Ask any pool designer or builder out there how they got into the industry, and I'm willing to bet money that they'll tell you that it was some sort of unintentional, fortuitous accident. And to be clear, my answer is no different. But I do think that my story is an interesting one...

The home renovation industry is currently valued somewhere between $575 - $600 billion. And with so much money to be made, this also means that our market is full of predatory contractors crafting dishonest schemes to get their hands on it. I want to tell you a story about one of them, and by the time I’m done, you’re going to know exactly how to protect yourself from them and from other builders just like them.

If you’re shopping for a new in-ground pool, you’re currently trying to learn as much as you can about the costs of building a pool. This...