New York City Consulting. From the Firm That Builds Them.
When a pool in a New York City building starts to fail, or a new one is on the drawing board, the people responsible for it rarely get a straight answer. The board hears one number from the maintenance company, another from a contractor, and a third from an engineer who has never built a pool. Aquatics International Group is the firm that has actually built and rebuilt the pools it advises on. We tell you what is wrong, what it will cost, and who should do the work, and we put it in writing.
We consult on rooftop pools, condominium and co-op pools, hotel and wellness pools, and private club facilities across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the wider tri-state area, from design review before construction through assessment and owner’s representation years later. Our consulting engagements are independent of our construction business: the report and the recommendation are yours, and the contractor is chosen on the merits of the bid.
What We Do
Design Review & Pre-Construction
A builder’s review of pool drawings, equipment selections, and budgets before they are priced, for developers, architects, and construction managers.
Condition Assessments
A builder’s walkthrough of shell, finish, deck, waterproofing, and mechanicals, delivered as a written report with repair options and cost ranges.
Owner's Representative
We review contractor bids against the report, check the work as it goes in, and confirm the pool reopens to code.
Stainless Steel Retrofit Design
When the shell is past saving, we design the stainless steel retrofit that fits inside the existing structure, finished in glass mosaic tile.
Design Review and Pre-Construction Consulting
Most pool problems in New York City buildings are designed in before a shovel hits the roof. We review pool drawings, structural and waterproofing details, equipment room layouts, and budgets from the builder’s side, and we flag what will not survive crane access, a Manhattan mechanical room, or a Department of Health inspection. Developers, architects, and construction managers bring us in before pricing so the pool that gets built is the pool that was promised.
Pool Condition Assessments and Reports
A condition assessment starts with a site walkthrough by a builder, not a checklist. We inspect the shell, finish, coping, deck, waterproofing, drainage, and the full mechanical and filtration system, and we look for the cause of the failure rather than the symptom. You receive a written report with photographs, findings, code and health department issues, repair options ranked from patch to replacement, and a realistic cost range for each. Boards use it to plan capital budgets. Property managers use it to evaluate bids. General contractors use it to scope a renovation before it goes out to price.
Owner's Representative Services
Once a repair or retrofit is approved, most buildings have no one on their side who understands pool construction. We fill that role: reviewing contractor proposals against the report, flagging exclusions and change order risk, checking the work as it goes in, and confirming the pool reopens to code and to the standard the building paid for. The role is independent. If the firm is ever asked to bid on the work itself, the owner’s representative engagement ends first and every bidder receives the same report.
Stainless Steel Retrofit Evaluation and Design
Many failing high-rise pools are past the point where another finish will hold. When the shell itself is the problem, we design the stainless steel retrofit that fits inside the existing structure, restores the pool without demolition, and finishes in glass mosaic tile or another premium surface. Because we have built these systems, the design accounts for crane access, structural loads, and the building’s operating schedule from day one, and any qualified contractor can build from it.
Why Your Pool Consultant Should Be a Builder
Architecture firms and program consultants design pools. Aquatics International Group has built, opened, and repaired them for more than twenty years, with two APSP Best in Show awards, eleven gold medals, and the TMPL NYC aquatic wellness facility behind it. That experience is what tells us which cracks matter, which contractor numbers are missing something, and where a rooftop retrofit will run into trouble before it does. Chris Fogleman, founder and president, holds Certified Pool Operator credential C-123597 and Society of Watershape Designers credential KM 072-17 and leads every engagement personally.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a pool condition assessment cost in NYC?
Most assessments for a single rooftop or condominium pool are a fixed fee quoted after a short call. The fee covers the site visit and the written report, and it is the same whether or not any further work follows.
How long does an assessment take?
The site visit takes a few hours. The written report is typically delivered within two weeks, sooner if the pool is closed and the building needs to act.
Is your consulting independent from your construction business?
Yes. Assessments, reports, design review, and owner’s representation are independent engagements with a fixed fee, and the recommendations do not depend on who does the work. If a building later puts the repair out to bid and wants Aquatics International Group to price it, the owner’s representative role ends first and every bidder works from the same report.
Can you help with a new pool, not just a failing one?
Yes. Developers, architects, and construction managers retain us to review pool drawings, equipment, and budgets before they are priced, and to stay on through construction as the owner’s pool specialist.
Where do you work?
Our New York office is at 307 7th Avenue in Chelsea, and most of our consulting is in Manhattan and Brooklyn rooftop, condominium, and hotel pools. We also assess and advise on pools in Miami and across the Caribbean, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Barths, Antigua, and the Bahamas.