Visit and design
We measure, check the side access, note trees and overhead lines, and read the survey for the setbacks on your lot. Then we draw the pool, the equipment pad and the deck.
Signed plans and the permit
A Florida architect or engineer signs and seals the pool drawings, site plan included. We file them for the building permit with electrical and plumbing sub-permits, plus gas when a gas heater is planned. An HOA approval, when there is one, comes before the permit. Our pool permit guide for Miami-Dade lists what each office asks for, and the rest of our pool construction guides cover safety and groundwater.
Layout and the dig
We paint the outline on the grass, set stakes and string lines, then dig. Much of Miami-Dade has limestone close to the surface, so digging can mean breaking rock, and the spoil is hauled off as we go. When the hole takes on water we pump it with sump pumps or well points, send it away from the excavation and get the dewatering permit where one is required. More on that in building a pool with a high water table.
Steel and plumbing before inspection
We tie the rebar cage, run the plumbing rough-in for the main drain, the skimmers and the returns, and pressure-test the piping. The shell steel gets tied into the bonding grid. Nothing is covered until the inspector approves the steel and the bonding, with the main drain in place.
Shell and wet cure
We shoot the shell with shotcrete or gunite, wet mix or dry mix, and shape the bond beam that will carry the tile. Industry standards call for at least 4,000 psi at 28 days. We keep it wet, and a 28-day cure is the recommendation before a cement-based finish. How we build the shell is on our gunite and shotcrete shell work.
Tile and coping, then deck and equipment
Waterline tile and coping go on the bond beam during or after the cure. The deck follows on a compacted base, and some cities inspect it before the final. On the equipment pad we set the variable-speed pump and the filter, plus any heater or salt cell in the design. A licensed electrician runs the new circuit, and any gas line goes to a licensed gas contractor.
Barrier, then plaster and start-up
Florida requires a safety barrier or another approved measure before the final inspection, and some cities will not let you fill until the barrier passes. The rules are in our Florida pool safety barrier guide. We trowel the white plaster, fill without stopping, run the start-up and explain the first 28 days of care at handover. Stage times are in how long a pool takes to build.
Work we leave to others
We do not resurface existing pools, run weekly service, repair equipment or find leaks. A screen enclosure goes to an aluminum contractor we coordinate, priced after a visit.
Pool contractor licensing in Florida
Residential pool construction sits within the scope of a Florida pool/spa contractor license: a state CPC or a local RP. Anyone can verify one with the DBPR. Under Florida Statute 489.128, a contractor who lacks the state license a job requires cannot enforce that contract. To start yours, send us your yard photos.
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