Vanguard Swimming Pool Contractors

Juan Arana from Vanguard personally oversaw the whole process, from the initial "dreaming" stage through detailed pricing, timeline, and construction. We always knew what to expect and when we hit the rare snag (100-year-old tree roots deep underground!) he always had a way past it. It's not too much to say that our lives at home have changed based on having not only a pool out back, but an entirely new space for relaxing and entertaining.

It was great! They explained the process and helped me understand what I need to do in the future!

By far my best experience yet with a home improvement project. I had a pool and spa installed by this company recently. Juan was very professional and work is high quality. From the day the job started, he and his workers were onsite everyday working, starting at the time he promised and working as efficiently as possible to get the job done on time, including weekends when needed. I've experienced contractors in the past that take advantage of their customers, send workers out with no supervision or don't show up at all, poor workmanship, etc. so I can truly appreciate Juan and his crew for taking such pride in their work and going above and beyond to ensure my project turned out exactly how I wanted. I highly recommend this company to anyone.

Work went very efficiently! Juan was outstanding, taking time to explain a couple of other questions I had. His answers let me know that this is the company I would use when pool refinishing and bottom pool drain needed replacement! Great guy!

Juan is fantastic. He actually found an earlier date than he promised, and finished the job quicker than he estimated. The pool looks and works great now. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for any kind of pool work.

Our experience with Juan and his crew was nothing short of amazing. They finished on time, on budget and the quality was top notch. I can’t recommend Juan enough. If you are looking for a pool contractor, he’s your guy.

Our hardscape, pavers and BBQ match the new pool coping and look fabulous. Juan and his crew did an amazing job. And in the end had to wheel barrow all the wet cement into our backyard because the mix truck didn't show in time! It looks so great and we are so very pleased. With the hardscape done we added rock and then plastered the pool. We passed all our inspections without any issues. And are closer to our final product. It is looking beautiful !! Thank you Juan.

We did our homework and got 3 bids for the work to our pool and backyard area. Vanguard Swimming Pool Contractors, Juan Arana gave us the best and most detailed bid. He has been here every day since the project began with his team - on time, long hours and leaves the job site clean prior each afternoon. Our location does not have easy access, but Juan has managed just fine with no complaints. They are on schedule and when we add (and we do tend to add additional work) Juan is fair about cost and offers great suggestions and options to make our vision a reality. Every day our project looks better and better and we are excited to see its progression. I cannot recommend Juan enough. (as a matter of fact 2 of our friends have already reached out to him) I just made him promise to finish our job first. I have attached a few photo's of Demolition to reduce the pool size and Forming. Vanguard Swimming Pools did a great job with the cement coping around our pool as well as our entire backyard! Everything matched and the many pavers were done by wheel burrow and hand. Act wash finished off the great look around pool, fountain, landscape and New BBQ enclosure. Bravo Juan and your crew. So pleased.

This review is long overdue. I have written a total of about 5 reviews in my entire life and this is one of them. We hired Juan at Vanguard to remodel our pool two years ago while we were also amid a home renovation. Out of all the contractors we dealt with in the process, Juan was hands down the best that we worked with. The work was great, the work was done on time, and the price was right. I can't recommend him and his company enough.

Excellent work. They were on time. The project manager came every day and pitched in helping as well

Work was excellent, prompt, and the price was fair and on target. Juan and his crew were very easy to work with. They cleaned up when they were done and made sure we knew how to reach them if we had any questions or concerns.

Juan provided an excellent service, taking care of all the normal maintenance a pool needs after 5 years of use.  I would definately contact him again for future work.

Just wanted to share if anyone is ever in need of a Pool Contractor, this guy is absolutely AWESOME!!! Had the opportunity to work with him through a client of mine and was exceptional!! 
Very professional, timely, pleasant I would most definitely use him again and be sure to refer him as well.

Juan and crew were here almost everyday to complete the job before we left town. He was friendly and professional. The fact that he as owner was hands on made a big difference because we changed and added as the job progressed.  He always responded right away to a text and his suggestions worked out perfectly.  He said he only takes on one or two jobs at a time so each customer gets personal service.  His crew did excellent detailed tiling and brick work.  His guys would help with unrelated matters when asked. We would highly recommend Juan for pool construction or repair. He is a general contractor so he also worked on the plumbing.

It went amazingly well. Juan and his team were quick and extremely professional. The work is emaculate. My pool looks brand new and it makes our backyard look fantastic The quartz inside the plaster makes the water a beautiful clear blue color. Its refreshing just to look at!. I would hire again in an instant. The price was very good and he was able to complete the job before summer started. Thank you Vanguard!

I couldn't be happier with the result! I originally got estimates from Juan and one other Angie-recommended provider. Not only was Juan's estimate less expensive but it was obvious from the start that he had much more expertise and integrity than the other firm. Juan and his team were responsive, hard-working professionals. I am delighted with their great work. Our pool was horrible and they made it beautiful and safe. .

These guys are very professional. They showed up on time and did ; what is a very messy job; neatly and very efficiently . After starting the job they informed me that the last company that replastered our pool had done a very sub-standard job (non-angles list). I held my breath waiting for them to tell me that the job would now cost more...Nope, didn't happen! I was pleasantly surprised to find they did not employ any of the tatics I've experienced with previous contractors, (i.e. upping the bid in the middle of a job). These guys did what they said they would do, for the price they quoted in a very timely, professional way. We are very happy with the completed work.

We needed to repair the pool/deck remodel that we had done in 2009.  We received bids from numerous contractors over the course of the past couple of years.  After meeting with Juan from Vanguard , we were finally ready to trust a contractor to carefully dismantle and repair the damaged areas of our deck/pool.
Juan's experienced crew did a skillful, careful, thorough, and artful job on all of the areas of our property that they worked on.
I would not hesitate to contract with Vanguard again or recommend Vanguard to anyone.

We hired Juan/Vanguard Pools team to install a pool and spa. We interviewed a few companies and decided tohire Juan to build our pool for his honesty, he is easy and nice to work with and very professional and has a professional crew. The project took about almost 5 months, but most was due to the building and safety department. The quality is exceptional! I will be using Juan for my mother?s pool which needs refinishing, tile and plaster. We are so excited for the swimmer to be able to swim in our

new pool!

I just want to say Juan and his team where
very professional and very nice to work with and did a beautiful job of
building our pool. I will be using Vanguard pools for my mother?s pool in
updating the tile and plastering. 

I'd recommend Juan and his team with no reservations and have passed his info onto my friends and family.  Why?  Because he's an honest, easy to work with, talented and hardworking guy - and the same can be said of his crew.  The project to 5 months to complete (one month longer than anticipated - but we added a couple components and some materials were late) and was $700 over budget - that's less than 1%.  He developed the designs, put the plans together, got it though the city - and once we got the permit, there were only 7 days during the whole process when someone wasn't working at the house.
The quality has been beyond expectations - the pool, the walls, the paving stones, integrating the new construction with the existing house and garage.  He's really easy to communicate with via text or phone - and they guys kept our yard as clean as can be expected considering the total transformation.  Probably the only area where things weren't above and beyond was that the planning process took a couple months longer than we had hoped - but that's fairly typical when going back and forth with the city planning department.
We had other quotes that were less detailed and more expensive - we're totally pleased that we went with Juan and would had done it exactly the same way if we were to have started again.

During our initial due diligence we called several pool contractors including Swan, California Pools, and Mr. Carlos Pools.  Swan and California pools never called us back while Mr. Carlos only dealt with us over the phone and sent us proposed 3-D drawings. 

On the other hand, Vanguard (Juan - Owner), was very attentive from the start and showed a sincere interest in helping us build exactly what we needed.  Juan came to our home, took initial measurements, provided rough drawings on the spot, and gave us a price.  Juan seemed just as excited as we were in building our new pool since it would include a 50 ft. lap lane and a contemporary style.  We decided to go with Juan and signed a contract with him soon after meeting him and conducting a bit of research on Angie's list. 

Construction of our pool took approximately 3-4 months.  Juan was there for the majority of the build and took an active part in doing actual hard labor which was good to see.  He was very responsive during the build and gave us a great education on the different stages of the build.  There were a few surprises (e.g. additional grading, concrete, etc.) during the build that increased the original contract price and caused a bit of stress but Juan helped us through it.  The only area that I wish went smoother was the inspection process with the City of Walnut which caused us to spend several hundred dollars for a ridiculous "pool cover" that we threw out immediately after inspection.

We had a hard deadline of June 6th due to our daughter's 8th birthday which we had advertised as a pool party and Juan and his crew worked very hard to ensure that the pool was ready to go by then.      

In the end, the pool and backyard look absolutely amazing and we are more than 100% satisfied.  Juan was great to work with and I would not hesitate to recommend him to family and friends. 

JUAN ARRIVED ON TIME AND WORKED ALONG SIDE HIS CREW UNTIL PROJECT WAS COMPLETED ...ALL DONE IN ONE DAY. THE PROJECT REQUIRED TALENT AND VISION AND LOOKS  BEAUTIFUL AS WELL AS FUNCTIONAL.  I WAS TREATED WITH RESPECT AND FELT I WAS IN GOOD HANDS SHOULD MY PROJECT NEED  FURTHER  ATTENTION IN THE FUTURE.  EVERY DETAIL WAS ATTENDED TO  PERFECTLY.  NO MESS.  I LOVE THE INTEGRITY & HONESTY SHOWN BY JUAN AND HIS CREW.
I FELT VERY COMFORTABLE HAVING THEM IN AND AROUND MY HOME.

Prior to meeting Juan, we had interviewed four other pool companies over several months time.  When we were ready to move forward, we weren't totally comfortable with any of the pool companies, so we went back on to Angie's List and reconsidered getting a quote from another pool company.  We contacted Juan Arana.  After interviewing him both of us were convinced that he was the best option.  He was extremely professional, listened carefully to what we wanted to accomplish, made sound suggestions, and was up front with us on what he felt was the best direction to take and the cost involved depending on the choices of service we decided on.  His price was not the lowest, but came within a few dollars of the other quotes.  He started on time, was thorough, and supervised his crew throughout the entire job.  And even the men he brought to work in our yard were very polite and conscientious, taking special care to move or cover anything that might be damaged in the process.
We had a diving board removed and he actually removed and saved the trim tile from that for us.  We did not want to replace our existing 15 year-old tile around the pool as it was exactly the look and color I wanted.  He offered to hand clean the tile around the pool, but ended up bead cleaning it.  It is absolutely beautiful.  It looks like new.  We were extremely impressed with the care and quality of the work done by the man who built the new pedestal.  It is exactly what I asked for.  And he even replaced several broken bricks on another wall beside our front driveway without our asking and without extra charge.
Juan has communicated with us throughout the entire process, always asking if we are satisfied with each part of the restoration process.  He has followed up after completion, including start-up of pool water chemical levels, making sure everything checked out okay.  Juan never asked for payment prior to completing each step of the contract.  We cannot say enough about this company - Yes!  we do recommend him.

We found Juan in our neighborhood on the way to a client meeting--we saw his truck and flagged him down. We already had 4 swimming pool contractors come out to bid and it just seemed outrageous (what they were suggesting and the $$). Juan gave us his personal cell phone number and told us we can text him, so we did. He came out as soon as he was available. We loved that Juan did our bid right there on the spot on his ipad (other guys took up to 2 weeks!). Juan's price was excellent (best by a land slide) and we just "felt good" about him doing the work. We gave him a deposit right then and there (remember, we had already had 4 contractors out so we knew what we needed!). Juan started the work immediately, and was always suggesting ways to cut costs without compromising the quality of the job. Every crew he has was professional, on time, and did great work. Juan always answered phone calls and texts (or returned very promptly) and genuinely wanted the job to be done right and for us to be happy. Juan was always showing up, inspecting the work, bossing his crew around, and doing work himself on a regular basis. Since we never owned a pool before and bought a house with a pool that needed replacing, we needed someone we could trust knew how to build a pool right. He's the guy. And by the way, all those guys that told us we needed to completely re-plumb because "copper was everywhere" were wrong and Juan was right. I can't even begin to tell you the money he saved us. The other guys were going to completely rip up our hardscape! Juan is all about giving the customer the best service at the best price.
I" should also mention that Juan is a lovely family man. He takes his work seriously and is infinitely kind. We got to know him a bit because he was ALWAYS AT THE JOB! How many people can say that about their contractor?!
Anyway, we had him do our driveway too, another excellent experience and he will be the guy we call when we renovate the interior of our house. Our neighbor came out when they were doing the driveway and stated, "I wished these guys did my driveway; they are doing a much better job that the guys I had." And i just nodded and smiled.