Totally Blu Pool Builders Will Have You Swimming In Your New Pool In 60 Days!

Whether you want a pool with a beach entry and a waterfall (above) or bubbling jets (below left), Savir and Sunil Mohammed of the Blu
Water Pools store, located north of S.R. 54 on Eiland Blvd., and Blu Water Builders is one of few pool builders that have established a great reputation with
customers. (Below right) If you want your pool to also include an outdoor kitchen, Totally Blu Builders uses grills and accessories made by Bull Outdoor Kitchens.

Sunil Mohammed, owner of Totally Blu Pools, has been in the pool servicing business for more than 17 years. Just last year, he and his wife, Rashmi Maharaj, opened a pool supply store by the same name, located at the corner of S.R. 54 and Eiland Blvd. in the Publix- and Home Depot-anchored Summertree Plaza. At that time, he decided to venture into pool building, as well, and established Totally Blu Builders.

The community was suffering from a number of failed builders who left behind unfinished pools, and Sunil saw an opportunity to help.

“We started off by finishing pools that were started by Staycation,” he says, referring to one of the pool companies that went out of business.

“We’ve built more than 100 pools in about 18 months,” Sunil says, “including finishing about 60 Staycation pools. We just do one pool at a time, and we just kept finishing them.”

Sunil hired former Staycation and Olympus Pools installer Doug Griffith and other staff members who have experience in the industry, including at those failed companies.

He says that while Doug’s knowledge of construction is vast, Sunil brings a new approach to managing his company’s finances that will protect Totally Blu’s customers.

“Doug’s knowledge in construction is amazing,” Sunil says. “Now that I’ve dug pools with him for more than a year, I can say he backs it up by also being a good person. He came from two failed companies, but he had no part in the finances of those businesses that went down.”

Sunil explains that there’s not a lot of profit margin in pool construction, so, he says, “you have to manage your finances well.”

With Sunil’s nearly two decades in the industry, he already has established good relationships with vendors and customers.

“We’ve have made a good name for ourselves, which is difficult in this day and age because of the bad reputation of pool builders overall,” Sunil says.

In fact, his fairly new business has a perfect five-star (out of five) rating on Google. While there are only a few ratings, they are all positive.

One of the keys, Sunil explains, is not to overpromise, but instead to over-deliver.

“Once we get county approval, which usually takes about a month,” Sunil says, “we finish pools within six to eight weeks. We also call every customer every Friday while their pool is in process. When someone is spending $75,000 to $125,000 on a pool, it’s a huge investment. We reassure them as constantly as possible that we are not running away with their money. At every stage, we are being careful with what we do, and are always giving our customers what we promised.”

So, why did Sunil even get into the construction business, knowing how nervous customers are to trust a pool company these days and knowing that the profit margins are thin and potentially how hard it can be to please customers making such a large purchase?

He says first, it’s about serving the community and helping people who have been put in a difficult position by other pool builders or who have heard the horror stories? “More pools being built in the community means more customers for our pool service and supply businesses,” he says. “We are servicing nearly all of the pools we’ve built. If we can build the pool and keep the customers happy, then we can also do their pool service, and that’s how we will make our money for the next 10 years.”

In other words, Sunil is in it for the long term, so Totally Blu’s reputation is of the utmost importance to him.

As Totally Blu continues to complete pools, the word is spreading and customers are referring their friends.

The Neighborhood News spoke with Ami Rivera while her pool was being filled, just a few hours before it would be ready for swimming.

“Our goal was to have the pool ready for my daughter’s eighth birthday,” Ami says. “It’s in four days and she’s already put her feet in.”

Ami, who lives in the Watergrass community off Curley Rd., says that when she bought her home in 2020, she was content to swim at the community pool, but as it became obvious that she, her husband Lorenzo, and their daughter Anabel would be staying in their home long-term, they wanted to have their own pool.

“Everyone’s heard the horror stories,” she said, referring to lost deposits and unfinished pools, “so we had a lot of questions and concerns.”

As a Realtor, Ami also is a business owner who knows the importance of supporting the local community.

She says she interviewed four companies, and that all four had very similar pricing. But, she says, her conversation with Sunil stood out. Since he also lives in Watergrass, she saw a neighbor and a fellow business owner who expressed his commitment to the people of Wesley Chapel.

“Customers are valuing communication and transparency, and doing a lot more due diligence,” Ami says. “We had such a great conversation and I felt such ownership from him. I love being able to use someone in my own community.”

While Sunil knows his long-term success depends upon his company’s reputation, he’s building his business not only for now, but also because he says Tru Blu will be a legacy for his son, 17-year-old Savir, who is a senior at Wesley Chapel High.

“Savir came to work with me this summer,” says Sunil. “This kid has taken off and really become my right hand. He has even started designing pools, he goes out on the construction sites, and he has increased sales in the store by 20 percent.”

Savir plans to study electrical engineering in college, while living at home. He is already a Certified Pool/Spa Operator (CPO), a national certification by the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) that recognizes expertise in cleaning and servicing pools and spas. Next, he plans to take courses in designing pools.

The Totally Blu Pools store also serves as the Totally Blu Builders showroom.

“I’m teaching him to be ethical in how we deal with people,” Sunil says. “Customers come in here and ask for him by name. He has become an integral part of my business and, for that, I’m very proud.”

While Totally Blu also has offered lawn service in the past, Sunil says he is moving away from that business, although he can still help people who are looking for landscaping services.

With a focus on pool service, supplies and now construction, Sunil believes Totally Blu is in a good position to serve the community and provide for his family for years to come.

And, with Totally Blu’s happy customer list growing, it seems Sunil is on the right track.

“I find it very important to have business owners in our community who you can put your trust and confidence in,” Ami says. “The product is sitting in my back yard and we’re thrilled.”

Totally Blu Pools & Totally Blu Builders are located at 32781 Eiland Blvd. For information about the pool supply store or pool service, call(813)788-7665 or visit TotallyBluH2O.com. To get started with a free digital design for your new pool, call(813)550-2023 or visit TotallyBluBuilders.com.

Totally Blu Pools For Pool Repairs, Supplies, Service & Even Lawn Care

Rashmi Maharaj and Sunil Mohammed are the husband-and-wife team that owns Totally Blu Pools, located in the Summertree Plaza off Eiland Blvd. and S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel. (All photos by Charmaine George).

Over the past 16+ years in the pool service business, Totally Blu Pools co-owner Sunil Mohammed says he’s seen it all.

His business has survived the last major U.S. recession (2008-09), the pool-building boom and supply chain shortages of the Covid era (2020-22) and pretty much everything in between.

So, what made Sunil and his wife Rashmi Maharaj decide to finally open their first-ever brick-and-mortar store in the Publix- and Home Depot-anchored Summertree Plaza at the corner of S.R. 54 and Eiland Blvd.?

“There are just so many new homes being built here in Wesley Chapel,” Sunil says. “And, most of them have swimming pools. I felt there was definitely room for a new mom-and-pop pool supply store here. Plus, we live 5-10 minutes away from the store.”

Unlike pool supply chain stores, Sunil is able to reassure his customers that he only carries quality pool supplies and will help them keep the water in their home pools clean, with the right pH levels and that he will stake his 16-year reputation on his ability to keep them happy.

“We give good service,” Sunil says, “and I know we have the best prices.”

And, Sunil adds that even though Home Depot is located in the same plaza, “the Home Depot guy is not our customer. He already knows what he’s looking for and wants to take care of his pool himself. We attract the customers who are new pool owners or who have no idea how to take care of their pools and who want to ask questions of someone who has that expertise.”

Sunil and Rashmi’s son Savir tests the quality of a customer’s pool water.

Part of that expertise is testing the pool water for what Sunil calls “the four basic food groups” of your pool — chlorine (or salt) level, the pH, as well as calcium and stabilizer levels. “We have everything you need to make sure that all four levels are properly balanced,” he says. “If all of those levels aren’t correct, you could have a problem.”

And, although Sunil says that he handles both residential and commercial clients, “We are really focused now on residential pools. Back in 2008-09, we had mostly commercial clients, but when that recession hit, we could have lost the business. So now, I’m very selective about taking on commercial clients. I have to know who they are.”

He adds that because of Totally Blu’s great reputation, some developers do get in touch with him to service or even help design their community pools, including Siena Cove and Bridgehaven here in Wesley Chapel.

Totally Blu Pools stocks a wide selection of pool cleaners. 

“I have licensed contractors working with me,” Sunil says, “so now, not only can I service your pool, I also can help complete, refinish or repair your pool. With all of the fallout from local pool companies that didn’t treat their customers fairly during Covid, we may even get into designing and installing pools in the future, too.”

Totally Blu Pools also has a current special on an ICHLOR salt chlorine generator from Pentair. Sunil says you can buy it for $1,000, “or, if you become a new service customer with me, I will install one for free. In that case, I would still own it and I’d take it back out if you fire me, but I know it’s a great deal. I love Pentair because the replacement parts for their systems are so much less expensive than others.”

Totally Green Lawns, Too

For the last four years, Sunil also has had his Totally Green Lawn Service. Even though he had never had a lawn service before, when one of his pool customers asked if he knew anyone who could cut their grass, he said he could do it. Four years later, he now has 700 residential lawn accounts, mostly in the Wesley Chapel area. 

“We cut, do the fertilizing and even pesticide application (in partnership with another company that is licensed to do that),” Sunil says. “We can take care of your pool and your lawn.”

Sunil adds that giving back to the community also is important to him, and he has raised funds to help buy ice time for the Wiregrass Ranch High hockey team that his son Savir plays for (although Savir actually attends Wesley Chapel High).

“We have helped people who couldn’t afford their lawn or pool service,” he says. “And we currently have a promotion where if you spend $50 with us, we’ll give you a $5 discount and match that with a $5 donation to a local elementary school in need.” 

Totally Blu Pools is located at 32781 Eiland Blvd. For more information, call (813) 788-7665, or visit totallybluh20.com.