Pools
How Long a Pool Really Takes to Build in Los Angeles
From soils report to first swim — a realistic timeline for gunite pools in LA, including the two things that always cause delays.
A new gunite pool in Los Angeles is typically an 8 to 14 week build once construction starts. What most homeowners underestimate is the six to twelve weeks of design, engineering, and permitting that happen before a shovel goes in the ground.
The pre-construction phase
Design and 3D renderings take two to three weeks. Structural engineering — required on every gunite pool in LA — adds another two to three. A soils report is required on most hillside and slope-adjacent projects and takes a full week to schedule and turn around.
Permit review at LADBS runs four to eight weeks depending on submittal season. The number is longer in spring, when everyone in LA decides they want a pool for summer.
Construction week by week
Excavation: 2–4 days. Steel and rough plumbing: 4–7 days. Gunite shoot: 1 day, followed by a 30-day cure. Tile and coping: 5–7 days. Decking (concrete or pavers): 1–2 weeks. Plaster and startup: final week.
Only one of those steps — the plaster startup — cannot be scheduled early. Every other trade can be pre-scheduled, which is the main difference between a 10-week build and a 20-week one.
What always causes delays
Rain during excavation or the gunite window. LADWP or LA County service upgrades for the equipment pad. Homeowners changing tile selections after the coping is set. In that order.