SC Homes & Pools, strongly advise against

Please be advised to never use this company for any type of construction, not a swimming pool especially.

Management are their main problem, the workers mostly know what they are doing, however they get dropped off on site mostly one person a day, and no one can do this type a job single handed.

We started in December, Riaan Cronje, the owner of the company, personally came to look at the fiberglass swimming pool that was installed. The Quotation came, promises were made, and it were accepted, so work can commence.

Normal practice would be to grind the swimming pool that is installed to remove it safely. But it was decided by the owner of the company that no one are allowed to damage the swimming pool in any way as he needed it on another site, this was all decided with no consent from our side that they can have the swimming pool, as it is our property. This would not have been such a big problem if it could be done effectively without damage to our personal property. However they removed the water in the pool in December, as well as the coping, leaving the pool uncovered and empty, which is a major safety risk for the kids, then only returned 2 weeks later to start removing the pool. While the pool are being removed we have four workers onsite, including a foreman, this is already the second foreman on site and the work has not even commenced properly. It took them almost 2weeks working everyday of the week to remove this pool that was so desperately wanted, when it was finally removed they squeezed it through a very small opening, damaging my artificial lawn, the boundary wall, sawing of a gate, damaging one of the roof trusses, sawing of one of our trees, all to take a pool that does not even belong to them. None of the damages have been repaired as promised.

Before the work could start they wanted a deposit of 50%, which was paid. before the pool has even been removed completely we were told that another 40% of the money is due so that reinforcement and concrete could be ordered in time, this was all paid, after which it was another week or so before we started working again. so at this point 90% of the money has been paid, but there were absolutely no work started on building our new swimming pool. More promises were made, and then they came to site again one person at a time, to do the work of 2-3 people, after a week the second foreman disappeared as well, and from here on no supervisor were on site only 1 worker, max 2 if your complains are listened to. But the very next day, we are back at square one, one after the other excuse why no one can be on site. The days that somebody do show, they work until 16h00, but only being picked up hours later, there was a day the foreman sat and waited for pickup till way after 20h00 at night.

The disrespect you get as a woman from the owner is unheard of in the construction industry, as the client to be treated so poorly is completely unacceptable.

Labourers complaining that the work are to much for one person, which I completely agree on, or complaining that they are not getting paid before we tell the owner that we are happy with the work, and when you do exactly that you are told blatantly that who he pays has nothing to do with you, and you should stop talking to him, you are told that you are not allowed to go near the labourers or talk to anyone who is literally on your own property. On Saturday we got a team out of our own pocket to redo the plastering as it was needed, since tiling commenced, plastering, screeding around the pool, we personally were responsible to pay for materials and get it on site, as the owner were not available, this pushing the total way past the original quotation. On Monday we were told the owner are in hospital, there fore no one can work, which would have been fine, if almost an identical excuse were not used the week before. A company does not stop working because one person is absent, anyway.

On Tuesday I got a quotation from someone else to complete the work, he was onsite with 4 labourers the very next day, it is now a day and half further ant the swimming pool is completed, we are filling water tomorrow morning.

Bottom Line, please look further for your contractor. And if you are the client and a woman, do yourself a favour and do not get SC Homes & pools to set foot on your property.