Hiring a custom pool company is exciting, but it can also feel like a lot of unknowns if you’ve never built a pool before. What actually happens between that first conversation and the day you jump in? We get that question often from homeowners in Waxahachie, Midlothian, Mansfield, and the surrounding communities, so we thought it was worth walking through the process from start to finish. Knowing what to expect at each stage makes the whole experience smoother and, honestly, a lot more fun.
It Starts with a Real Conversation
The first step isn’t paperwork or permits. It’s a conversation about you. We want to know how you picture using your backyard, whether that’s weekend entertaining, a place for the kids to spend summer afternoons, or a quiet retreat after a long week. That vision shapes everything that comes after.
At Splash Away, Bill and Sharon are involved from that very first meeting. This isn’t a company where you talk to a salesperson and then hand things off to a crew you’ve never met. You’re talking directly to the people who will carry your project through to completion, which makes a real difference in how well the final result reflects what you actually wanted.
Seeing It Before It’s Built
Once we have a clear sense of your wish list and your outdoor space, we put together a 3D rendering so you can see your pool before a single shovel hits the ground. This step matters more than most people realize. It takes the guesswork out of the design and gives you a chance to make adjustments while they’re still easy to make. Want to shift the waterfall feature, add a tanning ledge, or reconsider the shape? That’s the moment to do it.
For homeowners in Glenn Heights, Ovilla, Red Oak, and the rest of our service area, this visualization step has been one of the most appreciated parts of how we work. Seeing your future backyard in detail builds confidence and gets everyone on the same page before construction begins.
Permits, Planning, and Getting the Yard Ready
After the design is approved, we handle the permitting process on your behalf. This involves coordinating with local municipalities, which varies a bit depending on whether you’re in Waxahachie, Mansfield, or another area community. We manage that legwork so you don’t have to figure out which office to call or which forms to file.
Once permits are in hand, excavation begins. This is the part that tends to look dramatic in photos. A big hole appears in your yard, and it’s hard to believe a beautiful pool is coming out of it. But this is where things start moving quickly.
Construction: What Happens in the Ground
After excavation, the steel framework goes in, followed by the plumbing and electrical rough-in. Then comes gunite or shotcrete, which forms the shell of the pool. Each layer is inspected before the next step begins. We don’t cut corners here because the structural integrity of your pool depends on getting these stages right.
We’ve had clients in Midlothian whose pools were completed in as little as three weeks from start to finish. That kind of timeline is possible when a project is well-coordinated and the owners are hands-on throughout, which is exactly how we operate. That said, timelines can vary based on design complexity, weather, and permitting, and we’ll always be upfront with you about where things stand.
The Finishing Details That Make It Yours
Once the shell is complete, the finishing work begins. Tile, coping, and interior plaster or pebble finishes go in. Decking gets poured or laid. If you’ve added features like a waterfall, fountain, custom lighting, or an outdoor kitchen and pergola, those are integrated during this phase too. This is the part where the 3D rendering you approved starts to look real in front of your eyes.
We also install the equipment during this stage, and we offer green energy-efficient systems, saltwater filter setups, and smart device controls so you can manage your pool from your phone. These aren’t upgrades for the sake of upgrades; they genuinely make ownership easier and more affordable over time.
The Final Walkthrough and First Swim
Before we consider a project complete, we do a thorough walkthrough with you. We show you how everything works, answer your questions, and make sure you feel confident managing your new pool. Then we fill it, balance the water chemistry, and hand the backyard over to you.
We work with multiple financing lenders as well, so if you’re still working through the budget side of things, that’s a conversation worth having early. We can help connect you with options that make the project more accessible.
If you’re thinking about a new pool and want to talk through the process, we’d love to hear from you. Give us a call or drop us an email, and we’ll find some time to chat about what your backyard could look like.
