I think it's because we have like 20 or more pool builders out here between Phoenix, Mesa, and Tucson. Many very competitive and experienced and a lot have been here for 20+ years. So lots and lots of pools everywhere. Even in my neighborhood, which has 3+ community HOA pools already, has about 30-40% of the houses with their own pools.
So maybe we're just a really big market because of the very hot long summers and spring, short temperate winters (no need to winterize pools)? Competition is good! That's my only guess.
Edit: Hey you're further east in Texas, couldn't you get away with making a cheaper vinyl liner pool? I would have loved to do a cheaper vinyl pool like I had when I lived in Georgia, but apparently they melt in AZ????lol
You could do a liner pool in Austin, but I hate dealing with rips, holes, leaks. The sun is also pretty intense here. That being said, the pool shell part of my Gunite pool ran something like (5.5k gunite, 5k pebble, 3k steel and form), so if you take those out, the patio, digging, and pool equipment were the main expenses. Don't know how much would have been saved. I just wonder in these various costs where the bulk of the cost savings in Pheonix come from. Typical margins are 25-30% in Austin. I wonder if builders there are just not making as much or what.
