Start by making the quotes comparable. A pool builder near me and a pool contractor near me might both send a number, but only an itemised one shows what you're paying for. Epic Watershapes' page says its price is itemised and holds, not a range and not a figure over the phone.

Below is how to line quotes up side by side, using Epic's published starting prices and process as the yardstick. The page gives real numbers, which makes it a handy reference even if you end up choosing someone else.

What are the starting numbers to measure against?

Epic's page says a new custom gunite pool generally starts around $60,000, and a full remodel or resurfacing project around $20,000. Treat those as markers for the low end, not as a quote. They give you something to hold a vague number up against.

The real figure, the page says, turns on size, depth, finish, water features, deck area and access to the yard. If you're reading results for a pool builder near me, check that each quote says how those were handled, because without that it's hard to compare with the next one.

Is it a range or an itemised price?

A range feels friendly and tells you almost nothing. Epic says it gives a 3D design and an itemised price that holds, free and yours to keep whether or not you build with them. Ask other companies if they'll do the same.

The 72 hour clock starts after the site visit, not after you first call. The page says the visit measures the lot, access, setbacks and equipment run. So a company that quotes from a phone call alone has skipped the four things Epic says move the price.

Does the quote include approvals and engineering?

Epic says engineering and permit drawings are included in new pool construction, along with spas, sun shelves, water features, deck and coping where you want them. Check that every quote on your table says the same. An item missing from one quote makes the comparison unfair.

Approvals matter too. The page puts design, engineering, HOA or club approval and municipal permitting at 4 to 12 weeks, and says Epic prepares the engineering and permit drawings and the HOA package. Ask who does that in the other quotes, and who chases the plan reviewer.

How much does the yard change the number?

A lot, per the page. Whether a rig can reach your yard, and what has to come out and go back, moves the number more than most design choices do. Two identical pools in two different yards can price very differently.

That's why Epic surveys access before it prices anything, and why it says the 72 hour number holds. When you compare, ask each company what it assumed about access. If the answer is nothing, you've found a gap.

What do budget bands tell you?

Epic's form asks for a budget in four bands: $60,000 to $100,000, $100,000 to $180,000, $180,000 to $250,000, and $250,000 and up, plus an option for people who need guidance. Those bands help you sanity check where your own number sits when every pool builder near me quotes it differently.

The lowest band lines up with the page's $60,000 starting figure for a new pool. The page doesn't say what each band buys, so that's my reading and not a promise. Still, picking a band forces you to decide what you're really comfortable spending.

Where do financing and packages fit?

The menu has a Financing page and a Pool Packages page, and the footer form mentions free 3D design and financing options. The front page gives no rates, terms or package contents. Get those in writing before you compare monthly numbers.

One more thing to line up: finish. PebbleTec and quartz interior finishes are both on Epic's list, and Epic is an Elite Builder with Pebble Technology International. Ask each company which finish its quote assumes, because that one choice can shift the total.

Who covers the work afterwards?

Epic says it holds the licence, CPC1460900, with engineering, permit, shell, finish and warranty under one contract. If a tile lifts in year two, the page says, there's no one else for Epic to blame. Ask every company who would be on the hook.

Credentials are easy to compare too. The page lists a BBB A+ rating, full insurance, and 125 five star reviews out of 126 across Google, Thumbtack and Angi. Look up the same things for each company on your list and see whose paperwork holds up.

How long should the work take?

Ask each company for a timeline in two parts. Epic's page gives 4 to 12 weeks for design, engineering, HOA or club approval and permitting, then 8 to 12 weeks of construction once approvals clear. A single vague answer hides the part that varies.

The approval part varies most, by town, and Epic says it tells you which window applies at the site visit. One reviewer said their Boca Raton pool took 6 weeks from the first dig to completion, though that's one customer's account.

Is a shared pool a different kind of quote?

Epic runs a separate commercial department for condominium and homeowner associations, clubs and hotels. It bids against your spec, gives the board one point of contact, and handles code compliance, inspection coordination and ongoing service contracts. If you manage a shared pool, a plain homeowner quote won't compare well.

What about a remodel quote?

A remodel quote needs its own checks. Anyone searching pool contractor near me for new plaster or tile should know Epic lists remodeling and resurfacing as one service, with new finish, tile, coping, equipment, structural repair or a full redesign of the shell and deck.

The page puts those projects at around $20,000 to start and notes that an aging pool gets more expensive every season it waits. Ask the pool contractor near me you're considering what's included, and whether the licence and warranty cover remodel work too.

So what makes quotes fair to compare?

Same yard, same finish, same scope, same timeline, itemised in writing. Epic's page gives you a licence number, a $60,000 and a $20,000 starting point, and a 72 hour itemised price to measure against. Hold any pool builder near me or pool contractor near me to that standard.