Houston new build - budget question

[Travelguy73]

I'm new to the site, and I have been trying to educate myself on the pool build process. You guys have been VERY helpful.

I'm in the process of contacting pool builders (3 so far) and waiting for return calls for an in-ground installation. Before I actually get on the phone, I have a budget question: Do you discuss budget during the process, or does that just allow them to mark up the costs to "meet the budget?" We have relatively simple taste (no spa, no diving board, etc), but I also don't want to waste the PB's time having them come back with a quote way over what we are willing to spend.

Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!

How to Pick a Pool Builder

We've tried to make that process easier for you with some Great Pool Builder tips, Advice, & Guide to follow when choosing a pool contractor for your build.

www.troublefreepool.com

Take a read through the above for some tips.

Personally, I would not bring up budget at the start. Provide your basic design, your wants and desires, and see what they come back with. Then you can haggle and approach your budget. Providing your max budget to start will get you a quote at your max budget.

I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.

 

[Stoopalini]

What kind of budget are you thinking to start? Knowing that, may help.

When we were getting bids, a few builders threw out some numbers on the first meeting. I think they do this to weed out unqualified leads, as I know they're getting a LOT of requests for price right now; and probably quite a few from folks who think you can build an inground gunite pool for $30k ... so before they spend a few hours putting together a proposed design and bid, they want to be sure the lead is a qualified one.

I had a few ask what we wanted, and during casual conversation in discussing that, would say something like "anything like that is going to start around $70k for a basic build ... is that in line with your budget?"

 

[spd500]

I still have not told my builder what my max budget is because I am more interested in what it will cost to get what we want. If we go over budget and it is for things we really want we are ok with that, but so far I am close to $20K under what we budgeted for the project. Don't get me wrong, we are adding to that figure all the time, but we are adding by line item for exactly what we want based on price for each addition. One example would be that my wife originally thought she wanted a waterfall on each end of the pool but after pricing it and looking at several pools in person we decided that one waterfall from the spa will be plenty for us.

What part of Houston are you in? We have a builder that we are pretty happy with after having talked to several builders and checking reviews. They are backed up right now, but if you are not in a hurry to get started they might be worth talking to. Right now almost any builder you talk to will be backed up, if they aren't I would be cautious of using them.

 

[Travelguy73]

Thanks for the quick feedback. Budget was one of the first questions asked during the call we received back this morning!

Given that this is purely a luxury spend, we are "trying" to keep to $50k. We aren't spa or water feature people, no auto cleaning, but I think we want a heater and maybe a chiller since the pool will have mostly all day sun. We live in a 100-year floodplain, and so we will have to spend some money to redo our inground drainage, and relocate our sewer line (which I assume is pretty standard for this type of project). I agree that I don't want the PB to spend time on us if this price isn't doable, but I also don't want to be a sucker and get a $30k pool that I paid $50k for (that's why I'm here!).

We are in the Bellaire/Meyerland area. Most of the pools around us were built in the 90s it seems, so I'm definitely on the lookout for PBs to get quotes from. We do have a neighbor with a Cody pool, and they like it, but it seems very small (I think he said 8500 gallons). It also bakes in the summer. We want larger, though I have no idea how much larger.

Our goal is a pool before the end of the year, but of course next spring is really the goal .

 

[spd500]

Not sure how much we are allowed to share on here, so I sent you a message

 

[Dtkokay]

I would give the pool builder a range or "around" number because it gives them a sense for matching your expectations versus what they can realistically provide at that price. You can always negotiate down and you have the benefit of getting multiple bids to compare.

In my case, I gave a wide dollar range and had a rough idea for design elements in mind. When I met with pool builders, it was very useful because they were able to estimate how much design changes roughly affected their price. For example, making the pool smaller / larger, adding a spa, increasing decking size, going from a stamped concrete to travertine for decking, automation, etc. These are fundamental design elements and it helps to know what is doable at your budget so that you can decide what you really want.

Don't forget to discuss all of the cleanup and after completion work, because those costs add up quickly if not covered by your PB. For example, putting back the sod and landscaping, reinstalling your sprinkler system, fixing your sidewalk (which WILL likely be crushed during construction), etc.

 

[Stoopalini]

When we were getting quotes, we wanted to keep things at $60k, but quickly realized we wouldn't be able to do that, even with a small to normal size pool (roughly 14k gallons).

Here is a link to the thread I started when I was in the PB decision phase. I posted the equipment, specs, and pricing from all 3 builders right in the thread (removing the names of the builders though). So take a look, and you'll get a sense on the cost here in TX. I do hear Houston is more expensive than where I am though (in Liberty Hill, just north of Austin).

Design and PB Choice

We ended up going with the same builder your neighbor used, and landed in at $67k. I've since added some things along the way, and are hitting right around $70k to the pool builder. Then ad another $3k or so in various other items during build (outside of the pool builder), and a few furniture pieces, and I think we'll be right around $75k "all-in" for our setup. The link in my signature is to my build thread, if you are interested to see what that is getting us (ie: 14k gunite, no spa, no heater, one waterfall, no cleaner, no chiller, etc, etc, etc ...)

Prices are not in your favor right now though, due to the extremely high demand. For comparison, a friend of mine used the same builder in 2017, and build a slightly larger pool, with attached spa, heater, 3 sheer decents, and much larger deck surface ... and came in at $75k. So pricing has definitely shot up in the past couple of years, especially this year with the higher than normal demand.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Most of them asked for a ballpark budget, and yes, get ready for sticker shock.

 

[Travelguy73]

Thanks. We have our first meeting on Friday. I have my list of questions from another thread, and I'll disclose a budget range to make sure we are at least not wasting each others time (I just really want to stick to our budget and resist the gimmicks).

 

[Newdude]

For comparison, a friend of mine used the same builder in 2017, and build a slightly larger pool, with attached spa, heater, 3 sheer decents, and much larger deck surface ... and came in at $75k

I asked many friends prior to my build and their answers were way off at best. They got ‘all this’ for XXXXX and it seemed awesome, But they had convinced themselves that the only cost was the pool itself. Not the equipment, or the add ins, the furnature, hardscapes, or the fixing/beautifying the yard like has been mentioned. My biggest sticker shock came from the patio which several friends hadn’t installed yet with recent builds, while waiting for the ground to settle. In my area it’s fairly common to have the PB only install the pool and then hire everybody else after. When a friend asks how much the pool cost, I find myself answering in regards to the pool, not the overall project which of course was double that, and the cycle repeats when they get their quotes.

I also don’t tell people that upgrading the house to 200A service cost us $2500 because it needed to be done anyway. Needing the extra circuits for the pool was the immediate reason to do it though, so it really was part of the pool project. The hot tub ?? We got that 1 month after the build and it’s not part of ‘all this’ when my friends are looking or asking. I got ‘all this’ for only XXXXX.

 

[Sollace]

Just done with a pool builder in yard visit. . .
No budget mentioned. Just yard grade. No design yet.
He did say that there's no tax on a pool build if you don't have landscaping. So his build only does the pool and all pool stuff. I thought I'd mention that to save you some money. He said if he quotes 50K it will be 50k, no tax.

He mentioned picking a light colored pool for our climate (good suggestion for those in Houston, too)

Another thought is whether you really need pool lights. I know I mentioned this before on another thread. But unless your HOA does regular bug spraying, your pool lit up at night will attract the bugs like you wouldn't believe. There's so many options out there for alternative pool lighting. After all, you go to the lake, river, and ocean and don't have underwater lights. Even public indoor pools don't have underwater pool lights on for swimmers. If you have a shallow pool without a deep end, consider whether to skip the light or not. Just a thought.

Those flames in bowls on pillars could be an alternative. Solar lights attached to the fence. Spotlights on landscaping.

 

[Travelguy73]

Interesting on the pool lights, I hadn't really thought about it. I grew up with a 1980s pool with a single light at one end (and leaks that my parents had to deal with every few years), so this is all very new!

We will do light color for sure. I like the look of a dark pool, but the reality in Houston is probably not so nice.

 

[Dtkokay]

I have 6 LED lights in my pool that look fantastic, but I rarely turn them on. They were pretty expensive and not sure if I would install them again if I went back in time. Same thing with the waterfalls from my rock wall. I rarely turn those on either except to keep water moving through them. They look nice but are pretty loud when we’re outside.

On the other hand, the automation system was 100% worth it. I live being able to monitor and control my pool remotely, including while on vacation.

 

[spd500]

I asked many friends prior to my build and their answers were way off at best. They got ‘all this’ for XXXXX and it seemed awesome, But they had convinced themselves that the only cost was the pool itself. Not the equipment, or the add ins, the furnature, hardscapes, or the fixing/beautifying the yard like has been mentioned. My biggest sticker shock came from the patio which several friends hadn’t installed yet with recent builds, while waiting for the ground to settle. In my area it’s fairly common to have the PB only install the pool and then hire everybody else after. When a friend asks how much the pool cost, I find myself answering in regards to the pool, not the overall project which of course was double that, and the cycle repeats when they get their quotes.

I also don’t tell people that upgrading the house to 200A service cost us $2500 because it needed to be done anyway. Needing the extra circuits for the pool was the immediate reason to do it though, so it really was part of the pool project. The hot tub ?? We got that 1 month after the build and it’s not part of ‘all this’ when my friends are looking or asking. I got ‘all this’ for only XXXXX.

We did our outdoor kitchen 5 years ago and it cost as much as the pool! We are also spending alot on things that we dont add into the cost of the pool like furniture and all the extras. I consider the pool cost to be what we are paying the builder, so I see where that can become misleading

 

[Green25]

I’m in the DFW area, but I would think my experience would be similar to Houston. I researched heavily before making inquiries and only reached out to PB with top reviews in my local FB/NextDoor groups and online. There were two builders that asked for a ballpark budget during the initial return call and essentially said they didn’t really build below $xx,xxx. The rest asked either for our thoughts on a general budget or average PB cost during the site visit, probably as a way to judge if we were serious potential buyers before wasting time on an actual design. FWIW, we were hoping for a similar budget for our small/medium sized pool, but ended up a bit above that.

 

[Travelguy73]

Last week we had our two prelim in-person consultations, and now have two design and cost sessions in the next couple of days (via Zoom, just can't seem to escape it!). I hopefully will be able to post itemized details for everyone's feedback (equipment and such). We did learn more about the hoops we will have to jump through being in a 100-year floodplain and, while doable, definitely adds to the budget.

 

[LigjtninB]

Last week we had our two prelim in-person consultations, and now have two design and cost sessions in the next couple of days (via Zoom, just can't seem to escape it!). I hopefully will be able to post itemized details for everyone's feedback (equipment and such). We did learn more about the hoops we will have to jump through being in a 100-year floodplain and, while doable, definitely adds to the budget.

What issues did you have being in the floodplain? We are in Bellaire and just starting our process.

 

[Travelguy73]

What issues did you have being in the floodplain? We are in Bellaire and just starting our process.

Being in the floodplain, there is an extra layer of city permitting required to conform with drainage and the 65% permeability limit, which adds cost and delay. Since you are in Bellaire, not COH, I can't say for sure how yours will go. For COH, we needed a much more robust topographical survey (they even measured the size of our existing yard drain lines). From there, the civil engineer worked to create a drainage plan. We are still in permitting, so nothing is final, but the plan shows we will be right under the 65% limit, and our drainage is adequate for our size lot (9k sq ft).

The cost is a few thousand for the extra permit work, and then on top of that for anything the city might require (which hopefully will be nil).

 

[LigjtninB]

Thanks, that's very helpful.

Can you tell me which builder you're using?