Getting quotes for small pool in Los Angeles, CA

[LarsKev]

We do not have a pool yet, but I am beginning the quote process, and I am not sure what to expect for costs. We have a small back yard and would like to keep the size down to 12' x 27', in order to preserve the existing landscape and pergola. I do not want a luxury pool, but many contractors advertise as building that type. I have CAD drawings of my house and back yard and can post those later, to show the space that I have. I am meeting with one contractor on Tuesday for my first quote, and I expect that to be in the $55,000 to $65,000 range, but I want to keep the cost under $65,000, if possible. I only want a rectangular pool, but I do want a motorized cover, which I was told would cost $15,000.

 

[Killer95Stang]

Los Angeles is about 475 square miles... and prices on pools vary on what part of Los Angeles you live in. Are we talking Vermont Knolls or Hancock Park? I paid about $65k for a fully automated 19 x 32 freeform with waterfall back in 2013. I'm in LA County, East of the 605 fwy.

 

[bdavis466]

CAD=

You just took your first step toward an owner/builder pool!

 

[LarsKev]

I'm in Westchester, just north of LAX, near Marina Del Rey. The soil here is hard clay, and I was told that that would increase the cost of the pool. We also have a sprinkler system for the back yard that we will have to take out, but I will probably have my sprinkler guy do that instead of the pool person.

We are west of the 405 fwy, and so prices might be higher over here. The people I have contacted so far are in Brentwood and possibly West Hollywood, but I am also trying to get a quote from a company in Torrance.

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Is happy or mad?

 

[bdavis466]

Is happy or mad?

That's a happy dance... This would be mad

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Is happy or mad?

That's a happy dance... This would be mad

Brian is a expert craftsman/pool builder, a brave firefighter and a dedicated husband & father to a house full of girls...so, in his life, there's much more of than there is of

...and of course, all that is to say, you should listen to his advice

 

[bmoreswim]

You received correct information +/- on your automatic cover cost estimate. We don't heat our pool, but if you do, the autocover will be fantastic at automating the heat-retaining process. It still helps us but we just aren't paying for the heat.

 

[LarsKev]

I got my second quote yesterday, and the contractor did want to use my CAD drawings, and so he was also happy about that. They will also be useful when I have to submit plans to the city for permits. The second contractor told me that we will have to move our wires for both cable and power, and also move the boxes, which is what I expected. I will get another quote week after next, and I am wondering if I should contact a fourth contractor. I'm not sure how many different quotes are necessary, but I know I need at least three, since they are so different. The second contractor did not mention anything about drains, and his price was a bit lower, but not much. The first contractor told me we would have to tie all our gutters into a new drain that would then follow a trench down to the street, but the second one did not say anything about that. My back yard is flat but is on higher ground than the front yard, and we've never had any kind of drainage issue from the small amount of rain we get. The gutters already flow away from the back of the house to the front, and so I'm not sure why they would need to be tied to an underground drain. Also, I have fears of an underground drain getting clogged.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

If your pool goes in with a lot of decking and hardscape around it, that can change the drainage patterns you are used to seeing and lead to faster amounts of water flowing to your front yard since you no longer would have soil absorption. Drains in the decking are a good way of moving water away from your pool. I do not have any deck drains but wish I did because I have one very small shallow spot where water pools. Even though a good decking contractor will do their best to create the right grading patterns, decking can still move a little over time and thus cause low spots. Drainage is a good thing to have especially in the equipment area so you can properly redirect backwash water and/or filter drain water.

A properly installed 4” or larger landscape drain pipe would be nearly impossible to clog. Using the correct combination of solid & perforated drainage pipe is key. If you don’t feel like your PB has the requisite skills to do it, then request that you sub out that part on your own to a contractor that specializes in drainage installation.

There’s lots of ways to create drainage solutions to fit your needs, you just need the right people to get the job done.

 

[LarsKev]

Thanks! I did not know what size the landscape drain pipes would be, but it does sound like a good idea to have them now. I have a friend who is an engineer working for LADWP, and he designs sewers for the city of Los Angeles. If I can get his attention, maybe he can give me some advice as well, but we haven't spoken for almost a year now. Over the years, we seem to have grown a bit apart. He lives in Torrance, which is not that far from me, and he works in El Segundo, which is even closer, as that is Westchester adjacent. El Segundo is where the water treatment plant is located.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You might not need any buried pipe at all. A properly graded deck with some well-place channel deck drains could do the trick. Have them empty out to a French drain that is designed to mimic the rest of the landscaping and move the water to your front yard and into the street. It can all be done with surface grading and little eye for detail. That’s why it’s best to find someone familiar with residential drainage work.

 

[bdavis466]

Channel drains

 

[LarsKev]

Thanks! I'm meeting with another contractor on Jan 16, but the second guy I met with has already reduced his price when I told him his quote was not in our budget.Here is a drawing of the back yard with the proposed pool. I included the power pole that is in the neighbor's yard. I chamfered one corner of the pool to make the power line a bit further, but I would prefer a complete rectangle. I would also prefer for it to be 14' instead of 12'.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Will the power company move the pole? Have you called them at all?

We had a pool build thread on here last year, I think, where the homeowner had a pole running in the easement between his lot and the neighbor. The power utility had planned to move the pole at some point but didn’t make it a priority until the HO called about it. When he called, they scheduled the job and it got moved at no cost to him.

Worth a phone call if you haven’t already....

 

[LarsKev]

Thanks! I will definitely call the power company this week. We also have to upgrade our circuit box as it is currently almost maxed out, and I need to coordinate these. I would think that my electrician should be able to give me the information I need for moving the box, if it will be necessary. We will have to prune the apple tree if we move the power line, but we were going to do that anyway, perhaps next week-end.
Here's a better view of my plan: