I live in Spring and I can tell you the Anthony and Sylvan north Houston office is in a shambles. We contracted a pool with them and couldn't not even get it started.

No one would call us back even when we left repeated messages.
Its like the local management could care less.

Stay AWAY from this company.

If what you want is what you told either builder, and their prices are comparable, that's what you'll get.

We've seen many of B-A's pool and if I remember right, huskyridor rated Pineloch as another one of the Good Guys. They do it right or make it right. I don't recall ever hearing one of B-A or Pineloch beef on this board.

Scott

Thanks for the comments. It's frustrating because we did like the quote and design we received from A and S but the complaints I am reading throughout are really bad - there is even a site dedicated to it. I just scheduled an appt with Pineloch and BA so hopefully they will give us a good quote.

Why dont you just show the other guys the A&S quote and see what they can do. Play it right and you might get the same setup for a little less if they think they are competing with A&S for your business. :)

They'll be competitive but don't expect either to stoop to A&S pricing. You see what service A&S pricing begets.

My local A&S quit using drain pots. Everything is field formed so they don't have to buy the pots. Legal? Yes. Sign of quality? Nah. Not in my opinion.

Scott

I also live in the Clear Lake area We didn't use Backyard Amenities, but Brad was our second choice.

When interviewing PBs we also looked at other local companies. (Pearland Pools, Rainey Pools, and Platinum Pools.) They all had very similar plans/prices to Backyard Amenities and seemed to have comparable construction practices.

By the way, I also interviewed A&S (League City office) and was impressed with the salesman's use of the software for designing a pool. He definitely knew how to use the software and make a pretty picture. However, I got VERY bad vibes when asking him about construction. I immediately had crossed them off the possible list because of this.

Our final price was $40,000 for a pool/raised spa. (build was finished June 2010). We are very happy with our result and feel comfortable all the decisions we made.

Hi everyone. We are in the process of choosing a PB for our home in Friendswood. This will be our first pool and even at such an early stage in the process, the tough decisions are starting, like who will be our builder. This site has been VERY helpful so far.

Based on some repetitive comments on contractors from this site, (both positive and negative) I have selected 6 potential builders from my area: Blue Haven, Rainey, Pearland Pools, Backyard Amenities, Pineloch and Bay Area Pools. In addition to your comments and experiences, one of my first considerations was consulting the BBB for ratings of each contractor. These 6 potential contractors range from A+ to B. There are many sites on the Internet that provide a number of criteria on contractor prequalification which I have also consulted.
Our first design meeting start the w/o Dec 27, 2010.

I would love to hear more about your experiences in the Friendswood, Clear Lake, League City, and Pearland areas with these builders as well as other quality builders I may have missed.

Thanks in advance to all. Wish us luck ....

Mike

If you are considering A&S, nygex, be sure you get detailed specifications from them (or anyone you select) on the construction of the pool. Many times people focus on the cosmetics/design without making sure the guts of the pool is built correctly. For instance, how far apart is the steel (rebar) placed inside the pool before gunite is shot. I have seen some pools with steel every 18" apart, which in my opnion is about 10" too much without steel. What size plumbing is being used? I recommend no less than 2", but I am remodeling one right now that was plumbed with 1-1/2". The pump has to work harder to move the water through smaller plumbing lines. There are other structural issues to consider. Just be sure your PB is specific in what they use to build your pool.

We used Preferred Pools and could not be happier. Matt and David did a great job building our pool May 2010.They do what they say are very price competitive. Whenever we had a small issue it was fixed right away. I would give them a call.