Pools
Decks
Retaining Walls
Fencing
Paving
Earthworks
Miscellaneous
Index
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FAQ
Questions
General
- Does TLC charge for a
quote?
- How do I get a quote from TLC?
- Why does TLC
use an answering service?
Pools
- Is
there anything I should know regarding pools?
- How much does a pool cost?
- How much does
renovating a pool cost?
- Is power
connection part of TLC's contract?
- What
warranty does TLC provide on their pools?
- Which
is better, a fiberglass or concrete pool?
- What water features
can TLC offer?
- Does
TLC have a range of styles to choose from?
- How long does it take TLC to build a pool?
- Do I need a pool fence?
- How is a pool measured?
- Do you offer pool packages?
- How much access does TLC need?
Decks
- How much does a deck cost?
Retaining Walls
- How much does a
retaining wall cost?
Always remember that
"good work" is never cheap, and "cheap work" is never good.
General Answers
- Does TLC charge for a
quote? - Answer: No, TLC does not charge to meet with
clients, carry out preliminary site inspections and then create a
quotation and/or suggestions for projects for clients. Note however,
this is in regards to a quotation only, clients who require plans,
formal designs or feasibility studies, are charged accordingly, but
only after discussion with those clients.
- How do I get a quote from TLC? - A: Either use the
contact form on our website, or phone 40317888 give our message
centre your details. The relevant person will be contacted depending
on what the quote is for, and we will then call you back to arrange
a time to meet with you at your property to discuss your ideas, look
at any plans or sketch's you may have, and to inspect your property
for access and location of your project. We will then send you a
written quotation by email (or regular mail if preferred).
- Why does TLC
use an answering service? - A: All the staff at TLC are
actively involved in the construction industry. This means that most
days from the early hours till dark, we are all either on work
sites, travelling between sites, on the Tablelands out of mobile
range, or with clients etc. Most people do not like calling mobile
phone numbers, and the extra cost that can incur. The answering
service has live operators 24 hours 7 days a week who can take a
brief message and contact details, then email or SMS the relevant
staff member that the call relates to.
Pool Answers
- Is
there anything I should know regarding pools? - A:
Yes indeed. Please click here for reference material TLC believes is
important regarding pools.
- How much does a pool cost?
- Answer: Many factors go into determining the cost of a
pool. They include location and/or associated difficulties or
access, council and/or engineering fees as well as labour costs and
materials required for a particular project. Other variables include
size, depth, water features or additional accessories such as water
slides. After consulting with a client, and learning exactly what is
required or expected in a project, TLC can supply an accurate
quotation. It is always better, if you have a limited budget for
your project, to inform TLC of both this fact and all items of your
project during initial meetings, so we may offer alternative
suggestions and/or ideas to give you the most within your budget. In
these cases, it is usually best to get TLC to quote all facets of
your project, which in itself will reduce your costs, as you will
not have separate contractors bringing in the same type of equipment
at different times to carry out the work they require, and hence
reduce the overall costs to you. As a rough guide, a standard pool
with no major difficulties like access etc. will be around $1150 per
lineal metre measured around the coping.
- How much does
renovating a pool cost? - A: How long is a piece of
string? There are so many factors that can either make the project
inexpensive or expensive, there is no way of answering this
question. Each reno/restoration is a job that has to be fully
inspected before a quotation can be offered. It can range from about
$1500 upward.
- Is power
connection part of TLC's contract? - A: Not in a standard
quote. Almost all pool builders do not get involved with
electrical/power installation, for the reasons: electricians are a
separate trade, the client needs to ascertain where they want the
power run, and how many power points (we recommend a minimum of two)
they want installed. It is best to deal directly with an
electrician, as they will be able to discuss legal requirements etc,
and it is possible you may have other work you want done at the same
time. TLC can recommend electricians if you do not know one.
- What
warranty does TLC provide on their pools? - A: TLC gives
a 10 year structural warranty on all pool and spa shells. This
covers all the structural components of the shell construction.
Third party products supplied by us generally have the warranty that
the individual manufacturer or supplier gives. Because the more
years you enjoy your pool without problems, the better our
reputation becomes, (TLC as a company succeeds by reputation and
personal referral) your warranty is also transferable to a new
owner, a useful selling point if you decide to sell your home, and
to our knowledge at the time of writing, we are the only pool
builder in Australia that offers a transferable warranty.
- Which
is better, a fiberglass or concrete pool? - A: Fiberglass
and concrete swimming pools generally cost about the same to install
for both residential and commercial clients, however unlike
fiberglass, concrete allows TLC to individually design your pool
shape and layout which will suit the most extravagant personal taste
to the most difficult backyard topography. In an established
backyard a concrete pool is usually ready for use in about six to
eight weeks (excluding things beyond the control of TLC like the
weather), and can be landscaped immediately, whereas because a
fiberglass pool is inserted into a hole, then pipe-work is
completed, and finally the hole is backfilled, you are advised not
to contemplate paving or solid landscaping beside the pool for some
period of time, depending on the soil in your area (clients with
high sand content soil are usually advised not to pave for at least
12 to 18 months after pool completion) until the surrounding soil
has compacted and stopped moving. Ultimately, the decision of
concrete or fiberglass is up to the taste of the individual client,
and TLC often builds decks, paving or other landscaping around both
concrete and fiberglass pools installed by other companies.
- What water features
can TLC offer? - A TLC can design and construct
waterfalls with either spray or sheet fall effects, fountains and
rock waterfalls (the most popular), simple rock features, water
slides, spa seats with either air and/or water jets, and pretty much
anything else you can think of or dream up. Solar Pool heating is
also an addition that will save you money on heating costs,
especially useful for customers up on the Tablelands.
- Does
TLC have a range of styles to choose from? - A: No.
Because TLC specialises in free form concrete pool construction, we
can create any size or shape possible. There is not even an average
or common style as such, as every client has different requirements
or ideas of what they want to see in their finished pool. The
possibilities are truly endless, only bounded by your imagination,
and how much you intend to spend of course.
- How long does it take TLC to build a pool? - A: It
generally takes about 6 to 8 weeks, however this depends on
difficulty involved with the project or location, and time delays
beyond the control of TLC, like weather, planning approval delays
due to hill-slope shadow or other caveats or easements etc.
- Do I need a pool fence? - A: Yes. Pool and spa owners are
required by law to have a fence or safety barrier around their pool
or spa. TLC cannot fill your pool or spa until fencing is in place.
You can either install the fence yourself, hire a fencing
contractor, or TLC can install your fencing whilst constructing your
pool. Be aware, some fencing contractors are extremely busy, and
though they may tell you they will install your fence when you need
it, often when that time comes, they are too busy, and you are put
on a waiting list. For this reason, many of TLC's clients prefer us
to build their fences, as we will co-ordinate the timing of the
fence construction with our other works to prevent delays.
- How is a pool measured? -
A: Our pools are measured from outside of wall, or in other
words, the size of the excavated hole. As full builders (not limited
to pool construction only), this is the size all our steel and
concrete costings are based on, as this is what we are actually
building. No one should ever measure from outside of coping, but we
are aware some pool builders are doing this to try and save a bit on
costs as steel and concrete have risen quite a bit over the years.
Similar to house construction costs are based on the floor area, not
the roof area which would include the eaves.
- Do you offer pool packages? - A: Yes. Because TLC are
full builders, and not restricted to only pools like most other pool
builders, We can offer landscaping, fencing, decks, paving, gazibo's,
even re-contouring of your property if required. If you tell us all
the aspects of your vision, we can quote on the total project, or
only the parts you want us to build.
- How much access does TLC need? - A: Normally, we require
a minimum of 3 metres, to allow for both the excavator and the
trucks to remove the excavated soil. We can use as little as 1 metre
of access if limited, and use our mini-excavator, however this will
affect the cost of the excavation slightly, as we then have to use a
mini-bobcat to remove the excavated material before loading onto
trucks. This of course lengthens our construction time too.
Deck Answers
- How much does a deck cost?
- Answer: As with pool costs above, many factors go into
determining the cost of a deck. They include location, height,
associated difficulties or access, council and/or engineering fees
as well as labor costs and materials (type of timber for example)
required for a particular project. Other variables include size,
shape, whether it is to follow for example the edge of a free form
pool or gardens etc. After consulting with a client, and learning
exactly what is required or expected in a project, TLC can supply an
accurate quotation. It is always better, if you have a limited
budget for your project, to inform TLC of both this fact and all
items of your project during initial meetings, so we may offer
alternative suggestions and/or ideas to give you the most within
your budget. For example, do you need roof, handrails and/or steps.
In these cases, it is usually best to get TLC to quote all facets of
your project, which in itself will reduce your costs, as you will
not have separate contractors bringing in the same type of equipment
or repeating certain jobs at different times to carry out the work
they require, and hence reduce the overall costs to you. As a rough
guide, a standard deck with no extra's or major difficulties like
access etc. will be around $250 to $350 per square metre dependant
on timber used.
Retaining Wall Answers
- How much does a
retaining wall cost? - Answer: With the same caveats as
above for pool and deck costs, a rough guide is $200 - $800 per
square metre depending on materials from timber through to rendered
block walls.
Always remember that
"good work" is never cheap, and "cheap work" is never good.
Don't YOU deserve a
little TLC?
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