Pool industry is at a nascent stage in India : A lot of unqualified players participate in the construction of only a couple of pools and think they have arrived! They commit to projects without knowing the scope of the undertaking.

Initially, you will be given a certain figure; this is to get their foot in the door. But you can be sure, by the time your pool is up and working, your costs would have grown 50 per cent!

You are deliberately kept in the dark : If you as a pool owner know the right questions to ask, would you quietly accept whatever is given to you? We think, not.

A lot of companies look at customers as a cash cow to be milked constantly for the organisation's growth. So, why would they want to empower you with the knowledge to demand the most efficient solutions

Lack of regulatory or licensing authorities : At the moment, the pool industry in India is unstructured. There is no regulatory or licensing authority. There are also no clear guidelines to follow. So, anyone can twist the process to suit their goals of making profit

The prime reason why water needs to be changed so frequently is faulty pool structure. Imagine a leaky bath tub. Wouldn't you constantly be filling it with fresh water? Same here.

If you build for seepages and leakages, you are building for constant water drain. And to top the trouble, you would again have to constantly keep adding chemicals to maintain the free residual chlorine and ph levels of the water.

In either of the cases (faulty filtration or poor design), you end up changing the water of the pool every week or fortnight. You might as well build two efficient pools with the same amount.

You become the proud owner of a pool which is always riddled with dirt and potential diseases Your pool would consume high amounts of electricity to run the pump for the filter longer.

And just to add to the problems, should you decide to sanitize the pool; you end up dumping too many chemicals into the water.

But, obviously, now you have no choice but to change the water

Sadly, with a badly done pool, there isnt much that can be done. One would have to do the whole thing again.

Your pool is only as good as the professional you choose.

And how do you make sure that your choice of builder is worth the investment? We have put together a few points for you to get an idea of the right questions to ask while making a final choice.

• What are the completed projects that the professional you are considering show you?
  How can they ensure that these pools are up to the mark?
• What latest energy- and cost-efficient methods are they equipped with and how well are they updated with the latest in the pool industry?
• Can they get you to speak to their clients?
  What is the feedback the clients share with you? How often do the clients have to change the water in their pool?
• Do consider the pool builder's credentials - how are they rated among the peers and vendors in the industry?