About TheWaterSpace blog

Bring the magic of water into your home

I know you’re making a sizable commitment when you bring a new custom pool into your home. It’s not just the money you invest: it’s the time and energy.

There’s the learning and planning required to make the right choices and fit everything into your space and your life. This gets further complicated if you’re adding a custom hot tub or other amenities.

Then there’s the concerns about upkeep. You have to maintain safe water, keep things running, and likely deal with seasonal opening and closing.

That’s why it’s so important to me to share what I’ve learned about the art and science of designing and living with WaterSpaces. If you have a dream for a custom pool, let me share with you the best resources and solutions I’ve found. I’ll help you find new ideas and the right answers that fit your budget and meet your expectations.

Bringing the magic of water into your home boils down to one thing: planning and designing for enjoyment. That’s my commitment to you as a reader of this blog. I’ll show you the way to your own WaterSpace. Enjoy.

-Chris Volk

About Chris Volk

Chris Volk, General Manager Budd’s Pools

My father-in-law Randy Budd told me long ago that the best way to learn the pool and spa business is to get your hands dirty. It’s a path I continue to follow.

I began at Budd’s Pools & Spas in 1997 as an Associate Technician. Over the years, I’ve worked with and learned from Randy, engineers, planners, cement and installation experts, service, and sales, water testing, and parts employees.

To this day I most value the time I spend working hands on. I especially look forward to consulting with customers, working on a customer site, and making it possible for families to enjoy the magic of a WaterSpace.

On the business side, I learned just how complex the pool industry has become. There are so many parts—big and small—that go into managing a company that builds and maintains pools and spas.There are metrics to measure and standards to meet.

Scheduling and coordinating timely deliveries, for example, has become a major operation. You have to be able to accurately anticipate months ahead your customers’ future needs and then coordinate with shippers to ensure timely delivery of every piece.

It was on the custom pool design side where I really fell in love with this business. This is where I get to apply all my interests, from design arts to science and engineering. I’ve spent years attending intensive classes in pool design, construction, and management. These are rigorous classes at globally-recognized organizations known for their high standards and demanding education programs.

My efforts to learn from industry thought leaders and keep up with all the technical innovations carries on a long family tradition here at Budd’s Pools & Spas. My mentor, Randy Budd, started working in the pool industry at age 12. He learned ‘by doing’ with his father, Herbert, who founded the company. Today, Randy is president of Budd’s Pools & Spas and a recognized leader in the pool industry. He has been a mentor and teacher to many others who now lead their own pool companies. And, he continues to be an inspiration to all of us in the pool and spa industry.