For a while there, from 2020 to 2022, backyard builders seemed to have the world’s disposable income all to themselves, and couldn’t build enough pools to sate the demand. But that was never going to last forever. Travel slowly got back on its feet, boats and RVs revved back up, and as those competitors took back their share of consumer luxury spending, the pool building market has come back to Earth. Our market remains strong by historical standards, but has become more competitive. The voices in this year’s report detail that state of affairs.
Here, we see a continued four-year trend of shortening backlogs for builders. Three years ago, over 60% of builders reported a backlog of six to 18 months. This spring, that number is 20%. At the same time, the percentage of builders with virtually no backlog increased from 9 to 45%.
Labor
Labor remains a major issue for construction companies. Construction companies use a variety of strategies to maintain their workforce, including promoting a better working environment and rewarding employees with cash.
Operations
Technology continues to shape the jobsite as computers/smartphones add intelligence to the supervisory role. Builders cited a wide variety of factors that are influencing the daily operations of pool building. All this takes place before a backdrop of rising prices and attenuated demand.
