FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No, we don’t install any fiberglass pools. Don’t let the name fool you… there is nothing “cookie cutter” about our pools! We only build custom gunite pools. Each inground pool is customized to meet your needs and desires.
We collect a $1,000 maximum deposit when you sign the contract.
We build residential pools in the greater Sacramento area including areas around Placerville, Nevada City, Yuba City and Elk Grove plus areas around Napa, Sonoma, Vacaville, Fairfield and Vallejo. Please contact us if you would like to know if we build in a specific city.
We value both your time and our time. A swimming pool is a huge investment and construction costs continue to rise. We want you to be informed about the potential cost of a pool rather than take up an hour or more of your time only to find out the cost of a pool is not within your budget at this time. We believe this process leads to transparency and helps our customers plan for their dream pool.
An estimate is an unofficial ballpark figure that we provide based on the initial information you provide to us. A quote is completed after we have met with you to review your vision and we have seen your space, taken measurements, and accounted for the unique aspects of your property. The quote will have renderings of your design and will be a guaranteed price for your project for a specified amount of time. If you wanted to proceed after receiving the quote, then we would meet again to sign the contract.
We can usually have a quote out within a few business days of the appointment, but it can take up to week.
Due to the five-day rescission law in California (your right to cancel the contract), we must wait 5 business days after you sign the contract to begin any work. Once the waiting period has ended, we send your plans to engineering which takes approximately 5-10 business days. We then apply for a permit usually within 5 business days of getting back the engineering. In total, the permit is usually applied for within 15 business days of signing the contract.
The permitting process used to be much faster before Covid-19! The permit review process by the city or county can now unfortunately take up to 20 business days before a permit is approved.
It usually takes about 1-2 months to get a permit after the contract is signed.
Construction usually begins 1-2 months after the contract is signed depending on how long it takes to get your permit. (Once a permit is issued, we usually start digging your pool within 14 working days.)
In most cases, it takes approximately 60 working days from the completion of the dig to pool completion. If you are adding a spa to your project, it can take up to 90 working days from completion of dig to pool/spa completion. Complex projects can take longer.
The entire process (from signing the contract to completion) is approximately 4 to 6 months long. The above is a general timeframe. Rain and other factors (including complexity of the project) can alter the timeframe.
A working day is the number of days we can work and differs from business days. Weather and changes to the scope of work can impact our ability to work and these are taken into consideration when calculating working days.
If we anticipate any potential extra charges, we try to note those on the quote that we provide after we have met with you and looked at your property. After you have signed the contract, you will not be charged extra for anything unless it is agreed to in writing by both of us.
No, we have five progress payments you will make during the construction process. Only a deposit of $1,000 is due when you sign the contract. The progress payments don’t begin until we have started construction and are spelled out in the contract. Typically, we have a 5-draw payment schedule based on milestones of work completed:
- Completion of dig 15% (less deposit, if any)
- Completion of rough plumbing and rebar 35%
- Completion of gunite 30%
- Completion of tile and coping 15%
- Completion of plaster 5%
If you are financing your pool with a lender that pays us directly (such as Lyon), then we follow your lender’s payment schedule.
No, we do not provide our own financing for pools, but we are an approved builder with a few lenders. Please see our Financing page with links to some lenders.
SMUD has historically offered a rebate for Variable Speed Pumps. SMUD determines the amount of the rebate and which pumps qualify for the rebate. We recommend that you contact SMUD or visit their website at https://www.smud.org/en/Rebates-and-Savings-Tips/Rebates-for-My-Home for further information about any pool equipment rebates.
Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to this as there are so many variables and each person’s circumstances will be different. We can say that you will for sure have expenses for chemicals and additional costs for utilities and water – plus of course the costs of sunscreen, new bathing suits and pool toys!
If you have any concerns regarding the functionality of your pool, please complete our warranty form available on our website. If the issue is not covered under warranty, we will provide you with options on how to get the repair completed.
Most cities and counties have similar requirements for pools. There are special circumstances in some cities, but these general guidelines below are a good starting point:
POOL:
- 5′ set back from property line
- 5′ setback from any non-tempered glass
- may be engineered as close as 3′ to residence with extra engineering
EQUIPMENT:
- 5′ setback from property line
FENCES:
- 5′ high minimum
- should not exceed 2" from the ground to bottom of fence if rests on a non-solid surface (dirt, grass, gravel, etc.)
- not scalable or climbable
GATES:
- 5' tall
- swing away from backyard
- self-closing
- self-latching
- should not exceed 2" from the ground to bottom of gate if rests on a non-solid surface (dirt, grass, gravel, etc.)
- not scalable or climbable
UTILITY LINES:
- 10' horizontally from water line
There are a few options to heat your pool: solar, a gas heater or an electric heater. We would recommend solar if you are looking to warm the pool a few degrees to make it more comfortable and extend the swim season a little on each end of the season. A gas heater works to be able to occasionally heat the pool in the winter, but this would be VERY costly when you do choose to do it. So, we rarely recommend a gas heater for a pool due to the high cost of heating the pool. We typically use a gas heater for spas. An electric heater heats the pool up to 80-90 degrees max (it does not get as warm as gas heater).
Yes, we build lap pools! However, a lap pool is much more expensive as it has much more linear feet than a standard rectangular shaped pool- the longer and more narrow the pool, the more expensive it will be to build.
Yes, we build spools and small pools. We can build any size pool!
Spools are just smaller pools with the addition of a heater. So, a spool will be more expensive than a normal pool because of the heater.
Pools smaller than 400 SF do not cost much less - typically we build smaller pools to fit the space, not to save money.
The main benefit is that is easy to get into a raised spa – you can sit on ledge and your legs hang over. It is harder to get into a level spa.
We also think a raised spa looks better, but that is personal preference!
Coping is about a 12-14" inch cap that goes around the perimeter of the pool on top of the gunite pool structure. You must have coping. It can be made of concrete, stone or brick.