Partnerships between pool construction companies and master-planned communities can seem complicated. Homeowners want everything ready at the same time. They have specific pool designs in mind for their homes, while the developer has aesthetic principles in mind for the community and utility restrictions, along with the usual issues of meeting local building codes and regulations. Although there are many parties involved, the partnership doesn’t have to be overly complicated.

As the largest pool builder in the nation, Presidential Pools, Spas & Patio is proud to have created many successful relationships with community developers throughout Arizona. Here are simple rules — learned in the process of establishing great working relationships — that can help all parties succeed in making residents happy without creating frustration for developers, Realtors, or pool builders.

Partner Rather Than “Hire”

A master-planned community starts with a vision. While the developer may be the originator, the vision can benefit from the creative contributions of other parties, creating further opportunities to differentiate the community from other residential options. Bringing Realtors, homebuilders, pool builders, entrepreneurs and others together very early on will cause them to be more vested in a project and will give the parties more opportunities to work together to create synergies throughout the community’s design and development.

Culturally, the best partnerships will involve parties that seek to understand and appreciate the contributions of the others involved.

Communicate Details

New residents appreciate streamlined communication. Effective communication with a homeowner requires that the partners have already established strong communication channels among themselves.

The most critical topics to make sure all builders communicate about effectively are construction timelines, utility requirements, and building codes. Additionally, any unique design features or materials that will be featured throughout the community should be communicated so that each partner can integrate elements in one way or another.

Each partner can encourage frequent and transparent communication by setting a standard of availability. Be available to one another to take calls and answer questions. Keep one another updated as plans evolve or are finalized. Never put the responsibility on the homeowner to figure out who knows what.

Create Original Options

Particularly in pool building, although applicable in most areas, prospective residents will appreciate options. They want options in size, features, design, technology, and more. While limiting options may make things easier for the builders involved, creating flexibility will better satisfy homeowners.

One effective strategy for creating options is to design packages that can be mixed and matched in different ways. For instance, with a pool, have various pool surface packages to allow homeowners to select a particular look. Then, depending on their preferences, homeowners can choose to add a water feature package, a family fun package (e.g., slide, basketball net), and an in-floor cleaning system package. All these packages can be agreed upon among the partners in advance so that each option selected by each homeowner does not create yet another issue to be addressed among the developer, homebuilder, and pool builder.

Additionally, when possible, create packages that address multiple homeowner needs. Depending on those involved, this may involve collaboration among several partners. One package that is easy for a homeowner to comprehend is an outdoor living package. Partners can collaborate to establish tiers involving various deck materials, patio features, fire features, pool and spa options, landscaping, and more.

Author: Tim Murphy

Tim Murphy is founder and CEO of Presidential Pools, Spas & Patio, the largest pool builder in the country, serving communities in the Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, metro areas. The Presidential team has built tens of thousands of residential and commercial in-ground pools throughout the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.