Forgot to mention... I am also in the Phoenix area.

Thanks for the reply, CopaMom! Our neighbors went with Presidental too, but about 5 years ago. I'll definitely check them out. What sold you on them?

Also, I'm just curious: did you deal with Dolphin Pools at all? They seem like pretty straight-shooters on their website and seems like they don't skimp on quality, so I was going to include them in our bidding process, but curious of any feedback. Is there anyone else you were impressed with during your latest bid process and would recommend?

And, everyone: please pardon my haphazard conversion of cubic ft to cubic yards in my OP! Meant ~67 cubic yards, not 600. Geesh... and I work with numbers all day long! :)

We got quotes from Dolphin Pools, CA Pools, Shasta, Presidential, Rondo, Cameo, and Paddock. Dolphin Pools' quote was a few thousand dollars more than Presidential... CA Pools was in the running for a while, but it was like pulling teeth to get an accurate quote from them (they kept omitting items we asked for, so their quote looked less). We had the same sales guy at Presidential with both pools, and he was willing to negotiate prices more than the others. Plus, we were very happy with our first pool. I am very pleased with our end result. :)

I know a guy! no soliciting they say though.

I build pools in Peoria and can almost picture exactly what you are talking about.
Loading the dirt over the fence would save you money if you can arrange it with the HOA, but not as much as you'd think. Regardless, I'd definitely be pursuing that as soon as you can to keep your bids all accurate and at least know if it's even an option.

You're looking at $2,100- $1,100 add'l costs for the 46" access if that was absolute max.
Additonal costs for the 72" access option is about $700-$800.

These figures do not include taking down/putting up the fence(s)....just round numbers to help you out. A good pool designer/salesman will see more than just the wide opening...he'll look at appropriate turning spots/loading/staging etc. There's a lot of little things to look for that can drive access availability.

Hope this helps! We swam yesterday...hard to imagine AZ's swim season has already landed! Hurry up :)

Thanks again for the follow-ups. We're going to have to go with a "triple mini" for our narrow access. Got quotes on that from 3 builders, and Presidential is definitely the one who was seems most able "help us out" without sticking it to us elsewhere. I'm definitely impressed with them so far, and I think we are leaning toward using them. We're meeting with Dolphin this thursday and then we'll decide.

In the meantime, in case anyone else around Phoenix was wondering the same question, these are the narrow access surcharges we've been given so far. I'm sure they're subject to change, and until we sign our names to a contract nothing's final, so FYI only:

Dolphin Pools: $2,400
California Pools: $2,200
Presidential Pools: $3,350 - 1/2 off excavation fees promotion = $1,675.

(Plus our salesperson @ Presidential gave us an additonal $950 "Additional Discount - Sales" which is supposed to cover a credit toward the excavation and a water feature). It seems like a pretty legit discount on the itemized quote, and I don't suspect he's trying to pull the wool over my eyes with it.

I'll post my 1st impressions of the PBs I've dealt with so far on a seperate thread, if anyone is interested.

Who is your sales guy at Presidential? We saw Jim Sherlock (for both our pools) :)

@ Copa: been working with a Guy named James MacDougall. He had been pretty responsive, though I submitted a change to him for an updated quote a couple days back and haven't received a reply yet. All and all, seems like a decent guy & has been pretty straight forward with pricing & other details.

Also just a quick update on the excavation, Dolphin was out at our house last night & said we wouldn't need to do the triple mini dig. Said they could fit a "single-mini" by removing the block wall on the other side of the property, that would save us about 1/2 the cost (including block removal & re-set up). Still not sure who we'll go with though. Probably will make a decision in the next week or so.

funny how that half off starts so high at $3350.... seems to be about 25% off what it should be. But "half off" sure sounds better.

Curious if Presidential is pushing their Q360 infloor cleaner and what your opinion is on it based on their sales pitch of it? I'd love to hear if you have time. thanks!

I don't know if Presidential is "pushing" their infloor cleanining system... but we did get it this time (had only a roaming vac last pool). I can't say I am thrilled with it so far. Our PebbleTec is very light, so there is already some dirt stains. Presidenital will acid wash our pool this fall. There are a couple "dead zones" where dirt accummulates. I guess we need to be more diligent with brushing (which I thought we would avoid with PebbleTec compared to the plaster we had last time). We also have a connection for a roaming vac, so during monsoon season we will have both running.

Presidential's new infloor system is far inferior to the infloor systems that have been around for years...hence, the cheap price.

They know it too, which is why they don't offer any cleaning guarentee or a lifetime warranty on the heads. I believe it's just a one year warranty valve and maybe 3 on the heads.

Also, the way the Q360 valve works, their is only very split moment that 100% of the water pressure is dedicated to one zone. The valve rotates non stop, therefore always bleeding into multiple zones and sending water to 2 zones and too many heads. Just another presidential ploy to be cheap cheap cheap, and the customer suffers. With infloor, you should not have to brush your pool but maybe one or two very small dirty spots that accumulate over a couple weeks time.