Ten stages.
In this order. Always.
Pool construction is one of the few trades where the order is non-negotiable — each stage has to cure, inspect or set before the next can start. Here is exactly what happens in your yard, and roughly when.
Design & consultation
We walk the yard, take measurements, check access, locate the septic or sewer line and talk about how you actually plan to use the pool. You get a 3D design and a fixed written price before anything is signed.
Week 0 · 1–2 visitsPermits & HOA approval
We submit engineered drawings to the City of Katy, Fort Bend County or Harris County, and to your HOA architectural committee. This is the stage most likely to add time — some ACCs meet only monthly.
Weeks 1–4Layout & excavation
The shape is painted and staked so you can see the footprint before we dig. Excavation typically takes one to two days; spoil is hauled off rather than spread across your yard.
Week 4 · 1–2 daysSteel
#3 rebar tied at 12 inches on center each way, chaired up off the subgrade so it ends up inside the shell rather than resting under it. County or city steel inspection follows.
Week 5 · 2–3 daysPlumbing & electrical rough-in
Schedule 40 PVC for all suction and return lines, dual main drains, bonding grid tied per NEC 680, conduit to the equipment pad. Lines are pressure-tested and left under pressure through the gunite shoot so any hit is obvious immediately.
Week 5 · 2–3 daysGunite
The shell is shot in one continuous operation — 8 inches minimum, 4000 PSI. Then it cures. We'll ask you to hose it down daily for 7 to 10 days, and it genuinely affects the finished strength.
Week 6 · 1 day + cureTile & coping
Waterline tile, step markers and coping set to a laser line. This stage locks in the finished water elevation, so it comes before decking.
Weeks 7–8Decking
Forming, pouring and finishing. Sloped away from the house and drained to daylight — critical on Katy's flat lots where water has nowhere to go.
Weeks 8–10Interior finish
Quartz or pebble aggregate applied and troweled, then the pool is filled immediately and continuously. Stopping a fill mid-way leaves a permanent ring.
Week 11 · 1 dayStartup & handover
A 28-day brush-and-balance schedule while the finish cures, equipment commissioning, and a walkthrough where we show you how to run everything. Then final inspection and your warranty documents.
Weeks 11–14Sized to your pool, not to a package.
A lot of pools in Katy are running a pump two sizes too big because it came bundled. An oversized pump costs more up front, more every month, and strains the filter.
We calculate the actual turnover for your volume and plumbing runs, then size from there. On a typical 18,000-gallon Katy pool a properly sized variable-speed pump running long and slow costs roughly $25–$45 a month instead of $90–$140.
| Pump | Variable speed, sized to calculated turnover |
|---|---|
| Filter | Cartridge or DE, oversized on purpose — longer runs between cleans |
| Sanitation | Salt chlorine generator standard; traditional chlorine on request |
| Automation | Phone control for pump, lights, spa, heater and features |
| Lighting | Color LED, one minimum, more on larger or freeform shapes |
| Heater | Gas or heat pump — optional, sized to spa volume if you have one |
| Pad layout | Laid out for service access and unions at every component |
Know what happens before it happens.
We'll walk you through the schedule for your specific yard at the design consult.