Clayton Acosta has owned Tri-City Pools in Schenectady since 2007, and says he has never seen a season this busy.

“It’s been a gift and curse at the same time,” says Acosta.

With the coronavirus pandemic still looming, people are trading in trips and travels for a backyard oasis. Many vacation plans are being postponed or canceled as coronavirus concerns still linger.

Acosta says now, homeowners are putting home project plans into action.

“We’ve never seen so many projects that people have been waiting on for so long. I’ve done a lot more with pools that haven’t been open in five or 10 years,” he added.

Acosta says his company got a late start this season because of the state shutdown. His workers just began work again in mid-May.

“We could only have one person in the yard per job. It made it really difficult to do the heavier jobs like liner replacements, and we couldn’t do any new pool replacements,” said the owner.

Now he’s making up for it, working from sunrise through sunset. He even has his son giving a helping hand Monday on a family pool in Nassau. Acosta says, right now, the company’s completely booked until August. That’s a similar trend seen among pool companies throughout the area.

Getting the parts from the manufacturers, however, can be a hassle. Acosta says there are backlogs up to 65 days for above-ground pool liners.

“Everything now is pretty tough to get your hands on. What we did a few weeks ago is ordered everything we needed for the rest of the season,” he said.

The increase in business, though, is a blessing, Acosta said, and worth the long hours and hot days.

“When the hose goes in the pool, [kids’] eyes light right up. They’re absolutely excited. That’s the best part of the pool business, [as far as] I’m concerned,” he said. “That’s why we do it.”