How Long Does it Take to Build a Swimming Pool in San Diego?
You've been thinking about building a new pool, preparing your budget, and interviewing contractors, but one question remains; How long does is take to build a swimming pool in San Diego?
Building an inground swimming pool is a significant decision for your home and family and one that requires time and research to make sure it is a worth while investment. When considering taking on such a large project for your property, it is essential to understand the construction timeline and the factors that may affect the process. On average, you can expect it to take between 6-10 weeks to build an inground swimming pool in San Diego.
However, it is important to remember that this is just a general guidance on the timeframe and that depending on several factors your project could take up to 4 months or more to complete.
This article aims to provide a detailed analysis of the time it takes to build an inground concrete swimming pool in San Diego, along with the primary factors that influence this duration.
Main Factors Affecting Pool Construction Timeline in San Diego.
Understanding the main factors that effect the pool construction timeframe is essential for homeowners to understand so it creates a level of transparency during the project. We've listed out the most common factors and steps that effect how long it takes to build a new pool.
1. Pool Design Complexity
The complexity of your pool design plays a crucial role in determining the construction timeline for an inground concrete pool. Opting for elaborate features, such as waterfalls, grottos, or vanishing edges, can significantly increase the overall construction time due to the additional planning, materials, and labor required. Incorporating or building additional outdoor living features like kitchens, fire pits, and patio covers can also delay or extend the over timeframe for you pool construction.
It is essential to have open and clear communication with your pool builder regarding your design preferences and expectations. By doing so, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of the expected timeline and any potential challenges that may arise during the construction process. A knowledgeable and experienced pool contractor will be able to provide you with valuable insights and recommendations on design elements that can help you achieve your dream pool while minimizing the impact on the overall timeline.
2. Permitting Process
When building a new swimming pool in San Diego, obtaining the necessary permits is a crucial step before commencing any pool construction project. Starting your project without the necessary approvals from your local municipalities can leads to fines and other legal problems. The permitting process ensures that your pool adheres to local building codes, safety regulations, and zoning requirements. The duration of this process can vary significantly, taking anywhere from a few days to several month. As a local pool builder in Carlsbad, we generally see permits for new pool construction in the San Diego area taking anywhere from 1 to 3 months.
The complexity of your pool project is a significant determinant in the permitting process duration. More elaborate and technical designs could require additional approvals and documentation from local authorities. Depending on location and complexity of certain features, extra engineering made be required before submitting permits. This can easily add 1 to two weeks of additional time.
The responsiveness and workload of your local permitting office will also play a large role in the permitting timeline. Unfortunately in our experience working with most city offices is like going to the DMW, long waits and takes forever to get what you need. During peak pool construction months (June through September), you can expect this process to be even longer as resources and taken up serving other company requests as well. Most companies including ours here at Refined Pools have employed permit technicians who specialize in getting our projects approved and permitted as fast as possible.
To navigate the permitting process efficiently, it is highly recommended to work with an experienced pool contractor who is well-versed in local regulations and has a strong track record of obtaining permits in San Diego. Having good familiarity with the process and existing relationships with local authorities can help expedite the permitting process and avoid potential delays.
An experienced contractor can assist you in preparing accurate and comprehensive documentation, ensuring that your application meets the necessary requirements and minimizing the chances of permit denials or revisions.
By understanding the intricacies of the permitting process and working with a knowledgeable pool contractor, you can better prepare for the time it takes to obtain permits and ensure a smooth construction process for your inground concrete pool in San Diego.
3. Pool Excavation
The time it takes to complete this excavation phase can vary depending on several factors, such as soil conditions, weather, and site accessibility. Before starting the excavation phase you should always have your contractor map out the location of the pool using construction spray paint. Before beginning the dig of your new pool you want to verify the location, shape, and size are all inline with your expectations and contractor agreement. We suggest having a sign off sheet for both parties to complete before and excavation begins.
Depending on access to the project location, soil conditions and unforeseen complications such as granite and boulders, we generally expect the swimming pool excavation phase to last one to three days in the San Diego area. For the most part we are able to complete this phase in one day but depending on the size and factors mentioned above, it can be extended by a day or two.
4. Steel Reinforcement and Plumbing
Following excavation, we begin the steel reinforcement phase creative a skeleton like structure that is built to provide support for the concrete shell. This process typically takes about 2 to 4 days and during this phase we simultaneously begin the plumbing phase. During this process the plumbing is laid out, which involves installing pipes and connecting them to the pool's filtration system. The complexity of the plumbing system and any additional water features may affect the time it takes to complete this stage. Additonally during this phase, the plumbing team will also be installing and preparing your pool equipment. Overall you can expect the steel and plumbing phase to last about one week.
6. Coping & Tile
This is really where the look and style of your pool begins to take shape. After the appropriate curing time has been allowed for your shotcrete, your pool contractor can bring in their masons to begin installing your coping, tile, and other finishes. If you did not plan accordingly for this part, selecting your materials before starting your project, you could be waiting weeks or months waiting for your materials to come in.
In general you can expect the tile and coping installation phase of your pool construction to last from one to two weeks.
5. Shotcrete
Once the steel and plumbing phase is completed we will need to call for a city inspection to get approval for the next phase. The inspector will make sure the excavation, steel, and plumbing has been installed correctly. If a project manager fails to monitor and make sure his or hers team completed these phases correctly, you could get rejected for approval and have to fix the issues documented. This can lead to weeks of added time backing up of your overall project completion time.
If all previous phases are completed correctly your inspector will sign off on approval for Shotcrete. This phases is where your pool contractor will spray the concrete mix building the hard structure of the pool. Depending on the size of the pool this can be a very large project as this phase will need to be completed in one day. If your pool is oversized and extremely large, the contractor will need to bring in extra equipment and crew to handle the work.
7. Interior Finish
One of the final phases of your swimming pool construction will be your interior finish. This will be where your pool contractor applies the finish to the interior of your pool. This can be standard plaster, or our personal presence of micro pebble. We definitely recommend going with an upgraded finish like pebble because it not only gives you options for water color but is also longer lasting and more durable than plaster. Before beginning this phase you will need to receive one final approval from your inspector. Once approved the interior finish is completed in one day.
8. Final Hook-Up and Start-Up
Once the interior finish is completed, your contractor will bring back the plumbers to do final hook up of your equipment. They will also do the necessary start up procedure to get your pool water chemistry at the appropriate levels.
During this phase your contractor should also spend time with you showing you how to use your pool and any automatization systems you have installed. Provided the project went smoothly this phase should be completed around weeks 16-18 and you can begin enjoying your new swimming pool.
If you're ready to get started with your very own swimming pool project in the San Diego area, please use the button below to request your Free Design and Estimate.