Do You Use Subcontractors or Is the Work Done In-House?
It’s time to hire a pool building company. If you’ve never worked with a company like this, you might assume that it will do everything “in-house,” meaning everyone who works on your project is also a direct employee of the company.
But in many cases, building companies will use trusted subcontractors along with in-house experts. It’s a strategic and effective way to ensure that the right people do the right work. Learn about what role a subcontractor has in your pool build and why balancing the workload between an in-house team and a subcontracted one creates a success story.
What’s a Subcontractor?
Subcontractors are other businesses or individual contractors hired by a general contractor to handle a set of tasks. They are independent from the pool building company, which often means they have unique trade qualities that you’ll need for your build to be efficient.
Most businesses hire subcontractors as a way to expedite processes without cutting corners. It’s the pool building company’s responsibility to vet these subcontractors, and most will hire those with a similar level of professionalism and reliability. This is crucial so that the project stays well-coordinated, no matter how many people are working on it.
The Purpose of Subcontractors in Pool Building Work
Subcontractors are excellent for more specialized and labor-intensive tasks. This is true of most large-scale home projects, not just pools. There’s a major difference in a project’s flexibility and outcome when you have workers who can focus on the specifics.
A good example is when a pool building company hires subcontractors to handle your pool’s plumbing and electrical. It’s much better for a licensed plumber to install such an involved network of pipes and pumps.
Some pool builders might have a general idea of how to go about this. But most would have nowhere near the experience level that a professional plumber would, because plumbing is their area of expertise.
How Does a Pool Building Company Balance an In House Crew With Subcontracted Workers?
The most well-balanced team comes from companies that build long-term relationships with subcontractors. Tampa Bay Pools has been fortunate to work with a team of reliable subcontractors, and many have been on teams with us for 15 years or more. We have a mutual respect and understanding for each other’s work, which translates into our ability to deliver a high-quality project every time.
In larger projects like pool building, it’s also important to value transparency — and not just with our clients, but also with our subcontractors. We’re a pool building company that wants clear communication as often as we can get it. If everyone stays connected, then we can ensure everything is meeting your standards.
These long-term relationships also build a familiarity that results in better projects. The subcontractors know how we like to work and understand how we handle things from start to finish.
There’s less room for error or confusion, so each phase is more likely to go smoothly.
Subcontractors That Maintain Standards
The work subcontractors do matters. It impacts how clients perceive a company’s standards, so every subcontractor must meet those standards.
Tampa Bay Pools can also confidently say that part of the reason our reliability and trustworthiness are so high is because of our subcontractors. Inviting outside help onto our teams when we need it shows our clients that we’ll always send the best person for the job, even if it means we need to go find them.
The In-House Team
Our in-house team focuses on anything definitive about the project. This includes more “big picture” elements like the initial consultation or a custom pool design. We don’t outsource any direct work with our clients; we’ll always be the go-to for anything you need, whether it’s re-evaluating the project’s budget or adjusting the materials.
We’re also responsible for managing permits and ensuring your project complies with local regulations. Your project manager will be there to oversee everything. They’ll also be your point of contact if you have any questions or concerns during construction.
Subcontractor Assignments
Once your design is finalized, your project manager will evaluate what’s needed to ensure your pool is completed to your satisfaction. This is when they’ll touch base with subcontractors, coordinating next steps that fit the prospective timeline and budget for the project.
Our internal experts assign specific projects to subcontractors as needed. There’s a lot of working together between both parties to become a solid team. For example, the in-house team will prepare the site according to the layout so that subcontractors can get everything right when it’s time for them to get to work.
How We Manage a Mixed Workforce
There can be some challenges in managing an in-house team and an external workforce on the same project. But fortunately for our clients, we hammered out the details with these subcontractors years ago; everyone’s already on the same page.
But that didn’t happen overnight. Aside from providing consistent on-site supervision to help support our subcontractors, we’ve developed clear communication protocols that we expect everyone to follow.
It’s also crucial that we understand who we’re working with before things get moving. We vet every subcontractor, ensuring that they have the skills we’re looking for and that they share our passion for delivering consistently high-quality results to a client.
Quality standards are only a piece of the puzzle with a pool building project. An in-house pool building company team must make safety protocols just as clear and direct as expectations regarding quality.
This repetitive re-strengthening of relationships and guidelines has helped us establish relationships with subcontractors that span over a decade. It has also made it possible to give our clients a certain level of confidence — any subcontractor we hire will always have the same outlook and work ethic that we do. It’s our guarantee.
Hire a Pool Building Company That Knows How to Hire
Is it time to build a new pool with a company that knows how to assemble the right team for the job? Reach out to Tampa Bay Pools today to discuss your options and get a quote for your project.