We had our pool project started in March 2020 and finished on January 2021. We dealt with Steve who was great and knowledgeable. Everything started amazing excavation was done in 2.5 days and they were able to work on a small space. Our issues happened when new subcontractors switched around. The scheduler Lulu dropped the ball on every step possible. The shotcrete people drained the cement mixer rubble on the HOA storm drains. They were suppose to dump chemical water onto the sewer pipes but dumped it in storm drain instead. Our first Flagstone/Tile guy did nothing for 3 weeks and that delayed the project. The new Tile/ flagstone guy did ok work but he buried 1200 lbs of cement and rocks debris in my planter boxes which I had to dig out. They almost forgot to install overflow connection until I pointed it out. The overflow connection was poorly done and takes forever to drain. The pebbletec vendor cut pipe from our auto filler and sprayed over it. it took over a week to locate filler and drain hole and they had to drill leavingcrap load of debris and having to drain 2000 gallons of water. The final inspection took 1 year to complete due to vendor not scheduling. There are a few finishing touches that were missed. Over all I am happy with my pool but I feel like I did a lot of over sight that the general contractor should have done. There should have been someone that visited the site on a weekly period. You have to be vocal and look over the subcontractors shoulders. Sadly they are just doing this for dollar and sometimes very little thought process. My control panel is free standing almost in the middle of our deck I am not sure why I was not consulted where I would like the panel, I would have gladly had it mounted to the house outside wall like a circuit breaker panel. Like I said I am mostly very happy but that was because I had to take matters into my hands. read more

Padre pools had been our vendor for a few years and it really harmed our community and pool. Brickrow Management referred them to us and it ended up being a nightmare. We had two weekly visits assigned per our contract along with many of the standard items such as vacuum, skim and scrub the walls. They would check chemicals and that's about it. Management is absent and the techs do whatever they want, which is nothing much. Our pool was always filthy, had been shut down a few times by the city and their price gouging on repairs were astronomical. Organization and standard cleanliness is not part of their program as they had literally used our poolroom as a dumpster and staging place for old parts and trash. The best part of Padre was getting rid of them. I highly recommend looking for another pool service or terminating them if you currently use them, as if you try and even work with them on contract related requirements, they literally refuse to comprehend customer service and quality of work. read more

See all

DO NOT WALK FROM PADRE, RUN! AS FAST AND AS FAR AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN!! Nightmare experience!!! We hired Padres Pools in 2021 to redo our existing pool and add a hot tub. The home we purchased was original from 1962 with a pool that had been installed in the 70's, and everything needed to be redone. We found Padres from their online recommendations and because they have been one of the longest family owned pool companies in San Diego, so we figured they would be a good option. Boy were we wrong! There was an insane lack of professionalism from EVERY member of the team. They would miss scheduled appointments, not show up on days of work when they were supposed to, fail to communicate major issues, ghost completely for days on end, the list goes on. During construction, we dealt with multiple issues including a substantial leak where we were losing inches of water a day. After repeatedly bringing it to their attention and after multiple diagnostics and "fixes", we were assured there were no more leaks. We kept questioning why part of the yard was wet, and why we were still losing water, and they kept insisting the yard moisture was unrelated to the pool and the water was evaporating from the pool. After weeks of investigating, turns out they built the throat of the skimmer completely wrong and it was allowing a ton of water to escape - surprisingly enough - right into the area of yard that was muddy. They had to jackhammer out the new skimmer (that they had just installed) along with the new concrete around the pool and rebuild it. We now have a mismatched patch in our brand new concrete because of this - unfortunately, they poured the wrong color concrete when they redid it. The hot tub that they added on to our pool was also built poorly. We've noticed that one side is already settling and because of the way they built it, they had to add a blower to our equipment because otherwise the jets on the tub stop working.  At one point, we were so concerned about the workmanship that we hired our own pool inspector to see if things were ok. It cost us $600 but was well worth it, as he found a long list of concerns and things we needed Padre to repair that were not done up to code. It took weeks of back and forth before Padre agreed to do the repairs, and some of them we had to take on ourselves after they refused. The tile work was abysmal, truly some of the worst craftmanship we have ever seen. Despite selecting a very easy 6x6 tile to install, it was an absolute disaster. Tiles were crooked, grout was crumbling, underside of the tiles were exposed in different areas, etc etc. At one point they had to replace 90+ tiles because they started to become loose just weeks after initial install!  The spillover from the hot tub to the pool was rebuilt on four separate occasions, each time looking worse than the prior. By the time they were done, the "finished" product that we were left with had uneven tile and the unfinished bottom of tiles exposed. Not only did it aesthetically look terrible, the spillover also would leave pools of water outside the pool when turning off and on because it was poorly built, so each time it kicked on, pools of water on the concrete resulted.  We met with six different companies to get their take on the workmanship as we were trying to find someone willing to take on the re-tile job. Of the six reputable companies we met with, three of them refused the job altogether, saying that the workmanship was so poor they felt they didn't want the liability of touching it or trying to fix it. The remaining three companies stated that they would only be willing to touch the job if they were able to refinish the pool tile, coping, AND surface, as all three were so poor they didn't feel comfortable repairing one without the other.  After nearly a year of back and forth, Padres eventually agreed to give us our money back for only the tile work. Despite there also being issues with the coping and wet edge surface they were unwilling to offer us a refund or reimburse us to do that work.  When the new company was redoing the tile, they noted that no waterproofing material had been utilized at all in the original installation. One of the major reasons the tile looked so terrible after such a short amount of time is they hadn't even waterproofed the tile - on a POOL! Now that the new tile is done, the difference in workmanship is truly astounding to see.  These issues are just the cherry on top of what was an overall very poor experience with Padres Pools. For an entire home renovation that took over a year and a half to complete, Padres Pools was by far the biggest headache that we had to deal with. For anyone looking for a pool contractor, avoid Padres Pools at all costs! read more

See all

My pool project with Padre has been nothing but a headache. I chose to go with a pool builder because I didn't have the knowledge, nor did I want to micromanage a pool build. I wish I would have gone owner/builder because Padre outsourced everything to other contractors. My project manager Lulu had to be micromanaged throughout the entire process. Lulu is completely unprofessional. After reading recent reviews other people feel the same way about Lulu. Communication is subpar at best. I would get calls stating someone would be out in a week, but someone would show up within hours. 1) Padre forgot to run electricity to my waterfalls and had to come back out to run conduit which is now visible behind my waterfalls. (Nothing to do to correct this issue) 2) Padre installed the bubblers in the center of the Baja shelf which was not to plan. (Padre did come out and move the bubblers to plan) 3) Padre placed an umbrella hole in the walkway on the Baja shelf leading to the stairs. (Padre filled the umbrella hole and moved it to a better location) 4) During plaster they filled one of my bubblers up with plaster causing it not to work. I did not find out about this issue until I filled the pool and started evaluating the equipment. (Padre fixed the issue by draining my pool and pouring acid down the pipe which took at least a week.) 5) I am having issues with the Pentair equipment losing connection with the pumps and they just stop working. (Padre told me to turn off all the breakers for 3 min and then turn them back on. Still an issue Padre told me to contact Pentair to file a claim. I was told to leave as is because if Pentair comes out and don't find an issue, they are going to charge me $150 service call.) 6) My spa jet pump breaker keeps tripping. (Padre told me to turn off all the breakers for 3 min and then turn them back on. Still an issue Padre told me to contact Pentair to file a claim. I was told to leave as is because if Pentair comes out and don't find an issue, they are going to charge me $150 service call.) 7) Padre misplaced the screws for the bubblers and misplaced the remote for the waterfalls and blamed me. 8) My waterfall lights do not synchronize up with the rest of the lights with the pool. When you change the color there is a very loud knocking sound which can be heard inside the adjacent walls of the home. (Padre told me it was because they were not Pentair, and I would need to use the remote to change the lights. The loud knocking sound was normal.) 9) Padre placed skimmer pucks under my skimmer basket. The warning label on the pucks state not to place them in the basket as it could damage the equipment. (Padre came out 2 days later but the puck had already dissolved.) 10) My brand-new filter was leaking from the drain on the bottom. (Padre replaced the drain plug) 11) Padre decided to hold onto one of the original checks I sent them for approximately 120 days. When they went to cash the check, it did not go through because on the check it stated only valid for 90 days. Lulu sent me a one text stating "Hello. We received notice that you stop payment on the cashier's check. Unfortunately, we would have to contact our attorney and file a preliminary notice.) 12) I was informed the pool would be completed by May so we could use it for my daughter's birthday. We signed contracts in December. Here we are approaching October and the pool has not been completed. 100% 13) I was instructed not to use my spa for 30 days to let the plaster cure. I went to use it and the spa jets are not functioning properly. Waiting to find out a resolution. 14) For final inspection the technician they sent was not familiar with Pentair and the equipment. If you have a choice, I would avoid Padre as the pool builder. If it's too late and you already signed contracts and you have Lulu as your project manager, make sure to micromanage her. read more

No response from Padre Pools on my review. The issues still remain. The repairs have not been started. read more

See all

Padre Pools built my pool to the exact specifications of my designer. They completed the pool in 2015 and 6 years later, it looks as good as new. They were willing to incorporate several suggestions from my designer that they had not tried out before, and implemented them flawlessly. They installed fiber optic star lights, extended coping all around to cast a nice shadow including over the pool cover, and built up the beautiful retaining walls that frame the pool. The also used Aquron to waterproof the pool shell prior to plaster. Since this is a fully automated salt-water system with a pool cover, I only need professional maintenance about once a year to make sure nothing is really out of whack. We had to replace the main pump once and they replaced it for free even though it was slightly out of warranty (Hayward pump). It was an exacting build because we needed all the designer features to come out just right, and they did. read more

Padre Pools - Pool - from the deep end, 50 ft long - Pool & Hot Tub Service Near Me - Lakeside, California

See all

Padre built a Leaky pool which leaked for about a year. Company would not take ownership and drive its resolution. Project manager and even the owner of Padre denied there was a leak bit eventually after I helped my neighbor trench to find the leak and filmed water pouring out, the company fixed it. read more

It's been almost 3 years since we put in our pool and one of the best decisions we ever made - having the pool during COVID lockdowns and selecting Padre pools as the contractor. We interviewed several, but they were the best from a cost, proposal, and reputation standpoint. I was impressed (and a bit surprised) with how well the work was managed and the responsiveness of Dave, the project manager. All calls and texts were quickly responded to - sadly a rarity these days when contracting out work. Anyway, we recently had a minor cosmetic issue we wanted fixed, just before the warranty will be up, and they came through and took care of it without complaint. Given our overall experience, I wanted to share a positive review, they earned it. read more

See all

Our pool is AWESOME! Padre Pools did such a great job. Steve actually recommended the location of the pool which turned out to be cost effective and a perfect spot on our property. The price was great and they followed the job description like clockwork. The project manager was Lulu and I would definitely request her, she was very helpful and responsive. When we found out they offered pool service as well we kept them onboard. Highly, highly recommend. read more

Padre Pools - Pool & Hot Tub Service Near Me - Lakeside, California

We contracted with Padre for the production and installation of a fiberglass pool. So far this has been the worst customer service experience of my life. Worst communication possible and they have not been responsive. No planning. Completely winging it. Poor Planning Promotes Piss Poor Performance! read more

Our pool project was the most stressful thing we've experienced because of the lack of communication from the project manager and they were not very responsive. It was like pulling teeth to get this pool project complete. Then when they started up my pool up the water jets were filled with dirt and were pouring into my pool from the Jets. So now my brand new pool is full of dirt and it's going take days to be completely filtered out. The project manager knows that dirt will stain the new pebble finish on the interior of the pool at this stage. I don't understand why they would allow this to happen. I reached out to another person who had left a bad review for Padre Pools and asked him about his experience with Padre Pools and he said that he had the exact same issues with Padre Pools. He had to manage the project himself because the Project Manager, Lulu is not professional, timely, or responsive. The only time she cared was when a progress payment was due. For the amount of money ($90k) we paid to have this pool installed and the amount of time it took for them to "complete" the job, we should've had a better experience and 100% satisfaction with our finished pool. They cut corners and used apprentices. In the beginning the salesman was nice and professional and so we thought it was going to be a great experience but to our dismay, the opposite was true. We were baited and switched. When our concerns needed to be escalated, they did not have the time of day. Not even the owner, Dave , could address our concerns. There is no accountability. This business is so unprofessional. We were continually referred back to the project manager. It seemed like they were doing the opposite of trying to help us. Customer service is not their strong point to say the least. It was ALL BAD! We regret hiring Padre Pools. Run away from this company as fast as you can!!!! read more

Spoke to Lee today. Great guy, he was very candid and said what we needed he could do, but frankly would sub out to a couple other firms. He educated me on what to ask for and products that met my needs. Even though I didnt use Padre, I feel I can trust them. read more

Padre Pools finished my pool last year and I was so impressed with how well the workers were. They finished it on time and now I cant believe me pool is so beautiful. It was a great experience and I highly recommend them. They even doing my service and they keep the pool beautiful like was just done. David was so kind and explained everything to me if i ever had a problem. read more

We are coming up on our year anniversary of our pool construction with Padre Pools and we couldn't be happier that we chose David Roberts and his amazing team. We live in Bonita and we had interviewed two other contractors; Padre Pools beat the other contractors' prices and his knowledge and experience were unmatched. Once we decided to go with Padre Pools, David was at our site supervising and leading his team through every step. He completed the pool in the eight weeks he promised and made himself available to train us in maintaining our pool. To this day, I know that I can call David with any question I have regarding our pool. If you are thinking about investing in a pool for your home, please consider Padre Pools: locally owned and operated with service, design, and construction that will make this process go smoothly from beginning to end. read more

See all

I met with Brad from padre pools twice and sometime during the second meeting he decided that he didn't want to build me a pool but instead of telling me that he scheduled a meeting for the following week to give us the final bid. When the meeting date came around my wife and I rushed to get our son fed bathed and ready for bed so he could have our attention. Brad never showed up for the meeting, never called, and never returned my calls. When I called the business office I was given an apology and was told that Brad did not feel we were serious about putting in a pool. I don't have a problem with that but why would he schedule a meeting rather than just saying he could not do the pool. Like I tell my two year old, "use your words." The office manager seemed very nice and said he would get us another designer and call me back but I never got a call back from him either. I suggest not to use this company because they are disrespectful, inconsiderate, and rude. My wife and I just signed a pool contract tonight to start building a pool in two weeks with "superior pools." They are a great family owned business that was very patient with all of our questions. read more

We first contacted Padre several months ago in the Fall of 2013 to get a pool bid. We spoke to Brad too (the Brad from the bad reviews). He totally dropped the ball, and no longer works with the company. We gave them another shot and met with David and Al after learning that Padre had recently changed ownership. We are so glad that we did meet with them again...we couldn't be happier. They have been wonderful throughout the entire process. They have top notch, experienced people in place...most who used to work with some really high end pool companies. Their attention to detail, ethics, technical knowledge, coordination with our landscaper, and follow through have been excellent. They have gone above and beyond and have exceeded our expectations. I really thought that building a pool would be stressful, having heard so many horror stories. But this experience has changed my mind. It has been a pleasure to work with Padre and we are so happy that we chose them to build our dream pool. read more

We used Padre pools after a local contractor was in too far over his head even before the work started. We bought a house in November 2016 that has an inground pool and spa. The equipment was very old and the pool needed minor repairs and an acid wash. David came out the day after I called him and gave me an estimate that beat the other guy and he made some recommendations to make the system right. David and his team met our timeline and made the wife very happy. Flor is the office person we worked with and she always kept us up to date and replied to our questions quickly! We had them remove all the old equipment and install a new variable speed pump, filter and added a new heater. We wanted an automated system and David set it up so that it runs from a small touchscreen pad that is portable. We love the new equipment and after 3 months can say it's perfect for us. David's team also acid washed the pool which was worst then we thought. They replaced bad grout, took 2 extra days cleaning and finding bad spots, fixing them as they went. They even updated the drain suction covers to current code ones. The pool looked brand new when they were done! David even stuck to his original estimate! That really struck us as a quality company who we want to work with in the future. Shout out to Raymond who did a lot of the work and educated me on pool issues and maintenance! We also use Padre pool for our servicing. They come weekly, test and clean it, and make sure the equipment is running well. We have peace of mind that our pool is ready for us when we want to use it. If we every remodel it, Padre will be my first call! read more

We were impressed by the level of service this company provided. David and Eduardo really did a great job with follow up. They delivered a quality product in a timely manner and when we had problems setting up our remote system came out personally. They even had the Hayward Rep come to the house with them to walk me through it. I do not usually make the time for Yelp reviews, but my experience is 5 stars! read more

Padre Pools just finished re-doing our 25 year old pool. Lee Spotts, the manager for Padre Pools was great to work with. His insight in the design changes to our existing pool was amazing. We went with his suggestions, many of which we would of never thought of, and are so pleased with the results. He did an amazing job keeping the job on schedule and everyone that worked on the project was first class. David, the owner is a wonderful person to work with also. He really cares about his company and it shows. read more

I had David who is the new owner of Padre Pools come over to see my new construction and give me a bid on my new pool. Every time I contacted him he took his time to explain everything to me. The times he was busy at other jobs he told me that he will get back to me later in the day and he did. I had talked to 4 other contractors and by far David was the most experience and professional one out of all of them. He promised to have my pool done within a certain time and right on time he finished his job. I am so impressed because in construction things always take more time than expected but in this case it was so smooth. Now here is the interesting part, the city inspector passed his work with flying colors. I wish there were more people like him. As far as pricing when he quoted me the price, he also told me that he might be able to save me money and as promised he did. Thank you David for making my life easy with my pool. I will work with you again in the future, God Bless. read more

I always wanted a pool in my backyard and finally decided to make it happen. I did a web search and contacted 3 different local pool contractors. I met with the owner, Dave and I was really impressed with his professionalism. It was not a hard "sales pitch" at all - he was very low-key and forthcoming. They also had great BBB reviews so I decided to hire them. I couldn't be more pleased with my new pool - I wish I took the plunge long ago! read more

STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY! They replastered my pool last year. After it's finished, the water was turned on to fill the pool. We were not home at the time, and no one cared to notify us (leaving a note or making a phone call or telling us beforehand) when the pool might be full, and what we should/should not do. We went home that night, turned off the water -- otherwise it will get full midnight. A few hours later I read something online, "If you turn off the water while filling the pool, a "bathtub ring" will be left at the level where the water was shut off". OMG!!! I jumped out of bed to turn the water back on at 1am! I talked to one of the company owners the next day when he came to get the pool pump start. He simply said "Oh, it does not look like you get the bathtub ring". HELLO?! Yes, I think that's because I read about it and turned the water back on quick enough! What if I did not figure out and waited till the next morning?! My brand new pool with a "ring"?! There was no apology at all from this company for not letting the customer know about important issues! I know they gave part of the work to subcontractors, but it's still their responsibility to take care of their customer-- as my check of thousands of $$ was paid to them!! -- Oh, another thing-- they asked me to pay before the job was completed. As there were problems left behind and I need to contact them. I can definitely tell the different attitude before/after they got paid-- not answering phone calls, nor returning messages-- extremely unprofessional!! read more

I utilized their services to reshape and add a spa to an existing pool. I will start by saying that the finished product turned out great. However, the project was estimated to take about 1 month and ended up taking roughly 3 so I was without my pool for 2 months in peak summer time. read more

Padre pools replaced my improperly installed fiberglass pool by Southland Pools/Spas. Lee was on the project from the design to the end of construction. Everything was smooth and on time. They were careful of all my landscaping and built a ramp over my veggie garden so not to ruin it. This was a great experience. Dave the owner was also onsite often. Most work is done in house. Would recommend them to anyone. One of the demo crew stated that he was from Tennessee and had never seen such a thin fiberglass pool. No wonder I had problems with it (Southland Pools, Jim Ferries). I noticed some of the reviews for Padre pools were before new ownership. read more

I shared a similar experience with the previous poster. Brad came out a couple of months ago when I was closing on my house. We discussed my ideas for a pool with extras, expansive patio and cabana. He seemed very uninterested in speaking with me, but, hey--we all have bad days, right? I wanted to believe it was something like that. He had a concern that the area I want to build on was fill dirt and told me the first step was getting the soil tested. Right after closing and move-in I had to go out of the country for 6 weeks. Before I returned, I emailed and called him to find out whom he would recommend for the testing. No response. Emailed the office a few weeks later and got an immediate response that Brad would get back to me. Guess what? No response. I have since sent a follow-up email and called the main office again. Still no response. Guess they have plenty of business and don't need mine. I will be going with another company. read more

I've been with David Roberts for over five years. Monthly service was average. I never knew when his guy showed up. Most of the time when we want to use the pool on the weekend, the pool was dirty. Eighteen months ago, my heater leaked and flooded the backyard. After calling David for evaluation, I was told that it was a simple fix. Several months later when summer come around, my heater still didn't work. He clearly didn't bother to check to make sure that the repair was done correctly after his serviceman completed the job. I gave David many opportunities to make it right by letting him look to see what need to be done to fix the pool heater. He acknowledged that he didn't handle it correctly and pledged to have my heater fixed. That was four-five months ago. Several months ago, he had somebody open up my heater. I was waiting for someone to call but nothing happened. Meanwhile my pool heater was left open for months. Last week, I finally got a hold of him, during our conversation, he wanted me to put in a new heater because the repair cost will be very expensive. I've asked that he email me the details as far as the cost for repair vs. replaced, however, nothing was sent. This morning I called him, as soon as he heard my voice, he hanged up the phone. To me, this guy by far was the most incompetent pool guy that I've had. read more

Padre Pools just finished our pool today. Tom & Dave are great honest guys that guided us through the entire process. We are very happy with their service and quality. I would highly recommend using Padre Pools. They also had competitive pricing for a quality pool builder. read more

I didn't ever leave a review for Padre Pools...I just thought I'd "bite the bullet". HOWEVER...things just get worse and worse! If I could leave a "Zero" rating, I would! Padre installed our pool/spa about three years ago. It was a haphazard, disjointed, inefficient process. In addition, the workmanship was slipshod, and the craftsmanship was "adequate", to be kind. A pump (in the box) was dumped on my front porch with no explanation. It sat there for several weeks, and then it disappeared! Finally, the job got started. They would be there at work for a day or so and then, they would disappear! MORE equipment showed up and just sat there for a week or so. In the process, crucial pieces were left out, and pipes had to be cut in order to install the missing items. Several pipes were so short coming out of the wall that the installer had to try to chip the joints loose in order to have enough for the connections. AND SO IT WENT! At the end, permits went "unclosed", and I started getting letters from the city/county. The installer said "he'd take care of it". Later, I received follow-up missives from the city/count. The installer said "he'd take care of it". Finally, I stopped receiving missives from the city; I don't know if anything ever happened or the city gave up! As I mentioned, I was not going to write a review, but I've started having problems and questions over the last 9-12 months. Attempts to have a dialog with Padre are unsuccessful. They will not answer left telephone messages; they don't answer e-mails, and they do not respond to queries posted on their website "Contact Form". One of my problems is an equipment warranty issue. The manufacturer had/had NO RECORD of any of the equipment. There was no original paperwork, copies of permits, receipts, etc. sent to me as part of the job (Padre was a "sub"), so I have no proof of installation. All I received was a "boilerplate" book on pool care. All sheets documenting the installation were "blank". There is NO job-specific information anywhere!@ In summary, there are NUMEROUS pool suppliers/installers in the San Diego area. IMHO, you should pick one based on reviews and customer interviews...a reputable installer will be pleased to give you some (admittedly "happy") references. Again, IMHO, STAY AWAY from Padre Pools! read more

Last year my pool cleaner retired and must have sold his route to Padre Pools. Besides at the lack of communication of my pool service being sold to Padre Pools I spoke to David and agreed for a price of monthly service. I had only asked to be telephoned what day they would service my pool in order to remove the pool cover. I was told he would check into and get back to me within a couple of days...that call never came. Almost 7 weeks ago I noticed my vacuum was not working. A week later I mentioned it to the person servicing my pool, and his response was he would look into it. Several weeks later my vacuum is still not working and I again see the person servicing my pool. He tells me he will speak with the manager at the office and they will provide me a quote to get it fixed and running. 3 weeks later it is still not fixed so I take the vacuum to a pool store, get the necessary parts and fix myself. December 1st I get my monthly statement and call the office. I am told they have been busy and we're going to call. Waiting over 6 weeks to repair the vacuum to me is inexcusable. Very poor customer service. I cancelled my pool cleaning with Padre Pools. read more

Padre Pools, just finished our pool and we love it!! I understand David Roberts is now the new owner of Padre Pools and... he is also the guy that supervised our job, too! We had a few problems along the way, but David quickly took care of them. Everything works and looks great and we are very happy ! Thanks Padre Pools!! read more