When my wife and I moved out to California, we dreamed about putting in a pool, having moved from the frozen tundra of the mid-west. So we did a ton of research, spoke to friends and neighbors who had pools, and even spoke with a few contractors.
One contractor we met with gave us a rectangle drawing "design" that looked like a 5 year did it and one forgot to show up to our initial appointment. Nothing makes a first impression like forgetting about a potential customer! These experiences, combined with the horror stories we heard from friends and neighbors about their experiences, made us VERY nervous to move forward.
Then we met Jay and the guys at Zier Pools and thankfully that all changed.
From the start Jay was professional, timely, and responsive. He was more than willing to explain the process, answer our questions and most importantly, calm our fears. In the first few weeks, I think Jay spent more time at our kitchen table than he did at his own. Showing us designs, making tweaks, and sharing information we needed to know as first-time pool owners.
I also appreciated that Jay didn't sell us on anything, and limited our choices to ones he's seen good results with. Other folks we spoke to basically said "here's a book - pick something" whereas Jay would say "here are all of your choices, these 3 are the best, these 3 are OK, and avoid these other 10. Since we never put in a pool before, and the number of choices you have to make is overwhelming, you need someone to guide you and Jay did just that.
When we got Jay's bid the first thing we noticed was how detailed it was. There was a line item for every single thing. Everything that was planned was accounted for, and the costs were all clearly outlined in the proposal. Allowing us to make changes as we saw fit, and understanding how it would impact the overall cost.
As things got underway, the crews showed up early, worked hard, and stayed until the job was done. You ever drive on the highway and see a crew of 20 people, where 2 are digging and the other 18 are standing around? That was not the case with these guys. They worked their butts off.
Since we work from home, we got to watch the project unfold and to know the guys a bit. In addition to being professional and highly skilled, each one was nicer than the next. It's obvious they take pride in their work, and enjoy working with Jay, and that comes through in the final product. No uneven surfaces, misaligned tiles, or shoddy craftsmanship.
As for Jay, he was always available via phone, text, or e-mail. he'd stop by the project regularly and come by when we had questions. One day we wanted to make a last minute change and add a fire pit (surprise!) so Jay came to our house at 7am prior to an appointment he had to meet with us, tell his crew what to do, and make the change. That is service you simply don't get anywhere else. Sorry about that Jay...
You get the sense from Jay that he loves making customers happy and enjoys what he does. Always pleasant on the phone, via text, or in-person, even when we're asking to move something around, make a last-minute change, or inquiring if we could fill the pool with Jell-O. He answers every single question thoroughly, with a great sense of humor, and quickly.
To us the most pleasant surprise was there wasn't a single major issue on our project. Not one "uh-oh" or "hey we figured out we can't do what you're asking" and we passed all inspections on the first try. That to me comes from excellent planning, a skilled crew, and setting expectations upfront. I think our most major issue was there were some tire tracks on our sidewalk that needed to be power washed off... I'll take that "issue" any day of the week.
Finally let me say a word about cost as I'm sure that's what you're wondering about. Putting in a pool is not cheap. Far from. But when putting in a pool you don't WANT cheap. You want quality. And quality costs money.
You want to shop your project around and find someone who will do it for less? Knock yourself out. But when it springs a leak two weeks later, or they go bankrupt and you're left with a big hole in your backyard with no recourse, don't say I didn't warn you.
Jay and his crew do quality work you can't put a price on. And since we saw the entire project unfold working from home and most people don't, I can tell you from experience you have NO idea how much work, time, and materials go into building one of these things. It's amazing it didn't cost more.
So do your homework, shop around, but when you're ready to get serious hire Zier Pools. You'll be glad you did. read more