CUSTOM OUTDOORS

The company rep, told me that they ordinarily do not build "fish ponds", but I insisted that I wanted one made of gunite and plumbed similar to a swimming pool, which is what they usually build. They arrived on time, but the weather did not cooperate, and it took a few more days than they had planned to finish the job. They did a beautiful job and I am very pleased with it. My plants have bloomed beautifully, and my fish are happy too. Starting last June with 10 small fry 5 pale yellow and 5 red (combination Koi and Gold fish) I now have dozens of baby fish I am going to have to find a home for. I would say the reluctant pond builder did a wonderful job.

First, getting a pool and outdoor kitchen/living structure that we wanted is difficult in Kat, Tx. There are hundreds of "fly by night" companies, and plenty of nightmare stories. With that said, we had spent a couple of years watching all our neighbors and friends build pools and structures, and listened to all their mistakes and contractor stories. Needless to say, we interviewed about eight builders. Some, never called us back (which was a blessing in the end). We contacted Ken Klare two years BEFORE we started this project. During that time frame, he was always responsive and courteous. We underwent several design changes. He was always upfront and honest on what could be done, and what would not work out in the long run. This was a far cry from most of the companies who would tell us "sure" to about anything. One dynamic associated with this job, is that we have one particularly difficult neighbor. Predicting multiple "run-ins" with him, there was only one small isolated incident. That is a statement to the level of care and professionalism exhibited by the crews and project managers with the company. Strong Points: 1. Very profesional crews and project managers. They were clean, picked up their trash, did not leave crap everywhere, were courteous parking on the street, respected our neighbors and block, and took great care. For example ALL the plumbing lines were dug by hand... hard work in the Katy clay. 2. Nice people. When ever I called, someone answered or called me back quickly. I felt safe with the workers there around my family. When they said something would happen, it would. 3. They were working EVERYDAY. Someone was there everyday, doing something. Of course, this was a massive project; so, there was plenty to do. None the less, they were there and it was built quickly, and came out wonderful. 4. Quality of the equipment and materials. Everything was top notch. From the wood and stone to the pool equipment. You absolutely get what you paid for. Weak Points: 1. Selection for items such as Granite and Decking was limited. Of course you can upgrade for more money. However, let me stress - this was still very nice items. 2. Cost overun. You can always figure on a certain percentage for cost overrun. We had some drainage challenges that I expressed from the very beginning needed to be addressed. I should have followed up on that closer. Again, the work was top notch and will outlast us. You just need to address this before the project starts and "nail it down". Overall, you get what you pay for. You either pay for it on the front end, or pay for it later (usually at a greater expense). Our experience with Custom Outdoors was nothing short of exceptional. I highly reccomend them. I can not say enough good things about them. When you have a company that their contractors and project managers have been with them for 15 plus years, you know you have an exceptional company.

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Overall our experience with them was excellent.  One of the sub contractors that they used to do the pavers, the patio stone, they did not do it correctly so he fired them and had a new company come in, ripped everything up and got it done properly and did not charge us anything extra.  This was impressive because there are a lot of contractors who just let it be.  Even though it looked alright it was not correct and he had it done properly.  There are a lot of shifters out there who would have just let it go and years down the road we would have had all kinds of headaches.  The Custom Outdoors owner is awesome.  He is very honest and fair guy.  We referred a lot of our friends and neighbors to them.

The deck turned out fantastic. We use it almost every day. The design was altered a little because we wanted two separate sets of steps; one set on each side, so people could get on it from at least two sides. The work crew spent long hours trying to finish it on time, which they did. It took about one month to complete, and the men behaved at all times. The roof matches the house roof, and the deck is stained the same color as the trim on our house.

JOB WAS COMPLETED ON TIME. ALL PERSONNEL WERE COURTEOUS AND PROFESSIONAL.