The most common question I get from prospective pool clients is the one most pool websites bury at the bottom of the page: what is this actually going to cost?
I am going to answer it the way I would in a first conversation, with real ranges and a clear picture of what changes between price tiers. Pool pricing in our part of Georgia is not a mystery, but it does depend on a handful of choices that are usually made too late in the process to control the cost.
I am writing this from two perspectives at once. As a licensed Residential General Contractor, I build pools the same way I build homes: with a contract, a schedule, and a single accountable party. As a licensed Professional Landscape Architect, I design pools as part of an outdoor living plan that fits the home and the lot, not as a separate object dropped into the yard. That combination is unusual in our market, and it is why we handle pool design and pool construction in-house rather than subcontracting either piece out.
Here is what your money buys at each tier, what drives the differences, and what to think through before you sign with anyone.
The three tiers, at a glance
Most custom inground pools in the Athens, Oconee, and Lake Oconee area land in one of three price brackets. These are full project numbers, not just the pool shell, and they assume a permitted, professional, in-ground gunite or fiberglass build with appropriate decking and equipment.
- The $80,000 to $120,000 tier: a clean, well-built inground pool with simple features and a basic deck. The starter custom pool.
- The $150,000 to $200,000 tier: a fully featured pool with upgraded finishes, a spa, premium decking, and integrated lighting. This is where most of our pool clients land.
- The $250,000 and up tier: a designed-in outdoor living centerpiece with structural design features, an outdoor kitchen, custom lighting, and a fully integrated landscape.
Let me walk through what is actually in each one.
What $80,000 to $120,000 gets you
This is the entry point for a real custom inground pool in our market. Below this range, you are usually looking at a small fiberglass shell or a vinyl liner pool, both of which have their place but are not what most of our clients are after.
In this tier, you can expect:
- A gunite (concrete) pool shell in a rectangular or simple geometric shape, typically 14 to 16 feet wide by 28 to 32 feet long. Gunite is the most durable and customizable pool material and is what we build by default.
- A standard interior finish. Plaster or a basic pebble finish. Plaster looks good for about 10 years; pebble lasts longer and feels better underfoot but costs more.
- Standard equipment: a single-speed pump (or modest variable-speed), cartridge or sand filter, basic chlorinator, and a heater if the budget allows.
- A basic deck. Broom-finished concrete or simple pavers, sized for walkaround access plus minimal furniture footprint. Usually 600 to 900 square feet of deck.
- Permitting, engineering, and excavation are included in this number for most sites. Difficult lots (rock, slope, limited access) can push higher.
What you do not typically get at this tier: a spa, water features, integrated lighting beyond a single pool light, a tanning ledge, or premium decking like travertine or large-format porcelain.
This tier is honest and well-built. It is the right answer for buyers who want a pool to swim in, not a backyard centerpiece. It also leaves the door open to add features later (a separate spa, additional decking, landscape) without having to demo and rebuild.
What $150,000 to $200,000 gets you
This is the tier most of our pool clients land in, and it is where the design becomes a real outdoor living space rather than just a swimming pool.
At this tier, you can expect:
- A gunite pool, custom shape if you want one. Freeform, geometric with cut corners, or rectangular with a tanning ledge integrated in. Usually 16 to 18 feet wide by 32 to 40 feet long.
- A premium pebble interior finish. Mini-pebble or polished pebble in the color palette of your choosing. Looks better, lasts longer, and feels noticeably better underfoot than plaster.
- A spa. Most commonly an 8×8 raised spa with a spillway into the pool. The spa adds about $20,000 to $35,000 to a project and is one of the most enjoyed features in our climate, where pool season is long but spa season is year-round.
- Variable-speed pump and upgraded equipment. Energy-efficient, quieter, and significantly cheaper to run. A variable-speed pump can save $500 to $1,500 a year in electricity over a single-speed.
- A tanning ledge or sun shelf, typically 6 to 8 inches deep, sized for two loungers and a small umbrella socket. This is the single most popular feature in our market right now.
- A salt chlorination system. Less harsh on skin and eyes, gentler on the finish, and lower-maintenance than traditional chlorine tablets.
- A paver deck. Travertine, large-format porcelain, or premium concrete pavers. Typically 1,000 to 1,500 square feet, sized for furniture groupings rather than just walkaround.
- LED pool and spa lighting with color options, controlled from a wall panel or phone app.
- Initial landscape integration: plant beds bordering the deck, irrigation, and a coherent transition into the rest of the yard.
This is the tier where the pool stops being a feature and starts being a destination. Our typical client at this level uses the pool from April through October most years, the spa year-round, and entertains outdoors significantly more than they did before the build.
What $250,000 and up gets you
At this tier, the pool becomes the anchor of a designed outdoor living environment rather than a stand-alone element.
What that looks like:
- Architectural pool design features. Infinity edge, perimeter overflow, vanishing edge, sun shelf with a fire bowl, raised spa with multiple spillways. The pool itself has design moves that are visible from inside the home.
- Custom finishes. Imported tile inlays, premium pebble or glass bead finishes, hand-set waterline tile, custom coping (cantilevered concrete, travertine bullnose, or stone).
- Larger pool footprints. 18 to 20 feet wide by 40 to 50 feet long, sometimes with a separate lap lane or attached cocktail pool.
- Fully integrated outdoor kitchen and dining structure. Pergola or fully covered pavilion, outdoor refrigerator, grill, ice maker, sink, sometimes a pizza oven or smoker. Plumbed and powered as part of the project, not added after.
- Designed lighting beyond the pool. Path lighting, accent lighting on trees and architectural features, lighted water features, and a control system that runs all of it from a single interface.
- Acoustic and visual screening. Plantings, fencing, or hardscape walls that create privacy and define the outdoor room.
- Full landscape integration. This is where my landscape architecture training shows up most. The pool, the deck, the outdoor kitchen, the lawn, the planting beds, the gathering areas, and the lighting are designed as one composition. Sight lines from the house. Sight lines from the pool. Pathways. Drainage. Seasonal interest. It all works together.
A pool project at this tier is genuinely an outdoor wing of the home. The cost reflects that.
What drives a pool from one tier to the next
A few things move the price the most. If you know them in advance, you can build the pool you actually want without paying for things you do not.
Shape and size. A rectangular 14×28 pool costs less than a freeform 16×36 pool, which costs less than an 18×44 pool with an infinity edge. Size matters, but shape complexity matters almost as much. Every angle is an additional cut, an additional formwork detail, and additional finishing time.
Interior finish. Plaster is the entry-level finish. Pebble (mini and standard) is the mid-tier and the best value for most clients. Polished pebble, glass bead, and tile-lined pools are at the top. Finish typically swings the project $5,000 to $30,000.
Decking. Broom-finished concrete is the entry-level deck. Stamped concrete is a step up. Pavers (concrete, travertine, porcelain) are the next step. Custom stone work is at the top. Decking can swing the project $15,000 to $80,000 depending on size and material.
Spa. Adding a spa adds $20,000 to $35,000 to a build but unlocks year-round use in our climate. For most clients, this is the single best feature investment after the pool itself.
Equipment. Variable-speed pumps, premium filters, salt systems, heat pumps, automation, and smart controls each add cost up front and save money or hassle over the long run. The cumulative equipment package can swing the project $10,000 to $30,000.
Site conditions. Rock under the dig site, limited access (the dig equipment cannot get to the backyard), steep slopes, and high water tables all add cost. A flat, accessible backyard with normal Georgia red clay is the cheapest site to build on. A walled garden behind the house, where every cubic yard of dirt has to be hauled by hand, is the most expensive.
Landscape integration. This is the line item most clients under budget. If you want the pool to look like it belongs there from day one, you need plantings, beds, irrigation, lighting, and grading already in the plan. Skipping this saves $20,000 to $80,000 on day one and adds it back in year three when you realize the deck is sitting in a field.
Why a design-build firm handles a pool differently
There are essentially two ways to build a pool in our market.
Path one: you hire a pool company. They design and build the pool. The pool company subs out the deck. You separately hire a landscaper. You separately hire an electrician for the lighting. Maybe a different company builds the outdoor kitchen. The general contractor on the home, if you have one, is not involved.
Path two: you hire a design-build firm that handles the pool, the deck, the lighting, the landscape, and the integration with the home, all under one contract.
Both can produce good results. The difference is in the seams.
Pool companies do excellent pool work. But the deck-to-pool transition, the lighting design, the planting beds, the sight lines from the house, the grading away from the pool toward the rest of the yard, the integration with any future outbuildings or sport courts: these are the seams. They are where projects most often go wrong, and they are usually nobody’s job in a multi-contractor build.
We build pools the same way we build homes. One contract. One project manager. One designer responsible for how the pool sits on the land and how every element relates to every other element. That is the practical value of having a licensed Professional Landscape Architect inside the same firm that holds the GC license. The pool is not a separate project; it is one room of the larger outdoor design.
What a PLA brings to a pool project
A Professional Landscape Architect is licensed by the state of Georgia to plan and design land, including grading, drainage, hardscape, and the integration of buildings (including pools) with their site. Becoming a PLA requires a four-year accredited degree, multiple years of supervised experience, and passage of a national licensing exam. The license is regulated in Georgia like an architect’s or engineer’s license.
In a pool project specifically, the PLA lens shows up in:
- Pool placement. Where the pool sits on the lot relative to the home, the prevailing wind, the afternoon sun, and the sight lines from inside the home matters more than most people realize. A pool placed in the wrong corner of the yard is a pool people stop using by year three.
- Grading and drainage. Water has to move away from the home and away from the pool deck. Get this wrong and you get standing water on the deck, ice in winter, and erosion around the equipment pad.
- Lighting design. Pool lights, deck lights, accent lights on trees and structures, path lights to the house. A designed lighting plan separates a pool that looks great in daylight from one that looks great at night.
- Plant integration. The right plantings around a pool give you privacy, screening, and seasonal beauty without dropping leaves into the pool. The wrong ones drop leaves and seed pods constantly.
- Future-proofing. What goes here next year? In five years? The PLA’s job is to design the pool today so that a future outdoor kitchen, sport court, putting green, or pool house can be added without ripping anything out.
Most pool companies do not have a PLA on the project. Most don’t have access to one at all. We design every pool we build, in-house, with the same person who designed the rest of the yard.
When the pool should go in (relative to the house)
If you are building a new custom home and a pool is in your near-term plans, the time to design the pool is during the home design, not after.
That does not mean you have to build the pool at the same time as the home, though many of our clients do. It means the home, the lot, and the future pool should be designed together. We site the home on the land with the pool already on the plan, even when the pool is a year or two out. The result: the right floor of the home opens onto the pool deck. The kitchen sight lines work. The pool equipment is screened by an outbuilding. The drainage runs the right way from day one. (Choosing the right lot in the first place matters just as much. Here is our checklist for evaluating land before you buy.)
We have rebuilt three projects in the last few years for clients who bought lots, built homes with other builders, and then realized the only space for the pool was the worst space for it. None of those rebuilds were cheap. All of them would have been free if the pool had been on the plan from the beginning.
If the home is already built and you are adding a pool, we work backward from the home to find the best location and the best design. That is also a service we offer as a standalone, not just as part of a full build.
HOA approval and what to expect
If you are in a neighborhood with an HOA architectural review board, your pool plans need ARB approval before any work can begin. This is true in most of the lake communities, Lane Creek, Long Shoals, and many of the newer Oconee subdivisions.
Typical ARB requirements for pools:
- Site plan showing pool placement, equipment pad, deck, and any structures
- Materials and finishes specified
- Drainage plan
- Fencing or barrier plan (Georgia law requires a barrier for residential pools; the HOA may have additional specs)
- Landscape and lighting plans, in many cases
ARB review typically takes two to six weeks per round and most pool projects go through one or two rounds. Some HOAs require the site plan to be stamped by a licensed Professional Landscape Architect, which is one of the practical reasons we have one on staff.
Get the ARB guidelines for your neighborhood before you sign a pool contract. Know what you are agreeing to, what materials are pre-approved, and what the review timeline is.
Maintenance reality
A custom pool is a long-term commitment. Here is what to expect over time.
- Weekly maintenance during pool season: chemicals, vacuuming, skimming, equipment checks. You can do this yourself (3 to 5 hours a week) or hire a pool service ($150 to $300 a month in our market).
- Equipment lifespan: pumps last 8 to 12 years, heaters 10 to 15, salt cells 3 to 7. Expect to replace equipment over time.
- Surface refinishing: pebble finishes typically last 15 to 20 years before needing replacement. Plaster, closer to 10. This is a five-figure expense when it comes due.
- Annual operating cost: chemicals, electricity, water replacement, and maintenance run roughly $2,000 to $5,000 a year for a well-built pool with efficient equipment in our climate.
None of this is a reason to skip the pool. It is a reason to budget realistically beyond the build cost.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a custom inground pool cost in Athens, GA? Custom inground pools in the Athens area typically run from $80,000 for a clean, simply built pool to over $250,000 for a fully designed outdoor living environment with spa, outdoor kitchen, and integrated landscape. Most clients land in the $150,000 to $200,000 range for a featured pool with a spa, premium finish, paver deck, and lighting.
How long does it take to build a custom pool? From contract signing to swim day, plan on 4 to 6 months for a typical custom pool in our market. That includes design, permitting, ARB approval if applicable, excavation, build, finish, and equipment commissioning. Weather and ARB cycles can extend the timeline.
Do I need an HOA’s permission to build a pool? If your property is in an HOA with an architectural review board, yes. The ARB will need to approve your site plan, materials, drainage, and barrier plans before work can begin. ARB review typically takes 2 to 6 weeks per round.
Should I build the pool with the house or wait? If a pool is in your plans within the next few years, the pool should be on the design plan during the home design, even if the build is sequenced for later. Siting the home with the pool already accounted for saves significant cost and rework versus retrofitting later.
Is gunite, fiberglass, or vinyl best for our climate? Most of our custom pool clients choose gunite (concrete) for its durability, customizability, and longevity. Fiberglass pools install faster and have a slightly lower up-front cost, but offer limited customization. Vinyl liner pools are the lowest up-front cost but require liner replacement every 8 to 12 years and offer the least design flexibility.
Do you handle pool design and construction in-house, or subcontract? Chart South designs and builds custom pools in-house. The same firm that designs your pool builds it, manages the deck, lighting, and landscape integration, and is responsible for the result. We do not subcontract pool design or construction to a separate pool company.
Can you build a pool for me even if you didn’t build my home? Yes. Pool projects on existing homes are a significant portion of what we do, and we treat them with the same design-build process as new construction projects.
Let’s talk about your pool
If you are thinking about a custom pool in Oconee, Clarke, or Jackson County, the best place to start is a conversation about your yard, your home, and how you want to use the space. We can give you a clear sense of what is realistic for your site, your budget, and your timeline.
