Drive along Dune Road in the Hamptons and you will come across many luxurious homes with Tortorella Group pools in their backyards. Since its founding in Southampton in 1980, Tortorella Group has been synonymous with bespoke luxury pools and exceptional service.
Serving the Hamptons and the greater New York area, Tortorella Group crafts luxury pools with unmatched expertise; every project is a custom masterpiece. Showcased in publications such as House & Garden, Forbes and The New York Times, Tortorella Group’s award-winning pool designs seamlessly integrate with the outdoor space and are tailored to match clients’ lifestyles.
“If you can dream it, we can build it,” says Tortorella Group Chief Executive Officer Eric Hudgens. “All of our projects are custom – there are no cookie-cutter pools. If our customer has a vision and a goal, we take their vision and design and build a waterscape project that brings their vision to life.”
Currently, Tortorella Group is working on 14 waterscape projects ranging from $400,000 to $4 million, primarily on the South Fork from Westhampton Beach to Montauk.
“We design and construct gunite pools for some of the most exclusive properties out here,” Hudgens says. “There isn’t another company in the Hamptons that can do the type of construction projects we do.”
Besides new pool designs and constructions, Tortorella Group provides pool renovations and upgrades, as well as comprehensive maintenance and support – everything from pool openings and closings to cleanings and repairs – to ensure pools remain pristine year-round.
“We have been using Tortorella for seven years now,” says customer Robert Stier. “They completely transformed our old pool and patio into what friends tell us is like a resort. We use full-season and off-season service and our pool always looks fantastic. The service guys are so knowledgeable and care so much about our pool. The indoor staff are always there for any requests that might come up. We would rate them as the best pool service company that we ever had.”
The company also has a heating division, selling and maintaining a large variety of heating elements and delivering propane on the East End. Pool projects begin with a consultation, during which Tortorella Group listens to customers to gain an understanding of their vision and design preferences and then guides them through an interactive design process using 3-D digital modeling. The Tortorella Group team then develops a comprehensive plan and selects premium materials and features that align with the customer’s vision. Using only the highest-quality materials, the skilled building team then does the installation with precision and care. Every project then undergoes thorough quality checks to ensure flawless results, and Tortorella Group’s premium maintenance services ensure the pool remails as beautiful and functional as the day construction was completed. Tortorella Group integrates eco-friendly practices and cutting-edge technology to craft pools that respect the environment as much as they captivate the eye.
“Trends have evolved in pool construction over the last 20 years, and customers are interested in various waterscape projects,” Hudgens says. “Most projects involve infinity edge pools. Some projects are notable for their size – we’re currently working on a pool structure that is 12,000 square feet,” which is a little larger than a quarter-acre.
Color is an individualized choice, with most customers gravitating to various blues, while many customers are choosing light-colored paving stones for around the pool; many pavers are imported from Italy or elsewhere in Europe. Pools may range from about two to four feet deep at the shallow end, up to 14 feet at the deep end, with a diving structure. Many projects include customized spas and splash pools, and Tortorella Group works with partners to create custom landscaping that blends beautifully with the water element(s).
“A lot of people want to keep the landscape looking as native as possible,” Hudgens says. “We work with our partners to ensure the pool blends into the natural environment.”
When customers see the completed project for the first time, they’re invariably stunned. “They’re amazed when they see the stonework, the color, the attention to detail – a 3-D digital design doesn’t do it justice,” Hudgens says.
Tortorella Group was founded by John Tortorella, then a recent college graduate who had worked his way through school cleaning pools and who had also spent years working alongside his father, a mason. Tortorella noted a lack of creativity and quality in the gunite swimming pool industry and, seeing an opportunity to be more innovative than the offerings in the marketplace, swiftly made his mark in the Hamptons. Today, the company ranks among the top swimming pool firms nationwide, and its portfolio includes some of the most spectacular pools on Long Island and New York City. Tortorella Group pools have won awards from the National Spa & Pool Institute, Northeast Spa & Pool Association and Pool & Spa News.
Although Tortorella stepped down from his leadership role three years ago, he still maintains a significant ownership interest and acts in a consulting role as a member of the company’s board of directors. The company recently brought aboard Hudgens, who is a highly accomplished construction industry executive with a strong track record of operational excellence and recruiting and developing talented teams. Hudgens oversees Tortorella Group’s dedicated workforce of about 130 people (or about 100 in the off-season), which includes designers, building professionals, salespeople, servicepeople and other team members who are committed to crafting and maintaining excellent pools and providing exceptional service to customers.
For more information about Tortorella Group, visit tortorellagroup.com, call 631-251-8459 or email info@tortorella.com.
This article appears in the April edition of Behind The Hedges inside Dan’s New York City. Read the full digital edition here.
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