Gunite and shotcrete: two ways to place pool concrete
Gunite and shotcrete differ in when the water joins the mix. With gunite, dry cement and sand travel through the hose and the nozzleman adds water right at the tip. Shotcrete shows up as wet ready-mix and gets pumped to the nozzle.
A ready-mix truck has roughly 90 minutes from dispatch to empty its drum, so a shotcrete pour runs straight through. Dry-mix lets the crew stop and pick up again later. Under industry standards, both give you a solid shell when a trained crew shoots them with the right materials. We choose the process by the job and the access to your yard.
Why Miami backyards get concrete pools
Concrete is formed on site, so the pool can take any outline your lot allows. That covers a long lap rectangle, a freeform curve around a palm, an L with a play area or a pool with a sun shelf and attached spa. Fiberglass shells leave a factory in fixed shapes, and highway rules usually cap them at about 16 ft wide. The full comparison, vinyl included, lives in our gunite vs fiberglass guide, and shapes get worked out when we design the pool around your lot.
Ground conditions matter here too. Plenty of South Florida lots have limestone near the surface and a high water table, so a dig can mean breaking rock and pumping water. We plan for both before the excavator arrives, as explained in building a pool with a high water table.
The shell: steel, 4,000 psi and no cold joints
Steel goes in first. An architect or engineer sets the rebar size and spacing on the signed and sealed plans, and we tie the cage to that drawing along with the main drain, the plumbing rough-in and the bonding grid. The inspector checks the steel and bonding along with the main drain, and nothing gets shot before that approval.
Industry standards call for pool concrete of at least 4,000 psi at 28 days, and well-placed shotcrete usually tests above that. The mix leaves the nozzle fast enough to pack itself tight around the bars. A good nozzleman can build the walls in passes without leaving cold joints. The goal is a shell that holds water by itself before any finish goes on.
Wet curing in Miami heat
Fresh concrete sets quickly in our summers, so curing starts the same day we shoot. We keep the shell wet nonstop for at least the first 7 days, hosing it several times a day, then wet it daily through day 28. Stretching wet curing from 3 days to 7 cuts surface shrinkage cracking by 10 to 20%. Industry standards recommend the full 28 days before a cement-based finish like white plaster. You can see where the cure falls in the full sequence on how we work.
What an inground pool installation with us covers
Your inground pool installation is priced per square foot of water, length times width, and that one rate runs from the signed plans to start-up. What sits outside that price, and the calculator, are on what a concrete pool costs in Miami.
| Job | What it includes | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete pool (gunite or shotcrete) | Design, signed plans and permits, excavation, steel, plumbing, shell, waterline tile, coping, standard pump and filter, white plaster finish and start-up. | $230 per sq ft of water surface |
Labor and materials included, in US dollars, October 2026. The pool is priced per square foot of water surface (length × width). Design, signed plans and permits are included. Site surprises such as rock, high groundwater or tight access are priced after the visit, before we start.
Frequently asked questions
Is gunite stronger than shotcrete?
Neither one wins by name. Both can reach the 4,000 psi minimum at 28 days that industry standards set, and the result depends on the crew and the mix far more than on the method.
Why does a new pool shell have to stay wet?
Cement keeps hardening as it hydrates, and about 70% of that happens in the first week. Keeping the shell wet slows drying so the surface cracks less, which is why we water it through day 28 before plaster.
Is there a size limit on a concrete pool?
Concrete has no width cap like a trucked fiberglass shell. What limits the pool is your lot, meaning the setbacks and easements on the survey plus room for the equipment pad.
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