- April 16, 2024
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A subcontractor for Waterside Pools "shoots" concrete into a pool shell in Grand Haven's Wild Oaks community. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Workers "shoot" concrete into the shell. Photo by Brent Woronoff
A finished pool by Waldhauer and Son. Courtesy photo
A Waldhauer & Son pool in mid-construction. Courtesy photo
A finished product by Waterside Pools. Courtesy photo
A pool by Waterside Pools. Courtesy photo
Jason Pavlow, the president of Waterside Pools in Palm Coast, has seen a steady rise in pool construction in each of the past few years. But the last two years has been an explosion. And the demand isn't letting up.
"Demand has accelerated like I've never seen in 25 years in the business," Pavlow said.
It's so high, that the waiting period to start construction is 12 months. So, if you purchase a Waterside pool today, digging won't begin until a year from now.
The problem is not simply demand. There are supply shortages as well as a depleted labor force of specialty workers.
"It's the perfect storm," said Roy Waldhauer, president of Waldhauer & Son of Bunnell.
"We have such a hard time getting materials," said Waldhauer, who is on the state board of the Florida Swimming Pool Association. "Up north, they have a slowdown in the winter, and that helped a little bit. But they're starting up again, and we're competing with them for pumps and filters. There are also concrete shortages."
Waldhauer says he has 200 new pools on the books right now. Tom Gilbert, the president of East Coast Pools & Spas in Ormond Beach, said his company is installing four pools a week.
From 2017 to 2019, Waldhauer & Son installed 70 pools a year.
"All of a sudden the numbers shot up. Sales went crazy. Then inflation came behind it."
ROY WALDHAUER, Waldhauer & Son
"All of a sudden the numbers shot up," Waldhauer said. "Sales went crazy. Then inflation came behind it. I'm not making as much money on pools I sold eight to nine months ago.."
The business owners said demand exploded with the pandemic, and unlike the pandemic, it isn't slowing down.
"We were deemed essential from the beginning of the pandemic," said Pavlow, whose company also maintains pools. If pools are not maintained, they turn green.
"We were only down for two weeks, which was a relief for our employees," Pavlow said. "Then the phone calls started coming in, and it's been a wild ride ever since."
Gilbert has a similar story. East Coast currently has 100 pools on the books.
"As soon as Covid started, demand went up," he said. "Everybody was home. They realized it's where they were going to spend their vacation. And there's so much growth too."
There are a lot of different facets to building a pool, and they require a lot of different specialists, many of whom are normally subcontracted out. And just as there is a limited supply of materials, there is also a limited supply of specialty workers.
"There's the pool-tile guy. That's a specialty. The same thing with pool plumbers, screen cages, concrete work. I dig three pools a week, but maybe my plumber can only plumb two a week. The subcontractors don't only work for me."
JASON PAVLOW, Waterside Pools
"They're not easy to find," Pavlow said. "There's the pool-tile guy. That's a specialty. The same thing with pool plumbers, screen cages, concrete work. I dig three pools a week, but maybe my plumber can only plumb two a week. The subcontractors don't only work for me."
Waldhauer said some weeks his company is digging five pools but can only get three or four shot with concrete.
"Its a strange world right now," he said.
Customers know going in that they will have to wait eight months to a year for digging to begin and another two to four months for the various phases of construction.
"Not many cancel," Pavlow said. "Two in the last year. People are waiting."
Jenny Brown, who lives in Grand Haven's Wild Oaks community, purchased a pool from Waterside in April 2021. One week into construction, Brown was "shocked" on April 8 to see workers shooting the concrete.
"The guy just showed up," she said. "It's very exciting."
Her husband is a water person, she said. She's looking forward to having an entertainment area and a pool that is beautiful to look at.
