John: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another edition of the Aloha Pools and Spas Deep Dive podcast. I’m John, along with Brad. Brad, who do we have today?
Brad: Today we have a new customer, Brennan Smith. We were talking last week about needing more customer testimonials, but really more about the journey. It’s easy, if you build 200 pools a year, to find two or three people who’ll say nice things about you. So this isn’t about “Aloha is the greatest thing ever.” It’s about Brennan’s actual experience. Brennan reached out to me back in June or July, on a Friday evening. Anytime someone inquires through our website, they get an email from me with my cell phone number, because I like to stay available. My wife and I own a motel up at Kentucky Lake, and I was serving wine at an event there when Brennan started texting me. It wasn’t too busy, so we went back and forth and got a lot done that night. What was it that made you decide you were ready to pursue the pool?
Brennan: My husband and I had been talking about getting a pool for three or four years. I’m a deep thinker, so I kept finding reasons to say it wasn’t the right time. But one weekend we were sitting outside; it was so hot, and our twin boys are six now. My husband asked if we were ready, and I said yes. My kids can swim now, so safety wasn’t as much of a worry. In that moment, I knew if I didn’t reach out right then, I’d talk myself out of it again.
Brad: So you weren’t going to wait around for a callback. You got right on it, and I happened to be available. It was a real pleasure helping you get to where you are now.
John: Walk us through the research and planning before you got started.
Brennan: I knew I wanted a deep end, a good layout for hanging out, and something that would make my kids want to be at our house as they get older. I wanted the pool to be big enough to host multiple kids down the road. So I looked at a lot of photos on pool websites and Pinterest, and built my own idea of what I wanted. I knew I wanted a tanning shelf. Then I found a photo on Aloha’s page of a pool a previous customer had built, and that became our starting point. We tweaked it from there, moved the steps, put the shelf on the right side.
John: What made you choose Aloha specifically?
Brennan: I looked at a couple of other pool companies first, checking their history and how long they’d been in business. I loved that Aloha had over 20 years of experience and so many good reviews.
Brad: Thirty-six years now, actually. My family’s been doing this since 1969, when my dad built our first pool and I was three years old.
Brennan: I also talked to neighbors who’d had pools built elsewhere. Every one of them said if they could go back, they’d have used Aloha. My aunt, who’d had a pool built in Cerseier, said the same thing. That confirmation is what made me settle on you all.
John: Was there anything you’d have done differently with your own pool?
Brennan: We absolutely love it, we haven’t missed a day in it. My kids were swimming before the filter system was even fully installed. If I could change one thing, I’d have added a little more concrete to the back of the pool. Our electrician actually added extra conduit so we could expand the concrete later if we want to. When you’re marking it out with a tape measure, four feet doesn’t look like much, but it plays differently once it’s built.
Brad: We hear that a lot. People want six feet, and if budget’s a factor, I tell them four feet is walkable but six feet actually gives you room to do something with the space. No one’s ever told us they poured too much concrete. For you, it came down to staying within budget, which is completely reasonable. If you ever want to add on, just talk to us first so we can make it look intentional rather than tacked on.
Brennan: I’d definitely be interested in that. The concrete work itself, the brushed finish, looks beautiful.
John: Was anything about the construction process surprising?
Brennan: I’d been warned about the “hurry up and wait” part, but I didn’t expect five days to feel like a month. In reality, it moved quickly, but once the hole was dug, all we could think about was the finished pool. The mess that first day was intense too, dirt piles everywhere, but the cleanup crew went above and beyond. By the time they were done, it looked immaculate.
Brad: We try to stay a day or two ahead of our digging and building crews so nobody’s sitting around waiting, but that gap can still feel long in the heat of summer. Sometimes it’s four or five days, sometimes two weeks depending on the season.
John: What advice would you give someone just starting their own pool journey?
Brennan: If you’re financing, like we did, you may get routed to a different bank even with good credit. It’ll feel like handing over your whole life story in paperwork, but that’s not a bad sign, they’re just working to get you the best rate. Also, budget beyond the pool itself. If you’re spending $80,000 on the pool, set aside another $5,000 to $6,000 for the electrician. Think about furniture too, we didn’t budget for that ourselves. Having a clear plan for everything, not just the pool, is some of the best advice I can give.
Brad: We could do a better job helping customers budget for things like fencing and landscaping upfront, since the yard is often left as dirt after construction.
Brennan: We’d already done our landscaping beforehand, so we skipped some of that mess, but it’s definitely something to plan for if you haven’t.
John: Any final thoughts before we wrap up?
Brennan: We’re enjoying every moment of it. I loved working with Aloha and the communication throughout. I’m a call-and-talk kind of person, and that made everything smooth. We’re looking forward to using the pool through November.
Brad: With the heater and cooler you got, you’ll likely get good use out of it through mid-October. Just know that once nights get really cold, the heat pump will start freezing and thawing, and it’ll become less effective. Wanted to manage those expectations here on the podcast.
Brad: Brennan, thank you so much. Great customers like you aren’t something every business is lucky enough to have, and we appreciate you.
Brennan: Thank you. I appreciate you all too.
Brad: Here’s to many summers watching those twins grow up. Enjoy the moment, it goes by fast.John: And that’s another edition of the Aloha Pools and Spas Deep Dive podcast. If you’re a current or former Aloha customer and want to share your story, even a rough experience, reach out. We’re about transparency, and we want to hear it all.
