For a plaster subcontractor, evolving into a company that offers renovations is a completely natural thing. But if you’re looking to perform major renovations, natural doesn’t necessarily equal quick.
When significantly changing the existing structure’s shape or adding new features, the scope of work and expertise increases exponentially.
“If you’re going to be pulling out decks, replumbing and adding new equipment, you’ve got to be as educated as a pool builder, and also know what they’re doing in the demolition stage,” says Rob Burkett, president of Burkett’s Pool Plastering in Ripon, Calif.
So it will take a while to master all the trades and new business responsibilities.
Here, plastering, renovation and building contractors offer the keys to success when taking on this venture.
Don’t accept every job
To successfully perform major renovations, contractors must accumulate a depth and breadth of skills and knowledge that can seem overwhelming. But knowing when to walk away from a job may top that list.
“I would say most of the problems we’ve had out there were pools that we took on that we shouldn’t have taken on,” Burkett says.
The reasons for turning down a job vary. Your company may not be ready for the scope of work involved. For instance, it is probably too much of a leap to go from plaster and tile work to changing the pool or spa dimensions.
“We never took on new phases without having the personnel, equipment and everything in place,” says Shawn Goldberg, plaster division head at Burkett’s.
But other times, it could be the client who won’t accept how much work and investment are required. Make sure your estimates include work needed to make the job safe — say, to replace unsafe drain covers or fix electrical issues
If the homeowner won’t agree, it is probably time to decline the job.
This also would be appropriate if the client wants to perform “Band-aid” repairs that won’t solve the problem long-term. For instance, if you find plumbing issues that you expect to rear their ugly head in the future — say a staining hazard from old copper pipes — explain that replumbing is needed.
“Sometimes we’d rather see them spend money taking care of the plumbing, rather than on plaster, knowing that the condition of the surface material is going to discolor very quickly with copper lines or bad equipment,” Burkett says.
If you perceive problems down the line, it’s best to require the long-term fix and leave the job if they don’t agree, Burkett says.
Give your contracts an overhaul
While the earning opportunities per job increase significantly when a company offers major renovations, so can the potential for unexpected problems.
For this reason, contracts need to contain a healthy amount of disclaimers.
Burkett always makes sure to include disclaimers that prepare customers for the various surprises that can be unveiled during a renovation. This includes broad strokes, such as making it clear that anytime you go underneath the surface of the pool, you may unveil problems you didn’t know existed. For instance, when you remove the deck, you may find plumbing issues, or it may not be possible to perform all the demolition without some damage to the pipes.
But Burkett’s disclaimers also include very specific clauses, such as stating that the company doesn’t guarantee that an old light will function properly after it’s been removed and replaced to make way for the renovation work.
Company owners may worry that such warnings will scare off customers, but it can actually have the opposite effect, Goldberg says.
“A customer [recently] said, ‘I’m going with you guys even if you’re [priced] higher, because you obviously know what you’re doing, and you know what can happen. You’re prepared, and you’re preparing me for that, so you come across as the professional.’”
Don’t miss an opportunity to upgrade
Sometimes when you change one thing, it presents the opportunity to add or alter something else in a way that will improve the overall look, function or safety.
For instance, if you’re pulling up the deck anyway, you have the opportunity to replumb. Bringing in larger pipe would help increase efficiency, reduce noise, and optimize newer features such as variable-speed pumps or waterfeatures that require certain volumes.
Even more importantly, it generally increases safety at suction outlets.
And, of course, check to make sure the pool has dual drains and that the velocities are safe to avoid entrapment.
“We know most pools are plumbed incorrectly to begin with, so this is an opportunity to replumb the pool and bring it up to the current hydraulic, safety and energy standards,” says Paolo Benedetti, principal and designer of Aquatic Technology Pool & Spa in Morgan Hill, Calif.
“The odds that the client will do it again in their lifetime is slim to none, so it’s almost like you have a responsibility to bring everything up to code — and not be the mow-blow-and-go guy.”
Check the site to make sure everything is safe and updated. “We also look at the equipment and try to upgrade to more energy-efficiency with pumps and lights,” says Lee Valenzuela, president of New Image Pool Interiors in Clovis, Calif., and chairman of the National Plasterers Council. “And we are making sure that the lights are bonded properly.”
You could also propose replacing high-voltage lights with low-voltage.
Valenzuela also checks each pool to make sure it has an auto-fill device. If not, he recommends adding one to keep the pool at the proper level when homeowners are gone for a long time, and to reduce any calcium along the tile line. And if vanishing edges or perimeter overflow features are involved, these autofills become crucial.
Also go over the shell with a rebar scanner to make sure the steel has proper shotcrete or gunite coverage, Benedetti says. If not, you may need to provide more concrete. (If you have to add shotcrete to the inside of the pool, remember that it will affect various dimensions, such as the width of coping and elevation of fittings.)
Check for problems early on so you can include it in the initial price, Valenzuela says. Otherwise, the customer will suspect you of price baiting.
Be quick to call in outside experts
If you see any signs of distress to the pool shell, such as cracks, you should probably call in a geotechnical engineer. If you’re not quite sure that the electrical system is completely safe and it’s outside your expertise, bring in an electrician. If you suspect the diving board may be unsafe for the pool dimensions, ask for help.
“If there are problems that you don’t address and something happens down the road, you’re the last professional who was in there, and you’re going to be held responsible,” Benedetti says.
Take the temperature of your pool contractors
If you’re a plastering subcontractor on new pools and spas, the builders you work for may not be too crazy about your venture into renovation.
Get a sense of what the local industry environment tolerates. In some particularly competitive parts of the country, builders will not hire subs who also do renovation work, because they’re perceived as competition. In other areas it’s not a problem.
If you suspect you’ll lose work, you have a decision to make.
Even in tolerant areas, avoid certain moves that could be considered unfair play. For instance, if you do end up bidding on the same job as your general contractor, they likely will take offense if you quote the homeowner a lower price than you do for the GC. In some cases, you may want to bow out to preserve goodwill.
Additionally, don’t use your pool builders to provide leads for potential customers, Benedetti says. While rare and extreme, it has happened where a plasterer might receive plans from the pool builder for a bid, then approach the homeowner directly to undercut the builder. “That is kind of an underhanded thing,” Benedetti says.
Provide for customer service and admin functions
If you take on renovations, you become the general contractor on the job. That includes plenty of steps beyond just providing for the wider range of trades onsite.
“When you’re the subcontractor on new construction, you drive up, plaster a pool in a few hours, drive away and send out an invoice,” Goldberg says. “Here, you’re the general contractor, so you’re the one who’s pulling permits, communicating with the homeowner and collecting.”
Eventually, you may have to hire people specifically to manage customer service and run to the permit office.
At Burkett’s somebody must coordinate which salesperson goes with which lead. A customer service representative is assigned to a job, to work in collaboration with the job superintendent. This way, the customer deals with one or two people during the potentially months-long job process.
