“Some of these guys, you know, you get a taillight warranty. Once you can’t see their taillights anymore, you’re not going to see them anymore.”
This swimming pool contractor was describing what happens to roughly 30% of pool renovation projects in the Bay Area.
You’ve probably heard the stories. Your neighbor’s contractor who vanished mid-project with a $20,000 deposit. The HOA down the street stuck with a half-demolished pool and no recourse. The friend who’s been trying to get warranty work done for two years from a company that no longer answers its phone.
Here’s what actually happens when a pool contractor disappears—and more importantly, how to spot the ones who will.
The Cash Flow House of Cards
Most homeowners don’t realize they’re financing other people’s pools.
Smaller pool companies are often “…collecting a check from one job to pay for the other phase on another job they’re working on.” Your deposit doesn’t buy your materials. It finishes someone else’s project. Their deposit starts yours.
And when that musical chairs game stops—when one customer doesn’t pay or disputes the work—the whole system collapses.
You’re left with a hole in your backyard and a contractor who’s stopped returning calls.
The subcontractor problem makes it worse.
When your contractor vanishes, you might think you can just work directly with their tile guy or plaster crew. Most often, there’s a lot of finger-pointing between the subcontractor and the pool company that hired them.
The subs haven’t been paid. They won’t finish your pool for free. And legally, your contract isn’t with them anyway.
Why Pool Contractors Disappear (It’s Not Always Intentional)
Companies without “the financial history and the wherewithal to handle any project” operate on the edge of disaster every day. One bad month, one disputed payment, one unexpected expense, and they’re gone.
Adams has seen the aftermath firsthand. They’ve repaired hundreds of cracked pools—including their own from decades ago when the industry didn’t understand Bay Area’s expansive soil issues.
The Adams team recently fixed a pool at Pacific Union College with 166 feet of cracks that required complete structural repair. Another South Bay family came to them after their previous contractor’s work left “white splotches where plaster had flaked off” with no one to honor the warranty.
These aren’t stories from the 1980s. This is happening right now.
The Three-Week Test
If a contractor can’t answer these three questions, their warranty isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on:
- Where is your physical office I can visit? Not a P.O. box. Not “We work out of our trucks.” An actual location where you can show up if there’s a problem.
- How many employees have been with you 5+ years? High turnover means instability. When the economy shifts, these companies shed workers—and customers—first.
- Can you show me warranty work you’ve completed from 3+ years ago? Anyone can promise a 10-year warranty. But can they show you receipts from actually honoring it?
If they dodge any of these questions, you’re not buying a warranty. You’re buying a promise from someone who might not exist next year.
What a Real Warranty Looks Like
Here’s what a quality swimming pool building and renovation company actually puts in writing:
- Gunite remodels: 5 Year Warranty
- Tile & Coping: 3 Year Warranty
- Pebble Plus Products: 10 Year Warranty
- All-tile Interior: 10 Year Warranty
- New construction: Lifetime Structural Warranty (because they use stronger steel schedules—65 PSF vs. the standard 55 PSF)
But warranties are only as good as the company backing them.
Adams has been around since 1953. That’s 71 years of honoring warranties through recessions, construction booms, and industry consolidation. They employ 340+ people directly—not subcontractors—with 50 of them having worked there over 30 years.
Adams maintains California License #726779. Nevada License #47958. Full insurance including Workers Comp, General Liability, and a Contractors Bond.
Physical showrooms in Pleasanton, San Jose, and Las Vegas where you can walk in and talk to a human being.
This is what stability looks like.
The Deposit Danger Zone
Fly-by-night contractors often ask for 40-50% deposits upfront. They need your money to finish someone else’s pool. Established companies like Adams typically work with smaller deposits or progress payments tied to actual work completion.
If someone’s asking for half the money before they’ve moved a single piece of equipment onto your property, you’re not their customer. You’re their bank.
California law actually limits deposits to $1,000 or 10% of the project cost (whichever is less) for most home improvement projects. Many pool contractors don’t follow this. The stable ones don’t need to violate it.
Red Flags That Should Make You Run
Based on what we see in the industry, here’s your checklist of warning signs:
- No physical address on their website (just city names and phone numbers)
- Only cell phone numbers (no office line)
- No license number displayed (or a license that doesn’t verify on state websites)
- “Limited time” pressure tactics (“This price is only good today”)
- No photos of actual crew members (just stock photos of pools)
- Unwilling to provide insurance certificates
- Bad-mouthing specific competitors (legitimate companies compete on merit)
- Offering to “save you money” by skipping permits
Any one of these might be explainable. Three or more? That’s a pattern.
The Questions That Could Save You $50,000
Before you sign anything, ask:
“What happens if you’re not in business in five years?”
Watch their face. A company planning to exist will have an answer. They’ll talk about their history, their employees, and their succession planning.
A company living project-to-project will deflect the question, or make it about price.
“Can I visit a job you’re currently working on?”
Legitimate contractors have active job sites with actual employees wearing company shirts, driving company trucks, using professional equipment. Fly-by-night operations have random crews in personal vehicles.
“What percentage of your work is warranty work versus new projects?”
Companies that honor warranties budget for them. It should be 5-10% of their work. If they claim they never have warranty issues, they’re either lying or they don’t honor them when they arise.
Your Pool Is a $50,000 Bet. Place It Wisely.
The difference between a contractor with a “taillight warranty” and one with actual backing isn’t usually that much money—maybe 10-15% on a typical project. On a $50,000 pool renovation, you might save $5,000 by going with the guy working out of his truck.
But when that $45,000 pool needs $15,000 in repairs two years later—and no one’s answering the phone—you didn’t save anything.
You paid $60,000 for a $50,000 pool. And you’re still not done.
Adams Pool Solutions has been renovating and building pools in Northern California since 1953 and Las Vegas since 1994. Our warranties aren’t promises—they’re obligations backed by 340+ employees, multiple showrooms, and seven decades of continuous operation. When you’re ready for a warranty you can actually use five years from now, we’re here.
Call 800-675-0665 or contact us on our website to learn what a real warranty looks like.