What This Story Is About
Customers say a pool contractor took their money and never finished the work or in some cases didn’t start.
Why It Matters
They have been left with giant concrete holes in their backyards or a mess that they need to hire someone else to clean up costing them even more money.
What Happens Next
Customers have been left to file civil claims or report the incident to local authorities who in many cases have declined to investigate.
WHITE HOUSE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Multiple customers say a contractor named Rob Houston, who does business by the name of “Splash Solutions” and “Splash Pools” took tens of thousands of dollars from them for inground pool projects and left the work unfinished.
Brian Julian of White House paid Rob Houston with Splash Solutions nearly $25,000 last May to build an inground pool. More than a year later, the project remains incomplete.
“It has been an absolute nightmare,” Julian said.
Julian said he avoids opening the blinds in his house so he doesn’t have to look at his backyard.
“We are paying for something right now that we can’t use because of Rob,” Julian said.
Julian said it took months to dig the hole and months more to pour concrete.
“There’s a crack in the concrete and it actually goes all the way down to the bottom,” Julian said.
Julian said in a lot of places, Houston stuffed plastic bottles, gloves, paper wrappers and bags into the work.
Julian said Houston eventually stopped showing up or answering his calls.
Christi Strader of Lebanon said Houston began doing concrete work and one of the walls collapsed. Strader won a $25,000 civil court judgment against Houston after firing him.
“We haven’t seen a dime,” Strader said.
Dana Mitchell, who is disabled, was looking for a pool for therapy. She found Houston and Splash Solutions on Facebook in December. Mitchell said she gave him more than half of the $30,000 price tag. Houston left a hole with a few plastic pallets for siding.
“He sold me on him that day because he said there are so many scammers out here because of your condition,” Mitchell said.
A woman in Smyrna said she gave Houston a $12,000 deposit 18 months ago for a pool project in her backyard, and a whole was dug but then work stopped. Two Facebook pages contain dozens of comments from people in Rutherford, Sumner and Wilson counties who say Houston owes them money.
The licensing board in Warren County, Kentucky, issued a stop work injunction against Houston and the multiple company names he uses for operating without a license. WSMV was unable to find a license for Houston in Tennessee.
When asked whether a license is required in Tennessee, Houston told WSMV 4 it is only required for jobs over $25,000. WSMV 4’s Diana Rocco told him that was not correct.
WSMV tracked Houston down at his Lebanon home and spoke with him by phone. Houston said he is no longer in operation due to a cancer diagnosis.
“I know who every one of them is and I’ve been talking to them and I told I will be giving their money back to them,” Houston said. “There’s no way I took that much money from that many people, there’s no way.”
Houston confirmed he is out of business and said his intention is to make reparations to the people whose money he has taken.
Local authorities called the matter a civil issue and declined to pursue a case.
“They are letting him get away with this,” Strader said.
WSMV reached out to the district attorney’s offices in Wilson and Sumner counties, which did not return calls.
Copyright 2026 WSMV. All rights reserved.