How Long a Pool Build Takes, Stage by Stage

The first thing most Bluffton and Hilton Head Island homeowners want to know is how long a pool build will take, and the honest answer starts with the kind of pool and what else is in the job. Camp Pool Builders publishes its ranges instead of hiding behind that. Here they are, with what's happening in each one, so you can plan the summer around them.

Fiberglass: fast in the ground, then a deliberate pause

A custom fiberglass pool or spa is installed and filled with water within 7 business days. That part moves quickly because the shell arrives finished. The crew excavates the hole and sets the shell. They then fill it with water, and as it fills they run the plumbing, set the equipment and backfill around the shell.

Then comes a pause that surprises some owners. Camp requires every fiberglass pool to sit for 2 weeks after backfill and completion so the pool and the surrounding deck grade can lock into place. It isn't wasted time. The equipment is set and wired during that gap, and if the project needs a service yard fence, it goes up then too. Once the grade has settled, the tile and the deck follow.

The quick end of the range is a fiberglass pool at grade with a concrete or paver deck, which Camp can complete in as little as 3 weeks.

Shotcrete: more steps, so more weeks

A shotcrete pool is built in place, so there is more to do on site. The order of work goes like this: the pool is formed and excavated, rebar is placed and bonded, and the shotcrete is shot into place and hand-finished. Plumbing lines, tile, coping and equipment come next, then the deck, and plaster closes it out.

Camp's numbers: as quickly as 6 weeks through plaster, with 8 to 10 weeks being the typical average. Camp doesn't publish a calendar for each phase, so treat the sequence as your guide and the totals as the schedule.

Raised pools and bigger scopes

Raising a pool and its deck off the ground adds work. Whether it's fiberglass or shotcrete, a raised pool and deck averages about 12 weeks, and Camp notes that extra phases and inspections are needed to lift the pool and the surrounding deck off the ground.

The longest jobs can run as long as fourteen weeks. Camp lists what pushes a project there:

• A turn-key raised shotcrete pool
• A fiberglass pool with engineering, footing and a CMU pool substructure or retaining wall
• The pool structure itself, whether a shotcrete pool or a fiberglass shell
• Raised wood or masonry decks, and masonry decks at grade
• Propane tank installation and electrical installation
• Service yard fence construction

In other words, the pool is often not the long pole. The deck, the fence, the gas line and the electrical work can be, and they're all part of finishing a backyard you can actually use.

What moves your number up or down

Camp's own answer to the timing question is that it depends on the season, the type of pool and the scope of the work. Their posted timelines are estimates, and the company says there's a chance your project finishes sooner. Weather matters less than you'd think, though: Camp builds year-round, regardless of the weather. So the schedule you get is mostly a function of what you choose to include.

If speed is your main concern, the practical levers are simple. Choose an at-grade design. Keep the deck as straightforward as the yard allows. Decide on features early, because a change mid-project is what stretches a schedule. Camp says plainly that they don't like issuing change orders any more than clients like receiving them, and they make sure the only changes to a project are the ones you request.

Why "before spring" is the advice

Camp's guidance on timing is to build before spring and summer. A pool and its surrounding landscaping done by the first warm day gives your family the whole season. If you start planning in fall or winter, the design work can happen while the weather is mild and the pool is ready when you are. Starting in June means you'll be watching the season from the sidelines while the crew works.

Kerry Mindach, who got several estimates before choosing Camp, left this in a Google review: "They are very hard working, honest, dedicated and timely!"

Get a schedule for your own lot

A range is useful, but your yard, your pool type and your wish list decide where you land in it. Call Camp Pool Builders at (843) 683-2862 for a face-to-face meeting and property evaluation, and ask Kevin what the timeline looks like for the pool you have in mind.