Want to build a pool? Curious about the process of building a pool?
Keep reading, this is the perfect post for you.
Light blue, crystal clear water that’s soft as silk and warm to the touch. A quiet, personal oasis where you unwind, cool off, and spend time with friends. The perfect outlet for low impact exercise and heart healthy cardio.
The list goes on, but if you’re reading this post then two things are certain: you want to build a pool (or you’re thinking about it) & you understand the benefits of owning one
If you’re going to build a pool at any point, then it’s important to understand the building process. For each type of swimming pool, it’s a little bit different. While some pools take a short amount of time to build, others take longer but allow for more creative freedom.
But every pool building process follows the same core steps. And no matter which type of pool you build, there are a few important prerequisites that you don’t want to skip out on.
Luckily, we’ll be going over all of that in this post. From the process of building a pool, to everything you should be doing before and after.
So if you’re ready to learn everything you need to know about how to build a pool, keep reading.
How Long Does It Take To Build a Pool & Set It Up
Before you build a pool…
Prerequisite 1.) Design (1-3 weeks)
Before you start digging, you have to choose a design for your pool. Will it be a square, rectange, oval, or more of a free form?
Fiberglass pools come in a small variety of prebuilt shapes. You still have all the classic shapes to choose from, like rectangles and ovals, just nothing too fancy.
Concrete and vinyl pools allow for much more freedom. Almost any shape you can think of can be made out of concrete. This makes them ideal for more free form designs that combine several shapes into one.
Work with a professional to design the pool that’s perfect for your space and budget. Thanks to the help of modern 3D modeling technology, the process only requires a few quick talks with your designer to bring your ideas to life.
Prerequisite 2.) Permitting (1-8 weeks)
Once you’ve designed your pool, the next step is getting the permitting to have it built legally. Unfortunately, you have less control over this part of the process. The speed of permit approval ranges greatly between municipalities, and each process varies from state to state.
Some states may require one form, while others require several plus approval from various state officials.
Because of this, getting a residential building permit for a swimming pool takes anywhere from 1 week to 2 months. But once you have, you’re ready to build a pool.
Step by Step Guide to Building a Pool
Step 1.) Pool layout
Time span: 1 – 2 days
This is when you get the first glimpse of how your new pool will look in your backyard. At this step, your pool builder outlines the shape and placement of your pool using form boards or wooden pegs.
They also take this time to calculate the proper pool elevation, and go over the rest of the pool building process with you.
Step 2.) Excavation
Time span: 1 – 2 weeks
Once the swimming pool permit is approved, and the layout is formed, the dirt starts moving. The excavation process usually only takes a week or so, thanks to the help of professional digging equipment.
But, there are a few things that can slow down a swimming pool excavation:
- Weather conditions, like rain or snow
- Condition and moisture of soil
- How easy it easy to reach the pool area (accessibility)
- Exposed utility lines
- Natural obstructions, like branches and boulders
Step 3.) Steel frame placement
Time span: 1 – 3 days
With the hole dug out, next is the placement of the steel frame. This is the foundation that gives your pool it’s structure.
The structure is made up of horizontally and vertically laid steel rebar that forms the shape of your pool. Kind of like a wireframe, or blueprint.
So at this point, with the steel rebars in place, you can see a rough outline of your pool’s shape. And it makes the next steps, like adding plumbing and forming the walls much easier.
Step 4.) Pipes & plumbing
Time span: Up to 1 week
Installing the pipes might be one of the most important parts of building a pool. Without pipes, keeping your water clean and warm is impossible.
Because no pipes, means no water flow. And without water flow, running a pump, filter, and heater is impossible.
Luckily, it usually doesn’t take any longer than a week to get your swimming pool’s plumbing set up. And once it is, you’ll have all the connections you need to install a pump, filter, and pool heater later.
Step 5.) Electrical connections
Time span: 1 – 2 days
Your plumbing connections are set up and ready to go. That means your pool is almost ready for water.
Now it’s time to set up electrical connections to power all the different features of your pool
This includes installing the conduits for lights/water features (waterfalls, fountains), and pool equipment (pump, pool heater), in addition to the main breaker box.
Step 6.) Adding the floor & walls (Concrete, Vinyl, Fiberglass)
Time span: 7 – 60 days
This is the part of the pool building process that sets each pool apart. For fiberglass pools, this process is fairly quick. But for concrete and vinyl pool, there are a few more steps involved.
Concrete
Concrete pools require a little more time to form the walls and floor. This is because your builders must pour and distribute the concrete evenly across the pool frame. And as you imagine, this process requires careful measurement and precise application.
For this, most pool builders use high pressure hoses to quickly spread the concrete and speed up the process.
But since concrete doesn’t harden immediately, it requires a few extra days to cure before it can be plastered with a final coating. And in some cases, your pool builder ask you to “water” the pool during the curing process to ensure the best results.
Total time: 20 to 60 days
Vinyl
Vinyl is a little simpler, because unlike concrete, it doesn’t involve plastering. This is because the vinyl liner itself acts as the plaster layer.
What takes the most time is building the wall to stretch the vinyl layer over. Most pool builders offer the options of s steel, concrete, or polymer walls. And as you already know, concrete takes the longest of the three to finish.
Total time: 15 to 45 days
Fiberglass
Fiberglass pools offer the fastest installation time hands down.
Why?
Because fiberglass pools are shipped “pre-built”, which means the entire pool shell arrives in one piece.
No concrete, no plastering, no vinyl. Just an entire swimming pool, ready to go.
This lets your builders quickly lower the pool into the ground, which saves a TON of time.
Total time: 7 to 21 days
Related: Fiberglass vs Vinyl vs Concrete Pools
Step 7.) Tiling, coping, and aesthetics
Time span: 1 – 3 days
At this point, the swimming pool is built. So now is when you get to beautify it with a few creative touches.
For instance, there’s waterline tile, which serves as a wonderful accent. These small tiles come in a variety of colors and designs, and create an eye catching contrast between your water and the surface of your pool.
This is also when your pool builder adds coping to your pool, which is the decorative lining around the edge. This might be brick, or marble depending on your initial design choice.
Step 8.) Pool deck & custom lighting
Time span: 1 – 2 weeks
No swimming pool is complete without a fresh pool deck to go with it. Where else will you soak in the sun on those hot summer days? Or host all those holiday parties and barbecues?
In most cases, building a deck around a pool takes anywhere from 1-2 weeks depending on the materials being used. But for reference, concrete is usually the fastest at the lowest cost.
A few common styles of pool decks include:
- Natural stone pool deck
- Concrete base with a natural stone surface
- Paver pool deck
- Paver stone surface that offers great drainage
- Tiled pool deck
- Tiled surface ideal for different patterns & color schemes
- Concrete pool deck
- Concrete base & brushed concrete surface layer
- Exposed aggregate pool deck
- Concrete base & pebble/small rock surface
Step 9.) Landscaping
Time span: Up to 1 week
The pool is built, and the deck is ready for foot traffic.
All that’s left is decorating your swimming pool area. Here are a few pool landscaping ideas:
- Add a few potted plants
- Install a fire pit
- Create a rock garden
- Add string lights around pool enclosure
- Use lawn & garden ornaments as accent pieces
Related: 11 Simple Pool Landscaping Ideas That Fit Your Budget
Step 10.) Clean up & final coating
Time span: 1 – 2 weeks
Some pool builders clean throughout the process, and others knock it all out in one shot. Either is fine.
What’s important is that they leave your backyard looking just as good, or better than it did when they started.
So if there’s any equipment or materials still lying around at this point, this is when your pool builder should be clearing it out.
And if you went with a concrete pool, this is when the final coating is applied to the interior. A few popular pool finish options include classic blue and teal, in addition to pebble tec and exposed aggregate.
Step 11.) Pool Building Process: COMPLETE
Total time to build a pool: 4 – 16 weeks
Getting your pool ready for swimmers
Congrats! The pool is built.
But, before you can swim in it, there are few more things left to do. The most obvious one, if it hasn’t been done already, is filling the pool.
Luckily, everything that’s left won’t take more than a few days to tackle. Here’s what to do to open your pool for swimming:
- Filling the pool (2-3 days)
- This is as simple as running your garden hose to your pool and leaving it on for a few days
- Installing pool pump (1-3 hours)
- Requires inlet, outlet, and electrical connection to breaker
- Installing your pool filter (<48 hours)
- All filters are powered by your pump, and only require an inlet and outlet connection
- Installing your pool heater (1-4 days)
- Pool Heat Pumps: fastest install time (1-2 days) — require inlet, outlet, and electrical connection
- Solar Pool Heater: slower install time (3-5 days) — require inlet, outlet, electrical connection, and installation of solar panel grid
- Gas Heater: slowest install time (3-7 days) — require inlet, outlet, electrical connection, and dedicated gas supply line
- Adding chemicals (<24 hours)
- Balancing your water takes less than a day if your follow this guide on pool chemicals
Bonus.) Pool Building Time-lapse Video
For all the visual people out there, here’s an awesome time-lapse video of a swimming pool being installed. Courtesy of Youtuber Alexander Fedorov
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