A pool is one of the larger things you will have built at a property, and it is mostly buried by the time anything goes wrong. The questions below are not about catching anyone out — they are about making sure both sides agreed on the same job.
1. What exactly is in the quotation, and what is not?
Excavation, disposal of spoil, the shell, waterproofing, the finish, coping, plant and pipework, lighting, electrical connection, filling, commissioning, landscaping and making good. Ask for the list, and ask what has been excluded.
2. Who is responsible for approvals?
Get it in writing which side handles any permission the property or community needs, and what happens to the programme if one is delayed.
3. What are the payment stages tied to?
Payments should follow completed stages, not dates in a calendar. A stage you can see and check — shell poured, waterproofing tested, tiling complete — is a stage worth paying for.
4. Will the pool be water-tested before tiling?
Ask when, and for how long it will be held. This is the one check that cannot be repeated later without removing the finish.
5. Who is actually on site?
Directly employed teams or subcontractors, and who supervises day to day. Neither answer is wrong. Not knowing is.
6. What is the plant, and can it be serviced here?
Pump, filter, and any heating or dosing. Ask what the brands are and whether parts are available in the UAE. A cheaper set that cannot be serviced locally is not cheaper.
7. What happens after handover?
What is covered, for how long, and what would void it. Ask for it in writing — a verbal assurance is not something you can hold anyone to a year later.
8. Can I see a pool you finished more than two years ago?
New work photographs well. What tells you about a contractor is a pool that has been through a few summers.
If a contractor answers all eight without hesitating, that in itself tells you something. If the answers are vague, that is worth more than any brochure.