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—Building a new pool

Pool construction payment stages

A pool build should be paid in stages that follow completed work, so the money and the progress stay in step.

A pool is paid for in stages rather than all at once, and the stages should follow the work: a deposit to start, then payments as each stage — excavation, shell, finishes, equipment — is completed. That keeps the money in step with the progress, so neither side is over-exposed.

Construction guides follow a new pool from the first idea to the first swim, so each stage is easier to plan and to question.

The schedule is agreed before work starts and written into the contract, with each stage defined by what is completed, not by a date. A retention held until the pool is handed over and snagged gives the final check a reason to be taken seriously.

01Summary

What matters most here

  • Stages follow work

    Payments are tied to completed stages, not to dates.

  • The schedule is agreed first

    Each stage and its amount is written into the contract before work starts.

  • A retention at the end

    A final amount held until handover and snagging are complete.

02Detail

What a payment schedule covers

  • The deposit

    A payment to secure the job and start the work.

  • Stage payments

    Amounts released as each stage — excavation, shell, finishes, equipment — completes.

  • The retention

    A final amount held until the pool is handed over and any snags are closed.

03Before you start

Before agreeing a schedule

  • Define each stage

    What must be completed before each payment is due.

  • Match money to progress

    Whether the largest payments follow the largest completed work.

  • Agree the retention

    How much is held until handover and how snags are closed.

—In practice

How to use this

Agree the schedule before work starts, with each stage defined by what is completed rather than a date. Keep the deposit to what secures the job and starts it, match the larger payments to the larger completed work, and hold a retention until handover and snagging are done.

Mistakes worth avoiding

A large deposit up front
Paying most of the build before it starts over-exposes you. Stages keep the money in step with the progress.
No retention
Without a retention held until handover, the final snagging has no reason to be completed properly.

04FAQ

Common questions about this

How is a pool build usually paid?
In stages that follow completed work, with a deposit to start and a retention held until handover. The exact schedule is agreed before work begins.
Should I pay a large deposit?
The deposit should be enough to secure the job and start it, not the whole build. The stages that follow keep the money in step with the progress.
What is the retention for?
It is an amount held until the pool is handed over and any snags are closed, so the final check has a reason to be taken seriously.

05Read next

More pool guides on this

Filed under new pool construction. Every pool guide is listed on the pool guides page.

—NEXT

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