Buying a Pool in 2021

Almost everyone is thrilled 2020 is over, but for pool builders, it was a record-breaking year. Parents were looking for a way to keep their children happy, healthy, and entertained while at home and many turned to the great idea of buying a swimming pool! This led to unprecedented demand in our industry. The demand combined with many COVID shutdowns in manufacturing plants led to backlogs and backorders galore from pumps to parts to fiberglass pools. Many pool builders are booked a minimum of six months in advance and some smaller dealers are already booked for all of 2021. If you are interested in buying a pool this year keep reading to get the download on how to succeed.

Challenges Facing 2021 Pool Building

Fiberglass Pool Manufacturing Lead Times

Manufacturers are on an average of a 14 week lead time for a fiberglass pool order once it is paid for and ordered. Even after manufacturing, you have delivery time on top of that. So, make sure you are on a pool builder’s schedule ASAP, or get lucky and find a builder that may have already pre-ordered some fiberglass shells and select one of those to avoid the manufacturing wait.

Fiberglass Installation Lead Times

When buying a pool choose your builder carefully and make sure they stick to a schedule. Parrot Bay has three crews working to install pools so we stay on schedule. It is also imperative clients pay for their pools in a timely manner because most pool builders order and install based on a first-come, first-served payment basis.

Hot Tub and Swim Spa Lead Times

Swim spas and hot tubs, just like pools, saw unprecedented demand. Swim spas are currently at a 54 week lead time and hot tubs vary from 38 weeks and more. This was caused by the shutdowns during COVID, and then once they were back to production, they had to limit the number of workers in the building at a time.

Accessory Back Orders

Many upgrade features such as heaters and slides are on backorder currently so once again, make your selection and get them on order ASAP. Don’t procrastinate or delay if you really want these items!

Price Increases

There is no better time for buying a swimming pool then now. Prices increased drastically last year on all building products and most fiberglass manufacturers will deliver a 3-7% price increase again in the very near future. All of the added necessities of operating during COVID do not make for cheaper manufacturing. Many clients have asked if pool building pricing will decrease and the answer to that is simply, we have never seen that happen. Once they go up, they never go down.

Moral of the Story: Make your selections and get on a reputable pool builder’s schedule ASAP so you don’t miss out on Summer 2021!