Hello Everyone.
I'm a new member to the forum and have gained a wealth of information over the past 3 months and have decided to give back by documenting my build from start to finish.
After a 3 month exhaustive process, we have settled on Southernwind Pools out of Mckinney, TX. We had also interviewed Hauk, Robertson, Riverbend Sandler, Pool Environments, and Cody before deciding to go with Southernwind.
One thing I found shocking throughout the entire process is that each builder seemed to have different opinions on construction standards, equipment etc. I had to research almost everything myself to ensure I was making an informed decision on every aspect of the build. This involved sifting through a plethora of BS from most of the builders! Cody was by far the worst and came in at a price that was astronomically higher than all of the builders, despite the fact that Southernwind takes them to school on construction quality. I also found the Cody sales rep to be extremely arrogant and out of touch. She told me that with her POS ozoneator, I could go most of the year without adding chlorine to the pool
.
I finally decided on Southernwind for a number of reasons:
* They were straight shooters from the beginning. Spec'd my pool exactly how I asked them too. No BS, no bait and switch. I wanted the best equipment and a high end pool and that is exactly what they delivered.
* When I went to make upgrades to the pool/equipment, they didnt try to overcharge me like some of the other builders - one builder wanted 2200$ to upgrade from an Aqualink pda 8 to a 12. What a joke.
* Warranty - lifetime warranty on stonework, plumbing, stonescapes interior, and pool structure. 3 year warranty on Pentair equipment
* Construction - 1/2 inch rebar, wet-mix shotcrete construction, 10-12 inch thick minimum. This is a significantly stronger structure than ANY builder in North Texas.
* Only builder to recommend and warranty a salt water pool
Below are the specs for my build - please feel free to provide comments:
*133' Perimeter
*43'x19' / 3 1/2' x 8' Deep
*24" Raised Spa/9'x7' SPA
*Glass tile
*Pent Quad DE 100 filter
* A&A MAX in floor cleaning system
* (2) LED Pool Lights (1) LED Spa Light (intellibrite 5g)
*Intelliflo pump
*3hp Booster Pump
*Air Blower
*(6) Jets
*400k BTU Heater
*Easy Touch 8 Wireless Controller
*Screenlogic 2
*Rainbow 320 Chlorinator (backup)
*Intellichlor IC60
*(1) Tan Ledge (1) Swim Out
*~950 sqft Stamped Concrete with Steps
*Gas supply and hook up to heater
*12" and 6" raised beam with (4) 18" Stone Scuppers.
*Stonescapes Mini Pebble
*18" and 24" single sided retaining walls. Stepped with grade
* Oklahoma Flagstone for coping, retaining walls, and raised beam
I'm a new member to the forum and have gained a wealth of information over the past 3 months and have decided to give back by documenting my build from start to finish.
After a 3 month exhaustive process, we have settled on Southernwind Pools out of Mckinney, TX. We had also interviewed Hauk, Robertson, Riverbend Sandler, Pool Environments, and Cody before deciding to go with Southernwind.
One thing I found shocking throughout the entire process is that each builder seemed to have different opinions on construction standards, equipment etc. I had to research almost everything myself to ensure I was making an informed decision on every aspect of the build. This involved sifting through a plethora of BS from most of the builders! Cody was by far the worst and came in at a price that was astronomically higher than all of the builders, despite the fact that Southernwind takes them to school on construction quality. I also found the Cody sales rep to be extremely arrogant and out of touch. She told me that with her POS ozoneator, I could go most of the year without adding chlorine to the pool
. I finally decided on Southernwind for a number of reasons:
* They were straight shooters from the beginning. Spec'd my pool exactly how I asked them too. No BS, no bait and switch. I wanted the best equipment and a high end pool and that is exactly what they delivered.
* When I went to make upgrades to the pool/equipment, they didnt try to overcharge me like some of the other builders - one builder wanted 2200$ to upgrade from an Aqualink pda 8 to a 12. What a joke.
* Warranty - lifetime warranty on stonework, plumbing, stonescapes interior, and pool structure. 3 year warranty on Pentair equipment
* Construction - 1/2 inch rebar, wet-mix shotcrete construction, 10-12 inch thick minimum. This is a significantly stronger structure than ANY builder in North Texas.
* Only builder to recommend and warranty a salt water pool
Below are the specs for my build - please feel free to provide comments:
*133' Perimeter
*43'x19' / 3 1/2' x 8' Deep
*24" Raised Spa/9'x7' SPA
*Glass tile
*Pent Quad DE 100 filter
* A&A MAX in floor cleaning system
* (2) LED Pool Lights (1) LED Spa Light (intellibrite 5g)
*Intelliflo pump
*3hp Booster Pump
*Air Blower
*(6) Jets
*400k BTU Heater
*Easy Touch 8 Wireless Controller
*Screenlogic 2
*Rainbow 320 Chlorinator (backup)
*Intellichlor IC60
*(1) Tan Ledge (1) Swim Out
*~950 sqft Stamped Concrete with Steps
*Gas supply and hook up to heater
*12" and 6" raised beam with (4) 18" Stone Scuppers.
*Stonescapes Mini Pebble
*18" and 24" single sided retaining walls. Stepped with grade
* Oklahoma Flagstone for coping, retaining walls, and raised beam
