Holly Waldhauer is a talented tile installer and the owner of Mermaid Lagoons, a pool contracting firm located in Bunnell, FL. Recently her company was named Trade Member Company of the Year by the Florida Swimming Pool Association, a testament to the quality of her work and the high regard in which she is held by her peers.

In fact, one of Holly’s most impressive recent accomplishments was installing a complete glass tile interior in a pool, a project that showcased her skills and attention to detail. She recently shared a photo of the finished product in Master Techs, a Facebook group for pool contractors. The project received a flood of positive comments from other professionals in the industry.

“I was actually at a state board meeting for the Florida Swimming Pool Association. I’m Vice President of the East Central Chapter right now and I was talking to another board member and he asked me if I was interested in doing his pool,” explained Waldhauer. “I told him that I’d done an entire spa in glass, but that I’d never done a pool. So I accepted the challenge. I just dove in head first and I took my time.”

Holly has been involved in the pool industry since 1997 when she started working with her first husband, who did plumbing, decking, and tile for pools. She quickly discovered that setting tile was her favorite part of the job, and she started doing it exclusively. As word of mouth spread, she began getting offers to work from other builders and eventually started her own company specializing in setting tile.

Over time, Holly expanded her expertise and obtained the necessary licenses that allow her to specialize as a swimming pool trim specialty contractor. Today she subcontracts for her husband’s pool construction firm Waldhauer & Son Custom Pools & Spas as well as other builders in the Palm Coast area.

While working with a spouse might be a challenge for some, Holly says she doesn’t encounter the same difficulties, “We have a rule that we do not talk any business or shop at night. So with that rule, we’re solid,” explained Waldhauer.

On Being a Female Pool Contractor

In a primarily male-dominated industry, stepping outside of her comfort zone to post photos of her work was something Waldhauer worked up the nerve to do. “There are so many trolls on the internet. To get to read all those nice comments from the project I posted really made me feel good inside,” said Waldhauer who explained that being a female who is proficient in pool tile hasn’t come without its challenges.

“When I first started working for other builders, I would tell them that I do tile, and they really wouldn’t believe me, but then I’d show them pictures of my work, and then they’d give me a shot. All those companies I’ve been working with pretty much ever since,” said Waldhauer.

As a woman working alongside men, Holly says that it helps to keep a tough exterior, “You can’t let anyone push you around or make you feel uneasy, which does happen out in the field,” explained Waldhauer, “I’m on a lot of construction sites with 20 men and just me. I’m going to tell women if you’re going to get in this field, trust your intuition. Don’t overdo it. You don’t have to prove to yourself that you’re a man, because we’re not men.”

“If you can’t carry an entire bag of Pool Brite do what I do, cut it in half, because an 80-pound bag of Pool Brite is heavy. Don’t do what I did. I overdid it and I’ve had rotator cuff surgery. Just go easy on yourself and go easy on your body,” said Waldhauer.

Waldhauer has certainly begun establishing a name for herself in the right circles for the quality of her work and sees a bright future for herself in glass tile which she says is one of the hottest pool trends right now. “If you can afford it, everyone is doing glass. It’s the hottest trend, but it’s also more expensive and it’s more time-consuming,” explained Waldhauer, “I miss out on a lot of the easy jobs because I’m stuck doing these big glass tile jobs with vanishing edges and glass on the steps but I would say that is just the hottest thing right now, and it’s not going away.”

It’s clear women like Waldhauer are not only claiming their place in the pool industry, but they are also changing perceptions in the minds of consumers. “When I pull up to a job and homeowners see a woman come out of my work truck, they’re very happy to see me,” confided Waldhauer, “I feel like I’m a little more detailed in what I do. I take my time, and I think that people know that women are a little more patient. One comment I hear all the time, especially when I did that entire pool in glass is that I have a lot of patience but it’s because I’m not in a hurry. I take my time and I do it right.”

With her skillset and sensibility, Waldhauer is demonstrating that women like her are more than capable of tackling physically onerous jobs such as tile setting and says she hopes folks like her prove women have a place in all aspects of the industry.

Listen to our entire conversation with Holly Waldhauer on the Pool Magazine podcast.

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