Constraction reviews in Simi Valley, California

I've used Swink's Creations for three different projects over the years at my house, and would like to use them again for a fourth project I have planned. I feel they are honest, fair, the crews work hard, and they take pride in their work. Overall, I've been very pleased with the results. If you have work you need done in your yard, you owe it to yourself to at the least have Swink's come out and bid on your project.

I appreciate Mark Swink's honesty and pragmatic approach to things. I felt that he tried to balance costs with his suggestions (often thinking as if he was spending his own money versus trying to "make a sale").

I've worked with their project manager Kou the most. He's responsive, and does his best to make sure I'm aware of what's going on and when crews would arrive for each phase. I'm very engaged with my remodeling projects and have an eye for details. Kou had no problem answering my many questions and making sure the crews met my expectations.

I have had Swink's Creations work on progressively larger projects each time as they continued to perform well and earn my trust. The first project was a small retaining wall and yard drains. Later was replacement of a balcony deck and concrete patio pour. Recently they finished my larger project which included a pool remodel (waterfall, coping, water line tile, pebble sheen finish), a pool equipment pad replace/reset, a new paver patio, a bbq island, an elitewood patio cover, a drystack retaining wall, drip irrigation, yard drains, and new drought tolerant landscaping. They've essentially remodeled, beautifully, my entire back yard.

The large project did have some hiccups along the way. However, I think that's the nature of construction/remodeling work. To me it's how well the contractor can minimize those occurrences and, just as important, how well they can handle the issues that do come up. Swinks handled all issues professionally and to my satisfaction. On the large project the plans for the bbq island had not been updated to reflect the approved rendering, so the countertop rebar needed to be redone. No cost to me, but it took the crew a half day to correct it. When the new pool equipment pad had been poured, a conduit for the landscape lighting control wiring had not been laid. The crew needed to come back and drill a hole for some conduit and feed it through. When a gas line was plumbed through the pool equipment wall, the sub-contractor who had performed the work had the pipe coming through at an odd angle (it looked sloppy). Kou/Swink's had someone else come out and address it - it looks perfect now. Not long after the project had completed I noticed a small leak in one of the sprinkler valve boxes - Kou had a crew come out and fix it shortly after I reached out to him.

Scheduling is perhaps an area that proved challenging during that larger project. The crews at Swink's are busy, so be aware that change orders or material delays can impact your schedule.

Overall I would rate Swink's Creations 4.5 stars, and they are definitely my go-to contractor for landscape design/contracting.

Swinks completed our pool ahead of schedule. They were prompt, skilled and responsive. They guided the project smoothly through permitting and inspections. The finished result is beautiful and we are so glad we used Swinks. We wholeheartedly recommend them.

The owner was great and had a good eye for design but the project manager wouldn't discuss anything with me until my husband agreed to it. The landscaper was a fraud and tried to convince us there was no need for a weed barrier and our tree was dying and had to be removed. Years later, the only thing still living is the tree and weeds. The pool was designed to be unserviceable. The uv filter was broken and couldn't be cleaned because they piped over top. The table is directly above where the chlorinator offgassed chlorine and below where the drain valve leaked from not being properly tightened. It completely rusted through immediately. Needless to say, we've spent a lot of money to fix what Swinks did wrong. Some of the staff that came in were amazing and others weren't. It's very hit and miss but overall a negative experience that we regret.

Update July 2023: The PATIO COVER issue has been satisfactorily resolved.

Not Worth $$$$$ Premium

For my multi-trade project I was told Swinks Creations (SC) “does good work, but they’re expensive.” I showed them what I wanted, offered my geotechnical engineer’s report, plans were drawn, samples studied, contract prepared. Cost was 14% more than the sum of individual proposals I had collected, but not having 3-5 companies tripping over each other…
The results are “30 feet"...nice from a distance but details sloppy, and apart from a mid-height wall, more drains and more efficient pool pump/filter, it’s less useful than before. I made a change order and cancelled landscaping before it got that far.
Whether right or wrong, I did not expect:
-my gardener to tell me an additional drain was needed and SC to concur; my added expense.
-drain pipe joints not sealed.
-pool plaster much sloppier than previous refinish.
-gate alignment no better than my 20-year-old homemade wooden gates and latch hardware not mounted flush.
-gate posts without steel inserts, or with discontinuous inserts.
-12-foot gates on plan to yield opening less than 10’6”, requiring me moving part of new block wall for trailer access. (The wall was pushed out from plan for roots, visible before project started, but to move it I cut no root bigger than ¾-inch that wasn’t already cut).
-side bank grade they said could be built up was not, so more $ for a taller fence to maintain privacy.
-the accounting office to include “some concrete setup” in the concrete cost (I used my own supplier) despite me having already paid the “set up for concrete” line item.
-the contract’s “Complete pick up work and project” to be relabeled “Final Payment Due on Completion of Pool Start-up” when the only work done was patio cover (previously paid) repair attempt and fewer than 10 hours of pool service over 5 days. At $270/hr, local pool service guys all want that gig.
-that despite identifying a problem at the first of six patio cover panels, installation continued, and only after emailing that their blueprints showed I was right did they agree to address it.
-the patio cover to leak in multiple places, including down the house wall it was attached to, nor for multiple leaks again after they redid it to plan.
-a leaky downspout, smooth clear (wrong) caulk over rough white, and water drooling out of the main beam cover within months. After a refund request to fix the patio and the cover, another repair was attempted, but it still drools and there are dirty/rusty water tracks on 2 of 3 posts. Three further attempts to schedule a fix have been no-shows.
-concrete finishers generated more trash in a day than SC workers of previous 7 weeks, and complained about my concrete supplier (who’s been in business decades longer than SC or the finisher).
-concrete not done to geotech engineer’s recommendation, ponding in 21 places (versus 2 of the old), at one point 5/8” higher than adjacent pool coping and another ¼-inch lower than the drain not 12 inches away.
-uncovered patio to drain to covered patio area, so rain and breeze-blown sprinkler spray keep areas of the covered patio wet, and some water runs up seam to the house foundation. No professional I’ve shown has seen this before, one saying “That’s a conversation Swink’s won’t want to have.”
And they didn’t: Despite multiple queries over months and the partial refund request to fix my patio cover and patio there has been no response re the patio. The patio cover supplier (Four Seasons) was unresponsive at regional and national attempts.
From recent estimates I need another $12.5K for patio and cover fix, then I’ll sell as soon as I’m able. I agree SC is expensive, disagree they’re good.

UPDATE 7/13/2022: Swinks responds with desire to resolve things "quickly"
UPDATE 7/14/2022:
10/12/2020 Swinks VP: We'll try to schedule something next week.
11/20/2020 Swinks VP: We'll try to get out next week.
1/13/2021 Swinks VP: We'd like to come out next week.
All were no-shows.
3/2/2021 Original review posted.

We loved our experience with Swinks and plan to do more projects with them. We are so happy that we completed our projects and did it with Swinks. People often say-"did you do it with Swinks? We wish we did it with them. They do a good job." We had a pool company visit for water issue. They asked- "did Swinks build your pool?"I was curious and asked them how they knew. He said that they use good equipment and never have to come back for issues. My pool is definitely our most favorite part of our home. We loved working with them and worked with them on a variety of projects. Money well spent. Our only regret is we did not do it sooner. We paid separately for design and architecture of (a hefty sum) and ended up not using those. Swinks has those services included. We liked their design better. We could have saved that money. Also it took us a couple of years to make a leap. In the interim labor and materials went up like crazy everywhere. I was thinking I need to save, but ended up getting higher quotes each year from contractors.

I can't say enough of good words about Mark, Mike, and Angie and the crew. I ❤ Swinks.

We are incredibly happy with our backyard done by Swink's Creations. They communicated well throughout the process, had workers everyday, did what they said they were going to do each day, and completed quality work. The price never changed after we signed the contract, and the project was completed within the estimated time frame. I highly recommend Swink's Creations for your backyard project!

We recently had the pleasure of working with Swink’s Creations for a complete overhaul of our backyard, including both landscaping and hardscape work. From start to finish, the entire process was incredibly smooth and easy. The team at Swink’s was professional, attentive, and truly dedicated to bringing our vision to life.

Every member of their crew was pleasant and a joy to work with. They maintained a high level of professionalism while also being approachable and willing to answer any questions we had.

The end result exceeded our expectations and has transformed our backyard into a beautiful, functional space that our family can enjoy for years to come.

I highly recommend Swink’s Landscaping to anyone looking for top-quality landscape and hardscape services. They made the entire experience positive and stress-free, and we couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out.

We have had the pleasure of working with Swink’s Creations, Carl from the beginning (and during the landscaping), for a project started due to drains being nonfunctional - tree root destruction of them. To create new drains meant redoing landscaping in the front and back yards and redoing the pool tile and plaster (which had not been done in 25 years). Swink’s Creations was professional and performed exactly as they said they would. They provided us with a detailed design of all of the work to be done. They gave us a timeline for the project and completed it early and at the cost quoted. From meeting Carl for the first time, through Blaise overseeing the project, we were treated so well by everyone working at the house. When we had questions, they were answered fully and knowledgeably. The pool tile they helped us pick out is beautiful and the pool looks like new. Our landscaping and lighting are beyond our expectations! We highly recommend Swink’s Creations for anyone looking for any kind of landscape services!

Too much pry.

Excited about the final result and had a great time the entire time! Would definitely recommend!

I had an exceptional experience with A Class Home Remodeling for a bathroom remodel. The team was fantastic—friendly, efficient, and highly skilled. They guided us through every step of the project, offering insightful suggestions and ensuring our vision was brought to life. Thank you for your great service!

Great work and great attitude!!
The BEST and EASIEST contractor I have ever dealt with. He delivers what and when he says he will, and goes above and beyond to get the job done. I highly recommend 👍

Richter specialty construction did TI on my medical office. I am very happy with everything. Eric was very professional and explained to me every step of the way. I would highly recommend to everyone who needs any construction job.

I opened my salon in 2019 and had the BEST experience with Eric and his team. Being female and in a new business I was nervous to take on such a large project with no experience. Eric was patient, fair and explained every cost to me. He had design suggestions that I didn’t even know were possible, and really understands the permitting process/ dealing with the city. I never once had to ask him ‘what’s the hold up’- he was on top of the timeline the entire project and has great communication skills. (Something 99% of contractors do not have) 2 years later my space is perfect, had zero problems, and Eric still returns my calls when I didn’t know how to fix something simple, like plugging in an exhaust fan I asked him to unplug. My only complaint is that he doesn’t do residential property! 10/10 would absolutely use him and his team again

Eric and his team built my medical office back in 2018. He did an amazing job from the materials used to the timeframe the job was completed. I still get compliments on the workmanship to this day.

The best thing is that he still now 3 years later comes and fixes things that go wrong and touches up areas of paint/flooring as needed. Highly recommend and I will definitely be using him my future commercial projects.

Eric did an awesome job building my dental office. He gave me ideas even on interior design and small details. I get complements of my office all the time from my patients. He knew even how to work with my SBA loan paper work.
I would definitely recommend Eric Ritcher for any type of construction from scratch or remodeling.
Thank you Eric.

The Best!!
Richter specialty construction built out our dental office and they did such an amazing job and we have been so pleased with the whole process and the final results!!
They were so professional and courteous and they went above and beyond, paying attention to every detail! Eric, the owner, takes pride and really cares about everything thing he does, a perfectionist, and he was such a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend this company and I will definitely do business with him again if the opportunity ever arises. Thank you!

Tech was really kind and competent. They were in touch with me the day before my scheduled appointment and showed there thirty minutes early. They gave me choices for repairs and showed me how educated they were about my problems.

The outstanding job completed by Vision Home Remodeling Simi Valley has completely amazed me! Their staff showed professionalism, attention to detail, and competence from beginning to end. We are overjoyed with how our kitchen makeover turned out—it exceeded our expectations. We are grateful that you turned our room into something really lovely!

When my wife and I first spoke with Nordic Construction about seeing a property and they explained how things work we were both thinking "this is too good to be true". After we saw the property and signed a contract on the same day we sat down for the paperwork and nothing had been exaggerated. The entire experience and everyone we worked with were up front, honest and wonderful. This was my fourth and easiest home buying experience hands down. Thanks!

In my opinion, Nordic Construction did a fantastic job. They were really professional and did a great job. They showed there on schedule on the day we had scheduled for the start of work. They showed up with all the equipment and labor needed to finish the job quickly. After they were done, they carefully cleaned up and secured the surroundings of the work area. Nordic Construction is strongly advised!