The Build, Phase by Phase
Every gunite pool goes through the same sequence, because each phase physically depends on the one before it and Martin County inspects between most of them. Here is the whole road from signature to cannonball, with the paperwork phases included, since they are usually the longest and always the most forgotten.
| Phase | Typical duration | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Property survey | 2 to 3 weeks | A new survey of the lot, the base for the pool site plan |
| Engineering plans | 2 to 3 weeks | Survey, site plan and specifications go to the engineer for construction plans |
| Permit | 2 to 4 weeks | County review and permit issued; HOA review runs alongside on the board’s own calendar |
| Excavation | Varies by pool | Layout inspection, dig, haul-off, dewatering if needed |
| Steel and plumbing | Varies by pool | Rebar cage tied, lines run, pressure test, steel inspection |
| Gunite | 1 day + cure | Shell shot in a day, then cures with daily watering |
| Tile and coping | Varies by pool | Waterline tile set, coping installed on the beam |
| Deck | Varies by pool | Bonding inspection, forms, pour or pavers, drainage |
| Equipment set | Varies by pool | Pump, filter, heater, salt cell, automation wired in |
| Plaster and fill | Varies by pool | Interior finish applied, pool fills the same day |
| Startup | 28 days | Daily brushing tapers to weekly chemistry through cure |
Start to finish, most builds take 5 to 6 months. Weather, the type of pool, and how much outdoor living is part of the plan decide where in that range yours lands, and your written schedule comes with your contract.
One of our reviews puts it plainly: “They got our pool done within 3 months of starting the dig.” That is the construction clock. The full clock includes everything above the excavation row, which is why the how a pool build works page splits the two.
Before the Dig: Design, Engineering, Permits
The pre-construction phases are where good builds are won. Design is where you make every decision: shape, depth, finish, water features, equipment, barrier. We design in 3D so there are no surprises; as one client wrote, “What we saw on screen is what is in our backyard.” Then a structural engineer stamps the plans, because a gunite shell in our sandy, high-water-table soil is an engineered structure, not a hole with concrete in it.
The paperwork runs in a fixed order. First a new property survey, which takes 2 to 3 weeks. Then the survey, the pool site plan and the specifications go to our engineer for construction plans, another 2 to 3 weeks. Then the permit submittal. If you live in an HOA, the board will want the survey and the engineered plans too: we email you both as soon as they are ready, and you complete the application and submit the packet the way your HOA asks for it, printed or by email.
Permitting runs 2 to 4 weeks at the county, with HOA review on the board’s own calendar. The order of operations, the barrier options, and the inspection gates are covered in the Martin County permit guide. The one thing to know here: nothing about permitting is idle time. Selections get finalized, materials get ordered against lead times, and financing through Lyon Financial gets approved in parallel, so nothing is waiting on a decision when the permit posts.
Three things have to be in hand before we can give you a start date: the issued permit, HOA approval where there is one, and your irrigation cut and capped where the pool is going. We aim to start one pool a week, and dig dates go to the next open week once all three are done.
Dirt, Steel, and the Loudest Week
Excavation is the fastest dramatic change of the whole project: a yard on Monday, a pool-shaped hole by midweek. On lots near the St. Lucie River the crew may run well points to pull the water table down while they dig, one of the local realities priced up front in the cost guide.
Then the hole gets its skeleton. Steelworkers tie a rebar cage to the engineered spacing, plumbers run suction and return lines and stub in every future feature, and the lines sit under a pressure test that has to hold before the county signs off. Gunite day itself is one loud, choreographed day: a crew pneumatically shoots concrete over the steel and carves your pool’s final shape by hand before it sets.
Why the Shell Just Sits There (On Purpose)
After gunite, the schedule appears to stop. It has not. Gunite is concrete, and concrete gains its design strength through weeks of curing, with the first days the most important. Your job in that window is genuinely simple: hose the shell down daily so it cures slowly and evenly instead of drying fast and weak. A shell rushed through cure is where structural cracks come from, so no good builder trades cure time for calendar time.
The wait is also productive. Tile and coping go on during and after cure, deck prep starts, and the bonding grid goes in for its electrical inspection. If your builder is idle during cure, that is a scheduling problem, not a concrete requirement.
What Actually Moves the Schedule
Four things control whether a Treasure Coast pool lands early or late, and only one of them is weather:
- Permits and inspections. The county queue sets the start date, and every inspection is a gate. A failed inspection costs days; a slow submittal costs weeks. This is the number one variable, which is why we submit complete, engineered packages the first time.
- Weather. Summer storms pause digs, pours, and plaster days. A rain delay is measured in days; hurricane season can pause a site longer, and our hurricane prep guide covers how an under-construction pool rides out a storm.
- Material lead times. Specialty tile, imported coping, large-span screen enclosures, and some equipment carry order times of 4 to 6 weeks. We order long-lead items at contract so the pool never waits on a pallet.
- Decision changes. Every mid-build change ripples through engineering, permitting, or ordering. The 3D design phase exists so you make changes on screen, where they are free.
One more variable we removed ourselves: handoffs. CoastLife builds with one crew and one project manager from contract to startup, so your schedule never dies in the gap between companies.
Plaster, Fill, and the First 28 Days
Plaster day is the finish line you can see: the interior finish goes on in hours and the hoses go in the same day, because fresh plaster must stay wet. But new plaster keeps curing underwater for about 28 days, and the chemistry in that window decides how the finish looks for the next decade. Daily brushing, close water balance, and no salt in the first month are the rules; our new-pool service article explains the startup month, and our weekly plans exist so you never have to learn it the hard way.
Timeline Questions, Answered
How long does a pool take to build in Florida?
From contract to swimming, plan on 5 to 6 months for a custom gunite pool in Martin County. Construction itself runs 3 to 4 months depending on the complexity of the build; design, engineering, and permitting come before it.
What is the slowest part of a pool build?
Usually permitting and inspection gates, not construction. County review takes 2 to 4 weeks before ground breaks, and each build phase waits on a passed inspection before the next crew starts.
Can you build a pool during hurricane season?
Yes, we build year round. Summer adds rain delays and a storm can pause a site for days, but an engineered shell in the ground is safe in a storm. Winter dry season is the most predictable stretch of the calendar.
Why can’t I swim right after the pool is filled?
You can swim soon after startup chemistry is balanced, typically within days of filling. What continues for about 28 days is plaster cure care: daily brushing and tight water balance while the finish hardens underwater.
Does a spa or water feature add time?
Designed in from the start, a spa or water feature adds steel, plumbing, and gunite work inside the same phases, so it adds days rather than months. Added mid-build, it reopens engineering and permitting. Decide early.