During drought, pool construction at five-year high

Source: The Business Journal
Written by Hannah Esqueda

Water is the topic on everyone’s minds this summer. Where to get it, how to conserve it and how much is left are common questions residents and municipalities are asking each other. But as the statewide drought deepens, some have begun asking another question — are swimming pools in poor taste? For some communities the answer has been yes, and dozens of cities and water districts throughout the California have increased regulations on pool construction and maintenance. Some communities have even placed an outright ban on building new pools. Local pool construction companies, however, don't believe their products are wasteful and say business is booming despite the drought. “It takes less water to fill a pool than to keep a lawn green,” said Brian Smart, owner of Dreamscape Pools in Clovis. Smart has been in the pool construction business for 40 years and said he has seen several droughts. “The drought hasn't done anything to my business. We've seen others before and it's never been a problem,” Smart said. Dreamscape Pools has done 25 construction jobs this summer, the ideal workload for his small business and a recent high compared to the past few years. Despite the drought, pool construction businesses throughout the Central Valley have seen a busy summer and records indicate that there have been more pool construction permits issued this year than any other time in the last five years. So far this year, 605 permits have been issued for residential swimming pool and spa construction jobs in Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties. All together, those permits represent more than $19.9 million in construction work. That's a $4 million increase compared to the 538 permits issued last year during the same time period. In 2010, before the drought began, those numbers were even lower, with only 399 permits issued between January and September. While this trend flies in the face of the drought, it makes sense economically, said Ben Bogdanof. Bogdanof co-owns Vineyard Pools in Clovis with his brother Jeff. The two said the market is finally starting to recover from the recession and people are once again spending their money. “People have just been holding on to their money year after year and now’s the time when they're finally feeling confident,” Ben Bogdanof said. “It also helps that the banks are kind of lightening up their [loan] regulations too.” Before this year, most pool customers couldn't get a loan from the bank and had to have the cash upfront, he said. According to permit records, most pool construction jobs carried out this year range between $23,000 to $65,000. Spring and summer are the busiest times of year for pool construction and Vineyard Pools is on-track to complete more construction jobs than last year, Ben Bogdanof said. “You always get a lot of people calling in after the first heat wave of summer. It usually decreases a little after the Fourth of July,” he said. Despite the steady work pace, Jeff Bogdanof said the company has been keeping a close eye on the drought this summer and is wary of any regulations the local governments might take in response. “We're trying to get [jobs] as we can because we're aware something might happen further down the line,” he said, referring to actions taken by dozens of local governments throughout the state. In August, the Santa Margarita Water District announced it would no longer allow customers to fill or even top-off swimming pools saying water is needed elsewhere. Months before that ban, the southern California town of Montecito put a moratorium on new pool developments until the lake where the community gets its water is back to a normal level. Fresno County has not enacted any sort of ban on pool construction but could decide to do so if the drought worsens, said Will Kettler, manager of development services. “There are instances in emergencies,” he said. “It would need to be vetted publicly with a [Fresno County Board of Supervisors] vote before we did anything.” So far, Kettler said his department had not received any direction on pool construction bans. He said he did not know whether or not pools use more water than average lawn maintenance practices. But business owners like the Bogdanofs and Smart said most people overestimate the amount of water pools actually need and the fear of wasting excessive amounts of water is unfounded. “After the initial fill, [pools] actually take less water than a lawn,” Ben Bogdanof said. When people build a pool in their backyard they frequently choose to lay down concrete and build a patio as well, he said. That cuts down on the surface area of their lawn and reduces the amount of water used for outdoor yard maintenance. Jeff Bogdanof agreed and said that the industry is trying to combat the image of pools being a huge waste of water. People see an open body of water and it seems like a lot, he said. “I think a lot of it's just in the mind.” To help reassure their customers, Ben Bogdanof said Vineyard Pools has been using additional waterproofing techniques to help make sure there are no leaks and encouraging customers to invest in pool covers. “Pool covers are a huge way to conserve water. The evaporation is significantly reduced meaning less topping off,” Ben Bogdanof said. But, if local communities placed a moratorium on new pool construction, the brothers said it would mean the end of Vineyard Pools and the dozens of other businesses in the area. “We would have to shut our doors and close down. Our employees would have no work,” he said.

URL to original article: http://thebusinessjournal.com/news/construction/13807-during-drought-pool-construction-at-five-year-high 

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