Cost to build a pool in North Texas?

[voidpointer]

I'm having a home built in North Dallas, TX and I'd like a pool built after the home is done. I recently got a quote from a company for $93k for the pool we want but that is a lot more than I was expecting, which was around $75k.

What is a reasonable pool price?

here are the specs of the pool we got quoted for, I'm not sure what we really need (especially pool size):

Pool Specs:

Size: 31'x18'
Depth: 3'6" - 4'6" - 5'
Surface Area: 437 sqft
Perimeter: 88'
Drains: 2x anti-vortex

Spa Specs:

Size: 38 sq ft. No Bi-Level
Spa Height: 18 inches No Arm Rest
Spa Step: No
Blower: 2.0 Hp Blower
(2) anti-vortex

Equipment:

Pump: Pentair IntelliFlo 3050 3HP/VS/SVRS
Cleaner: Polaris 280 3/4 HP Booster Pump
Filter: Pentair 60 sq. ft. DE filter
Lights: GloBrite Pool & GloBrite Spa Light
Heater: 400K BTU Pentair (NG)
Additional Light: 3 - GloBrite Pool Light(s)
Sanitation: Pentair Rainbow 320 Inline Chlorinator
Controller: EasyTouch Lite PSL4 w/Screen Logic

Other things included:

Plaster: Wet Edge - Signature Matrix - LV 1
Deck: Textured Mat, Single Color, No Seal 676 sq ft.
Coping: Oklahoma Sawcut
Benches: 1
Top Patio: Textured Mat, Single Color, No Seal 282 sq. ft.
Tanning Ledge: Yes

 

[Jimrahbe]

VP,

The exact same pool, two blocks apart, can often have much different prices just based on the neighborhood... There is no "normal" price number, so pretty hard to compare..

I see a couple of things that stand out to me..

The IntelliFlo is the gold standard of pool pumps... except when it has the SVRS option.. I would never, ever buy one with the SVRS option.. Not required, not needed, and will lead to a lifetime of pain.. I know, because I let my pool builder talk me in to one.. No ones uses SVRS anymore, so I suspect this is old stock.

No reputable pool builder would install a lite version of an EasyTouch.. The "L" in PSL4 stands for lite as in lite salad dressing that no one can eat.. It will have no load center, can only have 4 programs or schedules, and has a very limited set of functions. Not one wants one and that is why a lot of pool builders are trying to get rid of them.. A "Real" EasyTouch with ScreenLogic is a great system, but I recommend you stay well back from the lite version. Even better is Pentair's new IntelliCenter which is a better system at almost the same price. It has an internal ScreenLogic-like system that is included in the price.

If you like an old black rotary-dial phone, then you will love the 1970's pool cleaner that your pool builder is offering with a booster pump. I recommend that you move up into this Century and get an robot cleaner like this...

Good luck with your new pool build,

Jim R.

 

[voidpointer]

Thanks for all the tips. I'll admit I'm disappointed you can't even offer a little bit on the price point. I gave a pretty detailed dump of what the pool will have. I find it hard to believe that with exact specs a pool will vary that greatly two blocks away. I can get (and plan to) multiple quotes, but without the kind of experience you have, I won't know if I'm getting a better price at the cost of quality. It's just really hard to pick a contractor to build the pool when I have no idea what to reasonably expect to pay.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Good idea on the multiple quotes. I can tell you that Jim is spot on in his equipment recommendations. I can also tell you that we got some bids last year that were more than that, and things have definitely not gone down post COVID. I would expect most/all of your bids for a pool/spa in the North Dallas suburbs to be in the $90's.
We had the sticker shock last year too, but with all of the Cali $ rolling in here and COVID driving up demand, the builders can charge whatever they want and still be busy.

 

[Jimrahbe]

VP,

I think you might have TFP confused with some other site.. Most of us here are not in the pool building industry.. We are generally a group of pool enthusiasts who all have pools and enjoy sharing pool info and construction pics.. As a group we have learned a lot about pool building and things that make a pool work better, or in some cases, worse..

Over the years we have found that the same basic pool, in the same city, can vary greatly in price just because of where you live. While you are trying to find and interview pool builders, they are "interviewing" you to see how much you are willing to pay. Just the way it works..

My "guess" is that your $75K is the minimum for what you want in your location.

The only way to know for sure is to get several bids..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[voidpointer]

Thanks again to both of you. Is there a rule of thumb on pool size? I honestly don't know if the pool I got quoted for is considered big or small.

 

[hudsondds]

Most of the builders I talked to charged the same for any size up to 400 sq ft

 

[Jimrahbe]

Vp,

We tend to think of pool size by the volume in gallons.. I did not see that in your list..

My personal rule of thumb is that under 10k is considered small, 10K to 20K would be average, and 20K to 30K would be larger.

Most pool builders have a basic Perimeter/foot price plus all the additional stuff like decking, equipment, etc..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JJ_Tex]

And also keep in mind that prices change year over year, usually up.. way up. I had so many people tell me that "just 3 years ago I built a pool/spa for $60k". I would get a quote from their builder and sometimes their same salesman and it would be $85k-$95k. Neighborhood, year, demand all play key factors in your pool cost above and beyond your pool size and equipment.

 

[voidpointer]

Thanks everyone, I'm starting to realize that my expectations on budget were probably wrong. Would it be OK to throw my quotes in this thread later to make sure I'm getting a good builder? My focus would be the line items, not the price. I want to make sure I'm hiring a builder that will do a good job. I have no idea what to look out for. You guys have already offered a lot of suggestions and I didn't even put the full quote in here. Thank so much!

 

[Jimrahbe]

VP,

Yep.. Just keep updating this same thread...

Good luck with your "hunt"...

Jim R.

 

[voidpointer]

To complete my initial bid, here is the full spec sheet:



Also some images of what the pool would look like. Note that they took the initiative to design 90% of this, I think we gave general direction (shape of the pool (not rectangle), placement of the spa, the "grotto" look, etc)



I've only gotten the one bid so far. I'm working on maybe 2 more. I'll send them here when I get them.

Would love advice of any kind. I think the only thing I can say I'm settled on is using chlorine. I don't want salt, just heard too many bad things about equipment wearing out.

Since I'm building my house, I decided to have power and gas pre-run for the pool builder in a specific corner of the house to maybe cut down on cost of the pool, but I don't think it's helping with this particular builder...

 

[melteye]

IMO it seems high. I'm in the northern 'burbs of Dallas too and we signed a contract in May. Yes, prices may have increased, but this seems very high.

For $90K, we signed for 101' perimeter pool (16K gal), 45 sf spa, 18" raised wall, 18" raised spa, pergola, sunken fire pit area incl. gas firepit and 900 sf of concrete decking. Included 3 sheer descents, Pentair equipment (Intellicenter i8, VSP pump, heater, blower + add'l pump for water features), travertine coping, glass tile for waterline and spa corner, 8 Pentair landscape lights, turf in cutouts, etc. We ended up +$10K (total $100K) bc we made the pergola larger, went with marble coping and upgraded raised wall tile. This was all with a reputable builder and the build itself has gone well so far.

Yours looks like a lot less (smaller pool, no structures, etc). I'd guess you'd probably be in that $80k range if you bid it out. That's what we did -- we had a design and bid it out to 10 companies who we had shortlisted. You'd be surprised at how broad a range we got for the same exact design/specs. A lot of builders out there look to maximize margin on each deal, some build in crazy volumes, some are mom/pops who need the margin, others are larger shops that price more fairly (blend mgn/volume). It's so apparent who's who. Some builders will just tell you over the phone they won't bother with projects under $120K (*ahem* sWinds *cough*).

You're in the time of year where it makes sense not to rush the decision, get it bid out and negotiate hard.
PM me if you want some more details or referrals to the few builders we liked.

 

[guinness]

Is the home currently under construction? What will the site access for the pool be like once complete?

Are you set on any particular pool type? Vinyl is usually the least expensive, followed by fiberglass then gunite.

Pool Surfaces

There are many types of pool surfaces to consider when designing your pool. This article will tell you about eight different surfaces.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Dave1096]

Thanks for all the tips. I'll admit I'm disappointed you can't even offer a little bit on the price point. I gave a pretty detailed dump of what the pool will have. I find it hard to believe that with exact specs a pool will vary that greatly two blocks away. I can get (and plan to) multiple quotes, but without the kind of experience you have, I won't know if I'm getting a better price at the cost of quality. It's just really hard to pick a contractor to build the pool when I have no idea what to reasonably expect to pay.

Having just gone through the process earlier this year of choosing a builder for our first pool, echoing what others have already said here is the best advice I can give. Get as many quotes as possible, and ask each builder to break out their pricing by line item so you can compare apples to apples. Asking for the equipment details/model numbers will help alot also.

We quickly found that just about every builder was quoting differently. Some included all surveys and permits in their price, others didn't. Some included all required electrical contractor work, some didn't. And on and on. It was a headache trying to feel out the market as all the proposals we received varied widely in scope and price. Ultimately, the only way we were able to understand what we considered to be a fair price was to see as many different quotes as possible.

 

[RU4Cycling2]

We are in the midst of building a pool in OKC right now. We had multiple bids from several builders for multiple sizes. From a price perspective, it was clear I needed to spend $80k to build our minimum pool but for $95k I could get what I really wanted (increased size, 12’ waterfall, went from 6’ to 8 diameter spa, and added decking).

 

[voidpointer]

We tend to think of pool size by the volume in gallons.. I did not see that in your list..

That builder just got back with me. He said it's 10,639 gallons. I think my feeling on this is that they are way over charging for a pool this size.

 

[Jimrahbe]

VP,

They may well be, that is why you need to compare quotes..

Keep in mind that if you wanted to build a 1,000 gallon pool, it would cost almost the same as a 10K pool.. Each sub has a minimum to even make it worthwhile to just show up.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[poolnoobgrandma]

To complete my initial bid, here is the full spec sheet:

View attachment 165182

Also some images of what the pool would look like. Note that they took the initiative to design 90% of this, I think we gave general direction (shape of the pool (not rectangle), placement of the spa, the "grotto" look, etc)

View attachment 165183 View attachment 165184

I've only gotten the one bid so far. I'm working on maybe 2 more. I'll send them here when I get them.

Would love advice of any kind. I think the only thing I can say I'm settled on is using chlorine. I don't want salt, just heard too many bad things about equipment wearing out.

Since I'm building my house, I decided to have power and gas pre-run for the pool builder in a specific corner of the house to maybe cut down on cost of the pool, but I don't think it's helping with this particular builder...

I've heard that Texas builders don't like salt for some reason. I think you'll find that the vast majority of experts on this site highly recommend saltwater chlorine generators. We love ours. It has made managing our pool super simple. It's your money your pool, but I recommend that you do a little more reading here before you fully decide not to go with a SWCG.
Good luck with your new pool!

 

[jark87]

We’re in the DFW area and built in ‘07 and price was somewhere in the low to mid-90’s for 25,500 gallons. We also had quite a bit of exposed aggregate decking poured, including patio area closer to the house. Be sure to research any builder you get a bid from. Several of our neighbors went with lower cost builders only to have lots of issues, especially with flooding. I can highly recommend Claffey out of Southlake. Not cheap, but very high quality with attention to details.