Confirm the version that will be built
Review the current approved layout with the responsible team. Identify the pool, spa, equipment location, deck boundaries and any included backyard accessories. Keep optional or undecided elements visibly separate from the work that is ready to proceed.
Resolve differences between a reference image and the actual drawing. For example, an image may show a wider seating area or a different step arrangement. Ask which version controls the work before excavation or removal makes the difference expensive to revisit. Do not move site markers or alter the layout yourself.
Decide how adjoining surfaces meet
Discuss the connections between coping, waterline tile, new paving and retained surfaces. Identify the edges of each work area and any transition in level or material. Confirm the selected product references and unfinished details before the relevant work is scheduled.
If the pool deck meets an existing patio, ask where removal ends and how the connection will be detailed. If a cover or other accessory is proposed, have its location and interfaces reviewed before treating it as a later add-on. These are design and installation decisions for the project team, not homeowner construction instructions.
Review the actual access and staging area
Confirm the agreed route for workers, deliveries and construction equipment. Identify the gate, paving, planting or other feature affected by that route. Ask the team to assess the access needed for its method rather than assuming a photograph or a homeowner measurement establishes clearance.
Discuss where materials and removed debris will be placed, and which household routes must remain available. An open part of the yard is not automatically an agreed staging area. Keep the construction route distinct from the access the household is expected to use.
Identify what stays and what must be assessed
Point out retained trees, irrigation, walls, paving and structures at the work area. Share known site records and utility information with the team, including anything that remains uncertain. Have the responsible parties establish the locating, protection and design work needed.
Do not disconnect equipment, relocate utilities, remove a fence or clear a structural feature in anticipation of the work without the agreed plan. Ask which preparation belongs in the contractor’s scope and which owner task, if any, has actually been agreed.
Review temporary access protection before removal
Ask how the work area and any retained pool will be separated from household use during each stage. Identify changes to existing gates or barriers before they are removed. The applicable temporary protection and site arrangements need to be established for the actual work.
CPSC’s residential guidance explains why preventing unsupervised access matters and why barriers cannot replace adult supervision. Do not assume that a future finished enclosure resolves access while construction is underway. Keep children and pets away from the construction area and follow the agreed site restrictions.
Define restoration as well as the new pool
Identify what the proposal includes after temporary access and removal: affected paving, gates, irrigation or other retained features. Ask where new work ends and which areas are excluded from restoration. Compare this with the agreed work route, not only the pool outline.
CSLB calls for clear written materials, cleanup and project details. Keep the physical boundaries and restoration decisions with the scope. The construction-stage guide covers CPR’s sequence; this readiness review addresses the unresolved site choices that need answers before the relevant work begins.