Everything You Need to Know About Building a Pool

We’ve been enjoying our new pool for about month now and I already don’t know how we ever lived without it. I’ve no doubt the pool will provide hours of entertainment for the girls this summer and lots of fun family time at home for all of us. Here you’ll find everything you need to know about building a pool. I’m going to walk you though our pool building experience, share some advice we learned along the way, and provide links to our vendors and products used. Hopefully this will provide some insight for you into the process of building a pool and where to buy the things you need.

Latham Pools Cancun Model

We did a lot of research and decided early on that we wanted a fiberglass pool. I’ll be sharing a guide on fiberglass vs. gunite pools soon so stay tuned for that. Our pool is the Cancun model by Latham Pools. It’s a freeform style that measures 16×40″ with a depth of 3-6′. It has built in seating and slip resistant steps. The color we chose is Sapphire Blue.

Latham has so many great designs to choose from. One of the limitations of fiberglass pools is you have to choose from pre-designed styles but there is no shortage of beautiful options on Lathan’s site. As I was viewing the options on their website I really wanted to see the pools actually installed in someone’s yard so I hope these pictures will be helpful to someone wanting to see what the Cancun looks like in real life.

What to Expect When Building a Pool

Expect your backyard to be a disaster! The pool company set realistic expectations beforehand and we’ve had several friends who have put in pools so we knew what we were getting into. But nothing can prepare you for seeing your own beautiful yard look like a bomb went off!

Luckily we were able to access our backyard by cutting a path through the woods behind our house so there was no impact to our front or side yards. They started digging for the pool in early December which only took a couple days. This was followed by removing the excess dirt and leveling the bottom of the hole with gravel so the pool would sit straight.

The pool arrived December 17th and it took a really big crane to hoist it over the tops of the pine trees around our yard. My brother in law took this super cool time lapse video of the process.

For the next week, they worked on setting the pool, backfilling around it, and grading the yard. Then progress came to a halt between Christmas and New Years. In early January, work progressed on installing the pool equipment, heater and water line tile. We agonized over the water line tile before finally deciding on this 1×2″ glass tile in 4 different shades of blue. I’m so glad we chose this one because it looks fantastic!

We opted to install a heater for the pool so we could use it year-round. Granted, I’m not about to go swimming when it’s 40 degrees outside (i.e. “Freezing” to a native Charlestonian) but often have random warm days during the winter and the heater will give us the option to enjoy it year-round. The first time we used the pool was on a warm day in late February. The water was 53 degrees to start and we heated it up to 85 in less than 12 hours.

The process of pouring the concrete deck took much longer than expected due to lots of rain delays. The backyard was a total mud pit during most of January and we had to wait for it to dry out before they could pour concrete. That finally happened in late January and then we had to wait another couple weeks before the Cool Deck was applied.

If you’re not familiar with Cool Deck, it’s a cement coating that stays cools even when exposed to extreme temperatures. It has a textured appearance and can be painted any color you like. We chose light gray color called “Sable.”

The landscaping we did ourselves, except for planting 3 palm trees. We decided to leave that to the professionals!

The final finishing touch to our backyard oasis was a gas fire pit. It wasn’t cheap to run a gas line but it was so worth it to have the convenience of turning on the fire pit by simply turning a key. The pavers are by Tremron in a color called Glacier, and the coping around the top are limestone slabs. The glass rocks around the burners are the perfect compliment to the water line tile we chose for the pool, and we got a stainless steel lid to cover it up while not in use. We had the fire pit and pavers professionally installed but ordered most of the equipment ourselves, including the burner ring, burner ring pan and ignition kit.

Of course, Robbie had to add another outdoor TV (yes this is the 3rd one!) so we could watch football while sitting around the firepit. It’s cleverly disguised in this box he built under our living room windows. And what would a backyard be without surround sound? He also hooked us up with 4 outdoor speakers so we can listen to music.

We got 3 chaise lounge chairs but bought coordinating side tables to go with them. I love that the tables have a hole for an umbrella so I can always have a shady spot while lounging by the pool. We got the Adirondack chairs around the fire pit at Costo for a steal. It was such a good deal that they sold out very quickly. The rocking chairs are also from Costco. Links to the products are below.

Our vendors and products

Contractors/Vendors:

• Pool Installer: Paradise Pools and Spa
• Pool Manufacturer: Latham Pools
• Patio & Firepit Installation: Raul Lara (843-460-2830)
• Cool Deck: Urban Elements
• Gas Line Installation: Sadler Gas & Plumbing
• Palm Trees: Cold Hardy Palms
• Plants: Purchased from Hidden Ponds Nursery
• Sod: Purchased from Carolina Fresh Farms
• Landscaping, Irrigation & Drainage Improvements: My handy husband Robbie (with a little help from me on the landscaping!)

We would absolutely recommend these vendors to anyone looking to put in a pool or do backyard improvements in the Charleston, SC area. They all did good quality work! (But Robbie is not for hire!)

Finishes and Products:

Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

• Pool: 16×20″ Cancun model fiberglass pool by Latham Pools in Sapphire Blue
• Water Line Tile: Classic Pool Tile Collection 1×2″ glass tiles in Light Blue Blend
• Concrete Pavers for Fire Pit: Tremron pavers in Glacier
• Fire Pit Accessories: Burner Ring Pan | Burner Ring | Spark Ignition Kit | Stainless Steel Cover | Glass Rocks
• Furniture: Side Table with Umbrella Hole | Umbrella | Lounge Chairs | Adirondack chairs (similar) | Adirondack Rockers (similar) | Teal Side Table (similar)
• Video / Audio Equipment: Samsung 65″ Smart TV | Klipsch Outdoor Speakers | Polk Outdoor Speakers | Outdoor Speaker Wire | Receiver

Budgeting for a pool

Building a pool is a major investment. I’m not going to provide exact dollar figures for our project, but I thought it would be helpful for you to see a breakdown by percentage of what made up the costs.

• All pool expenses (excavation, grading, 16×40″ fiberglass pool, pump/filter equipment, cleaning robot): 62%
• Pool Heater: 6%
• Concrete & Cool Deck: 10%
• Firepit & Accessories: 8%
• Landscaping (plants, sod, dirt, soil, pine straw):  7%
• Outdoor Furniture: 5%
• Audio / Video Equipment (TV, Outdoor Speakers): 2%

All the work Robbie did on the landscaping, irrigation and drainage saved us so much money! But it was a LOT of hard work. Landscaping will take up significantly more of the budget if you hire someone to do it for you. If you don’t already have fencing, you’ll also need to factor that into the budget. Here are some helpful posts on landscaping if you want to DIY:

The Best Shrubs for Creating Privacy on Your Yard | How to Transplant a Potted Shrub

Advice & Tips for building a pool

Our pool project was completed without any major issues. The worst thing that happened was weather delays which unfortunately simply can’t be controlled. Here are some tips and advise I would recommend when building a pool

• Do your research on fiberglass vs. gunite pools and make the right decision based on your wants and needs. There is not one “right” choice for everyone, but there is a right choice for you.
• Get a couple of quotes from different pool companies. You shouldn’t necessarily choose the lowest priced company, but you want to make sure you’re getting a fair price.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for references if they aren’t provided. It’s important to know who you’re working with and have confidence in their work.
• Monitor the work closely and don’t hesitate to speak up if you see something wrong.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
• When budgeting for a pool, don’t forget to factor in the costs of all the extra things like landscaping and outdoor furniture.
• Mostly importantly, be patient and don’t expect everything to be completed in a matter of days. Our overall project too about 10 weeks. I promise it’ll be worth the wait!  

So now you know everything you need to know about building a pool! Did I leave out something? Just ask in the comments!

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