Two contractors, side by side.
Reviewed by the GTA Pool Contractors editorial teamLast reviewed How we research
What matters most?
Comparison updates as you choose. Nothing is sent to a server; the pair stays in the URL so you can share it.
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How the verdict works
Three facts, one transparent rule.
The tool does not have an opinion about workmanship, and it cannot see a contract. It compares what the records and the companies' own websites say.
- 01
Service match
If only one company lists the job you chose, that is the one the tool names. A company quoting outside its advertised services is a bad start.
- 02
The fact you rank
If both list the job, the ranking is whichever fact you pick: review volume, star rating or how many services they list. You can change it and watch the answer change.
- 03
The limits
No inspection, no insurance or WSIB check, no price. A high review count is volume, not proof. The five questions below are what actually protect you.
Ask both
The same five checks, whichever one you pick.
These come from 640 comments in r/pools and r/swimmingpools. They cost nothing and they are easier before the deposit clears.
- 01
Get three quotes, then compare the line items.
The most repeated advice in the corpus, 40 comments deep. Three totals tell you nothing when one quote leaves out the heater; three itemised quotes tell you what the job actually costs.
- 02
Read the exclusions, not the headline.
39 comments were about scope and change orders. The gap between the quote and the invoice is usually something the contract never named — decking, fencing, the gas hookup, or what happens if the dig hits rock.
- 03
Find out who digs, and who finishes.
The crew that excavates is often not the crew that closes the job, and owners describe the handoff as where communication and quality slip. Ask for the names, and the dates, in the contract.
- 04
Ask for the certificate, not the logo.
Ontario has no general pool-builder licence. Ask for liability insurance, a WSIB clearance certificate and, for gas work, TSSA registration. Twenty comments on this, same answer every time: get the document.
- 05
Keep the last payment until you are satisfied.
The deposits thread is small but consistent — money out before the work, and the leverage goes with it. Pay in stages, hold back a meaningful final payment, and never e-transfer a deposit to a personal name.
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