New construction quote - Frisco, TX

Landshark64

New member
Aug 7, 2022
4
DFW
Hi everyone,

Just found this forum in the nick of time. I'm looking to build a pool in Frisco. Talked to three builders. All prices seem to be a bit over the top. Curious to hear any thoughts on cost, design, equipment.

This is the 'middle' bid and it's coming it at $171k.
 

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Prices will vary a lot by location, but we put in our pool in 2020 (contract signed in 2019, so pre-COVID pricing) and without knowing details of your property this seems in line with the quotes we were getting here in PA. We have a little more square footage of both pool and pavers and some retaining walls, but not the plaster/light/etc. upgrades that you have in the quote. I'm sure prices have gone up. It was total sticker shock for me...

Do you have things itemized? The wall with the three shear descents might cost more than you would think, so consider how much it's worth to you.

What are the dimensions on that tanning ledge? Hard to tell from the render angle, but it looks a little small for e.g. lounge chairs. If you're going to put it in, make sure it's big enough for whatever seating you're going to want there.
 
That’s a beautiful design! As a point of comparison, we spent right around $100k 15 years ago for 25,500 gallon diving pool. We have quite a bit of decking, with 3 distinct patio areas and an outdoor kitchen.

We pretty quickly weeded through some of the builders and narrowed it down to 2: Gohlke out of Denton and Claffey out of Southlake and ultimately went with Claffey because of attention to things like pool elevation to avoid flooding - details that many builders overlooked. 15 years later and we’re still happy with that decision. Our pool is the only one on our cul-de-sac that hasn’t flooded.

I’ve remained friends with our Claffey rep and he tells me that our pool would cost over $200k today.
 
Prices will vary a lot by location, but we put in our pool in 2020 (contract signed in 2019, so pre-COVID pricing) and without knowing details of your property this seems in line with the quotes we were getting here in PA. We have a little more square footage of both pool and pavers and some retaining walls, but not the plaster/light/etc. upgrades that you have in the quote. I'm sure prices have gone up. It was total sticker shock for me...

Do you have things itemized? The wall with the three shear descents might cost more than you would think, so consider how much it's worth to you.

What are the dimensions on that tanning ledge? Hard to tell from the render angle, but it looks a little small for e.g. lounge chairs. If you're going to put it in, make sure it's big enough for whatever seating you're going to want there.
Great question. The three descents do cost a bit more as we need an extra pump. Attached is the dimensions as currently listed. I’ll con firm the dimensions of the tan ledge.
 

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Regardless of who you go with, couple of things - You do not want an SVRS pump and the inline chlorinator should be replaced with a salt water chlorine generator. Texas builders will push back on this hard because they're incredibly clueless, but it's absolutely something you want.

As for your automation (EasyTouch), I'll let someone more versed in Pentair products chime in, as I understand you'd really want the IntelliCenter over the EasyTouch.
 
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a salt water chlorine generator.
I couldn’t agree more. A salt water pool isn’t corrosive like many builders will tell you - the salt content is less than 10% of the salt content of sea water, so it’s more like your tears. You’ll also enjoy the feel of the water. And the luxury of not buying and storing chlorine??? Truly a trouble free and hassle free pool.
 
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As others have said....Swap the inline chlorinator for a salt water chlorine generator and absolutely get IntelliCenter. EasyTouch is Pentair's older technology.
 
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Suggestions:

-Switch to a large cartridge filter
-Delete the tab feeder and add a SWG
-Increase the depth of the shallow end to 4'
-Do not get a SVRS pump! You want the 011028 or 011056
-Delete the pressure cleaner & pump and get a robot instead
-Upgrade the older generation GloBrite lights to MicroBrite lights
-Upgrade to IntelliCenter
-Add an external bypass to your heater
 
I understand all about the prices. I had sticker shock too. Whenever you’re going over 100k for anything, you start to wonder if you’re getting taken or if it’s really worth it. At least that’s how I felt. I am no expert on this stuff. I am in the process of getting my pool built right now. Your 171K seem expensive but the materials that are being used can be superior ones. The sheer descent I know adds to the cost. You spa is larger than average. Mine is the same size but my pool is a little smaller than yours at 15 ft by 37’6 ft with fire bowls. It’s really hard to compare prices, but I will tell you that I am in the North Houston area near The Woodlands and I am paying 197k for my pool. However, my price also includes a roof extension, a little over 3000 square ft of pavers being laid and an outdoor kitchen. I saw an outdoor kitchen in your design but you only gave pool specs so I wasn’t sure if that was a part of your quote.

I hope this gives you some perspective and basis for comparison. It has taken me some time to come to grips with my costs. It seems so unreal to pay so much. However, if you want to be mentally comfortable about your purchase, visit some of the builders’ former clients. I was able to visit a couple of my pool builder’s recent clients before I signed on the dotted line. Seeing their beautiful pools and decks helped me quite a bit. The talked about the the communication with the builder being good and the quality of their pool. Their happiness and honesty about their ups and downs really helped me.

Good luck. I am sharing the link to my post here so you can review your quote and mine so you can hopefully get an idea. There are others who have posted their quotes on this site as well. New Build in Houston Area
 
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I understand all about the prices. I had sticker shock too. Whenever you’re going over 100k for anything, you start to wonder if you’re getting taken or if it’s really worth it. At least that’s how I am no expert on this stuff. I am in the process of getting my pool built right now. Your 171K seem expensive but the materials that are being used can be superior ones. The sheer descent I know adds to the cost. You spa is larger than average. Mine is the same size but my pool is a little smaller than yours at 15 ft by 37’6 ft with fire bowls. It’s really hard to compare prices, but I will tell you that I am in the North Houston area near The Woodlands and I am paying 197k for my pool. However, my price also includes a roof extension, a little over 3000 square ft of pavers being laid and an oversized outdoor kitchen.

I hope this gives you some perspective and basis for comparison. It has taken me some time to come to grips with my costs. It seems so unreal to pay so much. However, if you want to be mentally comfortable about your purchase. I was able to visit a couple of my pool builder’s recent clients before I signed on the dotted line. Seeing their beautiful pools and decks helped me quite a bit. The talked about the the communication with the builder being good and the quality of their pool. Their happiness and honesty about their ups and downs really helped me.

Good luck. I am sharing the link to my post here so you can review your quote and mine so you can hopefully get an idea. There are others who have posted their quotes on this site as well. New Build in Houston Area
Thanks for the perspective and sanity check. We already have an outdoor kitchen but I’m looking to add an outdoor extension that puts my price just slightly higher than your project. Which, by the way, looks great!
 

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Suggestions:

-Switch to a large cartridge filter
-Delete the tab feeder and add a SWG
-Increase the depth of the shallow end to 4'
-Do not get a SVRS pump! You want the 011028 or 011056
-Delete the pressure cleaner & pump and get a robot instead
-Upgrade the older generation GloBrite lights to MicroBrite lights
-Upgrade to IntelliCenter
-Add an external bypass to your heater
Thank you! Pool design and technology is not a strong spot for me!
 
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Thanks for the perspective and sanity check. We already have an outdoor kitchen but I’m looking to add an outdoor extension that puts my price just slightly higher than your project. Which, by the way, looks great!
Well good luck. I cleaned up my post a little after rereading it. I did not know you had already responded. If you mean a roof extension like mine, I say go for it. We get that mean Texas sun so I think to truly enjoy your backyard space, you need some covering. We are also going to have our patio screened in to not get eaten alive by mosquitos. That may be a thought for you too.
 
@Landshark64

Just so you know, the Pentair ScreenLogic add-on allows you to control the EasyTouch pool automation system remotely. It works just fine but as I said in my previous post, EasyTouch has been replaced by the IntelliCenter system which includes remote access and allows for over the air updates. Pool automation in general is already kind of clunky so I would recommend getting the latest technology (IntelliCenter). Prices are similar.
 
Hi everyone,

Just found this forum in the nick of time. I'm looking to build a pool in Frisco. Talked to three builders. All prices seem to be a bit over the top. Curious to hear any thoughts on cost, design, equipment.

This is the 'middle' bid and it's coming it at $171k.
Ouch! Welcome to 2022, I guess.
Beautiful pool!
 
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