Pool Magazine Discusses Pre-Cast Concrete Swimming Pools With Plungie

On the Pool Magazine podcast, we go one-on-one with Plungie, the leaders in pre-cast concrete swimming pools. During the course of our conversation we discussed the unique advantages their products have over traditional pool construction methods and pre-cast options such as fiberglass pools. Increasing in popularity, these pools offer streamlined construction, allowing homeowners to enjoy their pools in days rather than months. Get to know more about their product and how it's revolutionizing the pool industry space by offering a more turn-key solution for builders, developers, and pool owners alike. Read in Pool Magazine: Plungie Pools: A Turn-Key Solution For Builders & Consumers

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Transcript

[00:00:00.520] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

Thanks for joining us on another episode of Pool magazine podcast. I'm your host, Joe Trusty, Editor of Pool magazine. Today, I'm chatting with Mike Walter, VP of Sales, and Cam Levick, CEO of Plungie, manufacturers of a leading brand of award-winning precast concrete plunge bowls. It's a pleasure to have you both with us today on the show.

[00:00:18.860] - Mike Walter - Plungie

Thanks, Joe.

[00:00:19.810] - Cam Levick - Plungie

Thanks, Joe. Great to be here.

[00:00:21.840] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

Before we get deep into our conversation, I thought a good starting point for today's discussion would be if you maybe just gave us a little bit of history, a backstory about the markets that you guys serve, and who your core customers are. 

[00:00:34.490] - Cam Levick - Plungie

Yeah. Thanks, Joe. It's actually a pretty simple story, but a pretty cool one as well. What played out was our core founders, one is a traditional pool builder, and the other is a guy who just loves concrete and loves inventing things. And so they were, about six years ago, believing that there was a better way to make pools, a faster way to make pools. And so what they invented was was Plungie, which is a monolithic pool, precast concrete pool. And they basically believe that anyone can install a pool that is precast and made in a factory. And so we now are up and running in Australia where we're selling thousands of Plungies, and we're now up and running in the US where we're doing the same.

[00:01:21.060] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

Thank you for that bit of bio information. Now, I know that the leading question on a lot of consumers' minds are, what is a Plungie pool, and how is it any from the regular Shotcrete or Gunite custom ingrown pools being built today? 

[00:01:35.170] - Cam Levick - Plungie

I think the key thing that stands out for people about what a plunge pool is, is that we're seeing houses are getting bigger, The lot size is getting smaller, and we want more and more things in our backyard. And the pool is still an important part of the backyard. But what makes a precast plunge pool different is that it's prefabricated in In a factory environment. So the strength of the concrete is incredibly high. But I think the key things out versus a gunite pool or a traditional pool is how fast it is. Our lead time is 10 days. And so we're in a position where we're producing pools to order. We've got high quality assurance processes. They're incredibly versatile for tricky sites, so they can go above ground, they can go fully ingrown, they can go half and half, they can work as retaining walls. And we Because of the factory environment, we have all the certifications that we need. We have ICC certification, UL certifications. We're using an 8000 PSI concrete, which is much stronger than what is being used for Gunite or shotcrete. But a real kicker for us is that actually because we make it in a factory environment, our environmental footprint is much smaller.

[00:02:52.750] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

Well, I could certainly agree with you there. I know that the abbreviated pool construction timeline is definitely something that's desirable to consumers. I mean, a lot of people just want the baby, not the labor. But cocktail pools and plunge pools in particular are becoming enormously popular, particularly with homeowners that want a pool but don't necessarily have the square footage to build a larger custom pool. I know that Plungie has a few different models geared towards different sizes and tastes. Can you maybe walk us through some of your flagship products over there?

[00:03:22.580] - Mike Walter - Plungie

Yeah. Hey, actually, Joe, I can take that from Cam on this one. We have four different models of pools. We have what we call our Max, which is our 20 by 10. And that pool actually can hold roughly about 5,300 gallons of water in it, and it stands about 5 feet, 6 and a half inches tall. All of our pools, just so you know, all Plungies are pre-plumbed. They've got lights on them. They have the skimmer on them. They're all eco-finished as well, too. And in addition, they've also got a 10-year warranty as well, not only on the shell, but also on our eco-finish as well. We have what we call our original, which is a 15 by 8 pool. It holds roughly a little over 3,200 gallons. Same thing, it's about 5 feet, 6 and a half inches tall. Then we have our studio, which is our smaller, which is 12 by 7. It holds roughly a little over 2,100 gallons. Same thing, it's 5 feet, 6 and a half inches tall. Then we finish off with our arena. The arena is completely round. It's 11 and a half feet all the way around. 

[00:04:26.250] - Mike Walter - Plungie

It holds a little over 2,300 gallons. Same thing, it's 5 6.5 inches tall. I would say that this particular pool is loved by architects and designers. It's some that you'll see featured. If somebody goes into the website, they'll see the arena. It's just what I would call a more boutiquey, almost bougey style pool. Then some of the add-ons that we've recently added to our pools, just here as of late, we're offering an accessory holder as well, too, which is something where it's really hot. You've got that place where you can stick the pole in for your umbrella, and it's stabilized that umbrella in the pool.

[00:05:02.070] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

Well, consumers got a lot to evaluate when they're buying maybe a precast or pre-manufactured solution. What are the main benefits about Plungie pools in particular? Why are consumers gravitating towards your brand?

[00:05:15.260] - Cam Levick - Plungie

I think what we're finding is resonating in all of the markets that we go to, Joe, is that the focus that we've put into designing Plungie for this purpose, we haven't taken a septic tank and put in stairs or anything afterwards. We've specifically designed Plungie to be an outstanding swimming pool. And a couple of key things around that. So we do a monolithic pour. So we do a single pour of concrete. That means there are no joints, there are no areas where there are weakness in either the strength of the shell or in amongst the finish. Having no joints through our monolithic pour, which is a patented process for Plungie, means that actually we're delivering a higher quality product, which means that we can put that 10-year warranty onto it. But to your point about what brings people further into Plungie is just how fast we are. We have a really short lead time, and that means that people can really manage their projects tightly. They aren't being dragged around by rain delays or the time that it's taking for concrete to cure on site. So what we're finding, fundamentally, the key things that bring people into Plungie, is the quality of the product and the speed at which we are able to do the install and deliver the pool.

[00:06:38.440] - Cam Levick - Plungie

I guess where we also start to appeal to others is that we can actually scale. So because of the way that we make Plungie, we're able to make lots of them quickly. And so if you're looking to redevelop a site as a flipper, a home person that's wanting to buy and do multiple buildings, you can actually manage your project and get two or multiple pulls into your site really easily. And so as the brand has grown, more and more people are being drawn to not just the quality, but the speed that Plungie offers.

[00:07:13.110] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

I like how you hit on some of those points, Cam. I mean, yeah, the monolithic single pour is a great benefit. No cold joints in one day is a big, big benefit. A 10-day install is something very desirable. I love that you get the same PSI strength across products that provides better uniform quorum quality. But what do you feel that today's builders, developers, and architects are looking for in a more scalable precast pool solution?

[00:07:38.780] - Mike Walter - Plungie

Yeah, I can take that, Joe, and I think you heard Cam, and you'll hear that. It'll be the theme throughout our talk here, but it's speed, right? You can complete way more projects much faster than we ever could before. From a scalability standpoint, we have that ability to change sizes. We have four different sizes that we've got. We've got the patented monolithic design, which is very unique for us. We've also got really, what I would say, a rigorous quality assurance process, how we go about in our manufacturing facility, checking these pools out before we send them out. I'll go back to we have a 10-year warranty. You won't see many other manufacturers that have that. Not only do we have the 10-year warranty on the shell, we've also got it on our finish. In the architect and design community, our BIM content really helps, which is that building information modeling. That's key. We've just updated that recently, and it helps a ton. Joe, I would say lastly would be our low carbon footprint. You're seeing that that's become a very big thing going forward.

[00:08:44.250] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

Well, I'm glad you mentioned that lower carbon footprint, and that's something that I feel many of today's eco-conscious homeowners are looking for in the products that they install around their homes. How is Plungie leading the charge in terms of sustainability there?

[00:08:57.970] - Cam Levick - Plungie

It's such a home A hot topic, Joe, and it's one that we've dived right into. I think it comes from... If I think about building products overall, many of them don't have a great track record in terms of being sustainable. If I think about in the context of making precast concrete pools, cement is very intensive from an energy perspective in terms of its creation. And so for us, we've been thinking deeply about how do we improve the sustainability of the pools that we want to create for people to put into their homes. And so what we did is we said, well, how do we actually bite this off? How do we not just put our head in the sand and hope that it goes away? But actually, how do we take it head on? And so what we did is a life cycle assessment. So a life cycle assessment is literally from cradle to grave. So it works through all of the costs and the environmental footprint that we have as a business. So whether it be flights car travel, right through until when a Plungie is pulled out of the ground and recycled to calculate what our greenhouse gas footprint is.

[00:10:11.040] - Cam Levick - Plungie

And we did that for not only the Plungie max, but we also did it for a traditional sprayed concrete pool on site. And it took us a long time to do all of the maths and get it independently certified and those things. But what it ultimately mapped out was that a Plungie has a 41 % lower carbon footprint than a traditional concrete pool of the same size that is made on site. Now, there's a bunch of reasons why that. We partner with global businesses around concrete, concrete quality, but we also manufacture in a way that means that we use less concrete. But we also don't go to site as often as what you need to for a traditional pool. So our footprint is reduced quite broadly through the entire process But I think a key thing that stands out for us on sustainability is at the end of the day, you could pull a Plungie out of a site and recycle it. You can't do that for other types of pools, particularly fiberglass. There's no real easy process to be able to recycle fiberglass. So I think for us, we put a lot of work and effort into understanding what the footprint is of a Plungie and being able to see how it stacks up versus other pool types.

[00:11:28.070] - Cam Levick - Plungie

And the key headline is that we've got a 41 % lower greenhouse gas footprint than a traditional on site pool. And we don't stop there, right? What we see often is that architects need to calculate their entire greenhouse footprint for their entire site. So we have a lot of architects actually wanting to know what the footprint is of a plundee when they're specifying it into a job, because they need to be able to calculate the entire footprint of their new development that they're putting together. But we're also working on ways, how do we improve it? So right now, we've made some changes to the way that the Plungie is installed, and we are actually seeing numbers now where we're taking it to where we are 60 % lower than a traditional pool. And it's just because we've actually taken some extra concrete out of the installation process, which means that our greenhouse gas footprint is even lower than the initial lifecycle assessment said it was.

[00:12:26.820] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

That's very impressive. I mean, you mentioned earlier that each Plungie pool comes completely finished, the plumbing, the lights, all of the things that come with it. Can you go into a little bit more detail about what comes with a Plungie pool when it comes out of the box?

[00:12:41.950] - Mike Walter - Plungie

Yeah, so I can answer that. This is where I feel like we separate ourselves from the competition. I mean, if you look at it, every single plunging, as we talked about earlier, is coming finished with. It's already pre-plumbed. It's already got the lights on it. It's already got the skimmer box in it. It's got the bonding and the the interior eco-finished coating already done. That eliminates a ton of work for the homeowner, right? Because that's really what we're speaking to here is, how is it less daunting for the homeowner? That takes so much out for them when you already have all of that attached and shipping with the pool. In addition to, we have a hydrostatic valve that it also ships with that they attach there as well, too. Basically, we like to say, Enjoy your pool in days, not months. That's like one of our slogans. It's just such a simplified process. Now you're able to plan your pool on the website, you're able to find your authorized installer. We also have options for doing it in-ground, above ground or semi-recessed. I mean, it truly is an eight-step process that somebody can actually do on their own if they take the initiative.

[00:13:56.200] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

When evaluating pool options, why do you feel consumers need to seriously consider a precast, Plungie concrete pool over, say, a factory-moulded fiber glass pool? I mean, what do you feel are the key benefits that consumers need to be aware of?

[00:14:10.390] - Cam Levick - Plungie

I think the difference is between precast concrete and fiberglass, there's a range of them. We've touched on the sustainability of a precast concrete pool like Plungie versus fiberglass. But I think there's a number of other things that you think about as you go forward. Concrete It has a different feel to fiberglass. Some people, the majority of people seem to prefer that feel, but it's quite often been a case of, I can't get that concrete feel into my site, and that's where a fiberglass pool has tended to do very well. Plungeing works in that space in a much better way to be able to offer the flexibility of a drop-in style pool, but can do it in a way that delivers that concrete feel that people like. I think the other thing that's playing out these days, Joe, is if I think about the running costs of a pool, so how do you heat it and keep temperature in it? How do you cool it and keep it cooler? What we're seeing is that the thermal properties of concrete far outweigh those of a fiber glass pool. And so being able to maintain the temperature that you want the pool at is far easier when you've got the thermal properties of concrete there as part of it.

[00:15:23.750] - Cam Levick - Plungie

And then I guess the last one is just the durability of concrete. It's incredibly robust. The quality assurance processes that we've spoken about mean that actually you are in a position to really be able to trust this pool, not over the life of the warranty, but over the length of the pool and its life in your yard. I think there's certainly going to be instances where a fiber glass pool makes sense. But what we're seeing, and one of the reasons why we're seeing Plungie take off and doing so well, is that it's got those key elements to concrete that people really enjoy and appreciate.

[00:15:57.690] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

That's a good point. You mentioned scalability and the speed of installation. Now, to me, it seems that a product like Plungie would make a heck of a lot of sense for, say, developers that are tasked with doing multiple pools at a time. Wouldn't you say?

[00:16:10.720] - Mike Walter - Plungie

Yeah. So one of the things that I've been tasked with is really bringing this to the forefront of the home builder and the large developer. So for example, I'm currently working with a builder developing around 1,600 homes. And as we've connected, one of the things that he wanted to do, just due to the fact that we put a plunge in quicker, is the fact that he would like to add 400 Plungies into this subdivision. He would like to do almost one every fourth home that he does and mix it up and do, say, our arena in one, and then he would put a max in another. He will use this to help sell his pools, add value to his homes. Secondly, it's just really due to the speed of it. That was That was their big thing that lured them to us was the fact that they could have this pool that's one single pour, put into a yard, have a cover put on it, finish the house, turn around and sell it. That was a big thing for them.

[00:17:15.240] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

Sure. I mean, it's got to be really attractive to those that are doing this installations at scale where they're doing 400 pools in a development. I mean, there's no outsourcing there, no subcontractors. The margins are got to be a lot better at doing them at that rate, right?

[00:17:29.520] - Mike Walter - Plungie

Yes. The margins are a lot better. To your point, especially when you're a home builder and you're a developer, everything stays in-house. They already have the crews there. They already have your plumbers, your electricians. They've already got your excavators. All the testing for the soil has already been done. It really is the best way to go for them. We've shown them that. That's why you're starting to see more and more of these home builders and developers coming in. Instead of buying one or two pools, they're figuring out what their pipeline looks like, and then they're planning the following year to bring in large amounts of pools going forward.

[00:18:05.060] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

Why did you guys feel like it was a good fit for you guys to go with the EcoFinish there? I've had them on the show before, and I know quite a little bit about their product. But why did you feel that they were a great fit for Yeah.

[00:18:15.470] - Cam Levick - Plungie

The Ecofinish product, Joe, is one that we simply needed to find a product that was high performance, but also we could deliver with scale. For us, it's all about speed. How can we make an outstanding quality pool, and how can we make a lot of them quickly? And what eco-finished enables us to do is to do the interior surface of the pool in a way that is quick. So our concrete is relatively green when it comes to us to be able to finish it. And so for us, building Plungies in Texas using an American made finish on the interior of the pool was an important part of our process, and for speed. And for people that don't know ecofinish, ecofinish is a polymer that starts as a powder. And when we are applying it to our concrete, we put it on with multiple layers, but it actually goes on with what looks like a blow torch. It's quite dramatic when you see the videos for the powder being not only physically bonded, but chemically bonded to our concrete pools. And so we end up with a really strong performance on the interior. But when you're maintaining your pool, eco-finish is incredibly good to work with from a cleaning perspective because it's very easy to clean, very little sticks to it.

[00:19:39.640] - Cam Levick - Plungie

But it also means that you don't have to worry about a lot of your chemical performance. It tends to perform better from a maintenance perspective in the pool because your pool water is actually not having a lot of concrete contact, unlike a traditional pool. And so the balancing and the maintenance of your pool tends to be quite easy and straightforward. But like a Plungie, EcoFinish also has a 10-year warranty. And so that's why Plungie is pretty confident about our 10-year warranty that we put in the market, is because it's not just about the belief that we have in The strength of our pools, the quality of their pools, but the suppliers that we work with operate in the same way. So we offer four pools and six colors of EcoFinish. Mike and others would say that I make our business sound incredibly simple in terms of we do four pools with six colors, but the eco finish comes in a range of different colors. But yeah, we offer six straight off the bat, and they tend to be very popular.

[00:20:42.650] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

Features, value, benefit, those are the things that pool builders are always looking for to make their projects more turnkey. I was hoping you could talk to that a bit, Mike. I mean, if you had to give an elevator pitch to pool builders that might be listening to this show, what would you have to say to them?

[00:20:57.260] - Mike Walter - Plungie

For me, Joe, what I'd like to tell most pool builders, and it's what I speak with them currently right now, is Plungie is actually, in the analogy I've been using, is just really another arrow in their quiver to go after their customers. It's not as if we're trying to replace custom pools completely with Plungie pools. We're saying, Hey, here it is. We offer something. There are a lot of cases where you'll have customers out there that will want to get a custom pool put in their house, and for whatever reason, whether it's slope or grade, they can't do that custom pool. Or if it is a custom pool, it's going to cost them a tremendous amount of money. We offer that next option for them that they can do something that is going to be cheaper. They're going to do something that's also going to help the customer out at the end of the day. It's probably going to save them some money. It's going to be less damage in their yard, less foot traffic in their yard. Again, it's just another arrow in their quiver to give them a solution that hopefully down the road is going to help them to where they're not so stressed out about having to spend a whole lot of money on something that they really need for themselves because it really is a huge cost savings when you look at us versus a custom pool.

[00:22:13.480] - Mike Walter - Plungie

To add that If they're looking at doing a project like that, to please reach out to us. Reach out. They can go and they can visit our Plungie. Com website, which is just P-L-U-N-G-I-E. Com, and reach out to us. My team and I would more than happy to set up a meeting with them and work with them and try and figure out the best solution for them and for their customer base.

[00:22:39.080] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

Mike, Kim, thanks so much for connecting with us today to give our listeners and our readers a little bit more information about Plungie. I really enjoyed getting to learn a little bit more about how that system works.

[00:22:49.950] - Mike Walter - Plungie

Thanks, Joe. Thanks so much for your time. We've really enjoyed it.

[00:22:53.640] - Cam Levick - Plungie

Yeah. Thanks, Joe. Terrific to be able to share a bit more of the world according to Plungie with you and your listeners. It's been terrific. Thank you.

[00:23:01.620] - Joe Trusty - Pool Magazine

Well, that's all the time that we have left for today. Thanks for tuning in. Make sure to like, subscribe, share, and follow. We'll catch you next time on another episode of Pool magazine podcast.