About Us

Our founder Pentti Tuulos began building pools in 1962, as an extra service to home owners, while in employment with a general contractor. In 1962, pools were quite rare, and pool contractors even more so. When Pen was asked to build a pool for the home they were working on, he took up the challenge, and taught himself the skills required. The home owner was so pleased with the pool that the word spread and Pen became highly sought after to build pools in the area. Soon after the company formed a separate division called Finbuilders Pools in Sudbury. Pen built and serviced hundreds of pools in the Sudbury area with them, while also building a reputation for quality and service well-known throughout Northern Ontario.

In 1973 Pen and his son Tomi decided to launch out on their own. The name chosen for the new company was Skilbuilders, to not only highlight quality workmanship in pool construction and service, but general contracting as well. It soon became apparent however, that the pool trade occupied the majority of the business. Within a few short years, the company grew to cover a territory including Huntsville, Timmins, Sudbury and North Bay. Skilbuilders kept offices in Sudbury, North Bay and a head office in Trout Creek.

Having grown with the business, Tim has brought Skilbuilders in the next Millennium with the same quality and service customers have come to expect over the past 50 years. Despite economic downturns and tough competitive markets, Skilbuilders has serviced customers for 50 years in a business notorious for “fly-by-night” companies and mass merchandisers. The experience gained in the last 50 years in commercial and residential pool and spa care and construction is passed directly on to the customer, by our knowledgeable staff. Skilbuilders Staff are trained with experience and by Industry Experts in the latest pool and spa advancements in construction and technology.

Skilbuilders became well-known for their ability to take on difficult jobs and unusual pools, like building a horse pool and spa for Sudbury Downs, and incorporating natural rock formations into free-form concrete pools. The company would tackle the most difficult commercial and residential pool problems by employing experience with the latest technology.

Throughout its history, the company has remained a family business, employing relatives and neighbours alike. In 1986, son Tim became a full-time employee of the company after 10 years of part-time summer work, bringing his family of three boys and wife Linda to the business. In the latter part of the 90’s, Pentti Tuulos worked part time and when Tim took over the business, in 1999, Pen started full retirement.

In the last 19 years Skilbuilders Ltd. has won 7 national awards for swimming pool design and technical difficulty and 1 international award for swimming pool design. Our goal is not to build quantity but build quality. After all, a pool is an investment that will remain with a house for many years, and almost all of our pools built in the past 50 years are still being enjoyed today.

Many changes have occurred in the past years. New sanitation solutions like salt water generators, LED lighting systems and pool controllers that give full automation to your back yard. Our approach is to offer products and technologies that have proven themselves in the market place.

In the 2009 we opened a retail location to better serve our customers. We decided to update our name to better reflect the nature of the business and felt this was the perfect timing. Skilbuilders Ltd adopted the name Southside Pools and Spas for the retail location.