Sunsational Pools & Spas Inc

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I'm not sure WHY---since I had 'checked' the box to SHARE when we originally submitted this review---that it somehow was NOT included in the list of reviews on this company. Based on our $82,000 project experience with SUNSATIONAL POOLS (and after interviewing/getting bids from 6 other companies), we continue to feel this company provided us an incredible deal for a pool, spa, and overhead screened patio area that was completed on time and in a very professional manner. Any follow-up minor problems have been quickly resolved to our complete satisfaction.

They were phenomenal. They were on time, and gave us a good price. They did a good job. They came back and cleaned up the walkway - we didn't have to clean up anything. Everyone was very professional, too.

It didn't... no one called me back.

Pre-Sale: First, I investigated all the pool builders in the area. This was the fourth pool I had built, and I tried to incorporate previous experience into this one. I checked them out with public records for any lawsuits or complaints against their licenses, time in business, and publicly available reviews. This left about five companies from whom I requested quotes. Note that we had a very small lot, and were trying to fit a full-size pool and spa. One company did not provide a quote, and the other four quotes were about the same amounts, but included different items, so none were really an apples-to-apples comparison. Sunsational provided us with a list of referrals in the area. We contacted 5 recent customers, and all were thrilled. All said there pools were built in 28 - 35 days, and had no major issues. Sale: Julie came to our house and listened to what my wife and I wanted. She designed the pool in this meeting. She used her experience to generate the best-fit for our small lot. Unlike others, she added geometric features and details that made a huge difference. Also, she was the only pool company to provide a quote while she was there. And although the quotes were similar, her's included removing existing decking, and adding threshold tile that matched the new deck. The only confusion with the quote was that we specified all color-logic LED lights, and price on the contract showed a standard light in the spa. This ended up costing us another $500 dollars when I think we were pretty clear from the beginning. The contract had milestone payments that were not based on passing inspections. Typically, I would object to this, but I let it go based on the referrals and the payment terms were never an issue. I truly felt like Julie wanted the best possible pool for us. I met with other builders who wanted the best (most profitable) pool for them. One even wanted to leave the existing concrete decks, put the new decking on top of them, and cut off the bottom of our doors to eliminate the interference. One told us we didn't want a screen room (which we wanted), but that we should buy more pool from him. Post-Sale: We signed the contract and provided the deposit. As some documents required notarizing, Joanna (you'll hear about later) came to our house to handle all the paperwork. It could not have been easier. The building permits were applied for immediately, and secured within a couple of weeks. We added some decorative tiles, which were very expensive ($45 each for 20 tiles = $900. If possible, I recommend including decorative tiles in the contract price. Also, they were very helpful with identifying the decking type and pattern that worked best for our small lot. We wound up going with a linear pattern on the perimeter and coping that gave the appearance of an overhung deck. It came out great! Construction: The building permits were issued on a Thursday, and Joanna (Project Coordinator / Office Assistant / etc.) emailed me on Friday laying out the plans for week 1 (dig on Monday, steel on Tuesday, inspection on Wednesday, gunite on Thursday, and backfill on Friday). Everything went according to plan, although backfill slipped to Monday. In general, she provided weekly plans, which kept us well informed. Everyone was very professional and highly experienced. They were very flexible to any changes that didn't impact cost. For example, we wanted the vacuum line located to minimize hose length, and they changed it without issue. The screen room company wanted to modify how the footer interfaced with the house, and they changed it without issue. They also have a machine that allows them to cut the bull-nose shape into the coping. So the coping is initially installed without the bull-nose. This gives you a chance to see what it looks like without it (we almost left the bull-nose off). And the machined bull-nose provided a much better look with a smooth coping / grout interface than if bull-nose coping was installed. The only issue we had with construction was regarding the jet placement in the spa. The drawing showed the spa jets placed where we wanted them, but doesn't specify the dimensions. They didn't get installed as-shown on the drawing. If the drawing had shown them the way they were installed, I would have had it changed. Unfortunately, they were installed right before the gunite was shot, so there was no chance to get it changed. Our construction took 43 days from day of dig to day of fill. This was longer than any of the references mentioned, and was due to two reasons. First, our pool was finished after Memorial Day. The week prior to Memorial Day, the pool company worked very hard to get as many pools finished as possible, and ours just didn't make the cutoff. The second reason is that they take vacation the week after Memorial Day. But the pool was finished soon after. I should also note, that they were fantastic about grading the lot after construction, and repairing a brick paver parking spot that got messed up during construction. Post-Construction: There was no issue with the payment milestones. Even though we had paid in full, they quickly resolved any punch-list items without a single complaint. The start-up instructions were clear, and they took care of everything, and came back two weeks later to start the salt system including adding the initial salt (the salt system needs to wait two weeks from diamond brite installation). As part of the pool package, we purchased a fairly expensive waterfall and automation system, along with the color changing LED lights mentioned earlier. These add-ons totaled thousands of dollars. We were a bit surprised that the waterfall was not on the automation system (in fact, when we were shown the automation system in a demonstration, the waterfall was part of it). We had to buy a $95 valve actuator to add it. Also, the automation system did not include a $250 module that controls the light system. Without the module, you have to turn the lights off and on to index through the 20+ colors and shows (in fact, the brochure provided describes the features of the Colorlogic LED lights we thought we were getting). When you're talking about two items that cost less than 10 percent the cost of the options (or less than one percent of the pool cost), I think it should have been stated that they were not included. To me, it's like buying a $100 remote control ceiling fan, and the company selling you the remote control for another $1. I would certainly incorporate these lessons-learned into the next contract (or recommendations for others), but I would DEFINITELY, ONLY USE SUNSATIONAL to build my next pool. It was truly a great experience! After building four pools, this is how pool building should be.

There were 5 crew members and it took about 4 days to complete. They were very professional and they met the schedule and time frames perfectly. I really like the results of the deck and I feel like I can really use it.

Other than showing up for the above mentioned appointment, this company is very disappointing. It was one month yesterday that Ms. Whitehead was at our home, and we have not received even a phone call from her, let alone an estimate for the proposed work. I have contacted the office 3 times, twice by phone, and once by e-mail. The office person, JoAnn has tried very hard to keep the deal together. The first call she said that Ms. Whitehead was out of town, and we should receive the estimate soon. She offered some references for me to contact, (an effort to keep me busy while I wait). The next phone call she said that it was a big job and Julie was working on getting all of the info. Well, if it takes a month for a professional pool company to get all of the necessary info, I wouldn't call them "professional". This isn't the only company that we have requested an estimate from, and absolutely none of them took more than a few days. If they didn't want to do the job, I would have appreciated them just saying so. My final contact was over the weekend (by e-mail) to let them know that we are no longer interested in their company. As expected, as of today, we have not had any response.