Florida Pool Pro
sm
• March 2014
11
DIGGING UP IDEAS
By Steve Hackl, Hackl Pool Construction /
General contractors and pool construction
Due to the fact that no one, that I am
aware of, has asked the municipalities to
prove in writing what the limitations are
on a general contractor’s license for pool
construction, it can be unclear.
Here is what is considered standard
operating procedure in my area. The
general contractor can pull the master
permit in which all other subcontractors
under him pull their sub permits. Our
municipalities require the most valuable
contractor to act as the master. If there
is no G.C. assigned to a job then the pool
contractor will normally act as the master;
they just want to know who to point the
finger at if something goes wrong or
someone complains, as well as who to bill
for the permits.
If there is a G.C. on the project, he or
she must have the following subcontractors
pull permits under them to complete a
standard swimming pool. An electrician
for all bonding, electrical conduits and
high voltage work to be completed on the
project; no one else can do these items as
per our municipalities. A plumber to hook
up potable, whether it is to an auto fill or a
manual fill line (one or the other is required
by our local municipalities), as well as gas
if needed on the project. The swimming
pool contractor only has to run the pool/
spa/fountain piping and install its operating
equipment. The general contractor can do
any and all of the rest of the structural work
whether the vessel is in the ground or on
the 50
th
story of a high rise building.
This is the world that I live in and I
receive calls on a regular basis due to the
fact that the G.C. who ran the job used
trades to accomplish different phases of
the project who were not pool contractors.
A very common reoccurring issue comes
from home tile and marble fabricators
and installers. Some of the problems I
have seen have been associated with
waterproofing, others with setting/grouting
methods, as well as materials chosen
for finishes. Some of these associated
trades have no idea what happens when
you submerge materials permanently and
constantly barrage themwith chemicals the
way we have to in order to sanitize pools
properly.
It has always been a battle, as far as I
am concerned, with a pool contractor being
thought of as just a guy who digs a hole
and fills it up with water. In today’s day
and age just to build a cement pond we are
now computer technicians, programmers,
gas technicians, iron workers, concrete
finishers, tile installers, plasters, stone
masons, service technicians, chemical
technicians, filtration experts, and heating
technicians. If you run a pool/service
business you either do these items or pay
someone else to do them for you in order
to exist. That to me does not sound like
some dumb guy who digs a hole and fills
it up with water.
According to Jen Hatfield, FSPA
government relations consultant, Florida
Statute 489.113(3)(c) provides that “A
general contractor shall not be required
to subcontract structural swimming pool
work. All other swimming pool work
shall be subcontracted to an appropriate
licensed certified or registered swimming
pool contractor.” The specific answer to
the question of where the line is drawn
regarding where a G.C. can start and stop
has not been asked of the CILB. As for now
this all we have to go on. In my opinion, I
say we ask the question to the CILB to see
what a G.C. can legally do under his license
or subcontract out to the others outside of
the swimming pool licensed contractors.
