Pool & Spa · Nashville, TN
The Nashville homeowner's guide to pool and spa
What the work involves, what drives the price, what your options are, and what a bad job looks like — written so you can judge any pool contractor in Middle Tennessee, including us.
Warning signs
How to know you need us
If you recognize any of these, it is worth having somebody look before it becomes a larger job.
- Water level dropping faster than evaporation explains
- Plaster rough underfoot, stained or showing the shell beneath
- A pump that is loud, cycling oddly or not priming
- Water that goes green no matter what you add
- Coping or decking cracked, lifting or a trip hazard
- A hot tub that will not hold temperature
Your options
More than one right answer.
A pool contractor who only ever recommends the most expensive option is not giving you advice. Here is the honest range.
Gunite construction
Any shape, any depth, built on site. The long-life option and what most custom pools in this region are.
Fiberglass installation
Faster, less disruption and a smoother surface, within the shapes the manufacturer makes.
Renovation rather than replacement
Where the shell is sound, replaster, new tile, coping and decking transform a pool for a fraction of a new build.
Service only
Weekly chemistry and cleaning with no construction. Frequently the right first step while you decide about the rest.
What it costs
What actually drives the price.
We do not quote pool and spa over the phone, because an honest number needs somebody to look at the job. These are the things that move it.
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Gunite or fiberglass
Fiberglass arrives as a shell and installs fast in a limited range of shapes. Gunite is built on site in any shape and costs more in both time and money.
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Access for equipment
A back yard an excavator can reach is a different project from one where everything comes through a gate or over a neighbouring lot.
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What is under the yard
Middle Tennessee limestone sits close to the surface in many places, and hitting rock during excavation is the single largest cost surprise in pool building here.
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Decking, coping and finish
The pool shell is only part of it. Decking area, coping material and interior finish are where budgets move most after the shell is set.
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Equipment and automation
Variable-speed pumps, heaters, salt systems and automation each add cost up front, and the pump is the one that pays itself back in running cost.
Every estimate is free, written and carries no obligation — including the parts we would find only after starting, which are priced up front rather than left open.
What happens
From your call to the finished job.
Design and permit
Two to six weeks including layout, engineering where required, and the permit and any HOA approval.
Excavation and shell
Dig, steel, plumbing and gunite or shell set. The phase most affected by weather and by what is under the yard.
Deck and equipment
Coping, tile, decking, equipment pad and electrical, each inspected where the jurisdiction requires it.
Finish and start-up
Interior finish, fill and water chemistry brought into balance, then a handover of how to actually run it.
Done badly
What goes wrong, and why it matters.
These are the shortcuts that make a quote look cheaper and cost you more later. Ask anyone you are considering about them.
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No rock clause in the contract
Excavation is where pool budgets break in this region, and an open-ended allowance is not a price.
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Undersizing the equipment pad
A heater, a salt cell or an automation panel added later needs space and circuits that should have been allowed for at the start.
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Skimping on decking drainage
Water running off the deck toward the house is a foundation problem created by a pool project.
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Chasing chemistry without testing
Adding product without readings is how a pool ends up balanced for nothing in particular and green anyway.
Before you hire anyone
Six questions worth asking any pool contractor.
Including us. If a contractor cannot answer these easily, that is the answer.
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Are you licensed for pool and spa and can I see the certificate?
A licensed and insured contractor will have this to hand and will not be irritated by the question.
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Is the estimate written, itemized and free?
A verbal number is not an estimate. Itemized means you can compare two quotes on the same basis.
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What happens if you find something once you start?
The honest answer names a rate and a process. The answer to worry about is that it never happens.
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Who is actually doing the work?
Employee crew or subcontractor is not a wrong answer either way, but you should know which, and who carries the insurance.
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What is the workmanship warranty, and is it in writing?
Materials carry a manufacturer warranty. Workmanship is the contractor, and it should be written down.
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Will you pull the permit?
For permitted work, a contractor who suggests skipping it is telling you something important about the rest of the job.
FAQ
Choosing a pool contractor in Nashville
How do I choose a pool contractor in Nashville?
Check the license and the insurance certificate, get the estimate in writing and itemized so you can compare quotes on the same basis, and ask what happens if something is found once work starts. A contractor who cannot answer those easily has told you what you need to know.
Should I get more than one quote for pool and spa?
Yes, and compare what is in them rather than the number at the bottom. The cheapest quote is often cheapest because it leaves something out, and on pool and spa the thing left out is usually the preparation that decides how long the work lasts.
Is the cheapest pool and spa quote usually a bad idea?
Not automatically — but an unusually low number is information. Ask specifically what is included, what grade of material is quoted, who is doing the work and what the workmanship warranty is. If all four answers are good, the low quote is a good quote.
Do I need a permit for pool and spa in Nashville?
It depends on the scope. Metro Nashville and the surrounding counties permit and inspect a good deal of this work, and a contractor suggesting you skip a required permit is telling you something about how they approach the rest of the job. We pull the permits our work requires.
How far in advance should I book pool and spa?
A few weeks where you can. Booking in the quiet season usually means better scheduling and sometimes better pricing than booking in the rush, and it gives you time to make the selections properly.
Free estimate
Need a pool contractor in Nashville today?
Tell us what is going on and we will get you a free estimate from a local pool contractor. No obligation, no pressure.