Got a pool resurfacing quote? How to check it in Arizona.

One quote isn't a comparison

The Arizona Registrar of Contractors tells homeowners to get written estimates from at least three contractors and check their references. If you have one quote so far, a second and third are the fastest way to tell whether it's fair.

Free. Each request goes to up to three licensed local contractors who fit the job.

Get up to three more quotes to compare

Step 1: Check the price against current ranges

The table above gives the per-square-foot ranges. Your pool may be smaller or larger than 1,000 square feet of surface, so plug your length, width and depths into the cost calculator to get a range for your actual surface area.

If your quote is well above the range, look for extras like tile, coping, crack repair or a full chip-out (Step 2). If it's well below, ask what it leaves out.

Work out your pool's range with the calculator

Step 2: Make sure it itemizes the same lines as other bids

You can only compare quotes that cover the same work. Prep is a common reason quotes differ: Pool and Spa News explains that even a bond coat job needs a partial chip-out under the tile line and around fittings, and that pools with several old layers or hollow, delaminated plaster may need everything removed first. A full chip-out is much more labor, so a low quote that says bond coat and a higher one that says full chip-out aren't the same job. Ask each contractor why they chose their method for your pool.

1. Prep method: a bond coat over the old finish or a full chip-out down to the shell.
2. Finish: brand, product line and color.
3. Waterline tile and coping: replaced, repaired or left alone.
4. Draining and refilling, including who handles the water and how the pool gets refilled.
5. Startup: who brushes and balances the water after the fill, and for how long.
6. Warranties: the finish maker's material warranty and the installer's workmanship warranty, each with its length.

What to get in writing about the warranty

Step 3: Check what the written contract must list

In Arizona, a contract of more than $1,000 between a contractor and a property owner must be in writing (A.R.S. 32-1158). It must include:

1. The contractor's name, business address and license number.
2. Your name and mailing address, and the job address.
3. The date of the contract and the estimated completion date.
4. A description of the work.
5. The total price, including taxes.
6. Any deposit, and each progress payment with the stage it's due at.
7. A notice of your right to file a complaint with the Registrar of Contractors, with its phone number, website and complaint deadline, in at least 10-point bold type.

Pool resurfacing cost by finish

Step 4: Check the license and the payment terms

Both you and the contractor sign the contract, and you get a copy of everything you sign, plus a signed receipt for any cash. Compare the contract to the quote line by line before you sign.

Look the contractor up in the ROC's contractor search and make sure the license is active and its class covers pool work. The ROC also says never to pay in cash, to make checks payable to the company named in your signed contract, and not to let payments get ahead of the work.

Arizona has a 15% deposit cap for pools, but that law (A.R.S. 32-1158.01) covers the construction or installation of a new pool or spa, not resurfacing. For a resurfacing job the deposit is whatever your contract says, so read that line closely and tie later payments to stages you can see.

License classes and red flags in our contractor guide

Warning signs in a quote

1. No ROC license number on the quote or contract.
2. One lump-sum price with no prep method, finish line or warranty listed.
3. Cash only, or a large payment up front.
4. A door-to-door offer of cheap work (the ROC warns homeowners to avoid these).

Compare plaster, quartz and pebble

Compare your quote with up to three local pros