maryelizabeth2010-
We built our pool and spa over this past winter with Superior Pools(Cornelius, NC. http://www.superiorpoolsnc.com)and are thrilled with the result. While under construction, my husband and I called literally every day at least once. If they did not pick up the phone, they called back within 15 minutes EVERY time! It's been two months since completion and they are still answering our phone calls and questions. They are confident in their product, skills, and service and don't try to hide or become elusive as the project progresses. We highly recommend them. One of the most appealing things about Superior was the clarity of the price... there aren't a lot of hidden costs. The base package they offer includes the upgrades that you will be choosing anyway (kind of like buying a new house... you shouldn't have to ask for trim around windows, it should already be included). Good luck!

I am nearing the end of construction on my spool (spa / pool) and am very happy with Carolina Pool King. I like that they do both the hardscape and the pool. Jim King, the owner, is there every day and is a perfectionist. The other subs say the same thing and they like to work with him. Check out "New Spa Build, Charlotte NC" on this forum.

DIYSPA

maryelizabeth2010,

Out of the choices that you have given, Anthony & Sylvan is the only one with an OK track record with concrete pools here.

Lake Norman Pool & Spa is a retail pool store small chain in LKN, Statesville, and Denver,NOT A POOL BUILDER.Someone else is building their pools-find out who this is.

Independant Pools is primarily an aluminum fencing importer, who also has a VINYL POOL BUILDING OPERATION-that they sold, and then repossessed.They have built some concrete pools, but not many, and not very good ones at that.

Poolscape would actually build a good concrete pool also.

Superior Pools-don't just walk away from this bucket shop-RUN!

Interesting how there is such a spectrum of reviews for the same pool builders. I was beyond scared to hand over tens of thousands of dollars to an industry with such a shady reputation... and actually told this to my PB! I questioned and researched for hundreds of hours even after we signed the contract.

Our PB took a small deposit [that would have been easy to walk away from] last summer to hold the [very fair] price with the agreement that we would start construction by April 2010. Between August and January [when we actually started], my husband and I continued our due diligence and worked out every detail of our build and Superior Pools maintained their patience and word over all of those months. I am glad we had that time because otherwise there would have been some misteps along the way. Too many PB's and clients jump in too quickly and I think that's what leads to disappointment. On projects of this magnitude, you need to build a relationship of trust.

I was fortunate to have two other homeowners on my street who had built pools with Superior. These were not handpicked references, these were my neighbors that I could talk to freely and vice versa. Since then, Superior has built two more pools on my street.

During the construction process, we had some days below freezing. My PB went over to the neighbor's house and checked on their freeze protection... never having been asked. I was pretty impressed by this. This is the kind of service I am looking for. I want to know that my PB is proactive and cares about my project even after it is completed. As I said before, we continue to call on a regular basis and never have to wait for a return call.

This is MY experience. I can only speak for myself and for a project that I have actually been involved in. I work in retail and I know that not every story is a happy one. However, I also know that people in general are fairly intolerant and often have unreasonable expectations. I have heard disaster stories from several people who built pools with various builders in Charlotte... those aren't my stories to tell. I take everything with a grain of salt and trust my own instincts when it comes to who I enter a relationship with.

So, to the person who suggests running from this "bucket shop," know that Superior Pools has happy customers out there and before you try to ruin a company's reputation, think long and hard...

After meeting Peter and/or Ralph, most sensible people will sense the primordial instinct to RUN, as fast as you can, away from Superior Pools.

We just had a concrete (shotcrete) pool installed this spring. We went through the same steps you are....however in our situation we found the quotes to be outrageous and the most reputable builders were trying to push us on a vinyl pool...ultimately I decided it was because their profit margin was much greater...I received quotes from 70k-100k for a vinyl pool! I was set on shotcrete and could not imagine paying those prices and found a pb out of Atlanta who was willing to drive 4 hours with all their crews to do the shell and install the pebble sheen, which none of the companies in my town were licensed to do..our final product is amazing..the communication and scheduling was swift and efficient and having completed several contracting projects on my own...the skill and hard work ethic these subs had were incredible.

I was able to get the pool I wanted without sacrificing quality on a fair budget. Check around and make sure you get many references!

Tara

Sorry your experience was such a negative one! Have you seen their work? Spoken with a customer of theirs? Built a pool with them? I'm curious why such a strong response.

Those crooks,uh, I mean intellectual property misappropriators at Superior Pools and Spas are at it again.

Their new advertisement on the cover of TheHomeMag, showing a pool and spa with a faux rock slide isn't one of their pools at all.The pool in question was built in Temecula California by Brian Cullingworth Custom Pools and Spas.

PoolAnalyst- Has anyone heard that Pool by Design is using Hayward rather than Jandy now. Which is best? Everything I have seen on the net puts Jandy in the top spot.

Your probably not going to find to many Hayward fans here. But to give my personal opinion. Pentair and Jandy both come in the lead for me. Hayward itself is a far cry from being the quality of the other two. I personally use Pentair mainly because in addition to building residential pools I also do alot of commercial service and repair. Pentair makes commercial pumps and Jandy does not.

JMO,

David

most of the builders reccomended here i wouldnt even work for as a subcontractor. been building pools for 14 years 7 of which subcontracting in the lake norman charlotte area. ask to see the pools of the builder you are getting quotes from that should tell you all you need to know. especially if the homeowner is around when you do it.