03/20/2025
Due to emergency road construction, access to our store is not possible today. Therefore, our store will be closed today, Thursday March 20th. Sorry for any inconvenience
Southside Pools and Spas
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- North Bay, ON
- Southside Pools and Spas
Service and products you can trust, for the past 52 years Southside Pools and Spas is the retail location for Skilbuilders Ltd.
Address
78 Lakeshore Drive
North Bay, ON
P1A2A6
Opening Hours
| Monday | 9:30am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9:30am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9:30am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9:30am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9:30am - 5pm |
| Saturday | 9:30am - 2pm |
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Our Story
Often people ask us how long we have been in business and why the name? So, we decided to write up a brief history of the business and those involved. 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.
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.
