Montecito Outdoor Design

Stefano the owner of Montecito Outdoor Design is a great guy who is knowledgeable, organized and professional.  I had a lot of concerns with a project of this size but I made the right choice with Montecito.
Initially I paid Stefano and a few others for a design which was a good idea.  Through this process I was able to determine who was engaged and knowledgeable and who I wanted to work with.  It's worth the extra money to pay for a design so you can see who is wiling to invest the time and get a feel for what kind of a relationship you will have with the contractor.  Montecito was by far the best.
The project started and the backyard was completely demolished.  It took two-days and the guys were excellent.  They were very careful and clean removing everything so quickly.  Two-days later they were back and began the excavation and again they were excellent.
Soon after came the steel and the plumbing again the guys were excellent.  I observed each step of the job and was very impressed with the way each group came in and just did exactly what they were supposed to.
Within the first two-weeks I was amazed how much progress was made it seemed like the pool would be completed in just a short time but then the reality of the city permits and their schedule hit and everything slowed down.  The city was the biggest bottleneck in the project when permits were signed off Stefano and his crew were always back on the job right after.  Really outstanding.
Basically the whole project went exceedingly well and Stefano is very good with payment schedules, conditional and unconditional waivers, change orders, statements, invoices, deposits and refunds.  I was pretty tight with all the paperwork and the billing and it did not phase him.  He is a good businessman as well as a good contractor and he never asked for anything he wasn't due and never had any excuses.
I'm really happy with my new pool.