Bowles Custom Pools & Spas, Inc.

Joel, the designer Bowles Custom Pools and Spas assigned to us, was standing in our backyard within 24 hours of our first call — and that pace set the tone for the entire project. He delivered the design we'd asked for within a few days, and once we approved it, the quote was ready within a day. That's the advantage of an established builder: they work with a small, consistent set of crews and know exactly what things cost up front, rather than bidding your design out to whoever comes in lowest. The permit process was remarkably fast — we had all the approvals we needed within 45 days. We also asked them to hold off on starting the build until November rather than August, so we could skip the peak rainy season and the main hurricane window. They were completely on board and simply asked which start date we preferred. In case you're not familiar with them, Bowles is family-owned and has been in business for 30 years. Daryl, one of the brothers who runs the company, was assigned to our build, and his wife Patti served as project coordinator, keeping us in the loop at every step, she will send weekly emails about next step and progress update with inspection. Daryl stopped by at least once a week — and during every major construction phase — to inspect the work himself before sending the city inspector out to clear that stage. You hear horror stories about builds crawling along, with the pool builder not showing up for weeks at a time. That was never our experience with Bowles. Our project moved right at the pace I expected. Build Timeline 10/1 — Sod prep 10/7 — Framing 10/15 — Dig 10/16 — Steel 10/27 — Gunite 11/4 — Initial grade 11/13 — Plumbing 11/15 — Backfill We changed the waterline tile at this point, which meant a ~3-week wait for the new material (which included the Thanksgiving break) 12/2 — Waterline tile 12/11 — Screen footers December — Electrical, gas line for the firepit, firepit build-out, and various small prep items 1/5 — Deck marble started (~2 weeks) , took this long because we were picky about layout of tiles and placement and they accomodated every request we asked for!!! 1/30 — Screen 2/18 — Plaster 2/19 — Acid wash and fill! At every milestone that required a city inspection, the turnaround was fast — 1 to 3 days at most, and in most cases just 1 day after Daryl had inspected the work himself. Start to finish, that's about 4.5 months of active construction — and the only delay in the entire stretch was a three-week wait on tile that we triggered by changing our material selection (and even that overlapped the Thanksgiving holiday). Their involvement didn't end at fill, either. Bowles handled the entire startup process over the following three weeks, with Zack stopping by three times a week to make adjustments as the pool balanced out. It's an easy phase for a builder to hand off or rush, and they treated it with the same attention as the build itself. I'm an engineer, detail-obsessed, and I always do a ton of online research — especially on a first-time project this expensive. Along the way I raised a few concerns and asked for some minor adjustments, as anyone would on a project like this — and every one was heard and handled without pushback. None of the problems I saw other homeowners report about their pool builders happened to us. If I ever build another pool in the Orlando area, I'll use Bowles 1000%.

We’re ENTIRELY convinced that the Bowles Custom Pools & Spa team trains on the same military base as Chik Fila. The service and efficiency of this company has been nothing short of outstanding. From the start, their team showed professionalism, and care that carried through to the end of our 8 week project. Yep, you heard correctly- 8 weeks. Our pool and level spa turned into the community model home with neighbors coming by like wait … you’re swimming already ?! 🫢 We learned about Bowles through a coworker who had just finished their family pool and raved about their work. Even with a smaller budget, Joel helped us navigate the options and we ended up with a luxurious pool that feels straight out of a dream.No pressure, just great advice and patience. He stuck with us through the whole process, answering every question and making sure we got exactly what we wanted. Then there’s Victoria, our project manager—she’s the reason so many reviews mention her! Her daily updates kept us informed and excited, and she has a way of making every phone call feel like a chat with a friend. She kept the project moving smoothly, and honestly, she made it fun. And we have to also give a warm thank you Mrs. Patti Bowles, who was there to help whenever needed. We spoke with almost all of the contractors who came to our home and they all had nothing but good things to say about working with Bowles Pools. That kind of reputation doesn’t happen by accident. Now, every morning when we step outside, we still can’t believe that in just eight short weeks, our empty yard transformed into a gorgeous oasis. We’re beyond happy and so grateful—thanks for building our dream, Bowles Custom Pools & Spas!

Bowles Pools. We cannot say enough good things about them. My wife and I decided to install an in-ground pool at the beginning of this year. We contacted a few companies and got quotes for what we wanted. Most companies gave us quotes of varying prices along with upsale options. We were not feeling good vibes with any of them. After researching on Buildzoom, I came across Bowles Custom Pools &Spas. I liked what I saw so I reached out to them. Craig came to our home and listened closely to what we wanted and noted all of our property situational constraints. They promptly provided us with a competitive quote. We then went to their office where Joel walked us through our selections, and ultimately the contract. The permit was issued on March 13th, and Bowles started work immediately. Victoria the scheduler kept us apprized of every event, so there was no surprise appearances by subcontractors. Building a pool is messy business, but their subcontractors were very conscientious about their impacts. One subcontractor even commended us for choosing Bowles. I requested a Microglass treatment on the pool finish (and I recommend you do the same) and Bowles rapidly accommodated. Patti Bowles was always ready to answer questions or quick to get us answers. On June 13th we were dropping in the hoses and filling it up. The final inspection was completed on June 18th, and we were off and splashing. Bolwes maintained pool service for a month through Dales Gas, another wonderful company who salted the pool and balanced the chemicals. At the end, they gave us a "pool school" which was very helpful. The only issues we had was a need to relocate a downspout on the screen enclosure and a few "nubbies" in the pool finish. Both issues were resolved virtually immediately. Overall, we were very impressed with there performance. Bowles is a no nonsense, no pressure contractor. Having been a contractor myself, I was also impressed with the fact that we received no Notice to Owner from any suppliers or subcontractors. That tells you that they do business on the up and up, and have full confidence from their suppliers and subcontractors. We confidently recommend Bowles to perform your pool project. Mark & Nilza Ryan