New pools & spas · West Palm Beach
Pool builders for ground that fights back.
Custom gunite pools and spas, designed and engineered for West Palm Beach lots — high water table, porous limestone, salt air and all. One contract, one crew, from the first sketch to the barrier inspection that closes your permit.
What we build.
Gunite, exclusively — because this ground rewards a shell engineered for it. Rectilinear pools with sun shelves and in-water loungers. Courtyard plunges tucked behind 1920s Mediterranean houses in El Cid and Prospect Park. Raised spas with spillways. Vanishing edges over the Intracoastal. Full outdoor-living packages with decks, summer kitchens and lighting designed in from day one, not bolted on.
Every build carries the same spine: buoyancy-resistant shell engineering, wellpoint dewatering planned before the excavator arrives, pressure-tested plumbing, and equipment specified for salt air — because a pool five hundred yards from the Intracoastal lives in a different chemical climate than one in Wellington.
Choosing a shell
Gunite, fiberglass, vinyl — the honest tradeoffs.
We only build gunite, and this table is why. If a fiberglass or vinyl pool genuinely fits your situation better, we'll say so at the design visit — it costs us nothing to be straight with you.
| Factor | Gunite (concrete) | Fiberglass | Vinyl liner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design freedom | Any shape, depth, edge or feature | Fixed factory moulds only | Limited shapes, soft floors |
| High water table fit | Shell engineered against uplift for the specific lot | Most buoyant option; empty shells can float | Liner can float and wrinkle with groundwater |
| Lifespan of structure | Decades; resurfaced rather than replaced | Long, but gelcoat fades and can't be reshaped | Liner replacement roughly every 6–10 years |
| Salt-air & salt-water tolerance | Excellent with the right finish and equipment spec | Good | Fittings and rails are the weak point |
| Build time on site | Longest — it's built, not delivered | Shortest, if crane access exists | Middle |
| Repairs later | Any tile/finish crew can work on it | Specialist gelcoat work | Liner patches, then replacement |
Money, plainly
What actually moves a pool quote.
Every pool-cost article on the internet is written for the national average backyard, and West Palm Beach is not it. Here's what genuinely moves the number on a build in this county, in roughly the order it moves it:
- Groundwater. How much dewatering your lot needs is the biggest local variable — some yards need a day of pumping, some need a full wellpoint ring for weeks.
- Structures. A raised spa, vanishing edge or big bond beam adds engineering and steel along with the glamour.
- Finish tier. Plaster, quartz and pebble sit on a clear ladder of longevity and look.
- Deck & barrier. The county requires deck permits simultaneously with the pool, and the 360-degree barrier is part of the job, not an accessory.
- Equipment spec. Variable-speed pumps, salt systems, heaters and automation — and the marine-grade versions coastal lots deserve.
What we promise about pricing: every quote is written, every driver gets its own line, and nothing is "included" that isn't described. If a soil condition or an inspector's call changes anything mid-build, you hear it from us the same day with the change priced before work continues.
And because we also run service routes and repair calls across the same neighbourhoods, we build with the next fifteen years in mind — equipment pads laid out so a tech can actually reach the unions, plumbing that can be pressure-tested without excavation, finishes we'd be happy to maintain weekly. Builders who disappear after the fill never think about that part.
Want a real number for your yard instead of an internet average?
Get a written quotePermits, handled
Palm Beach County's rules, done by the book.
Pools in this county are issued as a primary permit with sub-permits for the barrier, electric and other trades — and deck sub-permits must be issued simultaneously with the pool itself. The application includes an Affidavit of Understanding, signed by both the owner and the contractor, confirming a 360-degree barrier around the new pool or spa. Using a neighbour's wall as part of your barrier requires an agreement recorded in the county's Official Records, and any existing fence gets inspected before the county issues your Certificate of Completion. The full policy is public — county policy PB-O-104, summarised in the county's Pool Barrier Requirements and Process document — and the state-level barrier law behind it is Florida Statute Chapter 515.
We prepare the whole file: engineering, energy calcs, barrier affidavit, sub-permits and every inspection through completion. You never stand in a permit line, and your pool never swims in legal grey water.
Build questions
Asked before every build.
Can I get an inground pool on an entry-level budget?
In coastal Palm Beach County, entry-level budgets collide with two local realities: dewatering and buoyancy engineering, neither of which is optional here and neither of which exists in the national averages you see online. Rather than promise a number that dies at the first soil report, we itemise: excavation and dewatering, shell, finish tier, decking, barrier work and equipment each get their own line, so you decide where the budget goes.
What does a 15x30 or 12x24 inground pool cost on average?
Dimensions are the least useful predictor of a quote here. Two identical 15x30 shells can land far apart once one lot needs a full wellpoint dewatering system and the other doesn't, or one owner wants pebble over plaster and a raised spa. The honest way to price a pool is a site visit and a written, line-itemed quote — which is free.
How long does a pool build take in West Palm Beach?
Twelve to sixteen weeks of construction for a typical gunite pool once permits are in hand, and the county permit package usually adds three to six weeks up front. Elaborate builds — big decks, outdoor kitchens, vanishing edges — run longer. Weather and inspection scheduling move the needle; dewatering done right keeps it from moving further.
Do I need HOA approval as well as a county permit?
Often, yes. The county permit is mandatory everywhere; many West Palm Beach communities add their own architectural review on top. We fold HOA drawings into the design phase so the two approvals run in parallel instead of in sequence.
Is a gunite pool better than fiberglass in South Florida?
For this ground, usually. A gunite shell is engineered for your specific lot — including uplift resistance for our water table — and can be any shape, depth or edge detail. Fiberglass shells are quick to set but arrive in fixed shapes, and an empty fiberglass shell is the most buoyant object you can put in saturated ground. Our comparison table above walks the tradeoffs.