Custom Pool Builders in Scottsdale Since 2004

A pool's price depends on interior and decking materials, equipment, and features like waterfalls, lighting and firepits. Design, size and amenities all move the total. Two Scottsdale factors matter as well. North and east of the canal, decomposed granite, boulder shelves and slope can turn excavation into slow work. On the older lots in south and central Scottsdale the issue is usually access, since a narrow side gate decides whether we can get equipment to the backyard at all. We cannot quote an exact price until we walk the property with you.

The only way to get a real number is a site visit. We walk the yard, check access and grade, talk through what you actually want, then come back with a price built around your specific lot rather than a Valley average.

Pool projects typically take 8 to 12 weeks. The exact time frame depends on scheduling, scope, permits, inspections, material availability and weather. Monsoon storms between June and September can add days around excavation and gunite. In Scottsdale two other things shape the calendar: city plan review and inspection scheduling, and HOA architectural review, which several north Scottsdale communities require in writing before city permit work can start. We run both approvals in parallel wherever the community allows it.

In most north Scottsdale communities, yes. Neighborhoods like DC Ranch, Silverleaf, Grayhawk, Troon North, McDowell Mountain Ranch and Desert Mountain run architectural review, and they generally want written approval before city permit work starts. Some require a compliance certificate before review even opens, and the larger communities use multi stage reviews that can add weeks. Submittals usually cover pool shape and location, decking, equipment screening, wall heights and exterior colors. We prepare the drawings your committee asks for and start that clock early, so review runs alongside city plan check instead of after it.

In-ground pools are subject to zoning and building rules, so permits must be issued before work begins. For a Scottsdale address that means a pool permit through City of Scottsdale Planning and Development Services, plus a site plan showing property lines, setbacks, equipment location, construction access and the barrier. Scottsdale allows a two foot setback from the property line unless an easement affects the lot, and pool equipment cannot sit within ten feet of an opening into a neighbor's living space. The city will not approve the pool until your fence or wall plan is approved. Barriers must be at least sixty inches high measured from the outside, with self closing and self latching gates. We handle the applications, the plot plan and the inspection scheduling, and we confirm current code on every build.

Scottsdale's Environmentally Sensitive Lands overlay covers the desert and mountain areas north and east of the canal, roughly two thirds of the city. Under ESL a set percentage of your lot has to stay as Natural Area Open Space, and NAOS is a deed restricted easement where no grading, clearing or excavation is allowed. That percentage climbs with slope, so a hillside parcel off Pima Road keeps far more ground untouched than a flatter lot. If your property is zoned ESL and NAOS has not been dedicated yet, dedication can be required before the permit is issued. We pull your landform and NAOS figures during design and draw the pool inside the buildable envelope, rather than finding the problem after you have fallen for a layout.

Usually not remove, but you may have to relocate them. Scottsdale's Native Plant Ordinance applies across the city and protects saguaro, ironwood, palo verde and mesquite above certain sizes. If protected plants sit in the excavation path, they have to be inventoried and covered by an approved plan before a grading permit is issued, then tagged and salvaged rather than cleared. Salvaged plants are often held on site and replanted once the pool and decking are finished, which is why plenty of Scottsdale backyards end up with mature desert planting right back where it started. We handle the inventory and coordinate salvage so the work never triggers a stop order.

Yes, and Scottsdale enforces this closely. A short term rental with a pool, spa or hot tub needs a primary perimeter barrier at least sixty inches high that cannot be easily climbed, with self closing and self latching gates and latches set at least fifty four inches up. Vehicle gates have to stay locked. On top of that you need a secondary barrier restricting access to the water itself, either a separate sixty inch pool fence or an audible alarm on the doors and windows opening onto the pool area. A spa sitting outside the pool fence needs a lockable cover if there is no alarm. If you plan to rent the property at all, tell us during design so the wall and gate layout is right the first time.