Mark Swink completely remodeled our pool and installed all new hardscaping around our house. His company was professional, fast, and thorough. All the work was of the highest quality. Any issues that arose (e.g. a few pavers that did not color match the rest) were resolved quickly and with zero hassle. His foreman, Dennis, is second to none, which is crucial for many aspects of a remodel.
Complete front and backyard remodel & pool/spa build, including all hardscape, landscape, patio cover, irrigation and outdoor lighting. From the initial consultation, to the design and build process, Swink’s Creations did an outstanding job! We left it to them to steer the process, knowing that they are the experts. Mark (owner) helped us to narrow down materials and color selections and provided trusted advice while tastefully incorporating all of our needs. They committed to a 10-week project and delivered on time, with crews working on the various stages of our project daily. Their friendly office staff stayed in touch with us throughout so that we new what to expect each week. There were no major surprises or hiccups and Swink’s team handled all of the permits and inspections, making it much easier on us. Also, their project manager, Mike, was easily accessible whenever we had questions along the way. The finished product is amazing! We have had a few gatherings at our home and everyone who sees the yard/pool for the first time is blown away at how well-designed and impressive things turned out. We would highly recommend Swink’s Creations to all of our friends and family in the area!
We hired Swink’s Creations to remodel our pool. The pool was built back in the 70’s and was all original. The plaster was flaking off, tiles were missing and brick on the raised bond beam at the back of the pool had disintegrated. Our goal in the remodel was to replace the plaster, tile, raised bond beam, plumbing and filter. Many companies that we spoke with said that in order to replace the plumbing we would have to demo all of the decks and pour new concrete, which can be very expensive, and was out of our budget. Mark, the owner of Swink’s, was the first person to propose running the plumbing along the outside of the pool “shell” and then they would pour new concrete coping around the pool. This strategy allowed us to do everything on our list and stay within budget. In addition to his recommendations, Mark was really professional and it seemed like he knew what he was talking about.
The actual process took about 3 weeks from start to finish. Mark’s project manager, Denis, stopped by the house to check the progress at least once a day, and communicated how things were going and what would happen next. Denis and Mark both paid close attention to the aesthetics of the design, for instance due to the construction, one of the cracks in our existing deck became quite a bit deeper. Denis proposed building out the step nearby to get rid of the crack but also line up the step with the new coping. I’m the type of person that obsesses over small details, so I appreciated that Denis noticed this problem and suggested a reasonable solution. I think some companies would just carry on as originally planned and not worry about the ugly crack.
The Swink’s crew set the bar pretty high for future contractors that work on our property. I cannot say enough good things about them and our pool looks great. I can’t wait for the weather to warm up so we can finally swim in our “new” pool.
We found Swink’s Creations through a word of mouth referral, and we feel tremendously fortunate that we did! I had no idea that watching our (huge!) backyard project come to life would be such a special experience. In a world of artificially created, prefabricated conveniences, it was such a treat to witness true craftsmanship, each stone tended to by hand, with such care and attention to detail. Each crew that came in for the next step was a skilled expert at his craft… Skills that we hold great appreciation for. Every detail was thoroughly discussed and reviewed. Questions and feedback (even changes in decisions) were consistently and kindly welcomed. All staff members were easily and readily accessible at all times. Time frames were shared very frequently and with all possible accuracy. Discussions and pricings were based on common sense, courtesy, and getting the project done in a way that was meaningful to our family and our hopes for our backyard.
As a woman, I appreciated having another woman, Stephanie, as my primary contact… A woman who also happened to be very personable, kind, welcoming and knowledgable. Both my husband and I were very thankful to have Dennis as our project supervisor. Dennis kindly responded to all of our questions, helped us figure out every last detail, and guided us through decisions we felt unsure about. And finally, I can say with ease that Mark Swink is a man of his word. Our project was a pretty large scale endeavor, and it was completed with NO SURPRISES! So refreshing to remember that integrity and forthrightness still exist! As Mark said in one of our meetings, something to the effect of, if it were up to him, we could just shake hands on it, and that’d be enough. He is not just a man of his word, but a man of his work. He upheld high standards for the quality of the work, and had he not mentioned certain considerations to assure our long term satisfaction, we never would have known. He was under no obligation to tell us about those details, but he told us because he takes ownership of his work. Again, so refreshing to see that ownership, a personal sense of responsibility, and just plain kind consideration are still alive.
Ultimately, we ended up with a backyard space that truly exceeded all of our expectations. Everything looks more beautiful than I would’ve ever imagined. We are so thankful to Mark and to every member of his crew! We appreciate the work that was done, and we feel equally grateful for having worked with a great group of people. Thank you!!!
Needless to say, a number of our friends have already called Swink’s Creations for their own home projects! We also hope to be working with Swink’s in the near future for our next big project!
Mark is a great contractor with subs that speak highly of him and a crew that is efficient and professional. Mike managed our project, was on top of everything and had a great attitude. Any problems or questions call the office and Stephanie will make sure things are taken care of, she is a gem. I especially liked how she called regularly to let you know the work schedule. Mark saved me $8000 but salvaging my tile and coping and just replacing the spa tiles. My other estimators never mentioned this. My 40 x 17 foot pool was bigger than we wanted and we went from 8 to 6 feet in the deep end and added a Baja shelf (see Pics). He also did work on a side yard and added steps to another side of our upper deck. Work started 9-11-14 and completed 10-17-14. I caused a delay because I made a last minute change with the Baja, pool steps and tile yet it only pushed back the completion date one week. Mark’s been at this for over 30 years and obviously has connections to make things happen fast, This Company is by far one of the best I worked with and I’ve done a lot of remodeling throughout the years with many contractors. You won’t go wrong with Swink’s . They’re a class act!
Due to extensive root damage we has to replace all of our hardscape and then redo all the landscape and irrigation. Swink’s Creations was truly a high-class professional company. They listened to our desires, did the design and landscaping plan, adjusted it to fit our budget, made suggestions which improved the original plans, and then started and completed the work in a timely fashion. Once the contract had been signed we didn’t have to worry about add on costs. The original plan didn’t call for a new irrigation control, but when it was determined it was needed it was installed at no extra cost. The project manager was always on top of the job, responsive to our needs, and willing to adapt as needed. Each individual work crew was excellent and certainly did even more than we expected. For example, we had some lighting put in the front, but in the process our whole property was wired for additional lighting in the future.
For years my wife and I have wanted to remodel our backyard pool and patio area, but never could seem to get to it. This last year we decided to make it happen. We hired a company named, Swink’s Creations. They not only redid our pool and spa beautifully in a pebble texture and new tiles, but created a backyard area that we are proud to have friends and family come visit.
They redesigned and enhanced our backyard living space with new landscaping, including plants, new irrigation through-out and all new ground lighting and accents, placing a large fountain in the middle of newly designed brick planters as a focal point of the pool area; built two large roof-tiled patio covers, connected and matching the architecture and roof lines of the main house; they laid a large raised all-brick deck at the shallow end of the pool, and patched/matched the rest of the backyard in brick; they built a new storage area connected to the garage, matching again architecturally to existing structure; and lastly, sheltered by one of the patio covers, they designed and constructed a built-in BBQ/Frig and bar-seating area, along with another raised brick planter. Life is good!
The owner, Mark Swink gave us a fair and competitive price for the project, and was extremely helpful and professional throughout the entire job. He and his crew were always on time, and when finished each day, they left the worksite swept, organized and ready for the next day’s work. The job was finished on time, and we have and will highly recommend Swink’s Creations to anyone who wants quality workmanship in a new or remodel of their pool or backyard.
Tommy and Aileen Cole
We hired Mark Swink to completely redo our back yard, which was very challenging as it’s a small space and we wanted to do a LOT. We tore out the yard, flower beds, two small and very ugly patios, and replaced them with a gorgeous hardscaped patio to accommodate a large group for both dining and lounging, with a small built-in pool and spa (with pebble sheen, raised bond beam for two waterfalls and an electronic keyed safety/ environmental cover), and a built-in kitchen – and then we added new sidewalks and entry in front yard last minute, put in a new side door to our house also last minute so we could more easily access the new play area in the side yard, and new wood fences and gates x 3. He did an amazing job, on budget and on time, and was very patient and fair in pricing last minute requests. Most importantly Mark knew what he was doing and there were no surprises (on his end). What he wasn’t as familiar with (electric pool cover), he researched and gave us a great option that we really love. I didn’t fall in love with tile options provided for kitchen area and top of pool, so found my own and he installed those instead. Mark is very honest, accommodating and super easy to work with. He and his crews were very professional and friendly (two years later I still miss his guys, who were polite, funny, and pretty good company while I did my own outside work.) Mark stands behind his work and will immediately address any small issues that arise and make them right. He will make the most of your outdoor living area, large or small, and will do it without stress. I never had one fear of the horror stories so many have, about remodels gone awry. Two years later we spend every possible minute outside enjoying our pool, kitchen and patio, and have only two minor regrets – wish we’d made the pool deeper as per Mark’s recommendation (we didn’t listen to him on this – and our kids are already bigger and stronger swimmers, oops), and wish we’d gone with salt water rather than chlorine. Very happy with results – I can’t recommend Swink’s highly enough!
