Ever since we moved to Rossmoor we have wanted a pool, we finally did it!! I’ll start by telling you that we interviewed three different companies. The one that stood out by far was Sunset Designers & Building. We literally showed a hand drawn sketch of what we had in mind and it went from that to a beautifully designed pool which is in our home today. John Zahn from Sunset presented us with a multi page proposal which represented all the possibilities we could incorporate into our design. It was professionally written and had line by line items with pricing. During our second round we asked that John stop by and go over each line item to make sure we understood our choices. The other contractors gave us a written proposal that consisted of overall cost but not really line by line items and some loose verbal ideas.
John asked us what the number one thing was that we wanted from a contractor, our response was communication. We received a daily video from John via email that explained what was accomplished each day and what would be happening the next day. It included any rain delays or work changes; we were never left in the dark as to what was taking place. The email also included a living budget that accommodated our disbursement schedule or changes we made. Most importantly John was very transparent throughout the entire job from start to finish.
During our design stages John explained elevated pools, pebble tech, and water features etc, it was one thing talking about them but then showing us pools in Rossmoor that had been completed by Sunset Designers was a totally different thing.
Once our design was finalized (there was still time to modify) we received a plot plan with dimensions that showed us our pool design. John took care of applying for the permits/inspections and immediately our project calendar was set. Shortly after that came a 3D rendering of what our completed pool would look like. It was at that point our dream was to become a reality. Sunset provided design ideas with sample, such as pool tiles, coping, equipment options (pumps, filtration, heaters) lighting, water features that would accommodate our in ground pool or elevated pool. The constructions details include the demo; dump fees, permit services, etc.
A big plus is Sunset Designers only work in Rossmoor and immediate surrounding areas. They have dedicated crews that ONLY work on pools. Each crew that came to our home daily was friendly, answered questions, and was very skilled at their various jobs. As each day came to an end the clean up was exceptional.
In the end it was very satisfying to hold up our initial 3D rendering and look out at the completed pool which included a spa, lap pool with seating, and baha shelf to see a near mirror image. Neighbors commented “it looks like a resort, “and “Wow I heard of elevated pools but this is gorgeous,”. Needless-to-say we were impressed with Sunset Designers we highly recommend that you choose them to build your dream.

Our experience with Sunset was excellent. John is an excellent communicator and was on the jobsite everyday. If anything was ever needed John was there immediately to take care of it. We made a few changes mid-way through the job and everything came out better than expected.
Nate, Johns assistant is equally as good. Nate followed up quickly every time we asked for anything. He took the lead on projects and performed flawlessly. We feel fortunate to have worked with these men. I would recommended Sunset to anyone looking to put in a new backyard pool or spa.

Sunset Designers & Builders really are the best of the best! John and his crew were wonderful to work with from start to finish. They were punctual, tidy, great at communicating, and helped create the backyard of our dreams. I had a million questions throughout the project and they helped make the process fun and easy. I cannot recommend this company enough or their incredible quality of work!

Fantastic!

When it was time for Nancy and I to renovate our 20-year-old backyard pool area we could not think of a better person to do it than John Zahn of Sunset Designers & Builders

John has been around Rossmoor for over 30 years and he has renovated and installed new pools for what I would guess is well over 300 satisfied customers. Plus, he has been very active in various community events including the Garden Club show which is held in May.

In our situation, we wanted a complete renovation of our backyard pool area.

We contacted John and told him of our idea’s and listen to his ideas. John came up with a high-tech graphic of what he thought we should do.

We were totally impressed with the high-tech graphic he delivered to us showing our backyard as it would look when the project was completed.

We started the first Tuesday in January and finished the middle of April.

During that time there was only two working days that the crew was not on the job due to COVID. The crew always arrived on time and left at about the same time every day.

It was fun watching the project come together from our back sliding door and also what a great team of workers John has put together to work the project. They were all on time, courtesy, knew what they were doing and always willing to listen to my questions and answer them if needed.

Nancy and I are very happy with the show case backyard that John has put together for us.

If you are considering installing or renovating an existing pool, you will be very happy in choosing John Zahn of Sunset Designers & Builders

Dan & Nancy Roddy

We are giving John Zahn (JZ) and the Sunset Designers & Builders team a rating of 5 only because 6 is not available. We have had many contractors and tradespeople work on our properties over the years, and Sunset was by far the easiest to work with while providing a superior result. Our project was to update an existing 25 year old pool/Jacuzzi and backyard deck/patio area. Our first meeting with JZ resulted in excellent design recommendations with a comprehensive written bid and schedule within a few days. After working out a few details and signing the contract, JZ started on time and finished exactly on the scheduled completion date — a first for us! JZ has years of experience in pool building and his guidance was invaluable throughout the project. He was incredibly patient with us during the decision making process – guiding us through concrete color, tile selections, pool color/finish, equipment options and special features. He also took us to other completed jobs to see design ideas and provided experienced comments to reassure us that our selections would work. The quality of the work done by the crew was also amazing with a focus on craftsmanship in all aspects of the project. Finally, JZ stands out above all other contractors with his level of communication. During the 12-week project, JZ sent a daily video update on job progress and immediately updated the contract with written change orders. Never once did we wonder if a trade was showing up the next day or what our cost would be. JZ, his “right hand” Nate, and the crews were all exceptional. The quality of the work and how JZ guides owners in decisions reflect his unwavering commitment to a quality job that will last for many years. Overall, an outstanding experience with a superior end result!

When we bought our home in Los Alamitos back in 2018, we knew for sure that something needed to be done to the backyard so our toddler would have a place to play and eventually hang out as he grew into his teen years. When the pandemic hit, we began looking into what we wanted in the backyard of our forever home and started our outreach to various pool builders. John “JZ” Zahn was attentive, professional, and detail-oriented from the day he stepped into our yard. In 4 short months from the day we first met JZ, our pool and spa was ready for our now Kindergartener to splash around in the last weeks of warm weather. There are a few characteristics of JZ and his crew that really stand out:

•He is a detail oriented professional. His proposal was clearly laid out and all upgrades were separately priced so his clients could decide on how to customize their build.
•Sunset maintains an excellent professional relationship with city inspectors. Never was there a delay because we were waiting for inspection.
•The team does not cut corners. Everything is done to code and even the “rough” work looks clean.
•Sunset recommends high end materials and equipment but does offer choices at varying price points. We went significantly over-
budget…but that was our own dang fault!
•JZ and his office manager Nate, but mostly JZ, made at least one trip to the house per work day….at times he made multiple encore appearances. He’s got a committed and skilled team, but oversight always makes for efficient progress. His focus on staying local allows for this added project governance. It’s kinda fantastic.
•They send a video update to recap the day’s work….a very quick visual of JZ describing the accomplishments of the day and activities for the next work day. I’m a project manager and this update gave me all the feels.

This review is getting entirely too long but you get the picture. If you are looking for a QUALITY build and need to have a detailed professional who will get the work done impeccably and ON TIME, JZ and his Sunset crew is the way to go.

We had an amazing experience with Sunset Designers & Builders. JZ, Nate and the team went above and beyond. After meeting with JZ, we knew he was the right person to completely revamp our backyard. We weren’t sure about the elevated pool, it was something we hadn’t seen before. So JZ took us to a couple of the pools he built. After seeing the first one, we knew it was the way to go, it really makes the backyard pop. It’s also a perfect barrier for our young kids and great for sitting around the pool for adults during parties. JZ took our initial thoughts and was able to make some changes to incorporate various features and areas we wanted in the yard. The surround sound system which we didn’t initially plan on, is a must and probably the thing we use most. Communication was top notch with daily video updates. Every time we are in our yard, we feel like we are at a resort.

We hired Sunset Designers in the Summer of 2020 for a complete backyard remodel with swimming pool and couldn’t have been happier that we chose John Zahn and the Sunset team to bring our dreams to reality. We spent more than a year researching and interviewing pool and landscape contractors prior to making the decision to move forward with Sunset. John’s level of professionalism, follow up, and creativity throughout that process were ultimately what we valued in the person who we would trust to oversee what we considered to be a substantial investment and the place where our family would spend so much time together. Starting from day one to project completion we were amazed by how communicative they were, providing updates on a daily basis, and we always knew what they would be working on the following day. John was always available and prepared to talk through any ideas or changes we may have come up with throughout the project. He gave us the creative freedom we wanted but ultimately guided us to make the best decisions based on his many years of experience and design talent. His hard-working team showed up on-time every day and they were always friendly and courteous. They also cleaned up the site at the end of each day, which is something we’ve learned to appreciate after working with many contractors in the past. Our project included an outdoor kitchen, firepit, 3 separate deck areas, landscaping, lighting (landscape and patio), irrigation, drainage, outdoor shower, pool and jacuzzi. And, in the end the project turned out even better than we had imagined. John and the Sunset team were an absolute pleasure to work with and I would hire them to do all of my home projects if I could. If you are considering hiring them for your backyard/pool, you will not be disappointed. You will also enjoy John’s sense of humor! Thanks Sunset for everything!

JZ and Sunset Designers and Builders set the bar really high for excellence!
My pool and backyard is everything I could have imagined and more!
On time, on budget, great communication and really nice people too!
100% recommend!