pool salesmen is if they know the names of their sub-contractors and when was the last time they saw them. Step 3 ::   The most important part of building a quality pool is the masonry work (the tiles and grouting) and the placing of the rocks. At APB we do all of our own masonry and rockwork because we know this is what you and your friends will see everyday. This is where the quality of your pool becomes evident. Imagine it is a hot summer day; you are relaxing poolside with an ice tea in your hand. You suddenly decide to go for a dip and as you enter the pool you look to your right and there happens to be a perfectly flat, smooth rock to place your glass. You say “Wow, that’s cool,” and then plunge into the water, not giving it a second thought. It is this attention to detail that separates Arizona Pool Builders from other pool contractors and leads our customer to say “Wow!” To ensure that you get what you deserve, you need to educate yourself around the construction process and what is involved in building a pool. Regardless of whether or not you choose us to build your custom pool please protect your investment and CALL TODAY TO RECEIVE OUR FREE CONSUMER GUIDE: "What Every Homeowner Should Know About Building a Pool...Before It's Too late"