How a pool gets built
Ten stages with honest week ranges, the things that slow a build down, and the decisions you make along the way.
From first visit to first swim
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Design and 3D
1 to 3 weeks
Survey, sun study, 3D, proposal
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Permits
2 to 6 weeks
Plus 2 to 4 weeks if your HOA reviews
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Gunite build
10 to 14 weeks
On site, after the permit
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Fiberglass build
4 to 7 weeks
On site, after the permit
The ten stages
Week by week
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Stage 01 · Week 0
Design consult
We meet at your home, walk the yard, talk about how you will use the pool and give you an honest first range.
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Stage 02 · 1 to 3 weeks
3D design and proposal
Survey, sun study and a 3D design with two rounds of changes. Then a written proposal with every line priced.
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Stage 03 · 2 to 6 weeks
Contract, engineering and permits
Engineered plans go to your city (and HOA, which can add 2 to 4 weeks). We handle the forms and the follow-up.
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Stage 04 · 2 to 5 days
Layout and excavation
We paint the shape on the ground and walk it with you before digging. Rock can add days; you hear about it the same day.
Layout day: the shape is painted on the ground and walked with you before any digging. -
Stage 05 · 1 to 2 weeks
Steel and plumbing
Rebar cage, plumbing lines and electrical bonding. The city inspects before any concrete is placed.
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Stage 06 · 1 day, then 7 to 10 days
Gunite shoot and cure
The shell is sprayed in one day, then watered daily while it cures. Fiberglass pools are set by crane here instead.
Shoot day: gunite goes on over the steel in a single day. Fiberglass shells are set by crane instead. -
Stage 07 · 2 to 3 weeks
Tile, coping and decking
Waterline tile, coping and the deck. Outdoor living work usually runs at the same time.
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Stage 08 · 1 to 2 weeks
Equipment, electrical and barrier
Pump, filter, heater and controls are set. Fence, gates and door alarms go in and are inspected.
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Stage 09 · 2 to 4 days
Interior finish and fill
The finish goes on and the pool fills the same day. Keep the hose running; it takes 1 to 2 days.
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Stage 10 · 2 weeks
Start-up and pool school
We balance the water, brush the new finish and teach you the equipment, the chemistry and the safety plan.
What slows a build down
No builder controls the weather or the bedrock. What we control is how fast you hear about it. Every delay gets a call the same day and a line in the Friday update.
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01
Rain
We cannot dig, shoot or pour in heavy rain, and a soaked hole needs time to drain. Expect a few rain days in spring and fall.
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02
Rock
Limestone is common west of MoPac. It slows digging and is billed at the per-load rate in your contract. You get photos the same day.
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03
Permit and HOA queues
Some cities turn permits around in two weeks, others in six. HOA boards often meet monthly. We submit the day plans are ready.
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04
Changes mid-build
Changing the tile or adding a feature is fine, but each change is a written change order with its own price and days.
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05
Material lead times
Popular fiberglass shells, heaters and some tiles can have waits in spring. We order early and tell you the dates.
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06
Inspections
Each inspection needs a city slot. Most come within two or three days; we book them as soon as the work is ready.
Decisions, and when they are due
Late choices are the delays we can avoid together. Here is when we will ask.
- Before you sign
- Pool shape, size, depth, features and the barrier plan
- Before excavation
- Equipment location and where the dirt and machines go
- By the end of steel
- Waterline tile, coping and interior finish colors
- Before decking
- Deck material, color and drainage
- Before start-up
- Who in the family attends pool school
The Friday update
Every Friday of your build, Grant sends photos and four lines: what got done, what is next, anything that slipped, and anything we need from you. If nothing happened that week, he says so.
- One superintendent from dig to start-up
- Same-day call for rock, rain or a failed inspection
- Payments due only when a stage is finished
Want a start date you can plan around?
At your design consult we check permit queues for your city and shell stock, then give you an honest window for your first swim.
Sunpath Pool Studio
Prefer to talk? (512) 555-0143