Ultimate Pool Q&A with Matt from Bellevague

Whether you’re buying a home with a pool or dreaming of adding one to your backyard, there are plenty of questions that come up along the way. I sat down with Matt of Bellevague to talk about what homeowners should know before taking the plunge.

Steve Peippo: Hi Matt, Tell us a little about your company and what you specialize in.

Matt Greig: Bellevague means nice wave! We are in Aylmer 5 minutes from the Champlain bridge. We specialize in fiberglass pool sales and installations, hot tubs, and saunas. We also do pool maintenance, hot tub maintenance, and pool and hot tub repairs.

SP: Incredible, I’m a big fan of saunas and hot tubs as well. I’m getting a lot of questions right now about pools and excited to focus on them in our chat.

Pool Inspections & Advice for Buyers

SP: The first thing I want to focus on is advice for my buyers looking at homes with pools.

So, if someone is buying a home with an existing pool, what should they inspect before closing?

MG: You do a home inspection, and you should absolutely be doing a pool inspection as well. Our store offers diagnostics, and we do recommend a pool diagnostic to check the condition of the filtration system, the heater, and the pump. These items need to be replaced when they’re not well taken care of and they can cost thousands of dollars. You’re checking all your big appliances, your furnace, etc. you should be checking pool equipment as well, it’s a no brainer.

SP: What’s the cost of that inspection?

MG: 100-300$ depending on who you can get. We charge $200 for a diagnostic, my guy has 20 years experience and has all the answers.

Question for you Steve…If you do a pool diagnostic at the same time as a home inspection is that something you can negotiate as a realtor? If they have to replace a new pump it could be $400-1000.

SP: That’s definitely something I would negotiate. I would request the seller to repair (with a reputable pool company and proof of invoice) or have it knocked off the price.

MG: Oh definitely, if you’re closing on a home in the summer and it has a pool, you’re hoping you’re swimming in that pool the first weekend. My number one service call in the summer is broken pool pumps! Best to have it taken care of before move-in.

SP: Other than the pool inspection, what are the biggest factors homeowners should consider before buying a house with a pool?

MG: Be mentally prepared to do weekly maintenance or you will spend more money on damaged equipment. If you work a lot and travel a lot, I would make sure you get a company coming in to do the maintenance. It’s a responsibility like having a pet, so be ready to take care of it or hire some help!

SP: What about the biggest factors before installing a pool?

MG: In this instance, be mentally prepared for the budget to increase because the backyard landscaping can become really expensive. I advise layering landscaping over the years otherwise it’s such a big cost to take at once, it becomes hard to get the whole dream going. Adding interlock is a huge cost, and adding gardens, water features, turf, etc can come later.

Budget & Planning

SP: What’s a realistic budget homeowners should expect, just for the pool?

MG: 45k for an inground pool installed, clean, just not much landscaping work. Depends on the size.

SP: What if I want the tiniest pool?

MG: Haha OK Steve, it’s 8x10 and I can do that for 35k all in. But the average pool is 10x20 and the average cost is 45-50k.

SP: And if I wanted the biggest pool?

MG: 16 x 41 and this one is 70k all in.

SP: Let’s talk trends and designs. Are there certain features that are really popular right now?

MG: The new hot feature is definitely sunbeds - 2 feet at the top of the pool, to lay out on or for little ones to splash around at.

SP: I loved those at an all inclusive I went to with the fam! How much does that add?

MG: Some models come with it which makes it more cost effective, others we can add it on to any rectangular pool for around 6k.

SP: What if I want my backyard to completely look like a resort, what would I put in?

MG: If budget was no issue - waterfall feature, sun ledge feature, little putting green, and to be honest, sauna and a cold plunge. Here’s a project we did that was really exciting for a close friend of ours.

SP: How long does the whole process usually take, from design to swimming?

MG: Fiberglass pools are quick projects, that’s really the benefit of it over a concrete pool. Typically 3-4 weeks from phone call to swimming. 2 days for excavation, but what might take longer is how much extra landscaping you want to do. It’s the decks, interlock, etc that take longer . The best time to book your pool installation is in the fall/winter to be one of the first pool installations of the year in April/May. This way there aren’t any projects and possible delays in front of you.

SP: So you sell mainly fiberglass pools, do you recommend concrete pools at all?

MG: Oh for sure, we do concrete pools for custom jobs. The largest pool I mentioned earlier is the largest ready made fiberglass option. Fiberglass pools have become super popular because they fit in easier to new tight suburban yards, and are faster to install. Number one thing my customers love about fiberglass is that there are no liner replacements. Liner replacements cost ~10k right now and you have to replace them about every ten years with good maintenance. If it’s not maintained well it will be more like 8 years or less.

Pool Maintenance and Heating

SP: What is good maintenance?

MG: Just keeping that water balanced. You really can’t just leave a pool stagnant, it will screw everything up. If you’re not going to use it close it down or it will destroy all your equipment.

SP: What’s the biggest misconception about pool maintenance?

MG: That its not a big deal. You can’t just put the product in once and forget about it because the weather, sunlight, and people swimming are interacting with your chemicals all the time. It’s not just about you swimming in the pool, if you’re not maintaining your water you’re putting a lot of stress on your whole filtration system and the water becomes a toxic chemical. It’s very harsh on the whole system.

SP: What can homeowners do to keep maintenance simple and costs down?

MG: One water test a week to test ph and chlorine. Simple. One minimum weekly test. Once a month comprehensive test to look at everything. Maintain that schedule, put it in your calendar.

SP: You mentioned testing ph and chlorine. Can you settle the salt vs chlorine debate for me?

MG: Oh that’s a popular debate. Salt is definitely gentler on your skin and the pool system, but there’s a false perception that it’s less maintenance. It’s definitely the same, just a different product being used to disinfect bacteria. If you are going to spend a lot of time in the pool, salt is better for your skin as an organ.

SP: Is there a price difference?

MG: Effectively no, up front the salt system machine is ~$1500. But salt is pennies on the dollar compared to chlorine. The cost offsets after about a year or two.

SP: Continuing with pool options, do most people choose to add a pool heater?

MG: Honestly, a pool heater is a must in Ottawa. Realistically if you don’t have a heater your pool only gets to a good temperature on hot days in June July and August. If you want a nice long pool season having a heater extends your pool usage by like 50%.

SP: What about gas vs electric heat? Thats a big conversation in heating homes..

MG: Thermal pump electric heaters are the most cost effective way to go!

SP: I’m surprised!

MG: Yeah. Gas has its purpose. Like a v12 engine in a car.. You can get a gas heater if you want to heat the pool up crazy fast but the average user can just gradually heat the pool up and maintain it. Once your pool is at temp the heater isn’t working hard to maintain it.

Month to month gas would be cheaper on your utility bill but the upfront cost is up to 3x more than a heat pump and the monthly utilities savings of gas doesn’t make up that difference… Maybe after 20 years.. maybe.

On the note of keeping your pool warm, there’s chemicals you can buy that help retain heat by 70%.

Actually, I have a question for you Steve!

I’ve done a lot of training, a lot of it is American based and they’re very adamant that installing a pool increases the value of the home. Do these projects actually add value to real estate here in our market?

SP: It’s generally a lifestyle purchase, it’s hit and miss. Some buyers love the concept of a pool and are only searching for that house with a pool, other clients want nothing to do with the maintenance of a pool and it can be a dealbreaker.

You have to focus in your search on the house first, and the pool second. Maybe the states where it feels like summer all the time that would be an automatic property value increase.

Back to you, if I don’t want a pool but I love the house, what can I do to remove that pool? Especially if it is an old pool with a lot of problems?

MG: Great question. It really depends. We have a few clients on the go right now that have damaged concrete liner pools and are removing them and installing a new fiberglass pool. It’s adding about 5-10k in the installation cost, depending on how big the existing concrete pool was.

The biggest expense, if you’re not putting a new one in, would be all the landscaping after.

A current pool removal project - client’s old concrete pool

SP: Where can people learn more about your work, get in touch, ask their burning pool questions?

MG: Visit us on our website bellevague.ca, we’re on facebook, instagram or come in person at the shop.

SP: Thank you for joining me today Matt!!

Post production Note:

I checked out Bellevague’s online appointment tool and I could put in a photo of my backyard of my rental property to see what it would look like with a pool!

My wife wants to move back there now. Wish me luck.

Here’s the link to try it out with your own backyard. First fill out the form to plan the free showroom visit and there will be an option to add your backyard photo!

I’ve learnt a lot about pools in nearly a decade in real estate and love getting more information from experts on all facets of homeownership!