San Diego Ponds

The backyard of the fixer-​upper home I bought was a blank canvas to be transformed. The search began for a contractor to build a koi pond as the centerpiece of the empty space. I checked out a number of contractors online and in person, but when Mat came over to my house the search was over. Koi ponds are his passion and as a few of the other reviews state, Mat is truly an artist. I asked him what he would do if he had freedom to design the best pond for the space, he smiled, and described what he would do for me. I was sold right then and there. Mat delivered everything, exceeded expectations at every turn, and is a consummate professional. He is visionary, a perfectionist, trustworthy, highly knowledgable, easygoing, and very enjoyable to have around. I could keep going, but I think I’ve made my point. If you are reading these reviews in search of a koi pond designer /​installer, then you don’t need to look any further. Call Mat, relax, and know you are in the best of hands. No BS, no disappointments; Mat is the real deal and he certainly brought his «A» game to my backyard. Thanks Mat!

Let me start by saying that I’ve wanted a koi pond for years. When I started looking to buy a house last year, a huge must was that it needed to have ample outdoor space to build a koi pond. After searching for about a year, I found a house with a courtyard area perfect for a pond. I then started interviewing various contractors to build it. There weren’t too many people out there that specialize in building ponds, so the pickings were slim to begin with. Luckily, I found San Diego Ponds online and after seeing the portfolio of past projects, I was very impressed. I was even more impressed with Mat’s level of professionalism after meeting and working with him. To give some context, I’ve worked with contractors day in and day out managing real estate development projects for many years. I’ve only met a handful of contractors in the past 10 years with Mat’s level of professionalism and integrity. I’m very much into the details and am particular about quality of work. Mat listened to everything I wanted and needed in the pond and he was able to more than meet my expectations. He went over and above in getting me exactly what I wanted. I can’t believe how much he knows about this stuff and can’t say enough about my experience in working with him. Honest, reliable, and professional. Building a Koi Pond is very specialized and making sure it’s done right will pay off a hundred fold, so go with an expert like Mat and get exactly what you want.

Mat installed a double waterfall koi pond in my front yard about a year ago, and it’s been great. He knew exactly how to construct the pond to resist raccoons and herons, and I’ve only had some light trouble ever since. He was always forthright and honest about using the best equipment and why, and explained the tradeoffs and alternatives in a way that wasn’t pushy or felt like a sales pitch. I had a leak in a waterfall recently, a full year after the installation, and he came out to fix it for free even though it turned out to be my fault and not his. He was willing to be very careful with my landscaping and to re-​route irrigation lines while he was at it, above and beyond what I would expect an ordinary installer to do, and also cut down and hauled away a tree that would have caused future pond maintenance to be difficult.

As I sit here writing this review, I am listening to the beautiful koi pond and waterfall that Mat at San Diego Ponds installed for us. We work from home and his creative hand has made our work environment one of peace and tranquility. This is the second pond Mat has installed for us. We recently moved and it tore us apart that we had to leave the last pond behind. But, we couldn’t leave our family turtle behind! Mat loaned us a pond tub so the turtle could have a temporary home until he was able to build our new pond. And wow… what a pond! We loved the 1^st one… but in the 5 years since then, Mat’s quality of work has definitely increased and his creativity and overall professionalism never ceases to amaze me. He is a true artist and his passion for what he does is shown through the amazing creations he makes. I highly recommend San Diego Ponds. Thank you Mat and your crew!

I love this company. Mat is truly an artist and a pleasure to work with. He transformed my yard into a lovely, tranquil, beautiful place.

After deciding to get rid of our grass in our front lawn in place of a Rock Garden, we decided to look into getting a waterfall for our front yard. We found Mat over the internet, and he came out to us and looked out our property and told us what options we had. For $ 1,500, he came and landscaped everything himself, and taught us how to maintain the waterfall.
Our business in in downtown Oceanside, and before even being a week old, our waterfall has gotten random passersby coming in a take pictures beside it and to just stop and stare at our landscape – we are super happy with our waterfall!