We researched and contacted about 7 major pool builders in the San Diego area. From among those businesses, Jim was among the most responsive. We were able to schedule our appointment promptly and Jim impressed us with his knowledge about pool building. We wanted a simple rectangular pool to match out mid century modern house, but our backyard had a large slope. This made it difficult to place the pool in a way where if wouldn’t stick above ground at the deep end. Jim from Southland Pools proposed an elegant solution with a raised patio and spa and steps leading down to the pool. In his proposal he also included a retaining wall to match the style of our house. He took care to listen to our vision and worked with us to make adjustments as the construction progressed and we requested changes to the patio layout.

Our experience with other builders was that they would not be willing to help us build the patio (only the pool) and none would tell us that our original design didn’t work with our landscape. Jim was very polite but also let us know what parts of our vision wouldn’t work technically and always offered an alternative solution. In fact, his knowledge of how pools are built was much more useful to us during the planning process than a sales pitch from all the competitors. Jim’s offer also was the most competitive, including the patio work and upgrades (i.e., lights, salt, pebble, auto refill).

Once our permits were secured (~ 2 months for us in SD County – expect costs not included in contract), work progressed rapidly with Jim overseeing each stage in person. Jim’s workers and sub-contractors were professional and highly skilled. The quality of work was excellent, and we are very happy with a beautiful new pool matching the mid century modern style of our home.

After meeting with five pool contractors, we chose Southland hands-down.
The owner, Jim, truly understood our vision and designed a pool within our budget.
No matter which company you decide to handle your project, understand you are at the mercy of their subcontractors.
Coming from the landscape industry, I am familiar with how difficult this can become to maintain a completion deadline.
Jim provided a relatively seamless transition from one milestone to the next and even finished a week early – this is priceless!
He was on-site every single day work was being performed to insure the job was done right the first time with quality being paramount.
Honesty, Integrity and Quality – what more could you ask for in a contractor?
You get the total package and experience with Southland.

I contracted South Land (Jim) to build a Lap pool on our property. Jim was very knowledgeable guided me through some areas that needed redesigned to meet code.
The job was completed on time and on cost. I highly recommend this company.
The pool was the best thing I ever did for my physical conditioning. Jim suggested solar heat and an automatic safety cover. The cover saves energy and reduces evaporation. I use the pool from late March to mid December.

Southland Pools built the pool of our dreams. Jim is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of pool building and even steered us away from one pool bottom material because of its lack of reliability and longevity. One advantage of using Southland Pools vs. other pool builders is that it is a one-stop shop. In addition to building the pool he also managed all the other aspects of our backyard project including the built-in bbq, flagstone hardscape and pool solar.