The entrance to the construction area.

Coating material used for concrete decking.

Legal requirements for proper pool safety (fences, locks, alarms).

The cap of the pool structure, formed of concrete.

Rounded edge of a stone, paver, or tile.

The area of decking surrounding the pool or spa structure.

System utilizing pop-up heads that are installed in the pool floor, steps, and benches that use water to clean the pool.

The material used to coat the interior of the pool, prior to filling with water, that holds the water inside the pool.

The distance around the outside edge of the pool.

Sprayed concrete conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at high velocity onto the surface of the pool. It is typically reinforced by conventional steel rods, steel mesh, or fibers.

Various chemicals in the pool water that increase the pH.

Device to control and monitor the water level of the pool. Automatically fills the pool to its proper level when levels drop, due to evaporation or other factors.

Reversing the water flow to clean a sand or diatomaceous earth pool filter.

The amount of chlorine required to kill bacteria in pool water.

Chemical that lowers the pH when added to pool water.

Mineral deposits that form on the pool’s surface as a result of high calcium hardness or high pH.

The amount of water in the pool. Maintaining proper water levels ensures all pool equipment functions properly.

A commonly asked question and one that is often hard to answer. However, on average a pool can cost between $60,000 – $80,000 with low-maintenance systems, energy efficient technology and above average construction specs. Pools can be built based on personal budgets, as long as the upgrades are limited. A Spa can add another $20,000 – $22,000 including the heater. It is not unusual for a complete backyard project, with features such as outdoor kitchens, putting greens, irrigation systems, pergolas, fire pits and trees and/or landscaping to cost well above $80,000 – $175,000.

Certainly. You can always secure financing from your own resources. We use A & A Financing which has been in the backyard finance business for decades, helping secure funding for many projects.

A & A Financing is not a lender but a facilitator working with more than a dozen lenders. They provide multiple loan programs to fit a number of client needs. Rates are dependent on a number of factors, such as: credit score, debt-to-income, credit history, employment status and others. Secondary financing rates are about double compared to first mortgage rates, but most of the loans have no prepayment penalty, meaning you could refinance the amount and rate at any time.

If you are purchasing a home, you may be able to place the cost of the pool into the mortgage but, mortgage underwriters have restrictions that may make it difficult. You should check with your mortgage lender to see what the requirements are, such as loan limits (often 10% of the home value), hold back requirements and timing.

You NEVER WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN SECONDARY FINANCING UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THE KEYS TO YOUR HOME AS THAT WILL INTERFERE WITH YOUR MORTGAGE APPROVAL. You can enter into a contract for a pool, prior to closing on a home.

Due to COVID and material shortages, we have seen timing easily double. Time lines seem to be a moving target. However, it will take 5 – 8 weeks from contract to start construction, then another 6-8 months to build.

These time­lines remain fluid during this pandemic. The norm is 3-4 weeks to start and 60-90 days of actual construction.

Once we get past COVID and material shortages, we hope to return to that time line.

Our process begins with an initial consultation. Allow us to get to know you, understand your lifestyle, survey the property, discover what inspires you. Some questions might include … Do you entertain? What is the primary purpose of the pool? Are there any special features you are interested in? Of course, we will want to review your budget and what is most important to you.

Following that meeting, we will begin work on the initial design, often done by e-mail. Once we have a good outline of what your vision is, how it will fit in the yard, then we can meet in our design center to view a 3D version. Here we will look at sample materials and review pricing.

At this point, unless the project is extremely complicated, we should be able to move ahead with the paperwork to begin the process of getting your project into construction.

When shopping, you may want to look not only at your initial investment but also the cost of ownership.

As you select construction specs and equipment types, you may want to consider how long you will be in your home, what the month-to-month ownership costs are as well as possible resale value. Investing an additional $10,000 into a project may add only $75 a month to your payment, while saving you double that amount in utility, repair and maintenance costs, not to mention resale value.

You also want to pay attention to soil conditions (hard dig, expansive soil), yard drainage, safety code requirements, setback and easements among others.

The designer will need to assess the access to excavate and build the project, identify utility locations and see what, if any, yard prep will be needed. The same size pool with the same equipment and construction specs can increase several thousand dollars due to these items.

Times may vary, but an initial discovery consultation usually takes 1 – 2 hours.

We prepare for a first appointment by gathering and researching setbacks and municipal information, as well as HOA requirements to create an initial property overview, often from a plot plan or on-line map.

The second appointment will take approximately 1 1/2 – 2 hours. We will go over your customized project design, go over pricing and we can select your project samples. This appointment is usually held in our Gilbert or Goodyear showrooms.

These are items we sometimes forget to cover or are easily forgotten.

Please download a full version of this informative document that sets expectations for your beautiful backyard. You should note, not all of these items will apply in every case.

Download the Full List