Custom gunite pools
Custom gunite pools built for Hill Country ground
Designed for your yard, engineered for Hill Country geology, and built start to finish by one crew. Every gunite shell carries a lifetime structural warranty.
Why gunite holds on rock and caliche
The Texas Hill Country is not an easy place to build a pool. Rocky terrain, caliche soil and unpredictable grades are the starting conditions on most lots, and not every contractor knows how to handle them.
Gunite is the construction method that holds its shape against shifting Texas soil, and it is the only one that gives you true design freedom. Vinyl liner and fiberglass pools have limits on shape and size. A gunite shell is shaped on site around the slope, the rock and the way you actually use the yard.
Every shell we build carries a lifetime structural warranty. That promise makes sense because the same crew that designs the pool also digs it, shoots it and finishes the tile, from excavation to the final walkthrough, with no subs on design.
Aerial view of a raised, stone-walled freeform pool and spa above a lawn beside a tile-roof home
Building on limestone and slope
On a Hill Country lot, the spot where the pool belongs is often solid limestone. Where the pool goes, the rock gets blasted or broken out, and that work is planned at the site visit instead of discovered once the excavator is on the ground.
Slope is the other half of the problem. We engineer the retaining walls and the drainage in-house, so the wall that holds the hillside and the pool it protects are drawn together instead of by two different companies.
Rock and grade cost real money, and we say so up front. By our own published cost guide, rocky-lot excavation typically adds $8,000 to $25,000 and a sloped lot typically adds $15,000 to $40,000. Most Hill Country pools run between $75,000 and $450,000.
The features, the five phases and what you get in writing
Because gunite is shaped on site, the feature list stays open. The ones Hill Country homeowners add most are tanning ledges, grottos and caves, waterfalls, raised spas, beach entries, fire and water features, swim-up bars, custom lighting, automation, infinity edges, bubblers and jets, and custom tile and plaster.
A new pool runs in five phases over roughly 6 to 24 weeks, with the same project lead as your point of contact the whole way. The index below lays out what happens in each one and how long it takes.
The first site visit is free and so are the 3D renderings. The contract is fixed-price, the equipment is Pentair and Zodiac, and you get the warranty in writing at handoff.
Every gunite shell carries a lifetime structural warranty. Tile and stone coping carry a one-year workmanship warranty, and the Pentair and Zodiac pumps, filters and heaters we install carry three-year manufacturer coverage.
Features index
What goes into a gunite pool
- Tanning ledges
- Grottos and caves
- Waterfalls
- Raised spas
- Beach entries
- Fire and water features
- Swim-up bars
- Custom lighting
- Automation
- Infinity edges
- Bubblers and jets
- Custom tile and plaster
Five phases, about 6 to 24 weeks
From the first walk to the first swim
- ConsultPhone or a walk of your property. One visit.
- Design3D renderings and material samples. 1 to 2 weeks.
- PermitsSurvey, engineering and paperwork. 2 to 4 weeks.
- BuildExcavation through tile, with weekly updates. 4 to 18 weeks.
- HandoffWalkthrough, Pool School training and the written warranty. One visit.
The full breakdown of what drives the price is in our guide, how much a gunite pool costs in the Texas Hill Country. If you already own a pool that is tired, look at our pool renovations, and if you want the deck, kitchen and shade built to match, see outdoor living. Paying over time is covered on the financing page, and the walk of your yard starts on the contact page.