Pool By Design

Critical: Quality Refused to come back to fix any problems, of which we have had many. Keep telling me they'll fix in autumn, then spring, then autumn. Totally poor quality. No supervision of project. Now main drain leak. After two other leaks. I don't know how they stay in business. Steer clear of them Service: General construction

Absolutely fantastic job! Pool By Design renovated out backyard. They were communicative and open about every step through this process. Very happy we chose to go with them! Services: Design, Remodeling, General construction

My family used Pool by Design for the design and build of our pool. We have used several pool company's before and this was by far the best experience we have had. Owners were very involved and the whole team was very professional. Great experience and highly recommend. Services: Design, General construction

We used Pool By Design to build our pool 3 years ago. They nailed the design part of the pool, but it was down hill after that. The owner was rude and combative on numerous occassions. When problems came up, and there were many problems, he did not take ownership and said it was either our problem or "natural causes". We finally gave up on trying to get anywhere with him.

I have since called numerous times and left messages for someone to call me back but have had no response. We are now having to have our entire deck replaced because it was not done correctly. I have had four people out to look at it and they have all said the same thing. Meanwhile, going back Simon said it was natural causes. These people design great pools, but that is where it ends.

They are unprofessional and to quote the owner, "He is not in the customer service business, but the construction business." I would not and have not recommended this company to anyone.

Our contract was signed with Pool By Design March 22, 2019 to construct a small 12,000 gallon residential pool at our home. It is now 19 months later and we still do not have a final permit. Mecklenburg County failed their electrical work over 6 months ago. We have reached out to Michael and Heather by both text and email only to be reassured the issue will be taken care of immediately. You may like their price, but be forewarned. Once they have your money, they are finished with you.just not your pool.

I sent these guys an email asking about a custom pool design I had in mind. The first response was terse and gave me no suggestions or alternatives for the project. When I reached out for more input the response was again terse and very condescending. I had apparently already been written off as not worth their time. After calling them out on the attitude they pretty much asked did I want to spend $50-75k on a pool? I said no thanks only to get the response "I figured". My take was that unless you have $50k+ for your project, don't bother calling these guys.

I used Pool by Design about 10 years ago to build our fabulous pool. We get compliments all the time. And ours wasn't the normal pool install. Intentionally, Pool By Design did the initial excavation and base install and then walked away while we did an addition to our house. Once the addition was complete, they came back and wrapped up the job. We have had no issues.

If I ever move and need to have a pool installed, there will only be one company called. Even today, I referred them to a client. Thanks Simon, Tommy and the fabulous team at Pool by Design!

We are new to Charlotte and decided to build a pool to beat the heat. With much debate and consideration we selected Pool by Design to design and construct our pool. Now that it is completed, we couldn't be happier with our pool and decision to work with PBD. From the initial meeting with Tommy B. we felt comfortable with the friendly touch. The multitude of possibilities were clearly laid out. including the varying costs. Deciding on what worked for us was a pressure-free process. Tommy guided us through do's and don'ts without even a hint of an agenda.

From the moment we reached our decision we were in lock-step with Pool by Design's wonderful staff. (My wife fell in love with Jo S. after a handful of warm phone conversations.) Like clock-work, we went through the different steps in the process with a steady stream of super-reliable professionals showing up on time and quickly going about their work creating their magic in our backyard.

While the pool was being dug and built, our porch and patio was being reconstructed at the same time by an outdoor-living company. The two companies worked hand in hand, never getting in each other's way and to each other's benefit. I can not say enough about the professionalism. The result is the backyard of our dreams. We are anticipating years and years of family time poolside. From start to finish Pool by Design was exactly what we wanted. Friendly, professional, diligent and talented.

I was recommended to the company by one of my neighbors and I felt confident with the choice once I saw the quality of work they do. The entire process was truly great. They understood exactly what I wanted and more. I highly recommend doing business with pool by design!

We used Pool By Design to build our pool. They build a great pool and have some amazing stone/rock people that work for them. They surely aren't the biggest pool company around and they don't have the most employees, but the folks who do work there all will do the best to make sure your pool workmanship is done to a superior level. It took a while, but it was done properly.

We have personally seen a bunch of pools that they have built and they are ALL amazing. We have also seen pools that were built by other folks in town that weren't so great. In my opinion, Pools by Design and Lombardo Pools build the best pools in and around Charlotte.

I am a Realtor in Charlotte and to me my home is a reflection of my love for houses and how they are that little part of the world you can call your own. I tell people to enjoy where they live. Make the most use you can of every square inch of the lot. I am a big fan of the beauty of swimming pools. When showing homes, I often tell people that a pool would look great in this yard and how it can work for them.

In Charlotte, our weather is good enough that you can really take advantage of the outdoors year round. I had no intention of building a pool when we started to a remodel and addition project. My contractor looked at me and said, a pool would look good right there while pointing to an almost barren strip of grass. So began our love of pools. I can't tell you all the wonderful things about Pool By Design. Tommy, Simon, Jo and all the contractors were great to work with in building our pool.

Our construction job was probably a bit different than most. We added a separate garage and an extensive patio all in a very small area. Home sites just aren't that big in Ballantyne. Just so happened we were dropping a pool in the middle of all of that! The first phase involved digging the pool and creating the base shell. Then our contractors came in an built the garage and patio. 7 months later Pool by Design came back to finish their work.

We were a bit hesitant about what we wanted to do with the pool decking. We told Simon what our thoughts were and the team was able to create a distinct look with concrete that made it look as though the pool had been there forever. Beautiful! That was in 2006 / 2007. Since then we have had no issues with the pool except for an occasional bulb burning out, but that has been about it.

The back of our house looks out at the pool. We have never covered in the winter so that we can enjoy it every day. If you are interested in building a pool, come by my house and take a look! You'll quickly learn that I am a big fan of Pool by Design and if I ever build another, they will definitely do the job. David Huss Allen Tate, Realtors david.huss@allentate.com

I agree with S.G.'s comments about this company. We had our pool completed over a year ago and the process was a nightmare. Our contractor who had initially recommended them later told us that they build a good product (meaning they have good subs) but that most customers complain a great deal about lack of customer service. Our contractor cautioned us to have everything in writing with this company because they will promise "everything" but will not deliver.

Their prices are competitive and that is the reason we went with them but that was a mistake. Next time, we will pay a little more up front and actually get what we were promised and on time. They took infinitely longer than promised, made many, many mistakes along the way (not all of them were corrected), and the hassle and aggravations were more than anyone should have to put up with while building a pool.

If you are thinking of building a pool, do your self a favor and go with another company, one that offers good customer service throughout the process. If you do decide to go with Pool by Design, drop by their office unannounced a couple of times so you can experience first hand their lack of professional behavior. You should also get EVERYTHING IN WRITING, including how long it will take to build the pool and who will be communicating with you because Ricky (person in charge of operations) will not.

Pool by Design is a great asset to the swimming pool industry. We have had the pleasure to photograph many of their projects and they are a wonderful client of Jim Schmid Photography. The whole team are professional, personable, and very accommodating to their clients. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to redesign or spruce up their backyards to make the whole neighborhood envious! You will only receive excellent quality and workmanship if you choose to use Pool by Design.

We interviewed several upper end pool companies and made our decision to use Pool by Design primarily on the quality and beauty of their work after seeing and talking to a previous satisfied customer. We trusted Simon and his team to take care of us during and after the construction process. Simon is a creative, ethical and honest guy who stands behind his work.

We are thrilled that we have a beautiful custom pool at a fair price. We appreciate the post construction service that they provide and we like supporting a local family run business.

We have not had great experiences the previous times we have resurfaced our pool, nor with redoing our deck. NOT the case with Pools By Design! From the planning stage all the way thru to completion, our experience was excellent! They were thorough and meticulous in their work and many times even did extras to enhance the job that we would never have thought of. I HIGHLY recommend this company if planning a new pool or renovating an old one!

Building a pool with Pool by Design was ABSOLUTELY the worst construction experience I have ever had. I have built 3 homes, 2 commercial offices, and 3 swimming pools. Unless you enjoy being berated and belittled, I cannot recommend Pool by Design. When building a pool, remember that once the hole is dug in the ground, you are stuck with the company until the end. Ricky, the construction superintendent, was rarely on the job site, provided little supervision and failed to deliver on promises that he verbally made.

Whenever there was an issue, he would blame Simon, the rude Englishman and owner, for any problems or breakdown in communication. Simon would blame Ricky for any "miscommunications". If you choose to work with this company, anything and everything must be in writing. When approaching the end of the nightmare construction experience, the plumbing that connected our original equipment to the new pool was cracked.(They chose to leave about 15' of the original plumbing lines) I had to hire my own plumber to fix the problem because Simon said it was not their fault.

At this point, the pool had not passed the final building inspection so I asked Simon what Mecklenburg County would think about this issue. He said, "The only thing the county cares about is if the pool holds water." If you choose Pool by Design, this is the type of quality craftsmanship you can expect. In my opinion, this company should not be allowed to operate in Mecklenburg County or the Charlotte area.

It amazes me that people like this can operate a business. If your business does not rely on repeat customers, you can treat the customer any way you choose. Unfortunately for our sake, we did not have the forewarning about Pool by Design.