True North Pools Inc.

I waited over a month after our pool completion to write my reviews because I wanted to make sure I covered everything. Building a pool is stressful and a HUGE decision. I hope our review helps others. Overall, we are happy with our decision to go with True North and they did a great job building our pool. It is beautiful and was complete in under 4 months from dig date! BUT the process was not without hiccups and it was A LOT to take on. The biggest issue we had was communication and the “orientation” to our pool. If I could do it over again I would say research, research, research! I wish we would have known more about the equipment, process, and how it all works when it is done. We chose a salt water custom free form pool with a spa attached. There was a lot we did not know before making that decision and it was not presented in the sales meeting. Jim and Tami were amazing and any time that we had an issue, they were there. Jim came out and resolved all of our problems and literally has been on call 24 hours for us. Even now, we are able to call him anytime. Scott (our sales guy) and Mike (company manager) are there at the start and with the selling of the pool but then quickly disappeared. To date, neither of them have actually seen the final product. Great guys but definitely not the go to people to get stuff done or help the process along. During the process, the crews that were on site were respectful and worked hard. There are several different crews they work with and NONE of them warn you before showing up. Some mornings people were out there at 7am and needed us to move cars but we had no idea they were coming. Our yard was a disaster for the four months that it was under construction. We were quoted a 8-10 week completion from dig date and it took about 12 weeks to complete. I will say that was much quicker than any of our neighbors. The materials and stone caused delays and issues but in the end it all came together nicely. Highly recommend going to the actual stone yard and picking your pallets of stone in person. We were not thrilled with the electrician and had issues there. We ended up having our own come out just to make sure we were doing the right thing in hooking up the equipment. Our largest construction issue came in with the pebble installation. To this day the pebble is VERY spotty and we do not feel it was mixed properly. It really was a rushed job and we had to have them come back out just to clean it off stuff (we had a blue waterfall) and to even it out on the tile line. Lastly, our final pain point came with the pool company that does the orientation after the pool is complete. We really did not get an “orientation” on how to use the equipment or deal with the pool chemistry. Someone just came out and threw in some chemicals and was like we will be back in a couple weeks. We ultimately had to research online about how to use everything. In the end, we recommend True North.

My husband and I have thought about putting in a pool for years. We met with several companies in the area, but never had a good feeling about them. We had heard enough of other people’s bad experiences to make us distrustful of slick salespeople, fancy drawings with hidden costs, and neglectful sub-contractors. We were almost ready to give up when I found True North Pools. From the beginning, I was impressed with Mike’s honesty, experience and pragmatism. His designer presented a beautiful drawing that creatively addressed every one of our wish list items and helped us find ways to bring it within our budget. It was not the least expensive proposal, but it was by far the best value – including beautiful touches like pebble finish and flagstone coping that were upgrades elsewhere. When construction began, Mike oversaw every phase himself, and communicated with us regularly. As newcomers to the process, I feel like we were constantly texting him questions, and he patiently responded to every one. When we requested minor changes in the design (adding decking, etc.), he made it happen and had good, practical suggestions to keep costs minimal. I cannot say enough good things about every crew that he sent to our house. Their work ethic and expertise was incredible to watch. They arrived early and worked hard with little to no breaks in all kinds of conditions, including digging the pool when it was snowing! Each crew was professional and conscientious, and they delivered impeccable results. It was fascinating to watch the pool take shape over about 12 weeks and be able to appreciate all of the care and effort that goes into it. I think it makes me love the finished product even more! I am very grateful to Mike and True North Pools for making it such a great experience start-to-finish.

I agree with the previous review. Their designer wasted 5 weeks of my time tweaking my drawing in front of me, then ending up emailing me adjustments that were never discussed! When I would meet with him again to correct, the price would keep going up even though I was just shifting the shape closer to my home, and actually lowering it to shorten the retaining wall. What a mess! And none of their designs ever have decking around the entire pool! How is my son supposed to jump off the deep end? Ridiculous. He never followed through on sending the last design and snapped at me about him being too busy and needing to watch his kids so he couldn't get back to me. He actually did me a favor because now I'm getting exactly what I want, with decking all around my pool and a much larger pool for a lot less! Steer clear unless you want to deal with unprofessional behaviors and comments.

Mike & Jon were excellent to work with from design conception to reality, we made a few changes from the original plan that delayed the project (our fault) but we’re so happy we did because we are in LOVE with our backyard vacation destination (aka pool)! If you’re in the market for a Gunite pool I can’t recommend True North Pools enough! Thank you Mike for turning out a great product and being patient with all the changes we threw in the mix!

We chose True North Pools to design and build our pool and our experience was 5 stars all the way! Their designer created a unique style for our space, they were patient with my ideas and made adjustments to ensure they captured our every wish for our pool. The construction phase was speedy, professional, organized and we were amazed by their working efficiency. The result is a beautiful swimming pool that adds value to our home and quality to our family life. The Custer Family confidently recommends True North Pools to anyone considering adding a pool!