What are the phases of pool construction?

A West Bay pool is built in five phases: permitting and engineering (8 to 12 weeks), excavation and the concrete shell (about 2 weeks), plumbing, equipment, tile and coping (2 to 3 weeks), decking (about 2 weeks), and the interior finish and fill (2 to 4 days). A 30-day startup follows while the finish cures, ending with the final inspection and your walkthrough.

What happens first when you build a pool?

Paperwork, not digging. After the contract and deposit, we hold a samples visit to lock in your materials, then produce the engineered pool plan and site plan. You submit that package to your HOA, we file for the county or town permit once the HOA approves, and utilities are marked before the crew mobilizes. Nothing happens in your yard until the permit is in hand.

What inspections happen during a pool build?

Three from your jurisdiction: a steel and bond inspection before the shell is shot, a bond wire inspection before the deck goes in, and a final inspection of the completed pool including your permanent barrier, gate hardware, and door alarms. We schedule all of them and run our own plumbing pressure test on top.

What is the longest part of building a pool?

Permitting and engineering. HOA architectural review and the local permit run on their own schedules and usually take 8 to 12 weeks combined, longer than the entire construction that follows. Requesting your HOA's pool submittal packet the week you sign is the single biggest thing that shortens it.

When can you swim in a new pool?

You can swim 10 days after the pool is filled. Toys, floats, ladders, and vacuums stay out for the full 30-day startup while the plaster cures, and the heater and salt system come online once startup ends.

West Bay Pools

POOL CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE, PHASE BY PHASE

What happens on site in each phase, how long it takes, who does what, and the handful of things we need from you.

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Your build at a glance

Five phases in the order they happen, then a 30-day startup while the finish cures. Tap any row to open that phase.

Just signed with us? Congratulations, this page is your build. Every pool we build in Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, and the surrounding Lowcountry follows this same sequence. If you only want the short answer on how long the whole thing takes, read how long it actually takes to build a pool.

Phase 1

Permitting & Engineering

Paperwork and approvals. What happens before we can start construction.

8–12 weeks7 things for you to do

This is usually the longest stretch of most pool projects. Your plans have to clear your HOA's architectural review and then your county or town's permitting office, and both run on their own schedules rather than ours. We recommend requesting your HOA's submittal packet ahead of time.

Step by step

Permitting & Engineering: what happens and who is responsible
Step	Who
1 Contract signed Your project gets on our schedule.	You
2 Deposit paid 15% is collected at signing.	You
3 Documents created You get an pool plan, a site plan, and some other documents. Your HOA may also ask for a survey, a drainage or grading plan, contractor insurance, equipment locations, or a construction access route. Tell us what they want and we will produce it.	West Bay
4 Samples visit We walk through tile, coping, decking, interior finish, and grout with you, then send a written selections confirmation to approve.	Together
5 HOA submission Your HOA needs the homeowner as the applicant, so this submission has to come from you. Almost every board asks something. Forward the questions to us. We are here to guide you through it.	You
6 HOA approval Send us the approval PDF as soon as you receive it. We cannot move to permitting without it.	Your HOA
7 Permit submission We file the HOA approval alongside our drawings and permit paperwork. We may ask you to notarize a document authorizing us to open a permit on your property.	West Bay
8 Utilities marked We call 811 to have underground utilities located and marked before any digging begins.	West Bay
9 Pre-site meeting We walk your yard with the crew before mobilizing: access route, equipment location, staging, and where the spoil pile will sit.	West Bay

Your part

Permitting & Engineering invoice, due at permit approval

Phase 2

Excavation & Concrete Shell

The loudest and messiest part. You'll see your pool visino come to life.

About 2 weeks4 things for you to do

This is the stretch people remember. In about two weeks your backyard goes from form boards laid out on the grass to a finished concrete shell you can walk down into. It is also the loudest, dustiest part of the build, and the part that is hardest on your existing lawn.

Step by step

Excavation & Concrete Shell: what happens and who is responsible
Step	Who
1 Layout We set form boards in your yard in the exact shape and elevation of the pool.	West Bay
2 Dig Heavy machinery removes many loads of dirt. Expect ruts, tracked mud, and damage to existing grass in the work path.	West Bay
3 Steel / Rebar A rebar cage is tied inside the excavation and plumbing stubs are installed. Spa lines are pressure tested.	West Bay
4 First inspection A licensed inspector from your jurisdiction reviews the steel and the bond wire in the rebar shell before concrete. We schedule it and you do not need to be home.	West Bay
5 Concrete day The shell is shot. This is the noisiest, dustiest day of the entire project. We hang large plastic sheeting to limit overspray, but some dust is unavoidable.	West Bay
6 Curing and watering Water helps fresh concrete! We set automatic sprinklers on the shell and keep an eye on them, and you are welcome to water it too.	Together

Three things that may look alarming and are completely normal

Your grass and dirt will take a beating. Every pool build does this to a yard. Plan your landscaping budget and timing around it.
Standing water in the fresh shell is normal and actually helps the concrete cure.
Hairline cracks, surface lines, and color variation in the raw shell are expected. Concrete takes several weeks to reach full strength, and the finish covers all of this later.

Your part

Shell Completion invoice, due once the shell is complete

Phase 3

Plumbing, Equipment, Tile & Coping

Pipes, equipment, and your first finish materials.

2–3 weeks3 things for you to do

With the shell cured, the systems that actually run your pool go in the ground: the plumbing lines, the bonding grid, and the equipment pad. By the end of this phase your waterline tile and coping are set, which is the first time the project really starts to look like the design you approved.

Step by step

Plumbing, Equipment, Tile & Coping: what happens and who is responsible
Step	Who
1 Forms stripped and area graded The form boards come off the shell and the surrounding area is rough graded for plumbing.	West Bay
2 Rough plumbing We trench your plumbing runs, install the lines, and stub them out at the equipment pad.	West Bay
3 Plumbing pressure test We run this ourselves before anything is buried. It is our own quality check, not a jurisdiction inspection.	West Bay
4 Bond wire installed A continuous copper bond wire ties the pool shell, deck steel, equipment, and any nearby metal together. This is a life-safety system, not an optional detail.	West Bay
5 Bond wire inspection A licensed inspector verifies deck bonding and the bond grid before backfill and deck work.	West Bay
6 Equipment set and electrical installed Your pool equipment is installed at the pad, then a licensed electrician wires everything. The electrician will need access to your home's electrical panel.	West Bay
7 Tile and coping installed Waterline tile, coping, and any jewelry band you selected are installed.	West Bay

Your part

Tile & Coping invoice, due once tile and coping are complete

Phase 4

Decking

Your decking goes down around the pool and we start to wrap the project up.

About 2 weeks2 things for you to do

Your deck goes in using the material and pattern you selected at your samples visit. Deck work is loud and dusty in short bursts, and fresh concrete or newly set pavers need to be left alone while they set.

Step by step

Decking: what happens and who is responsible
Step	Who
1 Deck preparation The base is prepped, compacted, and formed to your approved layout.	West Bay
2 Deck installation Your selected material goes in, cut and laid to your approved pattern. Saw cutting is loud and produces slurry we clean up as we go.	West Bay

Your part

Deck invoice, due at deck completion

Phase 5

Interior Finish & Fill

Your finish goes on and the pool fills with water.

2–4 days1 thing for you to do

The last construction phase is the quickest. Over two to four days the shell is prepped, your plaster or aggregate finish is applied, and the pool is filled. We use an auto sentry to fill the pool with your water line.

Step by step

Interior Finish & Fill: what happens and who is responsible
Step	Who
1 Pool prep Fittings installed, concrete levels adjusted where needed, and the shell cleaned and prepped for finish.	West Bay
2 Interior finish installed Your plaster or aggregate finish is applied by hand over the whole shell in a single day.	West Bay
3 Pool filled The pool is filled immediately and continuously until it reaches the waterline tile. Our crew starts the fill; your hose and water supply keep it going.	Together

Your part

After the build

The 30-Day Startup

Your pool holds water, but it is not finished yet. Swim after day 10.

30 days5 things for you to do

Filling the pool is not the finish line. The plaster keeps curing underwater for about a month, and what happens in those 30 days decides how the finish looks for years. We monitor and dose the water, brush the pool, and pass the final inspection during this window, then walk the finished project with you and hand it over.

Step by step

The 30-Day Startup: what happens and who is responsible
Step	Who
1 Startup begins A 30-day period while the finish cures. We bring on a maintenance company to balance chemistry and clean the pool. The heater stays off and the salt system stays offline.	West Bay
2 Brushing We brush the pool during startup and encourage homeowners to brush it as well. A pool cannot be over-brushed. Brushing is what helps give you a smooth, evenly colored finish.	Together
3 Swimming opens at day 10 You can get in the water after the first 10 days. Everything else stays out of the pool for the full 30.	You
4 Final inspection Your jurisdiction inspects the completed pool, including your permanent barrier, gate hardware, and door alarms.	West Bay
5 Walkthrough and punch out We walk the project with you, build the punch list together, work through it, and clear leftover material and debris.	Together
6 Heater and salt system brought online Once startup ends, your heater and salt system are commissioned and handed over.	West Bay

Cloudy water and finish variation are normal

Plaster curing is an organic chemical process that can take up to 4 weeks. Cloudiness, small color variation, and minor surface marks during this window are expected and typically resolve over the startup period.

Your part

New Pool Handover Guide

Everything about your walkthrough, warranty registration, and caring for the pool once it is yours.

Quick answers

Pool build timeline questions

What are the phases of pool construction?: A West Bay pool is built in five phases: permitting and engineering (8 to 12 weeks), excavation and the concrete shell (about 2 weeks), plumbing, equipment, tile and coping (2 to 3 weeks), decking (about 2 weeks), and the interior finish and fill (2 to 4 days). A 30-day startup follows while the finish cures, ending with the final inspection and your walkthrough.
What happens first when you build a pool?: Paperwork, not digging. After the contract and deposit, we hold a samples visit to lock in your materials, then produce the engineered pool plan and site plan. You submit that package to your HOA, we file for the county or town permit once the HOA approves, and utilities are marked before the crew mobilizes. Nothing happens in your yard until the permit is in hand.
What inspections happen during a pool build?: Three from your jurisdiction: a steel and bond inspection before the shell is shot, a bond wire inspection before the deck goes in, and a final inspection of the completed pool including your permanent barrier, gate hardware, and door alarms. We schedule all of them and run our own plumbing pressure test on top.
What is the longest part of building a pool?: Permitting and engineering. HOA architectural review and the local permit run on their own schedules and usually take 8 to 12 weeks combined, longer than the entire construction that follows. Requesting your HOA's pool submittal packet the week you sign is the single biggest thing that shortens it.
When can you swim in a new pool?: You can swim 10 days after the pool is filled. Toys, floats, ladders, and vacuums stay out for the full 30-day startup while the plaster cures, and the heater and salt system come online once startup ends.

Keep Going

More for your build

Materials Explorer

Tile, coping, decking & interiors

For Your Contractors

Landscapers, gas & screen specs

New Pool Handover Guide

Startup, inspection & warranty

Pool School

Video guides for new owners

Timing on this page is estimated and will vary with the scope of your project, weather, inspection backlogs, HOA schedules, and any changes requested during construction. Your project manager is your source of truth for your specific schedule.