How we design for your lot
We work from the property survey, since setbacks vary by city and lot and they show up there along with any easements. Then we walk the yard. We look at where the afternoon sun lands, what you see of the water from the kitchen and the back door, and where the equipment pad can sit away from the bedrooms. Side access counts too, because the excavator has to get in.
Once you approve the layout, an architect or engineer turns it into signed and sealed plans for the permit. Homes with an HOA usually need the same drawing for its architectural review.
Custom pools: the shapes concrete allows
Custom built pools in concrete can take a rectangle, a freeform curve, an L or a raised wall, because the shell is shot on site over steel. The main options:
- Rectangular, for laps and a clean line along the house
- Freeform, to curve around a tree or a garden bed
- L-shaped, with a long leg for swimming and a shallow leg for play
- A raised wall at the back, for a water feature or a ledge to sit on
How the shell itself is built is on how we shoot a concrete shell.
Sun shelf
Think of a sun shelf as a wide shallow step at one end, deep enough for a lounge chair in the water and for small kids to splash. Sun shelves are typically 9 to 12 in deep. One works best where the afternoon sun lands, and a pair of bubblers can go in its floor.
Water features
Water features need their own plumbing lines, so we decide on them before the steel goes in. Bubblers push a short column of water up through the shelf. Deck jets sit in the deck and shoot an arc into the pool. A raised wall can carry a sheer descent, a thin sheet of water falling into the deep end. Each one gets a valve at the equipment pad so you can turn it on or off.
LED lighting
Lights cost less to install during construction than after, so we place them on the plan. Color LED fixtures go in niches in the pool walls, aimed away from the house so they do not glare into windows at night. One can go in the spa and another under the sun shelf step.
Steps and benches by depth
Code requires steps or a ladder in the shallow end once the water gets deeper than 24 in. A private pool deeper than 5 ft also needs a way out at the deep end, such as a ladder, stairs, a bench or a swimout. A bench along one wall doubles as a place to sit in the shade.
Prices for the shelf and the pool
We charge the sun shelf as a flat add-on, finished together with the pool, and the pool itself by water surface. Run your own numbers on pool construction cost. Adding a hot tub to the design is covered under pool and spa construction, and the surface around the water is on pool decks.
| Job | What it includes | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sun shelf (tanning ledge) | Shallow ledge about 9 to 12 in deep at one end of the pool, finished with the pool. | $6,000 per shelf |
| 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). Spa, sun shelf and equipment upgrades are added at a fixed price each. 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
Can I have a diving board in a custom pool?
You can, but the pool has to be designed around it. A diving pool needs more depth and length than a play pool, laid out to the national safety standard and to the board maker's specs for depth at the tip.
Which features should go in during construction?
Lights and the plumbing for bubblers or deck jets are far cheaper to place before the shell is shot. Adding them later means cutting into concrete and the deck.
Can I see the pool on the ground before you dig?
Yes. On layout day we mark the outline with stakes and string lines, and you walk around it before the excavator starts. Small shifts are easy at that point and hard after the dig.
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