Imperial Gunite, Inc.

When selecting a house to purchase, an important criteria for my wife and I was backyard space for an in-ground pool. We had a rough design in mind (size, shape, features) and interviewed seven or eight pool builders on the east end of Long Island. Our impressions ran the gamut, based on their demeanor, level of info given, and of course price. 
All of the contractors were friendly and professional, (as you'd expect in the bidding process), but at the end of the day three factors were most important in our decision: expected quality, level of info and options presented, and price. Being a DIY kind of guy, I had a lot of questions regarding equipment and the building process, and was looking to offset costs where possible by acting as "contractor" myself - for example, buying my own local stone for the coping and hiring the mason of my choice. 
Some of the contractors interviewed were all inclusive...here's the price, we handle everything. They tended to be the most expensive, and had less time to drill down into the steps of the building process, or the cost/benefit of A vs B brand equipment,(some seemed to have exclusive deals with one brand or another of equipment). One suggested we would need a completely separate water system (pump, filter, heater) for the enclosed spa, which would have added $20-30K to the price tag. That's great, but it's a premium set up, and not strictly speaking necessary for our design and budget. I got the impression some contractors deal mostly in high end, large scale/budget pools for the east end market. Nothing against that business model, but I had done a lot of research and wanted to be hands on for a modestly sized pool. 
Tony from Imperial Gunite was very forthcoming about the entire process, the costs involved, and our options along the way. Looking through his portfolio, I realized that our project would be on the small side of most of the jobs Imperial has done in the area. But you wouldn't know it based on the amount of time he spent answering questions and comparing equipment and design options. As I mentioned, I'm a DIY guy and probably have a lot more questions and requests than the average customer...Tony was great about it. 
After breaking ground, nearly everything went to plan. The workers were professional and courteous, and didn't mind being checked up on or asked questions throughout the build (I took some time off to "monitor" the project). There were a couple of 1-2 day delays, generally due to subcontractors that were overbooked or that I had hired personally (to clear trees for example). I consider this par for the course with large building projects at the height of building season, so long as it doesn't affect overall cost or deadline.
The only real issue I had was with some of the tile that had been laid around the enclosed spa wall. It wasn't straight enough for my liking. Tony agreed and brought somebody in to redo the tiling at no cost.  A year later while scrubbing tiles by hand I caught a small area under the coping that isn't perfect (though entirely unnoticeable to the casual eye). Had I caught it during the build and asked about it I believe they would have redone it as they had the spa wall.  Lesson here for all members...go over everything with a fine tooth before the project is over, especially if you are a perfectionist like myself. 
The pool was finished on budget and on time. Tony came back several times over the following weeks to check the equipment and make adjustments. I have since used Imperial to close the pool at the end of each season - having followed them around during the first opening to teach myself how to do it. The only thing we would change about the pool is the finish color - but that was a personal choice (made while looking at a website...colors on a screen aren't always accurate!). We Capital-L love our pool, and have gotten many a compliment. 
Overall, I'd be confident referring family or friends to Imperial Gunite for their pool project, and strongly recommend them to fellow members. 

I am very happy with this company. They were so clean about what they did. It was impressive. They were so good to us. The next time we have our cesspool cleaned out, we will surely call them back. Although I was very fairly charged, I can not accurately say what I paid specifically at this point in time.

THIS COMPANY HAS A GOOD RECORD WITH PEOPLE. THEY RESPOND IMMEDIATELY WHEN I CALL THEM. THE WORKERS ARE ALWAYS HONEST WITH ME. I THINK THIS IS A VERY GOOD COMPANY.