More People Seem to Be Getting in the Swim

The owner of Designer Pools West of Simi Valley has constructed and remodeled pools in Ventura County since 1987. Over that time, he has seen demand rise and plummet.

With the economy now on the upswing, Mead said, so, too, is his business. But he doesn’t expect to see sales climb to previous highs any time soon.

“We’re up probably 20% in volume over last year--I’d have to say that’s the general economic climate,” said Mead, whose company has built about 25 pools this year.

“We’re comfortable, but we’ll never get rich,” he said. “One problem I’ve seen is in the ‘80s, new construction is what drove our business and this spurt we’re having now, we’re not seeing the pools built at the rate they were before.”

The Ventura County swimming pool market was at its peak in the 1980s, Mead said. From 1991 to 1993, as with many other businesses, the industry sank, with Mead’s production volume dropping about 50%.

Mead said swimming pools in Ventura County generally range from $20,000 to $30,000 for low-end models, $30,000 to $60,000 for mid-range models and $60,000 and up for upscale pools. Designer Pools West falls into the $40,000 to $60,000 range.

Part of the problem for his company, Mead said, is that the mid-range swimming pool market is not growing as quickly as the lower end.

“A lot of tracts we see going in are real small lots, lower-end homes than in our heyday,” Mead said. “We’re not really in that niche, so it kind of knocks us out.”

Another concern for Mead is growing competition. In the past 1 1/2 years, he said, almost a dozen new pool builders have opened for business in the county.

One of the newer builders in the area is Steve Luttbeg, owner-manager of Blue Haven Pools--the Ventura County franchise of the San Diego-based Blue Haven corporation.

Luttbeg has been encouraged by what he has seen since starting his business in November.

“We are exceeding our expectations,” Luttbeg said. “This is pretty much a custom pool area. We don’t do a lot of cookie-cutter, plain vanilla pools.”

Luttbeg said his company has built about 35 pools in the $18,000 to $80,000 range this year. He expects sales to stay strong.

“I think with the real estate market settling down and with interest rates [improving] and financing available, these are the right conditions for any type of home,” Luttbeg said.

Mary Puccio, owner of Swimming Pools Etc. of Moorpark, likewise equated new homes with new pools.

Puccio, who has been in business for 15 years, said 1997 has been about average, but business seems to be picking up just a bit.

Along with the increase in new housing, Puccio credited the absence of earthquakes and other natural disasters for the slight increase in pool construction.

And she said advanced technology in the pool industry--including automated chlorination and specialized surfaces--also has helped.

“People are always curious about the new technology,” said Puccio, whose pools average about $25,000. “It’s selling a little better than it used to.”