I move to McKinney from Akron,Ohio 7 weeks ago. I wanted to re-due the older pool, add an outdoor kitchen, and a fireplace with a TV. I interview 4 contractors and selected Mark Robinson at Southernwind. The project started in early June and took about 9 weeks to complete. Mark was on the phone with me EVERY morning to discuss the progress of the work.We completed the entire job, from a remote location. On time and on budget. the pool is the focal point of our home. Outcome could not have been better, andI’ma tough guy to please! Highly rated. If anyone has question, please just IM me. Happy to talk to you about this
David in McKinney

Our pool was leaking. It turns out it was the skimmers. These guys charged me $500 for a “leak search” which they say included sonar and such to find leaks. Then $1000 to fix the skimmer leaks. This seemed to reduce the problem for a short while, but then it got worse again. They came out and claimed “Skimmers tears perfect with no issues. You have to have another issue.” (quoting from Mark Robinson’s email). I told them there is no way that was the case and they came back out and then claimed that my pool had “settled” in the two months since and new cracks had appeared. We do not believe they did not properly fixed the pool the first time and their attitude after the fact was unhelpful. I would not do business with them again.

You may read this review elsewhere. I’ve posted it at a number of sites because I really want to acknowledge the exceptional work done by Mark Robinson and his crews from Southernwind Pools. Southernwind was recommended to me by USI Remodeling, a company who has handled a couple of major interior jobs for us over the last dozen years. I have a lot of trust in USI, and wanted to use a company that I could similarly trust for our pool renovation, and Southernwind did not disappoint.
The project was a complete renovation of a pool about 40 years old. The only original component that wasn’t removed/replaced was the gunite shell. Sundeck was replaced with travertine pavers –beautiful! And the replaster looks great. Pool equipment is all integrated and tied into the wireless network –works as advertised.
Mark works long hours to stay on top of his jobs, and is very accessible. He was very good at identifying issues that needed to be addressed along the way to make sure that the job was done right, and there were no expenditures that we were not made aware of ahead of time. Mark was quick to respond to texts and emails and is just a “good dude”.
So I would heartily recommend Southernwind. They will not be your lowest bid, but you get what you pay for. I had a “budget” re-tile/re-plaster done years ago and that did not turn out well (especially the re-plaster –inferior bonding agent used between gunite and plaster). If you are interested in quality work carefully overseen and completed in a timely manner, Mark and his team will deliver.

Southernwind Pool did an awesome job with our pool installation. We came in with a clear vision and Mike was fantastic at making that vision come to life. He was precise with every detail and made sure we had the design exactly the way we wanted it from the beginning. When it came to installation, Ben was equally awesome with keeping track of all of the trades (and we had many because of all of the terrace work). If something wasn’t right, it just took one call and Ben was on it. There were a few times when I’d see something that didn’t look right and he’d make a special trip over to ensure mistakes weren’t made. We even did an add on landscaping project with their sub contractor and the mix between the pool project and post pool landscape interfaced very well. Overall, the team was outstanding, the only challenge was in the transition to self maintenance and the availability of information about how the system operates. But again, Mike ensured we were satisfied all the way to the end.
Big thanks to Southernwind Pool. We can’t wait to enjoy our pool this summer.

Did a ton of research before making our choice and so very happy we chose Southwind.
they restored our 20+ year old pool with new plaster,tiles ,lighting, and replaced cracked coping. We love the results. Especially appreciate Mark Robinson who was always available to answer questions at all stages. He also made sure the work was done on time and kept in touch with the progress of the work. I appreciated that he gave us details of what could be expected and planned ahead for unexpected issues so there were no surprises. i appreciated his knowledge and expertise and his insight and recommendations made a huge diffrence in the outcome! We highly recommemd working with Mark

SWP did a complete remodel of our existing pool and designed a new waterfall, river, and shallow pool area to feed into the existing pool. Their work was excellent – all the details were well-planned, coordinated and executed, and the pool looks as great as the design promised. A key factor to choosing SWP was project manager Mark Robinson – he delivered outstanding customer service from day 1 – starting with the bidding process, initial site visit, and answering questions about the work to be done. During the project he was very proactive, anticipated issues, was detail-oriented and was always available and extremely responsive whenever we needed. He maintained a consistent presence throughout the work and when issues arose, worked quickly to resolve them. He was always professional, extremely personable, and he is a big asset to the company and any remodel. We were also very happy with the creative design process and working with designer Mike Calonne, who took our rough vision and translated it beautifully to our yard and our needs.

My project with SP included a pool remodel, new hot tub addition, removal of existing patio cover, new outdoor kitchen w/ patio cover, new fence and new retaining wall. (roughly 110K project).

My overall experience with Southernwind Pools was excellent. I actually signed an agreement with another company (pending financing) prior to finding SP and the experience after signing was downright abusive, so I canceled my intent to build and went on an exhaustive thorough hunt for a new provider combing through reviews on Yelp, Houzz, Google and FB.

After narrowing it down to 5, I ultimately decided to go with SP for the following reasons: The design process, the owner answered my call on a Saturday (the main line forwarded to his cell phone) and they did what they said they would do in terms of getting back in touch with me after submitting an information form online. (It was astounding how many didn’t ever get back to me even when communicating my budget.) The saying “must be present to win” rang true.

After filling out the form and proving an extensive list of my expectations, within 10 minutes I received a call from Mark Robinson and we scheduled a consult the next week. When we met, Mark brought his designer with him (Mike Calonne). I explained my biggest concern was the design process. I explained that I wanted a provider who would work WITH me on my ideas, provide professional design services, consult with me on best practices and not rush me through a cookie cutter design process. I wanted a thoughtful designer who would accept feedback and be willing to iterate with me until the space was designed to maximize the available space and exhaust all considerations for placement of the outdoor kitchen and new hot tub. I also wanted one main point of contact to be involved from contract through the build process.

I felt confident after the initial consult that SP could deliver on all that was important to me because I could see that Mark and Mike were working together as a team. They also gave me honest answers about my project, even if it was not what I wanted to hear. When I asked about their pricing, Mark immediately told me he was not the cheapest but that the work quality was very high and that they would not cut corners just to appear cheaper. I loved this response as I wanted a quality job above all else.

I’m happy to report that the design process was exactly what I expected and Mike is fantastic about thinking outside the box to ensure the design delivers. He worked with my ideas and in the end offered a critical suggestion that made my vision become a reality which was something I would never have thought of on my own. I am truly grateful to him for going on a journey with me with zero ego or attitude! Very collaborative!

Regarding the build process; all I can say is that Mark Robinson is a pro. He is extremely educated on the process and knows every single detail that goes into the build process. I found out later that it’s because he actually started out building pools when he was a kid. His knowledge is extensive and he could answer any question I had in depth when trying to understanding the progression of the work. SP is VERY fortunate to have him. He is also the hardest working man I think I’ve ever met. He arrives on the job as early as 5AM, is in constant communication with you via text and phone until late at night and is an absolute pleasure to work with even through the rough spots.

So what could have been better? I would say that I could have done a better job reviewing my contract to ensure everything that I expected was in WRITING. There were a few misses in terms of exceptions, but I have to own that as well as SP. Do not rely on “we discussed this”, get it in writing so there are no breakdowns in communication. Nothing missed was earth shattering, but could have been avoided if I would have requested a walkthrough of the contract ON SITE. Go slow to go fast. Going through the agreement line by line and physically pointing to the things that the contract is referencing is clear is very important as SP will point to the contract as the source of truth; understandably. I would also suggest that as you get to “points of no return” in the work, that you take a pause with your Project Manager and do a double check of what is about to happen, the features you are expecting, and all of the possible upgrade / field changes that are available to you so it’s not too late to get what you really wanted. Lastly, don’t get behind on your decision making on tile, colors, plants, pots etc. Before you know it your decision will need to be made and if you are not ahead of the project plan, you will feel a lot of pressure to make decisions as the crews are scheduled and ready to execute. Lastly, I would recommend against having multiple contractors on a job this size, let SP do it all, as you will avoid the stress of coordinating schedules and managing through how to rectify situations where one contractor damages another contractor’s work.

Beyond Happy!
The team and Southernwind went above and beyond with our backyard renovation. Mark Robinson and Mike Calonne worked with us throughout the entire project to ensure our expectations were met, as well as to accommodate several unexpected “audibles” that we called.
Our updated backyard and new outdoor kitchen/living area is amazing!

Southernwind renovated a 30 yr. old pool and waterfall. Great companies are about great people and Mark Robinson, the project manager, was the reason this project was so successful. He offered many alternatives to address issues and reduce cost which resulted in a beautiful pool and surrounding areas. More importantly, Mark precisely scheduled every trade, met with me often to review the project and all the trades were very professional. Mark’s exceptional project management skills are the reason I again hired them to landscape the front yard and replace some concrete. Mark demonstrates great interest in his projects and his client’s needs and I will continue to give them more work. Southernwind also provides weekly maintenance for the pool and do a great job.

I wanted to give a shout out and thanks to Mark Robinson and Southernwind Pools for the amazing work they did refinishing and updating our pool this summer. Mark is very knowledgeable and really took the time to explain the different plaster options and colors. We chose the Sparkle Quartz Blue Jay finish. I would recommend Southernwind Pools for and remodel, repair or pool service.

We vetted numerous pool companies and Southernwind stood out from the beginning. The entire experience from the initial consultation through the design process, to installation, communication throughout, managing our expectations regarding timeline, the weekly servicing, and overall maintenance has been top-notch. Southernwind also owned the installation of the retaining wall, fence, including the automatic gate over the driveway, and putting green as a comprehensive approach, which was beyond valuable. I am especially grateful for Moses, our designer and visionary, and Charlie, our incredible GC. We are so thankful we chose Southernwind and highly recommend them! They completely re-invented our backyard and have brought our family so much joy!

Since I found the Southerwind Pools name on Houszz I thought I should come back here and let people know what you could be getting into.
My wife and I feel we have made a grave mistake with Southerwind. We are now 20 weeks in after excavation, on a middle of the road or a little above average pool that we were told would be 12-14 weeks and still no end in sight. I have so many issues I can list I do not know where to start.

I guess I will start with what trigged me to write this. Writing a bad review will probably tank the rest of our project but better ours than yours. I feel bad writing this as well as most of the individual were good people but as an entity so frustrating with the amount of $ we are shelling out.

Today we were notified that we would be getting plaster tomorrow (Sat) and then acid wash (Sun). I have been asking for a schedule for weeks no luck. Great we are thinking, maybe we will make up some time and get things completed before we miss the second event we had planned this summer (July 4th being first and now family coming in town in 10 days). So everything is good until they ask for final payment. So I ask why do I need to pay the last payment since you have not completed all the tasks the prior payment was supposed to cover. And I am shocked they would expect me to have that cash ready on a moment’s notice. The VP emails me and says he tried to call me but they are having issues with their phones again in the office so I call him on his cell. Not sure why he did not use his cell. No answer and I leave my information. No call back but the project manager lets me know that plaster was cancelled for Sat.
2 weeks ago I am ready to leave for work and I get a text saying irrigation crew is on their way. So, I take a day from work and meet with them. When are they coming I ask? Unknown. They show up at 10am, leave at 1pm saying they are going to lunch. At 3pm I am texting the project manager asking where they went. He tells me they were pulled off to another job and will be back. They show back up at 5pm. Thanks for wasting my time.
I can go on and on about stuff from simple things like I cannot get tops to deck drains to tearing up a metal fence with the excavation equipment that took over 2 months to get fixed. I had open plumbing trenches for 3 months, just got sprinklers back on June 27th after being out for 4 months. My wife and I spent many many hours trying to hand water foundation and plants. No oversight on the job site.

The paver decking has been installed for about a month now and we have a lot of movement. Some place as much as 2 inches. Pulling away from the pool coping and other concrete or sinking.

If you have read this far you probably looking for something that says “joke, this really did not happen”. Sorry to say it has and the saga continues.
Please pray for my wife and I that we treat everyone with respect regardless of the issues at hand.
John & Sheryl

Very satisfied with the service and quality of work received from Southernwind Pools. We did some renovation on our pool that is approx. 12 years old. Mark R. was great in helping us pick out tile/stone… having the showroom was extremely helpful. Mark was great at giving us our options and honest recommendations. Crews were timely and respectful. Looking forward to having them help us with our outdoor kitchen… Very highly recommend Southernwind Pools.

I cannot say enough good things! We met with a few different companies for a full pool and deck remodel. Southernwind Pools came right in the middle on price. After our first meeting with Mark Robinson, we felt very comfortable and had confidence they would deliver a great product. We liked the fact they have a showroom to view tile, decking and pool surfaces. From beginning to end the communication with Mark was exceptional. He kept us fully informed almost daily and was very responsive to all of our request and questions. We explained some drainage issues that we were having and they worked with us to help re-route drains as part of the remodel. The entire team worked professionally, efficiently and with great attention to detail. We are very happy with the finished product, highly recommend this company.

We LOVE working with Southernwind Pools. Our pool needed a lot of work and a lot of patience on the part of everyone involved and I never felt like the team was frustrated by my questions. We worked mostly with Mark who is always eager to help and honest with his suggestions. I would highly recommend this company to anyone whether they need high quality monthly cleaning or a remodel. We have been with them since 2012 and will always recommend them to friends and neighbors!