Summerhill Pools

Wow. Terrible experience & refusal to honor warranty. I’m happy to share my notebook full of mistakes, problems & issues during and after the 11-month long process from signing the contract until my pool and patio were “complete” in 2021-2022. I was given an estimated pool start in March with max build timeline of 12 weeks. After the start, I would have to reach out to Summerhill after weeks of waiting to see when the next step would be done or an issue I’d brought up would be addressed; later when I started asking about fixes more frequently AFTER NO RESPONSE, I was labeled as badgering. Many issues to be fixed never were addressed at all—repositioning a control box off a fence to be torn down, fixing extremely uneven step & bench in spa, painting all steps, evening out astroturf dip, etc. The pool was never marked prior to the dig, so after discovering immediately during digging it was too close to the house, I had to pay thousands extra for a re-dig. My steps in and around the pool and patio are all noticeably different heights, unlike the blueprints. The original steps from the pool ledge to pool were so steep and shallow, you’d have to turn sideways and step down 14+”. A third step added after the fact to fix that issue is now invisible and the cause of stubbed toes from every visitor. A pool tile falls out every few weeks and the tile job is extremely messy in several areas. It’s not picky stuff (like Summerhill says), it big stuff that everyone notices. I’m also happy to let anyone come see my pool install with missing tiles, cracked sides and large black streaks & many leaves in the concrete. “That’s just how concrete is” per Summerhill. But that’s not how every other patio I’ve ever seen is; it may help you to see what they consider acceptable. There is paint on the Astro-turf after painting, there are chips in the surrounding tiles never fixed. My pool equipment would shut down or misread temp for the first 3 months and had to be manually controlled or rebooted constantly during that time. On my sixth complaint about the equipment, I dared to call the equipment “second-rate” in an email. That issue was fixed from walking through 4 steps sent by email. Not sure which issue I tried fixed it (adding water, rebooting, etc.), but i was then charged for a visit for the first time—I had requested someone come out before they sent all the troubleshooting options, but I was never informed of a service charge. The company owner, Mark, was so offended by my “second-rate” terminology & request not to pay the service charge I wasn’t informed of (and likely not wanting to have to fix any more Summerhill mistakes), he said we should part ways and Summerhill would not honor my warranty anymore! I had a final payment I was to use and figure out how to get help from other companies. So my well over 6-figure investment got me a $0 warranty! Also, many other companies won’t guarantee their work on another company’s install-especially when they see all these mistakes. I have built homes and done major reno projects and never had a bad or worse experience with so little support or understanding from a company. The designer, Bryce, washes his hands of any responsibility early on and is extremely insulted about any problems found with his designs. Jacob (PM) also lied to the owner stating he’d answered questions or given dates for repairs he had not (I have the texts to prove my side). I also spoke with a couple other customers while viewing Summerhill pools that had complaints. I think this company has just been lucky that the complaints don’t get shared online like the few positive reviews do. The owner actually asked me to sign something stating I wouldn’t post a negative review if they refunded some money! A very small number of positive reviews (and many are from employees) for such a large amount of pools done. I understand why now. Poor design, poor execution, outright lies & they completely bail instead of standing by their work. This was my highest of four quotes and the most disappointing experience i could imagine. More expensive definitely does not always mean better. ONE CAVEAT: Michelle & Carrie (Administrative) and Chris (service calls/support) are exceptions to this and are the only employees that consistently acted nicely, professionally and provided real help instead of excuses or no responses at all.

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A nightmare!!   Had to deal with multiple sales people.   I think they use roving contract pool crews and not employees.  I came home to find they were applying the wrong plaster color then I what I ordered.  I had them stop half way.  When I left, they took the plaster and dumped it into my sanitary sewer line.  A few days after the pool was plastered my toilet drains backed up.  They refused to respond and denied everything.  I had to cut my driveway to get to the drain which was filled with pool plaster.  They refused to fix my driveway for almost a year.  I had to call the BBB to get they to fix the driveway.   AVOID Summerhill pools they are a scam.  They also did not honor my Diamond Brite warranty when my plaster started to deteriorate.   Terrible company and owner.       

Guys were great to work with from David on down.  Good team, they said when they would be here and always punctual.  They always let me know when they wouldn't be here (if something need to cure or things like that).   Liked them so much we continued to use their cleaning service.

Have had them out on a couple of service issues and they were right here and fixed the problem.

Very comfortable people to work with and I would recommend them without hesitation.

They came out and gave me an estimate on redoing the decking and then did a short repair job.

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After "letting it go" for 15 years, our pool was in desperate need of repair because tiles were falling off daily, plaster was wearing away, the water chemistry was a disaster, etc.  We had no previous experience with this kind of project, so we talked to several companies and chose Summerhill because they were nearby and local, and seemed to be the most willing to guide us on how to go about the job. We met with Mark several times, and he helped us to find what we wanted, but we never felt that he was trying to sell us stuff that we didn't need.  In fact, he even made a few suggestions which actually reduced the price a little.  We appreciated his patience in realizing that although Summerhill does pool work every day it was all new to us and there is a bit of a learning curve.
The work took about 3 weeks, and went pretty much as predicted.  The various workers who came to the job were all courteous and friendly.  Our only minor frustration was that on a few occasions we wouldn't know at the end of one day what to expect the next (which effects whether someone would need to be home to open gates, etc.)  That was a communication problem between the office, the workers and us.  But it was only a minor inconvenience.  Also, some of that is weather-related and is to be expected.
The quality of the work was just fine, and now instead of an algae farm we have a very nice pool in the backyard.

Contacted builder initially in June 2012 for a bid.  They met with us and have several pictures and examples of their work.  Answered all our questions and their bid was very reasonable.  Family owned. No high pressure sales
Had ongoing emails from Summerhill and went over original bid. It was difficult for us to schedule appointments as they don't have Saturday or after 4pm weekday appts.  We had a couple of issues with their workers, but nothing they didnt resolve or basically had any control over.  The work was beautiful and better than we imagined. 

They did a great job! They were very responsive. They provided plenty of options and the follow up was also really good.

I've used Summerhill before with no issues.  This time the work was good but they left a mess and overfilled the pool.  They came back and cleaned up after we called about the issue and credited our account.

they were quick, professional and the cost was right were others were.

Summerhill Pools estimate was in line with a couple of other estimates we got. We visited their show room (nice that they have a show room) and Mark walked us through the process. We upgraded both the plaster finish and the tiles we were going to use and Mark provided an updated price while we waited.
Due to some major storms that moved through the DFW area, his crew was delayed due to clean-up work that they had to perform at some new pool construction sites - and Mark and staff were very good about keeping us informed of the delays. Once they got started, the planned schedule pretty much stayed on track.  There were a couple of issues with plugs being left in place that resulted in blown PVC connections at the equipment but Summerhill made everything right with no additional charges.
Overall a very painless experience.

They were between the other two in price but had better BBB rating.  Also there was discussion about "after care" and they had the most logical answers.
First of all, we kept getting the start date pushed out.  We even asked for a start date later than offered because of travel plans and they still didn't keep it.  The job was supposed to take 3 days but it took almost a week between prep and completion.  We tried to keep our neighbors informed since we have rear entry driveways but it became impossible.  The tile work was excellent but the plastering was horrible.  Also they told us they would replace the bulbs and gaskets on the lights.  Our spa light was disconnected but the pool light worked fine.  Now neither light works and they told us it is an electrical problem and they can't fix the one that was working before they started the job. We were told by the office staff that if we didn't use their after-care program that we could void the warrenty if aftercare was handled incorrectly so we used them for that too.  When they refilled the pool, the water streamed from one of the hoses in the shallow end and it appears to have resulted in stained plaster.  The top step also developed some pretty deep cracks.  Then we had large calcuim deposits start to grow even though the PH tested fine. Our regular pool maintenance guy tells us it is due to etching.  David Reed has been the contact for our problems.  He repeatedly told us that "it was normal" or "it is an easy fix" .  David sent a crew out and they "sanded" the cracks down some.  They appeared to go away but then reappeared.  The stains on the plaster were not addressed by that crew. Then another crew came out and worked on the cracks again and put more acid in to try to remove the stains.  After that didn't work, David said he would come and fix things.  He came out and agreed that the staining and cracks weren't right.  He said he would come back the next day.  We waited for him all day and then I called the office.  I was told that he was out on a job and would come the next day.  This is typical and the reason we rate them badly on professionalism.  If someone says they will be at our house on a certain day, we expect a call or an appearance.  Now the plaster guy has determined that they will have to drain the pool and probably acid wash it.  They wanted a check for each step of the work on the day that the work was completed but 3 months later we have a pool that in no way looks like it was just replastered.  We are hoping for a satisfactory resolution.  IF we are satisfied, we will revise our ratings.

They send out North Texas Pools to service the pool. They are very prompt and do a great job. We are very happy with them. When we first moved in Summerhill came and emptied the pool and did all the repairs.

When I first called the person to ask if he would do the inspection, we were not even sure if we were going to buy the house. But, he was really helpful and was giving us information on generals he deals with and the information on safety fences. My overall experience with him was excellent.

These are the best pool people in town.  They have also reconfigured our pool and done some tile and redone the bottom of the pool. They were very professional and very good.  The service comes every Friday to clean the pool.  They put walks in around the pool, a fountain and they did such a good job we never have to call them.  Everything is on a timer and works great.

Summerhill Pools came out to repair the loose stones in my pool coping, and replace the Deck-o-seal between the coping and the cement pool deck.  The entire job was estimated to take less than a day.  The stone repair looks fantastic, and they were able to match the grout so it looks like there was never a problem.

After replacing the Deck-o-seal, there were two places where holes developed as the material set. The crew had to come out a second and third time to fix these problems.  While it was a hassle having them come out three times, they were always responsive to my calls and available to come try again.  I could tell they wanted me to be satisfied, even though they already had my money.

If I need future repairs or remodeling to my pool or pool deck, I will consider Summerhill Pools again.

They kept us on schedule. It turned out very good and we are happy.

I had to fire their 2 subcontractors before the work even began. I was quoted 4 to 5 weeks from breaking of ground to completion. It took 13 weeks (no weather restrictions). The job received 4 permit red tags. The owners rather than resolving the problems continued to lie to me and under-perform. Now, one year later, I have found that the equipment was not installed correctly, plumbing line caps weren't properly removed, and the equipment pads cracked because the foundations weren't secured (just jimmied with some old bricks I had laying around). DO NOT USE THESE GUYS!

IT TOOK A COUPLE OF CALLS TO GET SOMEONE TO COME OUT, BUT MATT DID AN EXCELLENT JOB ON TREATMENT & CLEANING. I NEVER SAW THE REPAIR TECHNICIAN, BUT HE ALWAYS LEFT MESSAGES REGARDING HIS WORK.