Dear Gary,
Both my wife and I have been, and continue to be in the construction business in one way or another for the 21 years of our marriage. I grew up with it, as my dad was an architect, while my mother’s dad was a union carpenter and superintendent. So, we have had to deal with general contractors, developers, lenders and sub-contractors of every kind.
We had wanted a good size piece of land and a swimming pool to go with it for a long time, a place where our children could be safe and bring their friends and enjoy. When that time finally arrived, and we were ready to install our ‘natural pool’, we did a significant amount of research into which pool contractors could make this happen. We talked to companies from Auburn and Sacramento, from Petaluma and San Jose and finally we were referred to Gary McDonald and Son. From our first meeting, I knew that this firm was far and away better than any group with whom we had previously spoken.
In all the years of our contracting experience, we have never met a more professional and expert group of artisans. I want to call particular attention to the word ‘artisans’ as that is what these men and their staff truly are. The experience of designing the pool area, fitting it in the perfect location, taking full advantage of the lay of the land, shelter from the wind, all these and more discussions were had. All through the construction process from the laying out of the initial poolscape, the digging of the hole, the mounding of the earth, the digging deeper here and there, the laying of the beach, the forming of the dive rocks, the waterfall, every facet of the project we were involved in if we chose to be. When it came to coloring the stones, Debbie had brought a granite rock from Tahoe. She handed this to Aaron and said that’s the color we want. They matched it perfectly.
They had the added task of tying the pool location into a memorial grove of ‘Sequoia Sempervirens’ that we had planted in memory of our oldest, Ryan. They took meticulous care in laying out the pool in that regard and were always washing the redwoods when some of the cement dust would splash on them.
To this day, all of our friends and family who come to visit are in awe of this project. Just last night we celebrated my daughter’s 15th birthday and heated the pool to 85 degrees and almost all 60 of her guests enjoyed swimming in the gentle rain and sitting under the waterfall in the steaming light. Everyone wants to know where we found the boulders and who tied them together in so perfect a fashion.
For all the family, our encounter with the McDonald Clan has been fortuitous and we have succeeded in getting much more than we had anticipated. We even anticipate that we can call them friends for years to come. There is no doubt in our mind that if you are serious about putting in a “McDonald Pool” you will have nothing but the utmost in pleasure and joy. If you’d like to see our pool give us a call.
Most Sincerely,
Debbie & Guido & Family
Gary McDonald and Son Inc. 