Maintaining customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect of any business, but it’s even more important for swimming pool contractors that have earned the prestigious Diamond Certified award. For Hawkins Enterprises, Inc., the key to achieving and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction is taking a strategic approach to each project that includes meticulously planning and preparing every phase before any work begins. “Every successful project begins and ends with a good plan, so preparation is always our first priority,” confirms owner John Rose. “Some contractors prefer to start the construction phase as quickly as possible, but we take our time and make sure we’ve developed the right plan, which ultimately ensures the client will be completely happy with the end result.”

Hawkins Enterprises has been designing and installing custom swimming pools, remodeling and renovating existing swimming pools, and providing general remodeling and construction services for residential clients in Contra Costa County and parts of Alameda County since 1981. The company is best known for creating unique pools that bring its customers’ visions to life, but it also builds outdoor lifestyle features such as fire pits, barbeques, outdoor kitchens, arbors, waterfalls, pavilions, cabanas and more.

Unlike less experienced swimming pool contractors that fail to mention certain costs in their initial estimates, Hawkins Enterprises prides itself on being completely transparent throughout every step of its clients’ projects. “When we make a proposal, we show the client the cost of building the project versus our projected profit,” explains Mr. Rose. “That way, everything is laid out in black and white and they’re able to see exactly where their money is going.”

Another distinguishing feature of Hawkins Enterprises is its ability to design every aspect of its clients’ swimming pool projects, which, according to Mr. Rose, is a rare attribute in the industry. “Very few swimming pool contractors actually keep designers on staff these days, which is unfortunate because design is probably the most important part of the building process,” he says. “Even if a homeowner hires the best pool builder in the world, the end product will still reflect the original design, so we make sure to emphasize both aspects.”

Make sure your swimming pool contractor is trained to deal with shifting soil. Well-built swimming pools don’t encounter many serious problems throughout their life spans, but of the issues they do face, shifting soil is the most damaging. Soil conditions in Northern California are particularly expansive, which means a lot of pressure is exerted on the shells of swimming pools, and when soil shifts while exerting this type of pressure, it can cause major structural damage to a pool that isn’t adequately reinforced with steel. If you’re planning to install a pool on your property, consider the following tips for dealing with shifting soil:
Hire a contractor that will exceed minimum building requirements. From an engineering standpoint, it’s better for pools to be overbuilt than built to minimum standards. “Some contractors try to get away with using the minimal amount of rebar beams at the bottom of pools, but it’s always a better idea to have more steel reinforcing the pool than less,” offers John Rose, owner of Hawkins Enterprises, Inc. in San Ramon. “If a company skimps on reinforcement, they’ll have to come back and redo the entire pool if it encounters soil-related problems, and that can be time consuming and expensive for everyone involved.”
Get a reliable warranty. If you don’t have a good warranty, you might have to pay out of pocket to fix structural damage caused by shifting soil. Every swimming pool that’s built in California comes with a 10-year “latent defect” clause, but in order to rely on this as your warranty, there has to be significant ostensive damage to your pool that suggests a latent defect. Since structural damage in a pool is often gradual and occurs below the surface, it can be difficult to prove a latent defect in court.
It can be beneficial to get a warranty directly from the contracting firm that builds your pool, but be cautious—some contractors will offer “lifetime” warranties that include caveats that exempt them from responsibility if the pool’s failure is caused by ground movement. By writing their own warranties to replace the latent defect clause, these companies eschew protecting their clients in favor of protecting themselves from liability. If you get a warranty from your pool contractor, make sure you read it thoroughly and clearly understand its stipulations.

Q: How much will it cost to install my pool?

A: In order to identify the true cost of your project, we first have to implement a very thorough design process. Every site is different and every pool is unique, so when we provide a cost estimate, we prefer to answer in specific terms that take all those details into account. After we map out a detailed plan, we’ll give you a firm estimate for your project.

Q: How long will it take to complete my project?

A: If it’s only a pool project, we can usually finish in about six weeks, but if it’s a pool project with some extra concrete work, it could take two months to complete. If you add components like fire pits and pavilions, that usually extends the estimate to three months. Of course, these figures are all based on clear weather—during winter, every rainy day causes a delay in the completion time.

Q: How far in advance do I need to plan my project if I want my pool installed by summer?

A: Realistically, you should start a dialogue with us about three months prior to when you want your pool installed. First, we’ll meet with you, look at your yard and talk about what you specifically want. If both parties decide it’s a good fit, we’ll schedule a meeting with our designer. The design process usually takes two to three weeks, and after that we have to get a building permit, which takes another couple weeks.

Q: Do you offer other construction services besides building swimming pools?

A: Yes, we have a broad range of expertise when it comes to construction projects—in fact, it’s rare for us to only be involved in building a swimming pool for a client. Most of our projects involve concrete or pavers that go around the pool, barbeques and fire pits, arbors, pavilions and more. A lot of people even hire us to remodel their entire yards.

Q: How long should my pool last before it needs to be repaired?

A: A well-constructed swimming pool should easily last 40 years without any serious problems.