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aceman_gw

Aceman's NJ Pool Build - Beware of Blue Haven Pools North East

aceman
14 years ago

They may just build this for you:

Well, hopefully i got your attention! Because if you're looking for another thread slamming a PB, you're in the wrong thread.

After reading this forum for months, my wife & I took the plunge (literally!) this spring and signed a contract for a pool. Special thanks to hawkfive for answering any questions I had along the way and helping me with some invaluable insight! Some background on our selection process I interviewed 4 PBs. 2 nationals, 2 smaller PBs. As you can expect, the smaller PBs came in higher than the 2 nationals, not by much. In the end, I went with a national PB who was pretty much in the middle of the pack pricing wise. What made me choose the PB over the others? The main factor for me was comfort level and when I asked for 6 references, 3 ongoing jobs and 3 from the past fall - I had 6 references within a day, and they all were positive. I cant say the same for the other guys I interviewed - some had them (though it took a week, some didnt). Id like to think Im dangerous with a little bit of knowledge (which I think my salesperson can attest) but in the end Im learned to go with my PBs recommendations they do this for a living, and thus far I havent been disappointed.

Our build started on 5/21, and the pool was started up on 7/17, just under 2 months. Now for those of you who dont live in the NY/NJ/PA area, we had a record 23 days of rain in a 29day span in June, add that to the mix and I still cant believe the pool was completed so quickly! Were there issues along the way - yes, did it require me staying on top of the construction manager, yes. But time after time, when i was told something was going to happen -it did.

My PB, who I ended up finding on this forum, was Blue Haven Pools North East (topfiftybuilder). They delivered everything promised, and more importantly, I found out as we went along, that when they quoted the job, they quoted the job without skimping in areas where i probably wouldn't have noticed pre-contract. For example lighting. I have 3 hayward LED lights in the pool, when my electrician asked what the cable length is on the lights (something I didnt even know to ask prior to contract), their construction manager told me they always order them with 100ft cables. Many companies would of used my request to hit me with an upcharge since the difference in price from 50ft to 100ft is a few hundred dollars per light BHP NE did not. What this allowed me to do was eliminate having an electrical junction box near the deck of the pool, something my friends PB did not do.

Anyway I wont bore you with details, but after spending quite a while reading/hearing about pool build horror stories - i'm very greatful to have picked the company I did. I also think it was huge that we went into this very well educated on what we wanted, most of which we learned from this forum.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask away!

Aceman

Comments (15)

  • brentr_gw
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great pool, we should be putting water in out new pool today, yeah!!!! Can you tell me how the PB put in the water feature that sprays back into the pool from the outside deck? I have an attachment on my deck and I would love to modify it to do so. Look at our thread "Our New Pool Build in Jacksonville, FL"

    Thanks in advance

  • paradigmdawg
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Very nice aceman!

    brentr, I believe those are just common deck jets which are some the the least expensive water features to use. They need to be plumbed when everything else is so it may be a tad late for you to add them

  • jscozz
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    aceman... very nice!

    I would love to see some more pictures of the pool... especially decking and coping... we are talking to BHP also... what finish did you use in the pool?

  • topfiftybuilder
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nish
    Thanks for the kind words.... I can't wait to get some finished pictures with the landscaping done.... TFB.. aka spayne@bluhavenpoolsne.com

  • aceman
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sorry for the late response folks...been out working in the yard & thanks for all the kind words...

    The jets are standard deck jets, nothing fancy here, pretty common these days in the pool building world. I imaging you could run those off the main pump w/ a GVA if you didn't want/have a aux pump for them, they don't take too much water.

    The coping & decking is travertine. I will be sealing it soon...

    Aceman

  • mwrede
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Beautiful pool! Love your deck and landscaping too! We are also putting down travertine on coping and decking. I didn't know travertine could do well in NJ - in fact I was worried about it here in NC although we barely get any snow. What part of NJ are you in? We used to live in Bergen county before moving to NC.

  • njfolks
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Very nice, custom-looking pool! Scott has been a consistent contributor to many of the threads I have read here and seems both knowledgeable and willing to make the extra-effort to help educate others. When it comes to overseeing a pool build and getting things done right the first time--this is where a knowledgeable PB with integrity, who is willing to actually oversee the work being done, is worth the extra money. A lot of burden and risk is often placed on the customer when dealing with the "big guys" who are usually less hands-on with the trade-off being the potential cost savings (the key word here being "potential"). Unfortunately--not everyone can afford the higher cost associated that custom-level service from a private contractor demands--and in my opinion, probably justly deserves. If you got a great job at a fair price, on time and on budget you are very lucky in this regard! Most people in our area have less experience to go by and fewer good choices to consider than those in other parts of the country. Enjoy your pool

  • topfiftybuilder
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Aceman
    I'm surprised ...if your post said some bas things it would gotten more attention... LOL It looks like its going to fade off into the sunset!

  • apdnj
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Aceman, I would love to ask you some questions regarding your pool. I love your design but have numerous questions on equipment and such. Do you have an email?

    If not, can you post specs on your pool?

    Thank you

  • huskyridor
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Congrats on the new pool, it looks FANTASTIC!!!

    quote" I also think it was huge that we went into this very well educated on what we wanted, most of which we learned from this forum. "quote
    I'm certain this was a tremendous assistance during your process.

    I find it sad when I see thread titles like yours, it was very refreshing to read about your great turn.

    WAY TO GO for both you and top50!!!

    Note to all readers,
    Having a good construction experience isn't about just signing with any pool construction company. You can have a bad experience with any company large or small or have a good one just as equally.
    Legwork and checking the credibility (referrals, BBB, C of C, vendors, service providers etc..) of your potential builder will go a long long way in giving you a better shot at a good company.
    The best men in the industry are positioned right where top50 was (middle of the pack pricing and great credibility) during this quotation.
    You don't always end up with the best pool when you drop the most coin, you just dropped more money. But, when a potential builder is way less than the other competitors you can rest assured that you won't.

    See ya,
    Kelly

  • swimin2010
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Aceman,
    Your pool is lovely. Are you still happy with your builder now that time has passed? Were there any other PB you had contact with that you would recommend for a quote? We are in Central Jersey and looking to install a gunite pool. I would love to hear any advice!
    Thanks

  • aceman
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Swimin2010 -

    I am still happy as we go into our first full season, no complaints here.

    As i stated in the OP, BHP wasnt the lowest, nor the highest bid, I strongly recommend giving them serious consideration. They know what they are doing.

    Good luck,

    Aceman

  • huskyridor
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'll second this recommendation.
    IMO, Topfiftybuilder has always provided excellent insight and the happy members here have proven his pool construction abilities.

    See ya,
    Kelly

  • paradigmdawg
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yuck...that is ugly...thanks for the warning...lol...

  • topfiftybuilder
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey
    Thanks for kind words...
    I like to say if we talk the talk we walk the walk... Aceman did allot of homework before he pulled the trigger...
    I'm always available to chat... 267-716-6884 Thanks Scott