We just finished working with Los Cabos Pools on a remodel of our old pool. Javier helped us with…read moredesign and a complete upgrade. His team is professional and put in a full day of work each and every day. Sometimes with the request to work on Saturdays, if needed. (He's happy to skip any Saturday if the homeowner prefers.) Our new pool has all the modern amenities for draining, filling, central pool cleaner. They take great care in making decisions and offering ideas for efficiency and aesthetic design. We are very happy with the experience and our new pool!!

Before writing a review about our experience with los Cabos. Here is a background on our build…read more we had contracted a non-licensed or bonded person to redo our pool and add a spa. Well, long story short that was a huge mistake. Left our project half way done and just disappeared after we gave him a deposit. After a year of searching for a contractor that was willing to finish the project we had. We were referred to los Cabos. Let me tell you what a relief that they were able to come in and finish our project. We had to get the plaster done, break down existing concrete that was done incorrectly, tile,stone. Javier, Maribel and Juan and crew all guided us through the process of finishing with recommendations, alternatives and with patience. Besides, supply delays we don't have anything negative to say. Contact was precise and clear. Deposit schedule and work was done in a timely manner and within reason from their initial end date. I would recommend, reaching out to the pool maintenance and confirm who will be treating pool and clean up after initial fill. After about a month or so that they finished our pool, my son hit his head on the sharp edges and we reached out to los Cabos and they were able to help us by sanding down the edges which are now safe. Highly recommend los Cabos pools, even being hit with a high demand on pools they were always available, patience and was easy too schedule any follow ups or inspections that needed to happen. Thank you again! Here are some pictures of the finished pool. We are so thankful that we have a pool to enjoy!

We live in Banker's Hill and the neighborhood is well established. Access to our back yard is…read morelimited to a very narrow drive way. Our neighbors are fussy. The dirt here is like concrete. We are tough customers because we have a clear idea of what we want..... None of this mattered to Dan Ramos. He installed for us a beautiful traditional pool. It is beautiful beyond our expectations. Micro Pebble tech walls give the darkest blue I have ever seen in a pool. Warm salt water is easy on the skin. The process was seamless. He kept us informed along the way. He came in on budget inspire of some last minute changes. We interviewed two contractors and we are so very glad we decided on Distinguished pools. Thank you so much. We couldn't be happier. Happy in Banker's Hill.

I'm trying to cut and paste our conversation however, ... I asked for a weekly cleaning quote, Dan…read moreR. wrote and asked me to be ready to provide my credit card number on Monday to his office. I asked why I would be giving my credit card number if there is no quote or agreement to do business. He responded to say they will not come out and give me a quote without me FIRST giving them my credit card information!!!! Buyer beware. Most companies don't charge for a quote! Seems shady.

Thier landscape and Custom pool design is AMAZING! Complete with Fire pit, BBQ and waterfall…read morefeatures, I never want to leave our friends backyard! Check out thier website, they have done some amazing work and the owner is VERY involved with the design and planning through to implementation. I HIGHLY recommend them!

I purchased my pool from Pacific Sun Pool and Spa, and until recently, my family and I had been…read morevery happy with our experience. After investing more than $200,000 in our pool project, we chose to continue using their pool service department because of the exceptional service we received from our technician, Dennis. Dennis has maintained our pool for years, knows our equipment, understands the history of our pool, and has consistently provided outstanding service. We have complete confidence in him and greatly value the care he has given our investment. This week, we learned that Pacific Sun Pool and Spa had transferred our pool service to another company. The way this was handled was extremely disappointing. At 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, I received a call from a technician I had never met informing me that he would be servicing our pool that day. This was effectively the first direct communication I received regarding the transition. What concerns me most is that the new company has only been in business for approximately one month. As a customer who has invested significantly with Pacific Sun, I expected better communication and the opportunity to discuss such a major change before my account was handed off to someone else. To make matters worse, I repeatedly called the office to discuss my concerns, and my calls went unanswered. Messages were left, but no one returned my calls. The lack of communication and customer service throughout this process has been incredibly frustrating. Dennis earned our trust through years of excellent service. Unfortunately, the way this transition has been handled has damaged my confidence in Pacific Sun Pool and Spa. While our experience up until now had been excellent, this situation has left us very disappointed.

We met with David at Competitive Pools to request an estimate to add a pool to our backyard and…read moreimmediately felt that he listened to exactly what we wanted and understood how to make it happen efficiently. He's a great communicator and kept us informed every step of the way. All of the demo and construction was done carefully and with professionalism. Our backyard space was completely transformed in just 14 weeks. We appreciated the way David was able to expedite the work from week to week. Elio also gave us some really beautiful design ideas regarding pavers and fencing. We love the pool design he developed and it not only highlighted the current layout of our backyard, but it also highly upgraded the space to make it more functional and inviting. Each member of the Competitive Pools team approached us with a high level of respect and courtesy. Thanks to their hard work, the pool building process was fun and exciting for us! We highly recommend David and his team to anyone looking to add a beautiful pool to their home.

Dave at Competitive pools was fantastic! He was very responsive all through the whole process. He…read morewas very knowledgeable and helped with the planning and did not set unrealistic expectations. He gave us a timeline that he followed and always let us know the next step. Our backyard is still in he works but he has made it soo much nicer! We had a great experience and he delivered!

We used Padre pools after a local contractor was in too far over his head even before the work…read morestarted. We bought a house in November 2016 that has an inground pool and spa. The equipment was very old and the pool needed minor repairs and an acid wash. David came out the day after I called him and gave me an estimate that beat the other guy and he made some recommendations to make the system right. David and his team met our timeline and made the wife very happy. Flor is the office person we worked with and she always kept us up to date and replied to our questions quickly! We had them remove all the old equipment and install a new variable speed pump, filter and added a new heater. We wanted an automated system and David set it up so that it runs from a small touchscreen pad that is portable. We love the new equipment and after 3 months can say it's perfect for us. David's team also acid washed the pool which was worst then we thought. They replaced bad grout, took 2 extra days cleaning and finding bad spots, fixing them as they went. They even updated the drain suction covers to current code ones. The pool looked brand new when they were done! David even stuck to his original estimate! That really struck us as a quality company who we want to work with in the future. Shout out to Raymond who did a lot of the work and educated me on pool issues and maintenance! We also use Padre pool for our servicing. They come weekly, test and clean it, and make sure the equipment is running well. We have peace of mind that our pool is ready for us when we want to use it. If we every remodel it, Padre will be my first call!

We had our pool project started in March 2020 and finished on January 2021. We dealt with Steve…read morewho was great and knowledgeable. Everything started amazing excavation was done in 2.5 days and they were able to work on a small space. Our issues happened when new subcontractors switched around. The scheduler Lulu dropped the ball on every step possible. The shotcrete people drained the cement mixer rubble on the HOA storm drains. They were suppose to dump chemical water onto the sewer pipes but dumped it in storm drain instead. Our first Flagstone/Tile guy did nothing for 3 weeks and that delayed the project. The new Tile/ flagstone guy did ok work but he buried 1200 lbs of cement and rocks debris in my planter boxes which I had to dig out. They almost forgot to install overflow connection until I pointed it out. The overflow connection was poorly done and takes forever to drain. The pebbletec vendor cut pipe from our auto filler and sprayed over it. it took over a week to locate filler and drain hole and they had to drill leavingcrap load of debris and having to drain 2000 gallons of water. The final inspection took 1 year to complete due to vendor not scheduling. There are a few finishing touches that were missed. Over all I am happy with my pool but I feel like I did a lot of over sight that the general contractor should have done. There should have been someone that visited the site on a weekly period. You have to be vocal and look over the subcontractors shoulders. Sadly they are just doing this for dollar and sometimes very little thought process. My control panel is free standing almost in the middle of our deck I am not sure why I was not consulted where I would like the panel, I would have gladly had it mounted to the house outside wall like a circuit breaker panel. Like I said I am mostly very happy but that was because I had to take matters into my hands.

We came home from vacation to find our spa not working. It would trip the breaker switch within a…read moreminute of turning it on manually. I called Rob at Pure Water Pool & Spa based entirely on reviews in Yelp and I am glad I did. After asking a few questions, he told me what he thought could be going on and gave me a quote to come and check it out. Rob came out on time, was professional and his initial diagnosis was correct: the breaker was being tripped by a additional motor used for increased blowing pressure. The motor had seized up. I had mentioned we do not often use the extra motor, so Rob simply disconnected it. He did not push me into replacing the motor and did not even discuss it until I asked for a quote. Rob was very low key. He did the job he came out to do efficiently with no additional charges or salesmanship. He was done in less than 30 minutes. Without question I would hire Rob again should I need another repair (he and his wife Laura are the owners of Pure Water Pool & Spa and are the individuals doing the repairs) and without question I recommend his services to those reading my review.

Dylan took over this business and he's done a great job for us. We have some old pool equipment, so…read moreit's been a challenge to find parts and get it working, and if he can't fix something he knows someone who can. I highly recommend Pure Water and Dylan!

Brian is the most…read morereliable and on top of it guy we have found in the pool business. He is an animal and there in early am to knock out our previous pool guys problems. The calcium deposit on the tile was thick and Brian got it off. The grids needed replaced because they were left broken from the prev pool guy even though we paid for it. Call Brian Today

So far we have had great service from Brian and his team. They respond quickly, and have come out…read moreand done what they said they would do... and on time! Very kind and patient as well!

We couldn't be happier with the work California Smartscape did on our landscaping project. Our home…read moresits on a complicated, multilevel foundation and every other contractor declined the project due to its complexity.  Andrew and the Smartscape team embraced the challenge and delivered an outstanding design that incorporated all our needs.   The project included a full pool remodel (replacing crumbling 70s brick), new concrete, a safe and modern upper deck off the second story, a refreshed entryway, and a new outdoor living area to replace an unsightly and unusable wooden deck. Andrew's 3D model helped us visualize the final product and he worked with us to incorporate slight tweaks in the design based on our knowledge of the space.   Smartscape also phased the work so we could prioritize the pool and upper deck first. Leo, our project manager, was incredibly responsive and kept us involved in every decision. The finished pool is stunning with dazzling PebbleTec, modern coping and tiles, and our old jacuzzi was transformed into a luxurious jetted spa with smart lighting. The sleek, modern decking materials not only look amazing but give us peace of mind with everything up to code.   The biggest transformation was replacing the outer wooden deck with a retaining wall and turf, creating a large fenced-in play area for our kids--something we never had before. Now we have space to kick a ball and have outdoor family movie nights.   We started this project trepidatious, knowing that most contractors go over timelines and over-budget, but Smartscape completed everything in just a few months, with expert craftsmanship and within budget. Truly a five-star experience! (Select before and after photos included)

UPDATE: 12/17/25 New Owner Jonathan reached out to me so I give him 5 stars for the timely…read moreresponse. He's going to send someone out to assess the situation and identify best way forward to address the problem. I know it's been a long time since the installation and ownership has changed, so I appreciate Jonathan trying to be helpful, even though I still have this very significant issue with huge potential costs to fix. Updated rating to 3 stars because I am hopeful for a peaceful resolution. I want to be fair and support small businesses so stay tuned. More to come. ORIGINAL REVIEW: Initially, we were very happy with our remodel of patio and landscape. Over time, issues surfaced. We had water damage buckling up on our wood floor. After consulting several other contractors, we realized that the patio pavers were incorrectly installed too high, covering up the drainage holes of the patio sliders and windows by the patio bar, which Smartscape also installed. Now we have major damage inside the house on half of the wood flooring. Secondly, Smartscape installed a shade structure and over time, we saw issues of paint bubbling but could not figure out why. Finally, after consulting other contractors, we realize that material choice of tongue and groove panels were not the best choice; thin and subject to warp; install was uneven; and heaters too close to the ceiling, resulting in melted bubbles of paint. We rely on professional subject matter experts to provide the best recommendations... the onus should not be on the homeowner. We selected California Smartscape after some research. It all seemed good and legit. They seemed to know what they're doing: Richard Hafenstein, Sal Manna, Nick Hoffman. But only to find out too late, after any warranty period, that their work was less than acceptable and continues to erode and present more issues with time. They also recommended plant specimens - half of which I removed after several years, because they were simply poor choices for growth habit and space. How is a homeowner to know?... Isn't that why we hire professionals? We are so disappointed. But still hopeful that we will hear back and they will repair the paver install problem and stop the water leak into the house and foundation. I tried to contact Richard and have yet to hear back from the company. We spent over $172,291 on this project, not including equipment and component systems which we paid separately. We already spent $$$$$ to repair the shade structure paint bubbles. I just want the water drainage issue/paver install problem to be fixed and done right.