Are you thinking about building a custom pool? Are you curious about the time it will take? Every pool owner has been there!
You want to make sure your brand new investment is ready for swimming as soon as possible. We completely understand!
We put together this overview to help answer your many questions. We look at the stages of pool building as well as what might happen that can speed up or delay your new pool. This timeline for your custom pool should also give you more details that can help clarify elements of the building process.
The Steps to a Custom Pool
To understand the timeline of a typical custom pool, it’s best to break the process down into each individual step. Here are the stages of designing and building your custom pool:
Design
Because it’s custom, the first step is design. With any pool, custom or not, the pool needs to be designed. In the custom process, you have control over the size, shape, and other features. This part of the process can take anywhere from two weeks and beyond. Generally, we spend about one month designing your pool and working on pricing with you.
Excavation to Pool Shell
Once your pool is designed, it’s time to get to work. The first step to the actual construction of your pool is the shell. An average-sized pool takes around two weeks to mark out, form, and excavate, tie the steel, stub out plumbing, and shoot the concrete shell.
Shell Soak
After the shell has been built, it’s time to soak. We allow our pool shells to soak for approximately 7-10 days after the concrete is shot. This slows down the curing process of the concrete and produces a stronger finished product for your custom pool.
Tile and Coping Installed
Once the concrete shell is excavated and dried, it’s time to install your tile and coping, which is the part of the pool just above the edge of the water.
Even if you’ve chosen an elaborate pattern of tiles and coping, this stage only takes a week or less in most cases.
Trenching and Running the Pool Plumbing
Next, it’s time to set up your pool’s plumbing. We run individual trenches from each penetration point in the pool shell back to the main plumbing trench.
Then, all the pipes run to an equipment pad where the pool pump and filter will sit. Once again, this stage takes around a week.
Back-fill and Prep for Decking
Once the plumbing is done, we fill in the trenches, grade the ground, and compact around the pool. Then, we bring in sand and rebar and form up for the pool deck. These parts take a couple of days to complete.
Install Pool Deck
Speaking of the pool deck, the next step is to install it. This step’s length depends on the type and style you’ve chosen.
For regular, gray concrete, it takes 1-2 days, while pavers, travertine, and flagstone decks can take an additional week.
Install Pool Equipment and Wire in the System
Now that the pool’s shape is done, it’s time to install the equipment and have an electrician wire in the system. This part takes 2-4 days.
Prep and Plaster Pool
Once again, this process takes two days as we plaster and prep your pool. After that, it takes two more days to fill with water safely and steadily.
Plaster Startup and Final Cleaning
The last week of your project is dedicated to the final grading around the pool, as well as pressure washing and cleaning the project area. Finally, we perform the startup process on the plaster and balance the water. Soon after, your pool is ready for your enjoyment!
Variables in Your Timeline
As with any large construction project, there are plenty of factors that can impact how long it takes us to finish your pool. The greatest factor is the weather. This is, unfortunately, out of our hands.
After the design stage, everything we do is outdoors, and certain stages can only be performed in the right temperatures and conditions.
One day of rain usually leads to two to three days of delay, as we often have to wait for your yard to dry out before we can get back to work. While the weather can add time, it can also increase our speed since perfect conditions can lead to faster completion.
Another factor that can impact your timeline is if we hit water or solid rock while excavating. This can add a couple of days.
During the above stages, we have to add time while we wait for city inspectors to check and approve work before we can continue. However, we build this time into your estimate.
Finally, we ensure that some time is included during the planning stage in case of weather or other time delays.
How Long Will It Take?
Now that you know the timeline, stages, and factors in building your custom pool, you’re probably wondering how long it will actually take.
We typically give an estimate of 8-12 weeks. If everything goes perfectly, eight weeks is usually the fastest we can safely and effectively build your pool. Yet, twelve weeks is usually the top end of our project time.
Some projects go beyond 12 weeks, but this only happens because of weather or customer-requested changes made throughout the process. Often, they take less than 12 weeks.
If you’ve decided it’s time to get your custom pool built, give us a call or text us today!
