Which part of the scope are you most likely to cut if the budget is tight?
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Pool Plan Compass · Free estimate
Request written pool and spa estimates
Describe your project once and matched independent pool professionals in your area respond with written proposals. It is free and carries no obligation. The more precise the brief, the more comparable the proposals: use, yard dimensions, access width, panel capacity, and which scopes you want priced as base versus optional.
What to include
- 01How you will use the water: laps, play, lounging, hosting, or year-round soaking.
- 02Approximate pool or spa size and any shape preference, or a request to price two shell types.
- 03Access route from street to yard with the narrowest gate or gap width in inches.
- 04A photo of the electrical panel with the amperage and open breaker slots visible.
- 05A plot plan, survey or dimensioned sketch showing property lines and the house.
- 06Which items are base scope and which are optional: spa, heater, features, cover, deck material.
- 07Known site conditions: slope, rock, water table, septic, easements, HOA rules.
- 08The season you want to swim, so the schedule can be planned backwards.
A pool proposal is only as good as the information it was built on. A builder who knows your gate is 36 inches wide prices a mini-excavator and a conveyor; one who assumes 12 feet prices a full-size machine and sends a change order later. A builder who knows the panel is 100 amps with two open slots prices a subpanel; one who does not leaves electrical as an allowance. This page tells you what to gather before you send the request.
Pool Corporation estimated just under 60,000 new U.S. pools in 2025, about half the pandemic pace, so builders have capacity and are responsive to a well-organized homeowner. PHTA's Q4 2024 Pulse found 34% vs 35% between firms with new-pool revenue up and down, while 78% still expected growth over the next 12 months. Take twenty minutes on the brief and you will save weeks of back and forth.
What happens after you send a request?
Your brief goes to independent professionals who serve your area and handle the scope you described. Expect contact within a few business days, then a site visit for anything beyond a portable spa, because no responsible builder prices excavation from photos alone. After the visit each pro sends a written proposal. You compare, ask questions, and decide, or decide not to proceed. There is no fee to you and no obligation.
The proposals should be on comparable terms if the brief was clear. If one is far outside the others, ask what assumption drove it rather than discarding it; the outlier is sometimes the one that noticed the water table. The review guide covers how to check each bidder's public record before you shortlist.
What should you decide before you ask for proposals?
Primary use, because it drives size and depth: laps, play, lounging, or hosting. Shell preference if you have one, or a request to price two. Whether an attached spa is base scope or optional. Heating fuel or a request for the pro's recommendation; by our analysis of EIA's 2024 survey, 15.8% of pool homes heat with natural gas and 13.3% with electricity. Deck material and rough square footage. Whether you want water features now or plumbing stubbed for later. And the season you want to swim, so the schedule can be built backwards.
You do not need to decide finish colors, tile or lighting before the first proposal; those are selections made after the scope is set. You do need to decide what is base and what is optional so the proposals have the same base. The planning quiz flags the decisions you have not made yet, and the cost calculator gives you a range to sanity-check the responses.
Which photos and documents make the biggest difference?
A plot plan or survey with the house and property lines, even a hand sketch with dimensions, lets the builder check setbacks before the visit. A photo of the access route from the street to the pool area, with the gate width written on it, answers the excavation question. A photo of the electrical panel with the cover off answers the subpanel question. A photo of the yard from an upstairs window shows grade and drainage better than any ground-level shot.
If the yard has known issues, say so: a septic field, a buried utility easement, a high water table after rain, an HOA with fence rules. HomeAdvisor's 2026 timeline gives 2–6 weeks, and every one of these issues found at the permit stage rather than the proposal stage adds weeks.
What should you expect a written proposal to contain?
A drawing with pool dimensions, depth profile, equipment pad location and barrier line. Excavation assumptions and unit prices for rock, extra haul-off and dewatering. Equipment by model number: pump, filter, heater, sanitizer, lights, automation. Deck square footage and material. Electrical scope including bonding and any subpanel. Permit responsibility. Startup and training. Payment schedule tied to milestones. Warranty terms on shell, plaster or gelcoat, and equipment.
Missing items are not necessarily bad faith; they are where the change orders will come from. Ask for them before signing. CPSC's 2026 report counted 376 per year, and a proposal with no barrier line item is a proposal that has not planned for the final inspection.
- Site drawing with dimensions, setbacks, equipment pad and barrier.
- Excavation assumptions with unit prices for the unknowns.
- Equipment schedule by manufacturer and model.
- Electrical, permit, inspection and startup responsibilities named.
- Milestone payment schedule and written warranty terms.
Homeowner polls
What other planners are choosing
What total budget are you planning for the whole project?
Angi's 2026 benchmark for the pool alone is $44,499 to $87,349.
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Questions about requesting an estimate
How many proposals should I get?
Three is the practical number for a full pool build: enough to see the spread, few enough to manage site visits. For a portable hot tub, two dealer quotes and one electrician quote is typical. More than four full-pool proposals rarely adds information and costs each builder a half day, which makes them less inclined to sharpen the bid.
Will builders charge for a site visit?
Usually not for an initial visit and proposal. Some charge for detailed design drawings, 3D renderings or engineering, especially on sloped lots, and that fee is often credited if you proceed. Ask before the visit whether anything is billable and get it in writing.
Should I tell each builder what the others quoted?
Not the numbers. Tell them the scope differences you noticed so they can match the base scope. Sharing prices tends to produce a bid that matches the lowest number by cutting something you did not notice. Comparing on scope keeps the process honest.
How long is a proposal valid?
Typically 30 days, sometimes less when material prices are moving. Equipment and steel prices change, and a builder's schedule fills. If you need longer, ask for a written extension rather than assuming the number holds.
Can I request estimates for the deck only?
Yes. Describe the existing pool, its coping type and condition, the deck square footage, and the material you want. Attach photos of the coping joint and any cracks. Hardscape specialists often respond to deck-only requests, and the decking and coping page explains what a good proposal includes.
What if my yard has no equipment access?
Say so in the brief and attach the photo. Builders have options: mini-excavators, conveyor belts for spoil, crane-set fiberglass shells over the house, or removing a fence section. Each adds cost and the proposals will show it. It is far better to price it now than to discover it on dig day.
Is my information shared beyond the matched pros?
It is used to match your request to professionals who serve your area and scope, and shared with them so they can respond. It is not sold to lists or used for unrelated offers. If a pro contacts you about something you did not request, say so through the contact form.
Not sure which service? Start with a guide
Service guideCustom Pool Design & BuildCustom pool design and build covers everything from the site plan to first swim: excavation, the shell in gunite, fiberglass or vinyl, equipment and plumbing, electrical and bonding, the barrier, startup and training.
Service guideSpa & Hot Tub InstallationSpa and hot tub installation covers the base, the delivery route, the dedicated electrical circuit with GFCI protection, drainage around the unit, and the cover and access arrangement that make it usable every week.
Service guideWater Features & WaterfallsWater features add sound and motion to a pool through sheer descents, bubblers, deck jets, scuppers, spillover spas or rock waterfalls.
Service guidePool Decking & CopingPool decking and coping form the transition from water to yard: the coping caps the bond beam and the deck carries foot traffic and sheds water.