I wrote the following long recommendation for my poolbuilder, detailing my process. I spent over 8 months in research and construction and got the pool of my dreams. It was my diligence in finding my builder, Horizon -- in Pearland, Texas (South Houston area) that was key. I think my story might pertain to anyone looking to build his first pool, however...

15 July, 2005


To a prospective pool buyer:

I’m writing this in hopes that buyers considering Horizon Pools will be made aware of just how great their overall customer experience is. Though I am an advertising writer, I have no connection with Horizon Pools outside that of being their extremely happy customer.

The pool business, from my experience, is a loosely regulated one where misinformation abounds and often, “expert” opinions are anything but. I came to this conclusion after a couple of months of online research, talking to other pool owners, etc. There are some pretty horrible stories out there of shoddy construction, oversold promises, misrepresented equipment and broken contracts. It’s enough to discourage even the most enthusiastic shopper.

With this in mind, I was willing to let my pool-buying experience run the course of 9 months to a year, if necessary, to learn all I needed to avoid the problems others had faced. Looking back, I now realize I was very lucky to have found Horizon and to be living within their service area.

I started by choosing area (Clear Lake, South Houston, Webster etc.) builders to interview, with particular attention paid to getting a variety of company types. I chose nationally branded companies, regional ones and small companies that only focused on the Bay Area. I even had a creepy interview with one of those “back-of-a-pickup” contractors, who didn’t have an office, just to be sure I wasn’t prejudging any part of this business.

Horizon’s professionalism and genuine concern for customer service instantly put them ahead of all the others. Melisa, my representative, met me at home, well after business hours, to accommodate my busy schedule. We spent a lot of time talking about what I wanted and clearing up some misconceptions I had about pool ownership. She instantly understood that I had some custom ideas in mind and did not try to force me into any packages or designs that I didn’t want. She explained not only the equipment and purchases required, but why they were needed – in terms that I understood. I never once felt like I was being “sold”. Melisa takes on the role of “consultant” throughout the design process and she is excellent at it.

After sorting through a few other companies over the next four weeks or so – some, who wouldn’t return my calls, forced me to go to their office before they would consider a visit to my home, gave me some hard-sell nonsense, etc. – I was ready to go with Horizon, based on Melisa, alone. One highly reputable Clear Lake company, after forcing me to go into their office for a preliminary visit, promised me an on-site estimate, for which I took time away from work. They never showed! When I called, the receptionist explained that their designer had simply forgotten the appointment and would be happy to reschedule it (if I’d like to take another 2-3 hours away from the office to meet him). I told her to forget it.

Melisa’s colors really came out through the design process. She was incredibly accessible and helpful through a barrage of questions and probably 5-6 major design changes. I’ve heard that many companies charge extra after the second design change. Melisa never even suggested that. Her attitude was “whatever you need to make it right.”

Concurrent with my designing and spec stage, I was doing online research of all the equipment Melisa was specifying. Through this, I learned that pools are not an exact science and applications are not universal across the country. At every turn, Melisa impressed me with how knowledgeably she was able to dispel rumors and/or recommend the best ways to achieve results specifically geared to perform in our hot, humid, Texas climate. What may work for pools in New Jersey or Arizona simply doesn’t work as well here. With Melisa, I have no doubt that my combination of equipment, design and materials has resulted in the lowest-maintenance, best performing pool I could imagine for my yard. She even steered me away from some costly upgrades that might have lined her pockets, purely out of a concern for my pool. From what I’ve heard, that is rare in this business.

Through my research, I found that Horizon specs the highest-quality equipment, vendors and subcontractors for their pools. I can’t tell you how reassuring it was to see an entry on my invoice, go to the Web to look it up, then find page after page of consumer and pool professionals who rated that item highly and reported great results. I found this to be the case with every facet of my design.

For construction, Melisa turns it over to Janie and Elaine for scheduling. I found them to also be quite helpful, even though, by this time we had gotten into Horizon’s “busy season”. Things happened when Janie said they would and kept a really nice pace throughout the process. From the beginning, I was told to expect a realistic 6-8 week build and Horizon hit their mark. Moreover, they did things in the right order and gave plenty of time between steps for concrete to properly set and tile and flagstone to be properly installed and grouted, before trying to rush on to the next step. The workmanship in my pool’s details is the product of craftsmen who evidently care about their work.

On just a couple of occasions there were the smallest of imperfections I noted on my nightly inspections of the site. I was a little embarrassed to even bring them up, because they seemed so minor. In each case, however, they were addressed by Janie and fixed immediately. In one instance, nearing completion, I noticed a small piece of grout had chipped away from flagstone beneath the waterline at the pool entry. Not only did the crew partially drain the water to fix this insignificant spot, but I watched the worker take that opportunity to “blend-in” the repair work very skillfully and even touch up some adjacent areas that didn’t look bad, just so they’d match the repaired spot. From what I’ve read online, this is also uncommon attention to detail.

The pool is like a private, exotic resort. Everything works as designed and the fit and finish of all the components is first-rate. Because of its excellent design, care and maintenance are extremely easy. The landscaping package, which I almost nixed in favor of the $700 credit offered, has turned out to be worth much more than $700. Clearly, Curt, the owner of the company and landscaping guy, also takes pride in his work and sent out a package that I believe to be a bit larger than described in the initial paperwork, presumably to get the job done “right” and exceed my expectations. Cleanup of the site after the job was great, as well. Again, I’ve heard stories of pool companies that leave hazards like rebar, broken concrete and garbage behind on jobs. I saw the Horizon guys walking my yard and picking up individual rocks and debris before they left. In all, they showed a lot of respect for my home, while doing a job that, by nature, tears up a lot of yard.

There are, of course, down sides. I found Horizon to be slightly more expensive than a couple of other companies their size and considerably more than the companies that advertise simple pool packages in the newspaper for really low, all-inclusive rates. I have no reservations about Horizon’s quality, however, and feel that perhaps, in the pool business, you really do “get what you pay for.” My peace of mind through this process has been worth any premium Horizon charges, anyway. Horizon’s package included everything I needed – a water test kit, care equipment and a start-up course from a pool guy. Many companies, I’ve heard, simply leave their customers on their own, once the final check is paid.

Another down side, to some anyway, might be that Horizon seems to be more of a traditional pool builder. If you’re looking for the most cutting-edge equipment and radical new techniques and materials, they may not be the best choice for you. I found that they did have all of the latest equipment available, from salt generators to “reverse-osmosis” sanitation machines, to fiber optics, pre-cast water features and more, but tended toward more traditional setups they advised were more effective in this climate. After two months of ownership I can say that I completely agree with their approach. My pool has a very natural look, with the latest equipment, but remains a mostly traditional setup that is easy to maintain in conditions where my city water supply has a ridiculously high pH and my water temperature routinely goes over 90 degrees. I’m glad Horizon advised me in ways to keep as few variables as possible in my system. My water has, thus far, been nothing but the cleanest, clearest and freshest pool water I have ever seen. Friends and family have all commented on how they can’t believe how clear and bright blue it is.

Horizon only builds a few pools at a time, which seems to be of great benefit to their customers. Curt, Obil and their team work long hours to keep things on schedule and exhibit a high degree of accountability in the work they do. Again, this seems quite rare in this business. More than anything, they are nice people who seem to enjoy what they do. That goes a long way toward building trust and confirming my decision to go with this small Pearland company for my project. If I had it all to do over, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Sincerely,

(Signed)