When we first talked about getting a pool I knew we would have to work hard to reduce the impact of it because let's face it they aren't exactly eco-friendly. I could tell you that we are going to offset it by traveling less and staying home more but the reality is that I can not make that promise. We have a serious case of the travel bug and while having a pool will mean we will stay home in the summer it isn't going to mean that we won't want to get away other times in the year. So as we started this project I made sure I was really aware of the decisions we were making and how they would impact the environment. Over the next several weeks I am going to walk you through our project and the decisions we made on this project including project planning, salt vs chlorine, vinyl vs fibre glass, accessories and energy efficiency.
The first step for us was picking a contractor that thought the same way as us with this project. We interviewed several companies and I can honestly say that I knew who we were going to go with within 5 minutes of meeting them. He didn't smirk as I asked my million green questions. He gave us real answers, some which I probably didn't want to hear but nonetheless he was honest with us. I straight up asked him which of each option we were looking at was more eco-friendly and he gave me answers that showed me he knew what he was talking about. The icing on the cake for me was that he didn't bring shiny colourful brochures for us. He brought his PlayBook and showed us online what options there were and examples of his work.
For us it was important to work with someone who took pride in their work because that means that they will take the time to do it right the first time resulting is less wasted materials. After lots of research and discussion we realized that we would get this sort of service going with a smaller local family run business. And I love that about this project. I also love that he has given us advice on how to continue to update our outdoor landscape in a sustainable manner.
Top things to look for in a pool contractor
* You want someone who treats your green questions seriously
* Experience in things like solar heating, high efficiency pumps
* Small green behaviours in your interactions with them
* Local...trust me
* Experience in general. Read reviews, look them up on the BBB, talk to people.
Top questions to ask a pool contractor
* What green aspects can and have they integrated into a pool?
* Can you upgrade to more energy efficient products?
* What happens with all the waste?
* How can you reduce the impact of day to day operation of your pool?
* Where do they get their materials? Is it local?
* What is their opinion on salt vs chlorine or vinyl vs fibre glass?
Can't wait to share more about this project and how it is turning out!
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You raised such a good point about choosing someone who will take your concerns seriously. We renovated our basement last year and finding a contractor who would listen to me, not make me feel like some crazy green mom, and also be willing to find out the answers was key to a happy and more eco-friendly reno.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the pool. :)