If you tell us a bit more about what you are looking for then I’m sure people can be a bit more helpful and specific, but the best thing when we were looking around was finding friends or friends of friends who had good experiences with a pool builder. Like most building projects, getting a skilled builder who is reliable and committed to a high quality job is crucial.
We got down to two different pool companies with similar products but it was the experiences of others with one particular builder that got us over the line. And he has been great to deal with.
Some more nuggets that we picked up along the way. It seems a lot of companies quote cartridge filters which apparently require regular cleaning and can be a pain in the long-term. A sand filter is a much better option for ease of cleaning and long-term maintenance. There’s usually not that much price difference – probably only a few hundred dollars. Pool builders prefer the ease of a cartridge because they don't have to plumb a waste line. If you do end up going with a cartridge, make sure they make provision to empty (reduce the water level) of the pool somehow. I've talked to a pool guy who has seen heaps of pools with no provision to reduce the water level and with lots of rain you can end up with a pool that overflows which can be problematic.
And be wary of those self-cleaning systems. They sound great but pool cleaning robots are now really cheap and efficient, and easily replaced if needed. If you have problems with a self-cleaning system it could be really difficult and expensive to fix.
Hope that helps.
