It's been a few years since Liquid FX built my pool (during the Pandemic). Given that enough time has passed to gauge the build quality and their responsiveness to any issues and warranty calls, I figure it's time for a review. They did a good job and built what exactly what I wanted. Here's the run-down on the details:
Sales and Design Process
Our sales person/designer and Mike, the owner, were both great. They had excellent ideas and advice, didn't try to force us into building something they've built before, were open to anything we wanted to do, and were responsive. They were creative and very excited about the design process and clearly wanted to build something cool. Five stars.
Responsiveness and Reachability
This is where Liquid Fx really shines. Not only can you call their main number, but they give you nearly everyone's cell numbers. When something goes wrong or you have a question, they immediately pick up or answer your text and address the issue. I appreciated this. Five stars.
Scheduling of Workers and Subs
This was good. There was a week or two when not much, if anything, went on. A few things slipped through the cracks here and there or had to be rescheduled at the last minute. But, for the most part, they stayed on schedule. Probably wasn't easy for them during COVID. Four stars.
Project Management
I must have heard four or five times from an employee or sub, "I wish someone had told me that." That's not something I wanted to hear. From having the wrong plans on site the first day of the dig, to things that we agreed on that weren't in the final plan, to forgetting to re-route the drainage and lay some irrigation pipes prior to pouring concrete, to scheduling the final inspection prior to re-installing the fence, there were a number of issues that better project management and internal communication would have prevented. But, to their credit, they remedied everything and made everything right. Three stars.
Project Inspection / Quality Control During Build
Things started out great here, but fell off as the build went on. A handful of things were either not installed, installed wrong, or missed. And these things weren't discovered until well after the pool was built and filled. A thorough inspection by a project manager/inspector would have prevented these things from being issues. But, again to their credit, everything was fixed with a call or text. Three stars.
Quality of Subs
Their subs were all polite, hard-working, and most (except for the initial wall-builders) kept a clean jobsite. The concrete sub, a father-and-son team, were especially great. They did exquisite work, were very flexible with design changes during the process, and were a pleasure to work with. Four stars.
Making Things Right
I don't know what I can say that I didn't already say. They stood behind their work, were responsive to issues, and I ended up with a fantastic pool that is exactly what I wanted. Five stars.
Warranty and Requests After the Build
You really don't get to know if the pre-sale sincerity of a contractor is the real thing until after the build is done and they have your money. When our heat-pump died during the warranty period, an upgraded model was promptly installed. When a part failed in the system after the warranty, Nick and his crew not only diagnosed the problem and fixed it for no-charge, they spent a great deal of time and effort reengineering it so it was better than the manufacturers design, ensuring that I wouldn't have the same problem again. I appreciate that they stand behind their work and it didn't take herculean efforts to get things resolved. Five stars.
The Bottom Line
I love my pool and was generally happy with the process. My advice to anyone hiring Liquid Fx (or any pool contractor, for that matter) is to stay on top of things, educate yourself about the process and the products they're installing, check their work, inspect your own project daily, and let them know promptly when something isn't right. If you have a contractor like Liquid Fx that stands behind their work, they'll make sure they get it right and you'll get exactly what you wanted.
If I had to do it all over, would I hire Liquid Fx again? Yes, I would. read more
