This information is intended to alert fellow Village homeowners to the unacceptable performance of KC Keystone Construction Homes Group (also known as KC Keystone Construction and Maintenance Inc.). We are sharing our experience with their mishandling of our pool installation project in the hope that no other homeowner falls prey to their practices.
After thorough research, we decided to install a fiberglass pool and contacted Latham Pools on July 6, 2024, for their approved installers.
On July 12, 2024, we met with Dan (Promden) Ith of KC Keystone Construction Homes Group – one of three local companies they provided, to discuss our project. We requested proof of licensing and insurance, and Dan Ith provided a license for Salazar, William Andres Sr. of WS Engineering Contractor LLC (license CGC15365), explaining that William was his partner and that KC Keystone Construction Homes Group was merely a holding company for tax purposes — assuring us that all permits would be pulled through WS Engineering Contracting LLC.
We also interviewed and vetted the other two recommended companies. Ultimately, on July 26, 2024, we signed a contract with KC Keystone Construction Homes Group because Dan Ith sold us on being, as he called it, a “one-stop shop for all aspects of pool building.” The contract included installation of a gas-heated Latham Bermuda saltwater fiberglass pool, all necessary equipment, paver decking, a Mansard-style aluminum screen enclosure, and landscaping. Per the contract, a 20 percent deposit was paid upon signing.
Dan Ith assured us that once the pool was in the ground, the project would be completed within three weeks and finished by October, with only a short initial delay for obtaining approvals and engineering.
However, August passed — then September and October — with delays still blamed on engineering and permitting from Sumter County and the City of Wildwood.
In early November, we began firmly demanding a start date, and finally, on Nov. 21, we were told all approvals were secured, digging would begin Dec. 3rd, and the pool would be installed Dec. 6.
Digging began Dec. 5 by KC Keystone Construction Homes Group foreman Daniel Yari. As specified in the contract, an additional 30 percent was paid at that stage. After more delays and excuses, the pool was finally set in place on Dec. 17, triggering another 30 percent payment. We were then told the pool needed to “settle” for three weeks.
In January 2025, we were informed by the Sumter County Building Department that the licensed contractor on our project had been switched — without our knowledge — to Mohammad Atiyah of Prime Build Contracting, LLC (license CGC1535718).
In January, 2025, Daniel Yari’s presence became sporadic, and the work he completed was substandard: not properly backfilling/compacting around the pool causing sinking pavers or ensuring proper drainage; installing used or malfunctioning equipment; the gas line failed inspection as it was not installed to FL code; and the aluminum screen enclosure inspection failed because it was 1) not built to the engineer’s specifications and 2) the required footing inspection had never been called for prior to the screen enclosure being built. Daniel Yari ignored our attempts to reach him, while Dan Ith offered only excuses and empty promises.
In February, we were contacted by the crane company that lifted the pool into place informing us that KC Keystone Construction Homes Group’s payment to them had been returned for “non-sufficient funds” and that they will be placing a lien on our property due to the contractor’s lack of response. Daniel Yari denied this until we showed him a copy of the returned check.
Worse still, and without any notice, Dan Ith and Daniel Yari abandoned the job site and cut off all communication with us as of February 25, leaving us to pay the crane company ourselves to avoid a lien on our home and forcing us to bear the full cost of installing a new gas line to code, repairing the sinking pool decking, purchasing replacement pool equipment, removing, and reconstructing the footings, and rebuilding the aluminum screen enclosure to proper engineering specifications.
On April 25, 2025, our attorney served all relevant parties with a demand letter. To this day, contractor William Andres Salazar Sr., Dan (Promden) Ith, and Daniel Yari have ignored it entirely, demonstrating an unacceptable disregard for their contractual obligations and a blatant lack of professionalism. In May, the second contractor, Mohammad Atiyah of Prime Build Contracting, LLC, met with us and initially agreed to help with the cost to repair and complete the project by a different company (a step made necessary by significant mistrust), yet has failed to honor that promise.
Unjustifiable delays, dishonesty, poor workmanship, failed inspections, false licensing claims, unpaid subcontractors, looming liens, and final abandonment — this is the legacy KC Keystone Construction Homes Group left us. Let us be perfectly clear: Dan Ith, Daniel Yari, and KC Keystone Construction Homes Group are NOT licensed — neither individually nor collectively.
By sharing our misfortune, we hope to help even one person make an informed decision, avoid the expense we’ve endured, and choose a builder proven worthy of trust.
Teri Schneider is a resident of the Village of St. Johns.