Kerry Martin Pools (KMP) provided a good design but the operational execution of our 2025 pool build was poor, causing months of avoidable disruption and extra expense. For a six-figure project, we expected significantly better-quality control and communication. What went wrong: * Utility damage handled negligently: During trenching, sprinkler lines were broken. Instead of temporarily capping/taping and repairing while exposed, crews backfilled over the damaged lines. That decision contaminated the irrigation with sand and buried the break, forcing us to locate and repair the line later at additional cost and time. Broken sprinkler are unavoidable during a pool construction but backfilling the trench with sand before repairs are made is a 100% preventable action. * Pool finish (marcite/plaster) was substandard: Initial plaster work showed uneven corners, rough surfaces, and irregular coloring. After plastering, the pool was filled and turned over as "complete" without the proper representative present to inspect and/or get homeowner sign-off. After extensive complaining, KMP agreed to redo the finish -- the pool was drained and refinished, but discoloration remained in one area and required a second drain/refinish. Multiple re-dos created unnecessary delays and inconvenience. Lawn was extensively damaged from acid wash dump. * Communication & scheduling failures: Crews often arrived without notice, and we received little or no scheduling updates. Homeowners should not have to wonder who will be in their yard or when work will occur. * Project timeline and value: The build stretched many months due to rework and preventable mistakes. For $100K+, the workmanship, oversight, and customer care were substandard. What they did right: * Sales/design team created a good design based on what we wanted. If KMP only provided designs, we would have rated them much higher. What KMP should improve: * Implement on-site protocols to protect, flag, and temporarily isolate damaged utilities during excavation. * Require mandatory quality inspections and homeowner sign-off prior to completing work and filling a pool. * Improve scheduling proactive communications for all activities (including the many subcontractors involved). Set expectations for what will be done and when. * Strengthen plaster/finish quality control and oversight of subcontractors. Bottom line: We would not hire Kerry Martin Pools again based on our experience. While the sales and design team performed well, the operational shortcomings -- preventable utility damage left unrepaired, sloppy plaster work requiring multiple re-dos, and inconsistent communication -- turned what should have been an exciting home upgrade into months of disruption and expense. There are reputable pool builders available in northeast Florida; we recommend researching alternatives carefully. read more

Kerry Martin Pools did a great job pu0tting in our pools. Mike Schwind was very professional and patient as he guided us through selection of the pool size, shape, pavers, tile, etc. We are ecstatic with the way out pool came out and very grateful to Mike for all his help, He was always available and answered out questions thoroughly and timely. Kudos also to Donna , the project manager who was very helpful throughout the process. This was an excellent experience for us. Thank you, Kerry Martin pools and especially to Mike Schwind. read more

I gotta say Mike did an excellent job with helping us select what looks best for our pool and spa. We just had the pool finished and everything looks amazing! The quality is top-notch would definitely recommend if you're looking to get a pool! read more

Life is short - BUILD THE POOL! Why choose a Kerry Martin pool? 1) Showroom Experience They have an incredible showroom! You can see and touch everything from pool tiles, pavers and even samples of the pool shell. The showroom has measurements on the floor so you can get a sense of the dimension of your pool plan. My husband walked and "fake swam" it every time we went for a visit. Having a physical space where we could touch materials and ask question really helped in making decisions. 2) No pressure salesmanship We had already met with multiple pool builders and received quite a few proposals before we decided to check out Kerry Martin. Each of those companies were pushing hard for the sale and offering a discount if we signed "today or by the weekend." The hard sale was a turn off. The Kerry Martin experience was different from the others, in the best way possible. We met with the pool design & salesman, Mike, who walked us through the process and provided us information we requested. Afterwards, he told us to call us if we had questions or when we decided to move forward. (How refreshing is that?!) 3) Design Process Mike's expertise and easy-going nature made the design process exciting and enjoyable. He took our "wants" and translated them to a beautiful pool design that was beyond our expectations. Thankfully, he showed us more natural options versus the boxy pool design my husband thought he desired. Mike's pool design gave us so much more than what other pool companies were proposing and for less money. For example, the pool decking area was far bigger than what previous companies had proposed, and the layout was much more aesthetically pleasing. He didn't try to sell us on additional grading needed for the yard to avoid flooding (as suggested by previous pool companies). Additionally, Mike came out and surveyed our yard to assure us no extra construction was needed for a potential drainage issue. 4) Construction We spoke with Donna & Ann regularly in terms of what was happening with the pool on a weekly basis and how to best prepare for the next steps in the construction process. Both ladies were both so personable & pleasant. Kerry Martin and his son, Kyle, were accessible to answer questions. Kyle came out regularly to check on work throughout the different phases of construction. The construction team was awesome! Every crew member was polite and professional. They cleaned up their work area and personal debris daily. They created a fenced off area for our pups to still be able to use part of the yard. The first couple of weeks were quite quick as the digging process is rather efficient. I was really impressed with the additional supports the crew used in construction - all the rebar and thick concrete was assembled in a way that assured us our pool shell would be solid and secure. Before the concrete shell was created, the crew took great care in setting up a wall of plastic sheeting to protect our house and lanai from concrete splatters. The seating benches in the pool were hand shaped by a team of true artisans. The paver team, who created the decking and trimmed out the pool, were masters of their craft. Throughout the entire process, there was never any pressure at all. Mike came out multiple times to check on the process. We truly got full value for our money. Pool school was chock full of information and tips for maintaining our pool. I'm grateful for the packet of information that was given to us so that we have reference points. Any questions or concerns we had during the building process were quickly addressed. Once our pool was finished, it matched the design 100 percent. How often does that happen?! We absolutely LOVE our Kerry Martin pool and will continue to recommend them! read more

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I approached them for a quote on building a pool. They gave me 10 reasons why it would be difficult and quoted me a ridiculous price. Then they proposed doing something totally different and follow that up by not even getting back to me. Ended up going with Pools and spas of Central Florida and had the best experience anyone could ever hope for. Pool done in 10 weeks at half the price these guys were quoting me. Save yourself, the trouble and the drama read more

I have been trying NOT to write this review. The customer service at Martin Pools has been horrible since they started building my took and it has never recovered. They have never once been accommodating. My pool is finished but my pump is broken. It has not been operating for 4 days. I am unable to use my pool. The answer I got about when they could fix it, is that they are very busy, it's a busy time of year for them. They can't just pull someone off a job to come fix my pump. That is the attitude they gave me for the seven months I dealt with them building my pool. That's the attitude I got after my pool was built and the first leak was found at the spa. When they tore through the gas line and the electric lines to my garage (that were flagged) they said they would not be responsible for the expense as the contract I signed says they are not responsible. They then tore through the electrical lines to my well pump (10 feet away from the pool) and refused to be responsible for that. They did however, bully the electricians into taking responsibility for that! My pool failed the electrical inspection. The city inspectors were lovely, however, thy stated the work done did not meet minimum code requirements. Minimum. Throughout the process I spoke to the office, my salesman and the owner numerous times about communication. It did no good. The workers left my yard a mess. Entry time they came it was worse. They broke things every single time they came. Countless flower pots, to running over the sensor for my gate! I had to put up orange cones around things to protect them. When they came to "clean up" I had had my sprinkler system reinstalled. Their worker drove off my double drive over a sprinkler head and broke it! When the workers were marsiting the pool they took the wood that had been delivered for the privacy fence that was to be installed and used that as drop cloth. Ruining some of the fence posts! Wood is expensive and who does that?! Every worker was disrespectful of my property. The disrespect trickles down from the owner! I cannot say it enough, do not use this company. The design of my pool/spa is also problematic. I cannot turn on my spa heat while my pool is running. So I have to "plan" when I want to use the spa. They cannot both be on at the same time. It is a bad design. read more

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I spent a tremendous amount of time reading reviews, getting quotes, and asking pool owners for advice prior to confidently selecting Kerry Martin Pools. A major selling feature to me was their "thicker" pool shell so I wouldn't be concerned with cracking and a patchwork of repairs that would never look good. Fortunately, it never cracked. Unfortunately, due to their poor workmanship rebar/ties were installed too close to the wall surface resulting in growing rust holes and stains. My pool was drained multiple times to make repeated repairs and I'm left with permanent squares and rectangles in the pool finish because the repair color will never match the original color. We completed this pool prior to COVID shutting down the world which was awesome, but having rust stains and then obvious repairs staring at me was a total buzz kill. Also, pavers were poorly installed. They were crooked and had large gaps. They were almost complete with the pavers and I wouldn't accept the poor workmanship. They finally pulled up and re-did the entire open/eating area. I also wished I had the extra foot I paid for. The plan and survey stakes clearly showed they shorted my width but they made so much progress in two days they refused to address it. Salesman Kyle - I won't make a personal attack by calling him dishonest. Project Manager Brian - Always "just missed him" so we had zero interaction even during construction problems. Service - Nice office staff, but everything became an unnecessary debate. Issues eventually got addressed but only after numerous phone calls, emails, and not accepting no or illogical answers in support of their no. For example: fully rusted and corroded screen enclosure screws in the first 8 months; poor/no vacuum suction; missing grout leaving gaps and holes in the pool; chipped tile on the steps; light that falls out if touched by anything; etc. I don't expect perfection, but I certainly expect a lot more for approximately $70k and that's pre-inflation pricing. read more

Hands down the best service I have ever had! Super Super friendly and down to earth, plus great price quotes compared to most pool companies I have came across. If your browsing the area for pool work, look no further beca they have got you covered. read more

Absolute nightmare, and a horrible mistake that we chose them. They will absolutely go out of business. Don't be the person under contract with them when that happens. We have been under contract for an entire year (told it would take 10-12 weeks to build) and they have simply stopped working on our pool with ZERO communication as to why. We're currently sitting here in literal radio silence from them, with an inoperative pool that they consider complete. Our phone calls are going unanswered, but they did find the time to email their request for final payment, all the while ignoring our communicated concerns about things that are not working or need to be fixed. Amongst a slew of other issues, our jets and lights aren't even working. That's basic pool building 101. They sales guy, Kyle, promised to come look at and address the issues first hand, but simply didn't show up on the day he said he'd be here. No phone call, no text, nothing. Silence. We still haven't heard from him, and no one is working on our pool. If it weren't for their email requesting final payment, I would have thought they up and closed their doors. They failed to build the pool to the dimensions we signed off on (by almost two feet!), then wanted to "fix" it with a ton of grout. GROUT. On the pool step. Where people stand. Needless to say, we declined the "fix" for fear of it failing, so now we're left with a pool size and shape that's not what we contracted for and paid for. I could write a horror novel from the past year with them, but here's a few things that come to mind: They broke our concrete foundation when excavating, they've gone weeks on end without sending anyone to work on our pool with no explanation, they consider our pool completed when it's not even functioning, they have missed multiple appointments, you can't get them to answers the phone, and ultimately, we do not have the pool we designed and paid for 12 months ago. Steer clear of these folks. read more

Built pool with service in mind. Now they do not provide water testing so there goes discount for pool supplies. Will have to forge relationship with small or chain pool chemical company. Better companies out there with better service for the same amount of money that you will spend to build. Do your Homework! read more

A little more than a year ago, we met with a salesman from Kerry Martin pools at their office. After the final CAD design was done, we were not allowed to have a picture of the pool design nor a printed cost estimate until we paid the deposit. I had to write everything down on a sheet of paper. No other pool builder had that kind of policy! COVID was breaking out about that time. I called back about two weeks later and asked for a bigger pool pump because we were considering a solar heating system for the roof of our house which is two stories high. I was told it would take a few days to get the price of the larger pump. I never heard back from Kerry Martin Pools. I picked another company to build my pool! read more

Just say "NO". We selected Martin Pools because of their design that accomodated our custom situation. The entire experience has been a nightmare and they failed to deliver against the original design and plans. They have some good subcontractors - pavers, tile, and screen enclosure, who do quality work. Overall Martin Pools takes lots of short cuts in construction and materials which lowers the overall quality. Project management is poor to non-existent with very poor communication and coordination - you have to manage them. The cost, the building experience, and the final product makes this company a "NOT RECOMMEND". Save yourself and find another pool builder. read more

I selected Martin Pools based on their reputation. I have been very disappointed in the entire process, after the design phase. From design to completion will take them more than 7 months, which took longer than it did to build my house. Workmanship is good, but you only get a worker at your house maybe one day a week. I understand the process of scheduling trades and have decided Martin pools either has too many pools under construction or not enough labor to handle to the load. Yes, there have been some rain delays like always in Florida, but come on! The lack of communication during the build process has been horrible. Superintendent has his secretary call periodically and give an update. I was told the process would take 12 to 13 weeks and I guess that's true when workers only show up once a week. I have 5 pallets of pavers sitting in my front lawn for a week waiting to be installed. They may build a good pool but either they have staffing issues or have over committed to the number of pools they will build. read more

After reviewing several pool builders, I decided on Kerry Martin for what I thought was the best value, by comparisons and reviews. I had two meetings with Kyle Martin for size and design that would fit my budget, a meeting with his mom for tile, stone and color choices, and then it was smooth sailing from that point forward with construction supervised by Bryan. They all kept me feeling confident and excited about my new pool, and Bryan was always "Johnny on the spot," and wonderful to deal with. The entire process was stress-free for me. What a refreshing change , in an era of mediocrity! I used seven different contractors and craftsmen to remodel my entire home. An adventure, I never want to experience again. Every day, when I am swimming in my pool, I am reminded of the excellent job Kerry Martin Pools did for me. With all my remodeling completed, in good conscience, Kerry Martin Pools is the only company that I can highly recommend. Definitely a FIVE STAR performance! Fred Davoli read more

Wow! "Talk about Service with a Smile!" We recently relocated from WA State to Jacksonville, FL. I have to tell you....We are installing a pool and we can't find enough positive words to express how pleased we are, thus far, in having selected Kerry Martin Pool Builders. From the initial phone call, to the appointment to give us a quote, our salesman, Kyle, has been thoroughly wonderful to work with! He spoke to us in laymen terms that were clear about what was and wasn't possible with our lot size. His honesty, professionalism and easy going personality have us excited about the prospect of the final product. Just today we stopped over to the store to pick out our tiles, interior and capping selections and pavers. All of which Kyle took time out of his morning to make it an enjoyable process to help us make our choices! If we've experienced such superior service well before our project is underway, we know that we can expect the same through to the end of our pool project - and we can't wait! We'd refer KMPB to others and will. Thanks Kyle. :O) read more

Had them install our pool this past fall. They were in contact with us through the whole process, and were very courteous, and punctual. The pool turned out great and we enjoy it daily. I would recommend them if you are thinking about installing a pool. read more

Martin Pools did an excellent job! Very responsive to all our questions and impeccable work...not the cheapest, but so worth it!! Beautiful pavers, pool & screenhouse! Highly recommend doing business with them! Professional & courteous throughout the process! Kyle, Donna, and Brian were awesome!! read more

I regret I ended up choosing Martin. During building phase the crew made a mess in the street. Tons of dirt that they should've picked up and when we mentioned it they just kind of shrugged and went on their way. It was embarrassing to explain to neighbors why it looked like a war zone. I spent most of a day getting the dirt up the best I could. The salesman was not honest. Or maybe forgetful. As we're nearing completion of the pool I'm told about extras to pay for including either a whole new fence around my yard to pass inspection, complete with alarms on every window, or a baby gate. My wife was with me throughout and both of us weren't made aware. And they never produced a document showing as such. Speaking of documented, the contract looks like something they drew up in preschool. Handwritten, not professional looking in the least. Also they were to pave our back porch and when we pointed out some cracks in the cement he very confidently said that's not a problem. Then the paver came out, took one look and said, "I don't know why he would say it's okay to pave here. This would crack very soon after I finished the job." Throughout the pool process I was told that the project manager, Brian Martin, would be "on the job frequently". He showed up TWICE. Once early on to make himself known, and then later on when I called to complain. Great project management. And while I realize rain and other natural elements may delay a project, there were many times it was sunny, ground was dry, but I would hear nothing from them. Never knew when they'd be showing up next. I put that blame on lack of project management (Brian). The spa had problems too. One of the jets barely works and though they came out to look at it, they never were able to identify the problem. The heater for the Jacuzzi also malfunctioned. The spa heater rep. came out and confirmed it wasn't calibrated correctly. Again, this is something they should've verified before turning it over to us. The final straw came recently when several (nearly half) of our pavers came loose on the spa. Our pool construction was completed in December 2013, so it's only about 2.5 years old. While we understood it wasn't under warranty, we certainly wouldn't expect that approximately half the pavers around the rim of the spa would come off. This isn't normal wear and tear or some minor fix. This was a shoddy job when they were originally constructed. After several failed attempts to call/text and get in touch with the paver contractor, I called Martin Pools and was told they'd reach out to them then let me know. Martin Pools never called back like they said they would, and again, never heard anything from the paver contractor until he showed up out of the blue. So I raced home from the office to meet him and he was already busy at work. Afterwards we were presented with a $200 invoice yet not once was amount discussed and again, thinking this was such bad work to begin with they were having to fix, thought it may have been covered by Martin. Since we have to assume this isn't normal for relatively new pools, we felt it reflected VERY poorly on the quality of their product, and hoped they would work with us on the repair. It certainly would've gone a long way toward good customer service for Martin Pools to show some sort of concern. We tried to contact Brian, but could only reach his assistant who let us know simply that Brian said we were responsible for the payment since it's out of warranty. Basically we got nothing but "it's your problem." Here's the punch line: The assistant then told us that Brian said we should be sure to pay the paving company "because they are from South America." I can't even believe I'm typing this, but this is what we were told! I even called back on speaker to confirm this is what was said so those with me could hear and yes, that was the case. The assistant confirmed it. To say this was totally inappropriate, and even threatening, would be an understatement. I documented all of this and let the company know all of the details in an email. Sadly, but unsurprisingly, no response. There are some nice folks within the company, but unfortunately, they're tarnished with the inept, rude and dishonest employees (or is that family members) that you're likely to encounter throughout the process. Do your homework. There are several great pool builders in the Jacksonville area who have integrity, are honest and will work hard for your business. I just wish I had picked one. read more

Had an issue on Sunday with a valve breaking. Called in for a service call on Tuesday and by Wednesday they had a service tech out to fix the issue. Chris was the tech and he was terrific. Great customer service from the whole team. Thank you!! read more

Martin Pools is by far the most knowledgeable and professional pool company in Jacksonville, FL! I can't say enough wonderful things about the experience we've had with them! From conception, to completion, to everyday maintenance - they provide superior service. I have already referred them to close friends and was so thankful to hear they had the same experience. Thank you Martin Pools, you are outstanding! read more

Kerry Martin Pools installed our pool and lanai fall of 2015. The design of the pool is outstanding, the lanai is outstanding, however, that being said, we have had what I consider to be significant mechanical issues. Kerry Martin Pools ordered and installed the wrong parts for our pool heater. It took several weeks of back and forth conversation and finally a visit for them to determine that the wrong components were ordered and installed, making our heater nonfunctional for the first month of service. Four months later, our chlorinator doesn't work. It's defective. The service technician tried to say that we broke it. Totally untrue. There aren't any scratch marks, cracks or dents.....the thing just fell apart. We had contacted Kerry Martin Pools several times over the few months of having the pool, telling them we weren't getting a chlorine reading. Their recommendation was to just shock it. I went into the store and spoke with Kyle Martin myself about this issue and he sent us home with a supply of shock. It turns out the chlorinator just wasn't working. I would have given this company 5 stars even though the pool building process took twice as long as anyone else we know and their guys didn't cap off all the irrigation lines, giving us a nice $364 irrigation bill once we turned the system back on, except for the the service and poor attention to parts. One of the reasons we picked this pool builder was the stellar reviews. I am disappointed and probably would have a tough time recommending them to others. read more

martin pools built my pool in 1986 and it still is in fantastic condition. Not bad after 30 years. My wife and I raised 3 boys who thoroughly enjoyed the swimming experience-diving board and slide-as they were growing up. We have hosted numerous outdoor activities--Little league,etc. over the course of the last 30 years. I take a pool sample to their retail store every week and buy all of my chemicals and pool accessories from them. They are a pleasure to do business with and I highly recommend them.It's still nice to be able to conduct business with a family owned company who treat their clientele with respect and honesty. Keep up the great work. Thanks read more

Our experience with Kerry Martin Pools was excellent! Kerry designed our pool and made it unique and EXACTLY what we wanted. Brian and all of the craftsmen who came to the house were polite and easy to work with. Both Brian and Kyle stayed in touch and made sure we were informed throughout the entire process. Everyone was quick to answer any question with patience and friendly help. I had heard that having a pool built was a long and painful experience but not with Kerry Martin Pools. I would highly recommend them to anyone. read more