Expanding Our Living Area with an Outdoor Addition

Have you ever thought about adding an inground pool or outdoor addition to your home?  Did you know not all pool companies are not the same?

The Backyard – Before

One of the major perks of living in Southwest Florida is the ability to enjoy the outdoors almost year round.  We knew that once we were living in Florida full time, we would want to add a swimming pool to our backyard. However, we weren’t prepared for all the decisions that went into adding a swimming pool!  Shape, size, material, salt water vs chlorine…. the list of choices was overwhelming!

Dave & I started seriously talking about adding the pool in the Spring of 2020.  The subdivision we live in has certain rules regarding pools and pool enclosures that we knew we would have to abide by.  The pool would need to be an inground pool with an enclosure over it called a pool cage.  We knew this would be a major investment but since the Florida home was to be our forever home, we were willing to make the investment.

Our Research Process

Because neither of us had ever participated in a build of this nature, we wanted to do our research.  I started by looking for pool companies that would build in our area.  I compiled a list of 6 pool companies and started making calls and filling out on line surveys.  We asked some of the people we had met about their experiences and what they may have done differently.  My cousin took us to look a one of his friend’s pools to see what one of the companies had recently completed.

Three of the companies sent someone out to talk to us in person.  One company did everything over the phone and via email.  The fifth company did everything via a combination of Zoom, emails and phone calls.  And the sixth company never even called me back!

As the quotes started to come in, it was quickly apparent that we would need a way to visually compare the different quotes.  I devised a spreadsheet so that we could attempt to make an educated decision!  We had to take into consideration things such as differences in the brand of pool equipment that the different companies used.  Another important factor was how long it generally took the company to complete the project.  Several of the companies used a lot of sub contractors which could add time to the overall time table.

Reading on line reviews on Google as well as Houzz were also part of the process.  The various companies websites and social media presence also provided helpful information.

Things That You Think Would Be Included and Aren’t

One of the companies didn’t even make it onto the spreadsheet because their price did not include hauling away the dirt/sand left over from digging the hole for the pool.  They were going to just leave a big ol’ pile of sand for us to have to pay extra to haul away.  Granted their overall price was much less but the type of pool they provided also turned out to be something we weren’t expecting.  It was some kind of pre fab thing.  Like a giant bathtub.

I had been leaning towards one of the companies from the very beginning because of a long list of reasons.  There was a company that was in 2nd place until I started really digging into their quote.  I discovered that they didn’t include the baby alarm that is required by code.  Oh, they would install it for us but they wanted us to go to Home Depot and purchase it ourselves.  The guy pointed out it was just a $19 item.  Now, some of you are probably thinking ” Geeze, Kim…. aren’t you the lazy one… can’t even go to Home Depot and pick up a simple part….”.  Well, yes I could go but for the amount of money we are going to be paying to have this pool/outdoor addition built, I expect them to include the items that are required by code.  So no, I am not going to go pick up something that they know they need to provide!

It isn’t Just a Pool, It is An Outdoor Addition

Early on in the researching process, I decided that we needed an outdoor kitchen in addition to the pool.  Well, actually I just wanted a fancy brick pizza oven. I thought I  didn’t need a grill or a sink or storage…. just the pizza oven, please.  it wasn’t long before I discovered that my dream pizza oven cost over $12,000.  So, I found something that would work for about 1/10th the price!  And then we found something that would do several cooking jobs for almost as much as the 2nd place pizza oven!  More about that discovery in a future blog post!

If you are just starting to follow my blog, you may be curious as to why I need a pizza oven.  I was a pizzeria owner before I became a Floridian!  More about my pizza exploits can be found here:

and here:

One day, I was talking to a friend about the pool and how we were going to expand the lanai and add a roof extension.   He said “you don’t want a pool, you want something that will look like it should be in a magazine.”  Well, yes….

And The Winner is

Superior Pools of Southwest Florida. Inc!  We chose Superior because well, frankly, their name says it all!  They are superior  in every way that we have experienced so far!  From our Zoom calls with Ben and his quick response time to all our questions to our site visit with Larry, everything has been handled with superior professionalism!

The actual pool build is scheduled to begin next Monday December 14th.  This is not due to any delays on the part of Superior Pools of Southwest Florida, Inc.  Dave and I had some personal challenges this summer that delayed us in signing the paperwork in order to get on the list.

Our actual research process to chose the pool company was at least 6 weeks.  We really took our time researching and comparing.  We even drove up to Venice Florida to look at the company that would be providing the pool cage and roof extension piece.

Another reason Superior Pools of Southwest Florida, Inc is superior is that they were the only ones that provided actual 3-D pictures of how our pool addition should look when it is complete.  The other companies did provide drawings but the drawings were one dimensional .  It is so much easier for me to visualize what the space will look like with the 3-D drawings.

I am so excited for the build process to start!

to continue reading about our process, please go here: