It was always a dream of ours to own a pool. After having gotten quotes and design ideas from a few different pool contractors and construction outfits, we were left feeling as if our dream would never be fully realized. None of the mockups we were shown looked aesthetically-pleasing or felt like they were "us." All that changed when we contacted Swink's Creations. From the moment we met Mark, he seemed to understand what we were after, taking into consideration our needs (handicap-accessible) and specific desires (baja shelf, water feature, free-form pool shape). Chris helped us choose tile, rock and concrete that would best compliment our existing backyard and porch, and Blaise was instrumental in making sure everything was to our specifications, from the placement of handrails to depth of the shelf, and bringing things to code in terms of updating gates and fences. Cesar was our point of contact throughout the process, and he kept us updated every step of the way, so we never had to wonder where we were at in the project. Any questions we had were answered promptly. The team operated quickly and efficiently, and cleaned up after each day's work was completed. They treated our property like it was their own. Angel, Renee, Angela and everyone in the Swink's office were professional and welcoming, and we really felt taken care of. The project was started in mid-August and we were enjoying our gorgeous hot tub, pool and fire pit by Veteran's Day; at least a month ahead of schedule! We just cannot recommend Swink's Creations highly enough. Their prices are somewhat higher than most of their competitors, but the care with which they work and custom beauty they bring to their projects is worth the cost. read more

Swinks did a fantastic job. Every single thing went smoothly and came out better than I expected. Their pricing was in line with other professional landscapes I received estimates from. But swinks responsiveness and professionalism gave them the edge. They worked with me and my limited budget. If I had the ability I would have them do a heck of a lot more work around the house, they are that good. Thanks to Carl and the team at swinks for everything. What lead me to Swinks: I tried to take shortcuts to save money by using local gardeners but ended up getting the short end of the stick. The local gardener I used was one that my neighbors use for their weekly maintenance. The guy talked a long game but in the end lied and cheated. The moral of the story: Hire a professional the first time you'll end up saving money! read more

Swinks Landscape Expert Carl took time to come out and address our concerns about Eugenia Cherry Blossom hedges that we had planted with them. Carl always is very helpful, informative and prompt and address our concerns. These hedges were planted almost 2 years ago. Carl provided us excellent customer service and definitely recommend his services! Thank You Carl! Jim & Sherie read more

Swink's Creations built our pool 2 years ago. We had a problem with part of the pool equipment. I contacted Rene the office manager at Swink's about the issue. She arranged for a repairman to come check out the issue. He determined that a part needed to be replaced and ordered it from the manufacturer. Rene said that the parts and labor were covered by the manufacturer's warranty. She also followed up with me to see if the job was completed yet. A couple of weeks later, the repairman returned to replace the part. All covered by the warranty. Now THAT's service after the sale. Many thanks to Rene and the Swink's team for another great experience. read more

After interviewing several pool builders, we chose Swink's Creations to makeover our backyard. The job entailed demolition of a stamped concrete patio and a 2 foot high serpentine wall, installing a swimming pool, paver decking, and landscaping. Our home backs up to a street. There was not sufficient room on the side of the house for equipment to get in and out, so Swink's removed a 6 foot section of the wall at the back of our property for equipment access and debris removal. They restored the wall later in the project once that access was no longer needed. The entire construction process took a little over 3 months. Swink's Creations had a lot of work to do, and they did it very efficiently. There was very little down time once the project got started. In fact, it took longer for the city to approve the plans, than it did to do the entire project. The various crews were scheduled in advance. As soon as one crew finished, the next crew arrived the following day to keep the project moving. The crews were all professional, experienced, friendly, worked hard, and cleaned up the jobsite daily. Most of the work was done by Swink's Creations employees. The few subcontractors that did work on the job have been working with Swink's Creations for many years. They showed up on time, and did excellent work. Swink's Creations' office and managerial staff were very easy to work with. From Mike, our project manager, and Carl, the plant and landscaping guru, to Rene, Angel, and Blaise in the office, every encounter was friendly, informative, and helpful. Owner Mark Swink even stopped by the job site to make sure things were progressing well. We are extremely pleased with how Swink's Creations brought our vision of a backyard oasis into reality. We will be hiring them to re-make our front yard, too. For a timelapse video of the construction process and finished project go to: https://youtu.be/MHgKXp20mwk read more

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Swinks did an incredible job building are pool. Mark is very responsive and has a great team of people around him. We are a couple years out from our build and they are still able to answer any questions or help with whatever we need. In particular, Renee in the office has been an incredible help. Strong recommend. read more

I'll start with this. "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right." and "You get what you pay for." This is our second fairly large job with Swink. They are a little more expensive; however, very well worth it the way they operate. When Mark's crews get on the job, they stay until the job is done. Our job took six weeks start to finish, a complete renovation of our front yard and driveway pavers and front patio entrance with a beautiful iron entry gate. Each crew is specialized in their task. Demo, Masons, Landscapers. They communicated well with us and their front office for billing and notifications was seamless. They only use the best materials and stand by their work. Highly recommend. read more

We hired Swinks for a total redo of our backyard. This included demolition and removal of literally everything from trees to concrete... Etc. we initially met with Mark Swink who was on time and very professional. He gave us a variety of ideas and worked to identify a design that would fit with our budget. The presentation of the design was very professional and included a digital 3-D image as well as a printed rendering. Prior to our meeting with Swinks we had met with other contractors on the same project. Those individuals were sloppy, not on time, had very poor follow up and follow through and were not concrete or clear on pricing. On the other hand when it came to pricing with Swinks every element of the work was spelled out in great detail with a specific price. The contract was clear, detailed, and explicit. I like that. Next, the work. The workmen were very professional and friendly and cleaned up after themselves every single day. When we had questions our project manager Mike would address them immediately. We really enjoyed working with Mike and later had the opportunity to work with Carl who is the expert on plants and landscaping. His knowledge was incredible. And he did a fabulous job of selecting plants that met our aesthetic and preferences. We also added on to our order as we went deciding that we wanted to add additional details to the initial contract and even those changes were presented clearly including pricing & details on execution with each statement of work. In fact our experience was so good with this company that we have hired Swinks for a front yard project which will begin shortly. And our experience is not a fluke. Our neighbor across the street did a $200,000 redo of their backyard and it looks like the four seasons. Nice work. read more

I can't even find the words to describe my disappointment in my $130K pool project. My only advice is to not use this company. There were issues starting on day one and continued every day for the entirety of my project. There were mistakes by Swink's and their subs in every phase. The finished work is terrible, my pool deck has so many giant cracks in the concrete it looks 15 years old. It's not even a year old. My list of mistakes that are permanent and that I see everyday is way too long to list. I even had a major gas leak that went on for over a week and the gas company had to red tag the pool line. Do yourself a favor and keep looking for another contractor. You'll over pay for low quality work if you use Swinks. read more

Problem: Umbrella base pipe was broken due to the high wind. My pool service guy and one plumbing company tried to get it out, but was unsuccessful. Solution: Reach out to Mark S. Then spoke with Renee who scheduled Brian. Brian came two occasions. He was able to cut it by pieces. He was very diligent. I appreciated the service provided by Swinks Creation. read more

Swinks Creations just completed our pool remodel. The project was well managed and the work was excellent. They completed the project on time and on budget. Our pool is beautiful! We feel fortunate to have worked with them on our project. read more

So glad that I hired SWINK's to repair and replace some of the concrete hardscape surrounding my pool. They were able to almost perfectly match 20 year old existing concrete. The difference is almost unnoticeable. The repair they did to the three river rock in my spa was just as good. I loved how they cleaned up every day before they left the job site and showed up early the next morning to get the job done. I highly recommend them for any hardscaping or landscaping needs! read more

We are delighted with our backyard! As you can see from the photos, Swinks did an incredible job and came out exactly as we envisioned it! The entire Swinks crew was genuinely fantastic to work with! When we met with Mark, we knew that his company was who we wanted to trust our vision, time, and money. Angel in the office was excellent. She always answered all my emails promptly, and when I was in a time crunch to switch out the tile, she helped me the same day. Kou was our project manager and explained every single aspect of what was happening. He is also very professional, and we could tell he always wanted to ensure we were happy with the progress. Honestly, everyone we interacted with was great. Swinks did 100% of the project, which was nice to have one point of contact. Everything from the demo to design, pool, patio cover, bbq, landscaping, and lighting, they did it all! We would highly recommend Swinks! read more

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Swink's Creations is an excellent choice for landscaping. They listened to my ideas of plants and area to be re-landscaped. They returned with a drawing and plan of recommended plants, method of irrigation, and a price quote. They didn't try to expand on the scope of the project or sell features that were not requested. The planting crew did a professional and clean job. read more

July 2023 My PATIO COVER issue has been satisfactorily resolved. Mar 2, 2021 Not Worth $$$$$ Premium For my multi-trade project I was told Swinks Creations (SC) "does good work, but they're expensive." I showed them what I wanted, offered my geotechnical engineer's report, plans were drawn, samples studied, contract prepared. Cost was 14% more than the sum of individual proposals I had collected, but not having 3-5 companies tripping over each other... The results are "30 feet." It looks nice from a distance but details are sloppy, and apart from a mid-height wall, more drains and more efficient pool pump/filter, it's less useful than before. I made a change order and cancelled the landscaping before it got that far. Whether right or wrong, I did not expect: -my gardener to tell me an additional drain was needed and SC to concur; my added expense. -drain pipe joints not sealed. -pool plaster much sloppier than previous refinish. -gate alignment no better than my 20-year-old homemade wooden gates and latch hardware not mounted flush. -gate posts without steel inserts, or with discontinuous inserts. -12-foot gates on plan to yield opening less than 10'6", requiring me moving part of new block wall for trailer access. (The wall was pushed out from plan for roots, visible before project started, but to move it I cut no root bigger than ¾-inch that wasn't already cut). -side bank grade they said could be built up was not, so more $ for a taller fence to maintain privacy. -the accounting office to include "some concrete setup" in the concrete cost (I used my own supplier) despite me having already paid the "set up for concrete" line item. -the contract's "Complete pick up work and project" to be relabeled "Final Payment Due on Completion of Pool Start-up" when the only work done was patio cover (previously paid) repair attempt and fewer than 10 hours of pool service over 5 days. At $270/hr, local pool service guys all want that gig. -that despite identifying a problem at the first of six patio cover panels, installation continued, and only after emailing that their blueprints showed I was right did they agree to address it. -the patio cover to leak in multiple places, including down the house wall it was attached to, nor for multiple leaks again after they redid it to plan. -a leaky downspout, smooth clear (wrong) caulk over rough white, and water drooling out of the main beam cover within months. After a refund request to fix the patio and the cover, another repair was attempted, but it still drools and there are dirty/rusty water tracks on 2 of 3 posts. Three further attempts to schedule a fix have been no-shows. -concrete finishers generated more trash in a day than SC workers of previous 7 weeks, and complained about my concrete supplier (who's been in business decades longer than SC or the finisher). -concrete not done to geotech engineer's recommendation, ponding in 21 places (versus 2 of the old), at one point 5/8" higher than adjacent pool coping and another ¼-inch lower than the drain not 12 inches away. -uncovered patio to drain to covered patio area, so rain and breeze-blown sprinkler spray keep areas of the covered patio wet, and some water runs up seam to the house foundation. No professional I've shown has seen this before, one saying "That's a conversation Swink's won't want to have." And they didn't: Despite multiple queries over months and the partial refund request to fix my patio cover and patio, the cover still drools and there has been no response re the patio. The patio cover supplier (Four Seasons) was unresponsive at regional and national attempts. From recent estimates I need another $12.5K for patio and cover fix, then I'll sell as soon as I'm able. I agree SC is expensive, disagree they're good. read more

As a repeat customer of Swink's Creations, I can give them yet another high rating for recently installing a beautiful pool and decking for us. Approximately 10 years ago, they completed our backyard retaining walls and river-style waterfall. Both the retaining walls and waterfall have held up beautifully, so without hesitation we had them install the pool we had been envisioning for so long. Since I had a very specific vision of what I wanted in the pool, Mark Swink was able to work with me to design the pool of my dreams within our budget. The pool was designed around my existing covered tile patio, so attention to existing detail was paramount. The process was smooth, and Swinks' came in on time, and on budget. They were always clear and timely about any requested additional work costs. (We did end up adding a few things) The project manager Ko was a delight to work with. He was on the job daily, and checked in with me regularly, either in person or by text. He even answered when I had questions in the evening or on the weekends! Ko gets 5 stars!! Each of the trades that they had on site were high quality professionals, and communication was easy working through Ko. Any concerns or ideas were addressed promptly. We even added a Riverflow current swim system at the last minute, part way through the initial construction, (a product Swink's had not installed before) but Swinks' worked with the manufacturer and the plumbing contractor to fit it in without any delay in the final completion date. All specific design details that I wanted were carefully implemented to my satisfaction. I absolutely love our pool, and won't hesitate to recommend Swink's Creations to anyone looking for great quality and service in a pool and landscape contractor. read more

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Spend $75,000 - $100,000 What I Was Told Or Don't Waste Their Time In Getting and Estimate. I Called To Get An Estimate For A New Pool , I Got A Call Back Few Hours Later and The Girl Told Me If I was Ready To Spend $75K - 100K if Not DONT Bother. Don't Waste my Time or Their Time. Unprofessional. My Advice Look Somewhere Else . read more

This project really went as perfectly as any backyard model could. We chose Swinks after a bid process. They worked extensively with us during the design and their expertise really showed as they pointed out several things other companies missed. The actual work was completed in a timely and efficient method. Their strong communications really stood out, with every step outlined in advance by either the office or our project manager (Kou). They were flexible when we made a few additions along the way, and dealt well with a couple of issues that came up due to the age of the property/existing pool. Work completed: Retaining wall, resurfaced pool, all new plumbing, adding water features and other pool features, new deck, new outdoor lighting, new trash storage area, trees and landscaping Everything was done to an extremely professional standard and is high quality. read more

Swinks Creations did a complete outdoor remodel for us in July, 2016. This included hardscape; pool remodel and landscaping front and back. They did an outstanding job in every sense of the word. They were communicative and always showed up when they said they would. The job was done in the time frame and budget they quoted. It was beautiful and creative; the quality was outstanding; and they were easy to work with. Three years later, there was a small tile problem that needed to be repaired. They responded quickly; stood behind their work; and made sure the job was done right. They have assisted in getting replacements for lighting that has been damaged by outside forces and/or burned out. In particular, Renee has been a joy to work with. She followed up regularly and made sure I was informed every step of the way. I highly recommend them and would not hesitate to use them again. read more

A few years ago I bought a house that needed the backyard re-done and had Swink's come out to give a bid. They came out and looked around and ended up telling us that in order to give a bid they need their designer to measure and do a CAD design and we need to pay $600 up front for it. We ended up not going with them. It seems like some pool companies do follow this route and won't give you a for-sure quote unless you pay up front, but he wouldn't even give us a ballpark except "over 150k" which was the very top of our budget and knowing how most projects go over budget I didn't feel comfortable with that. read more

I did contact you, but was always given excuses how the workmanship is not your fault. You want me to pay you more money to repair your own work. read more

Hello Mark, and thanks for your feedback. As you can see , 7 months has passed since my review and while I understand that your company has new salespeople, I believe that based my email and phone messages that this isn't something salesperson issue but a systemic one. As a result I don't believe there's going to ever be an opportunity to make it right, especially after all the time and attempts prior. There's too many other contractors that also have great credentials that do based in their actions care about their reputation. I've subsequently done business with two others and reviewed them accordingly and will also be reviewing another shortly. Best of luck with your business. read more

We hired Swink's Creations to landscape the front yard. They removed the existing lawn and sprinkler system, and replaced the sprinklers with a drip system. They sat down with us, and really listened to what we wanted; I wanted drought resistant, but no succulents and no cactus. I really wanted a more tropical feel...Mark came up with a beautiful yard for us that included color and lots of palms. Working with these guys was stress free and easy! The project manager, Mike was great and the crew was professional and clean.They even have an in house horticulturist (Carl) who told us what would work and what together and wouldn't, as well as how to groom them to keep the look we have now. I may take up gardening. Loved them all, great experience, would HIGHLY recommend! read more

Great job on our backyard. We had a bbq Island, fire pit, and spa put in. Everyone was professional and Kou knocked it out of the park - his level of commitment to getting things right and communication with us throughout the install was phenomenal. We invested a lot of money and feel like the product we got reflects it! read more

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Gorgeous pool and landscape designs and wonderful staff. Very helpful and friendly. Id recommend them to anyone looking for a new pool or a remodel. read more

They did a great job for our backyard project (Pool, spa, composite deck, etc.). They completed the project 10 days earlier than the initial date promised. Project manager Kou is very responsive to text messages and calls. He is very patient and informs you very well at every phase of the project. Their team does a great job in scheduling various teams in a timely manner and planning the project timeline well ahead of time. The owner Mark is very experienced and trustworthy. They have an upfront pricing and it does not change unless you change your materials and modify your design during your project. read more

Swink's completely remodeled our backyard and we could not be happier. From a great design (Joe) to the final completion, this is a first class operation. Every night we received a text message letting us know what would happen the next day and who would be at our house. From the project manager (Kou) who led the parade to every tradesperson (Edwin, Chuchu, Santos, Bo, Luis, Larry, Brian Cesar and Carl) who worked at our house, every person was pleasant to deal with and respectful. Every one was a pro in their field. Every tradesperson made subtle suggestions along the way to enhance the design. We went with all of them. When we threw in a couple of change orders, they didn't flinch. They handled the permits, the sign offs and coordinated with a spa vendor that we had hired. The result was beyond our very high expectations. Oh - and they came in on budget. We would hire them again in a heartbeat. read more

A Rep from Swinks came out last Wednesday and gave me some great ideas on a backyard remodel. He measured and left saying I would receive an email by next Wednesday (yesterday) giving a bid on the work. Wednesday came and went with no email or phone call. I called their office on Thursday and very professional lady said she would contact the same rep immediately and he would get back to me shortly. It's now 4:30 and still no email or phone call. So, how can I hire a company to do a backyard remodel if they won't follow up on their promise to give me a bid when they said they would? So, now I hire the other contractor who showed real professionalism. read more

We hired Swinks to redo the pool on a property in Chatsworth that we bought and did a full renovation on - inside and out. Our project with Swinks started with pool refinishing and new equipment, and expanded to new plumbing (discovered broken pipes under concrete), expanded concrete / patio, new drainage, full irrigation and landscaping. We also installed a custom slide made by Dolphin on the hill that is behind our pool. Swinks is one company who can properly install Dolphin slides. This was a six-figure++ project, which took place over several months during the heat of the 2018 summer and into the early fall. Their people were all professional, very responsive and coordinated by project coordinator, Scott, who was on-site nearly every day, or stopping by whenever we needed. We corresponded with him by text and phone calls as needed. Scott coordinated the rest of the Swinks crew and various subcontractors, and ensuring timely responses to any and all issues and our questions. He kept the project moving forward without us having to prod him or remember things on our own, which is definitely not the case with many contractors!!! They also provided design inputs that really added aesthetic and practical value, including doing a design plan based on photos of our yard which really helped us see the vision when we were simply a dirt lot with a broken down pool. Carl, their in-house horticulturist, is a very kind person who worked with my ideas to create a beautiful drought resistant (but not cactus) landscape in front and back, appropriate to the sun situation on our property. Our plants are flourishing! Joe is the salesperson we worked with in the beginning on finishes for the pool and concrete and overall plan. He was very helpful and patient as we asked many questions and made our decisions. Angel in their office was timely and friendly with schedule info and general coordination. Thanks to Mark Swink for the overall coordination to help make our pool and yard a reality in the middle of a chaotic remodel on our home. Projects like ours are very intensive, expensive and stressful, but we really enjoyed working with Swinks, and have recommended the company to our neighbors. Our pool and yard have turned out absolutely beautiful and we anticipate our back yard being the centerpiece of our summers to come! (Pics will be posted soon!) read more

I recently needed to have my pool resurfaced and I contacted Mark of Swink's Creations for an estimate. After receiving it, I sought several other estimates to compare. Mark followed up with me but he wasn't pushy. Ultimately, I decided to hire his company to do my job which also included some new hardscaping. I have to say that they could not have done the job more to my satisfaction. They started when they said they would. They finished before they scheduled end date. They cleaned the work site every day. They finished right on budget. They were not the cheapest quote that I got but I am certainly happy with the outcome and very pleased with my choice of contractor. read more

After interviewing several landscaping/swimming pool contractors (7 at least) and becoming increasingly frustrated, my husband saw a job Swinks Creations was doing in our neighborhood. We called and made an appointment for Mark Swinks (the owner) to come to our house to discuss our major landscaping project. A new front and back yard with a new swimming pool, whirlpool, water features, outdoor kitchen, firepit along with the hardscaping and landscaping. To my surprise I spoke with their professional office staff, Renee specifically. On appointment day she called again to confirm our appointment, Mark arrived on time. He listened to our vision, gave us suggestions, and took two pages of notes. Blown away by this we arranged to have their professional staff come out to measure and take pictures of our property. In a few short weeks we met Mark at their office to go over his plan for our project. Mark understood our vision and he came up with amazing plans that exceeded our expectations. We knew we made the right call to hire Swinks for the job. Everything that you expect from a contractor they excel at. Reliable, dependable, every employee and subcontractors that worked on our project was professional, respectful and courteous. They understand quality workmanship and deliver on the customers expectations. Our experience with Swinks Creations gave us peace of mind and turned out beautiful, on budget, and completed earlier than expected. The entire experience was very positive hence our 5 star review. Neighbors frequently walk by our house and take pictures. We even recommended our neighbor to hire Swinks for their pool and backyard installation. They had the same experience as we did. We're so impressed with how amazing everything turned out we encourage Swinks to use us as a reference for any potential customers. read more

This past summer, we hired Mark Swink to redo our old existing pool, add a Jacuzzi, to the pool, redo the concrete decking around the pool, and build a flagstone fire pit. Mark's estimate not only beat all the other pool contractors estimates but he also was the most professional. He answered all our questions and gave us helpful suggestions which saved us money. He gave us a time estimate of six weeks from start to completion and he and his crew completed the job on schedule. Even the inspectors who came out to our house to inspect the various phases of the pool remodel commented to me and my husband that Mark has an excellent reputation in the pool business. My husband and I are so pleased with the way the project turned out and would gladly recommend Mark to anyone. read more

My next door neighbor had this company build a spa and BBQ. They made a huge miss of my property and our streets. Their foreman with a bad attitude, would speed down our streets, double park his car and basically did not give a damn. He even laughed at me when I asked him if he was going to clean all the mess they left in the street on a daily basis. I even had to rent pressure washer to clean my driveway and street. I also received negative responses of this company from the city inspectors I talked too. read more

No thank you!!! They do a bad job and don't even care to call you back if you have questions. You pay for what you get and I would spend more money else where and know the job is going to be done and actually have a person to answer your questions!! Stay away from this business and their "no parking singns" on a public street just goes to show how gullible they THINK people are. What a joke of a company!! Stay away!! Oh and complaint already filed with the city and BBB!! read more

Swink's just finished our pool and backyard remodel. They did an excellent job, and we are very pleased with the end result. I really appreciate their open lines of communication, they were always very responsive. Best of all, the workers we dealt with were very polite and left our house tidy at the end of each work day. read more

Wow. A company that has survived and grown through all of the lean times. Yes, a bit envious-mabybe human nature! I have seen nothing but excellent workmanship. The man has one Hell of an outfit there! Robert Walker Landscaping read more

What an excellent experience! Besides the fact that the team from Swink's is professional and timely, this beloved family owned business really cares about the quality of their work. Our job was a total remodel and landscape of a family home. Working with Kou Fox, the assigned supervisor, made what is often tedious and stressful, comforting that his expertise and thoroughness would give us the highest confidence that our expectations would be fulfilled. We are extremely happy and we wholeheartedly recommend this excellent company. read more

Mark took on a large residential build for us and was patient and thorough throughout the process. All of his staff and other professionals he uses are top quality and care as much about the client as he does. I highly recommend him if you are considering hardscape, landscape or some combination of above. Rare to find a high quality, reputable contractor who brings integrity, experience and passion for his craft. read more

Mark Swink and his team are the best. They remodeled our backyard and it looks great. They were under budget and within the contracted time. read more

Professional, courteous, fast, and a great finished product... On-time and on-budget! We would hire them again!