any recos for pool builders in SA that yall trust? Yes, i did do a google search but not very helpful on who has better cost/quality reputation and who rips people off

Second hand info, but from people I trust, the quality companies are either turning down work or you are looking at an 8-12 month lead time.

Keith Zars has a pretty great reputation, by pool builder standards.

Agree with both responses. They are either not calling customers back or giving lead times of 12 months. I've spoken with Canyon Creek and really liked them. Had a couple friends speak with Keith Zars and they liked them. KZ is the "premium" builder and the pool will be about 15% more than their competitors. Their competitive edge is that they say they will build a better pool and their warranty is the best. I didn't see much difference after looking at it though and it seemed very standard just like CC pools. They offer a free 1-year maintenance plan but it is pricy in years 2+. Both are worth talking to in my opinion.

I am getting a design from my 4th potential builder. This is of the ones who actually returned my calls and came to my home. 2 of them drew up a design, then stopped responding to calls. Keith zars was responsive, but nearly 100k more expensive than the other 2. I'll post if #4 pans out.

More anecdotal information:

Two neighbors have either built/are building pools.

First neighbor had a massive pool/jacuzzi built by a guy who used to work for Keith Zars and is out on his own. Guy did a great job (so far so good, it's only been 6 months) and was cheaper than the big name pool builders. He was slowed down by the lack of materials available (gunnite, specifically).

Second neighbor is mid construction. Keith Zars just finished digging/jackhammering last week and have started planning the PVC pipe run by laying it all out. Problem is, they haven't showed up once this week. Crew completely ghosted. Left all of their equipment, including their big excavation rigs. They are also delayed about 3 months. The pool should be finished and they just started two weeks ago.

Again, anecdotal, but these are the kinds of things that appear to be common during this pool building craze right now.

Super helpful. Thank you. Changes my mind on timing given all the supply chain shortages and finding crew

I had one built about three years ago, so I know things have changed, but here's my input about the different builders we considered for what it's worth:

I went with Pool Concepts out of Helotes. Most bang for the buck and family owned place. Dollar for dollar I got the most out of them and there were no hidden costs that they tried to come back for later or no "whoops we forgot to add this in" type of deals. Was very straight forward and I am happy with my finished product.

Keith Zars - Wayyyyy too expensive for what you get. Nothing special in their product, just an arrogant bunch that think they can charge a premium because "we build pools for the spurs players". Guess, what I'm not on their roster and don't care what they pay for.

Gary Pools - Owned by Keith Zars dad. Older way of doing things and plumb everything under the pool. This was a no go for me as a leak would result it major work having to be done. They also said depending on how much rock they hit while digging they may have to come back at the end and add charges. I live on the west side of SA, you're gonna hit a ton of rock. Didn't want to get a surprise bill after the project was done.

Cody pools - Decent and was in my final three, but after the sales guy I was working with left the next guy didn't bother returning my calls. After I bothered him enough he came back out and did a rendering that I think a middle school kid could do with little to no effort. Figured if that was you trying to earn my business I don't want to know how you will be once you start getting my money.

Blue Haven - Probably the lowest price, but didn't want to do anything special or make it unique in any way. Just not much effort being put into the design. They also used cheaper pumps and filters.

No matter which route you take do your homework before you pick someone. Use troublefreepools to get a lot of free unbiased info. Like any other project they will all look to cut corners if you aren't paying attention. I was glad I did a ton of research before the process started so I knew what to look for along the way.

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask away.

I am glad to help. I've been building pools in San Antonio for 22 years. We are not taking or pursuing any new business, but I'm very familiar with all of the companies and would be happy to answer questions, give advice, or be a sounding board.
I also have good contacts at several of the companies mentioned above and can try to connect you with a good fit.
DM me if I can help.

Thanks and gig 'em!